Mobile phone unlocking is quite a confusing topic. There is a lot of outdated and misleading information online and this step by step guide will teach you everything you need to know about unlocking and how to unlock your own phone from the comfort of your own home!
If you have any questions about unlocking after reading this, then feel free to drop a comment at the bottom of the page and I will help you out!
What Is Mobile Phone Unlocking?
When you buy a new mobile phone, in general they are locked for use on 1 specific network. If you try to put a different networks sim card in the phone, it will get rejected.
Unlocking your mobile phone removes the digital shackles from your phone so it can be used with any sim card from any network.
Why Bother Unlocking My Mobile Phone?
Once your phone is unlocked, you have the freedom to use any sim card you want with the phone. This offers a number of benefits-
- Promotional Offers – A lot of networks give away free sim cards which come with goodies such as free texts and calls. Unlocking your phone allows you to take advantage of offers like this.
- Cheaper Tariff –If you like your phone but don’t like your bill then unlocking your phone will allow you to switch to another network and take advantage of any offers/discounts.
- Added Value – An unlocked phone is worth more than a locked phone. If you’re looking to sell your phone on eBay or to a friend then unlocking it will make it worth more!
To sum it up, unlocking free’s your phone from the shackles of its current network while increasing the value of the handset.
Is Mobile Phone Unlocking Illegal?
Not at all, mobile phone unlocking is a perfectly legal and legitimate practice. Many people get ‘mobile phone unlocking’ and ‘mobile phone unblocking’ confused, however they have 2 very different meanings-
- Mobile Phone Unlocking – As explained above, allows you to use any sim card in your phone. 100% legal.
- Mobile Phone Unblocking – When a phone is reported lost/stolen it gets blocked by all of the networks so it cannot be used. UNBLOCKING a mobile phone gets around this and is completely illegal!
So be careful not to get the two terms confused, Unlocking is legal, unblocking is not!
How Do I Unlock My Mobile Phone?
Mobile phone unlocking is actually quite a quick and simple process, even for the non techies amongst us!
A few years back you would need to buy expensive mobile phone unlocking equipment but all of this has changed with the rise of mobile phone unlocking online.
All you need to get is the unique unlock code for your specific phone. Once you have got unlock code it is a simple as typing a number into your phone!
Step 1 – Required Information
First of all you will need the following information-
- Handset Model – You probably already know this, but if you don’t check out the phones packaging or instructions. Eg HTC Desire, Nokia 6700 and so forth
- Current Network – You will need to know which network the phone is currently locked to.
- IMEI Number – The IMEI number is a unique serial number for your specific phone. To find your IMEI number type *#06# into the handset and note down the number.
Step 2 – Getting An Unlock Code
To unlock your handset, you will need get the unlock code. Every unlock code is unique and created specifically for your handset, which means it won’t work for any other phone except yours.
There are a variety of places you can get an unlock code from including networks and local shops/market stalls. However these are often very expensive and the unlocking process can be done from the comfort of your own home a lot cheaper by using an online service.
The good news is that there are a number of mobile phone unlocking services online, however based on my personal experience I recommend getting your code from MobileUnlocked.co.uk for a number of reasons-
- They offer the lowest prices
- Fast & reliable service
- Order tracking
- Dedicated support
- Full guides if you get stuck
Step 3 – Using The Code
Once you have received your unlock code, it is usually a case of taking your sim card out, turning the phone on and typing in the code!
Although it might be slightly different depending on your phone model, it really is as simple as that.
Don’t forget, MobileUnlocked.co.uk provide all the instructions and support you need to unlock your phone if you do get stuck at any point which is unlikely.
Can You Get Free Mobile Phone Unlocking Codes?
Years ago it was possible to get hold of free mobile phone unlocking codes, but as technology has moved on; manufactures have changed how they lock phones which now means each and every unlock code is completely unique and specific to the IMEI number of the phone it was created for.
Unfortunately unlocking codes cost money to create which means you can’t pick them up for free anymore.
Could Unlocking My Phone Cause Any Damage?
The unlocking process of mobile phones is completely safe and does not pose any risk of damage to your phone. The absolute worst that can happen is you get supplied/type in the wrong code and the phone tells you to try again.
Make sure you get the right unlock code for your handset from a reliable supplier and you’ll be fine!
If your still confused by mobile phone unlocking or have any questions then drop a comment below and I’ll help you out or head over to MobileUnlocked.co.uk and hit the support page.
You could always look at how easy is it was for me to sell my mobile.
the phone i want unlocked is a phone that i had under my ex husbands orange account. we have now split and i have kept the phone. he has previously had the imei number blocked but now lifted it again. if i get the phone unlocked can he still block the imei number?
hiya i have nokia e5 with three network can i unlock my phone .
Yes you can, please read through the page
Hi there,
i have an iphone 4s 8gb, on orange contract but upgraded and want to sell this one, can this be done?
Also do you know if there is any way i can get more memory for the iphone?
I recently got my bb curve 8520 unlocked at a mobile phone shop but my new vodafone sim doesnt work can i do anything about this