Ways to Unlock Mobiles by IMEI (3 basic steps)

Posted by Cheek Hanley on February 3rd, 2021

Best ways to Unlock Mobile Phones via IMEI

By Lisbeth Helvik

If you get a phone from a cellphone provider, you'll find it locked into that company's service. If the company offers you a free or reduced price smartphone, you generally have to consent to a 1- or 2-year contract as well. You can avoid this contract and freely change between providers, as well as travel outside of the country and use other networks, easily by unlocking your cell phone using the IMEI number. The three simple steps below are all that is needed to officially unlock your smartphone permanently.

Step 1

Find the 15-digit IMEI code. This is generally printed on the mobile phone beneath the battery. You can also generally find it inside your cellphone's setting page or by keying in a unique code to get your phone to show the IMEI number on your screen. Most often, the code is *#06#

Step 2

After you've found the IMEI code of your smartphone, get in touch with your existing carrier and ask them if they'll provide you with an unlock code. Dependent on your circumstances, they might grant your request. In spite of this, different networks may have thier own set of guidelines that need to be met before they'll give you with an unlock code, and many will refuse. Generally, if you've finished your contract, your phone provider will give you directions on how to factory unlock your phone, but in most cases they'll insist you are the original owner of the phone (the contract on thier system is in your name). If you are not, for instance, you purchased the phone second hand, you have got to locate an alternative unlocking method to factory unlock your cellphone.

Step 3

For anyone who is not the orginal owner of the cell phone, you'll need to acquire an unlock service from a third party supplier. Thankfully there are lots of online vendors selling services simply by giving them your mobile phone's IMEI code, it's model and make and the network it is locked to. The cost of the service and the time it takes to unlock your cellphone will depend upon these factors, and may vary quite significantly for more obscure phones or networks. Making use of a 3rd party unlocking service is frequently the quickest and the most hassle-free method to IMEI unlock your cellphone, as it is executed remotely without your phone ever having to leave your pocession. As soon as your mobile phone has been sucessfully unlocked it can then be used with any carrier and in any country you want.