When buying an iPhone you can come through a range variety of options. One of them will be the phone lock situation where two cases are mainly present. Some iPhones are locked, and some of them are unlocked. It is very important to know if an iPhone is locked to a carrier network as this can cause you trouble using your sim card. We explained: What is the difference between iPhone Neverlock and Carrier Locked iPhone?
So in a couple of words, an iPhone is considered neverlock when it is not tied to a certain network carrier, therefore you can use the iPhone with any sim card you want. This makes the phone more worthy and is better for the user.
A locked iPhone can only use sim cards from a certain network carrier, meaning you will have to purchase a plan from the network you are tied to, or if you want to switch to a new network you can learn How To Unlock an iPhone from a carrier network & make it “neverlock” by clicking here.
Now that you know the difference between a locked and unlocked iPhone, let’s dive into the problem.
How do I know if my iPhone is locked to a Network Carrier?
Just by looking at an iPhone, you can not figure out if it is locked or unlocked. Apple does not allow resellers (network carriers) to brand the devices they sell. (You don’t get Sprint- or AT&T-branded iPhones, for example). To be even more confusing, some iPhones are locked when they are sold but are unlocked later when the owner finishes paying off the contract plan.
However, you should not worry about this because it is very easy to find out if your iPhone is “neverlock” or it is locked to a certain network. There are 2 simple ways to check your iPhone, using either the Settings app or a SIM card, and in this article, we’re going to show you how.
How to check if an iPhone is locked in Settings?
The simplest method of checking if your iPhone is locked is to check the Settings Tab.
- Open Settings Tab.
- Tap Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options (Cellular > Cellular Data )
- Check for the option Mobile Data Network (Cellular Data Network)
- If you find this option, the iPhone is probably unlocked. This option does not appear on locked iPhones
This method is not considered 100% accurate. If you are buying a new iPhone and want to make sure that you are getting an unlocked device, the best way you can check if your iPhone is locked to a network carrier is by using a SIM CARD. We’ll walk through that method next.
How to check if an iPhone is unlocked by using a SIM Card?
For this method, we recommend using 2 sim cards. Follow these steps to check if the phone is locked to a cellular network:
- Make a phone call using the SIM Card that is currently installed in the iPhone.
- Power off the iPhone. (Hold down the Sleep/Wake button and use the Slide to Power Off option to switch off the iPhone.)
- Remove the SIM Card using a Sim-Card Ejector Tool.
- Install your new SIM card from a different carrier.
- Make a phone call. Check that the iPhone can connect to a call using the new SIM card.
If the phone call does not connect with the new SIM card, the iPhone is locked.
If you have a locked iPhone and want to use a sim card from a different cellular network, you need to unlock the iPhone before installing the new SIM card. For more on that, see How To Unlock an iPhone from a carrier network & make it “neverlock”.