How is iphone locked

This may take a while depending on the speed of your computer and your internet connection. For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles: How to check what carriers and countries work with your iPhone How to enable mono audio for AirPods How to wirelessly charge your iPhone How to change the default email account on iPhone What is iCloud Drive?

Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Check out our exclusive stories , reviews , how-tos , and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Peter Cao's favorite gear. A revolution in computing. Innovative ANC headphones that feature class-leading sound quality, W1-like Bluetooth device switching, and personalized sound. But if you bought the iPhone through a carrier on a contract, the phone will be locked until the contract is over and paid in full.

So to recap:. You could call your current carrier and ask them if your iPhone is unlocked. But otherwise, calling the carrier is the best way to check if an iPhone is unlocked. Not interested? Worried about the repercussions of using an unlocked iPhone, or have more questions? Here's how to tell if your iPhone is unlocked in Settings:. However, this isn't quite the end of the story, since some users report that this information isn't displayed in their About page in Settings.

If that's the case for you, check out one of the other methods detailed below. How can I tell if my iPhone is unlocked if it doesn't say it in Settings? There's another way, but it'll require some prep work, since this method requires you to have two SIM cards, each from a different carrier. There are quite a few online tools that allow you to check if your phone is unlocked using the IMEI number; however, the vast majority want you to pay about three dollars to get the info.

I found a couple of free tools, though. In general, it's best to be very cautious about using online tools like this, especially if they're unverified.

As such, I recommend this approach only if it's your last resort and you absolutely don't want to call your cellular service provider. Insert the new SIM card. Your device will activate. After you make a backup, erase your iPhone.

Restore your iPhone from the backup you just made. Get help You might see this message on your computer or on your iPhone: "The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported. If your device is on iOS 13 or earlier, use these steps: Contact your carrier to make sure that they applied the unlock in their system.

Restore your iPhone to factory settings. Restore your iPhone from a backup. Published Date: January 29, Yes No.