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Carriers

Is my cellphone locked – eSIM ready?

A common question for folks wanting to use an eSIM card is wether their phones are unlocked. To use an eSIM card you need an unlocked phone. Here are 3 methods to find out if your cellphone is unlocked and eSIM ready:

Method 1 – The human touch

A no-brainer really, simply call customer service (dial *611) or visit your carriers physical store and they will be able to tell you. They may ask for your IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) but will most probably have it on file.

Method 2 – The detective

So if you’re like me and are not keen on spending valuable time on the phone messing about with clueless customer service reps in far off lands then this method is for you.

iPhone

You can find out if your iPhone is locked by going to Settings > General > About. If “No SIM restrictions” appears next to Carrier Lock, your iPhone is unlocked.

Apple Support Article

Full support article can be found on the Apple.com website here

So Go to Settings > (Scroll down to) click General > Click About – You will see a page that looks like the following with lots of information on it. Scroll down 👇👇👇👇 to Carrier Lock.

iPhone About page iOS16
See if your iPhone is unlocked on the About page under Carrier Lock – in this case iPhone is not locked – 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
Carrier locked in IOS iPhone screen grab from phone
You iPhone is carrier locked – booo Verizon! 🙀🙀🙀🙀

Android

  • Go to your Android phone Settings and open Network & Internet options
  • Click on the Plus Sign in next to the Mobile Network in Network and Internet Settings
  • Next to the Mobile Network option, tap the Plus icon and check if other networks are shown. Some Android phones, you may have to tap on Search Now in Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators.
  • If your see other networks then your phone is unlocked
  • If no other network is shown except your current carrier, your phone is probably locked

Method 3 – The Nerd

You can also enter your IMEI number into your carriers website to see if your phone is unlocked. You IMEI is a type of serial number that uniquely identifies your phone. Simply dial this sequence of numbers on your phone virtual keypad *#06# and your IMEI will magically appear! Write it down 😭😭😭 and enter it into one of the websites below. On iOS/iPhone you can get the number from the Settings > General > About page.