GSM cell phones are capable of a practice known as "unlocking," when unlocked customers can use their phones on a variety of networks throughout the United States and around the world. Unlocking a cell phone involves several steps that can be performed with the help of both online and offline tools.
Instructions
Unlocking Your Phone With Online Help
1. Determine if your cell phone is "unlock capable." GSM phones can be unlocked and used on other carriers, CDMA phones can not. If your phone uses a SIM card it is GSM capable.
2. Visit a cell phone unlocking website. GSMLiberty and GlobalUnlock both offer quick point and click services and are both trusted online unlocking sources.
3. Select your manufacturer and cell phone model once you select a website. Enter in your phones IMEI when prompted (located under the phones battery).
4. Enter in your unlock code exactly as stated on the emailed instructions. Typically this will include numbers and symbols such as, #0098*39202#. Please note it can take several days to receive your unlock code.
5. Turn your phone off, then test your phone by inserting a SIM card from another carrier into the SIM card slot. Place a call to ensure your phone is operating on the new network. Dial your cellphone number to ensure incoming calls are also operating correctly.
Unlock Phones Using Your Current Carrier
6. Determine if your phone has been activated for at least 121 days. Most carriers in the U.S. provide free unlocking services after this point.
7. Call customer service for your carrier. If you use a service that provides device dialing you can use their specialized number. For example *611 from your AT&T phone will place a free call to customer service support.
8. Tell the customer service representative you would like to unlock your phone. They will ask for your phones IMEI number (phone identifier), make and model. Provide this information.
9. Write down the unlock code and read it back to the customer service representative. Enter in the unlock code exactly as described by the representative. As in the first step this will likely include symbols and numbers such as #0495894#.
10. Insert a SIM card from another carrier and test incoming and outgoing calls. If calls can be received and sent the unlock code was entered successfully. If calls are not working, repeat the process and retest.
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