Some iPhones are locked, some are unlocked, and information technology'due south important to know which sort you lot've got. An unlocked iPhone can be used on any network, while a locked handset is tied to only one.

The iPhones you pay full toll for (typically from the Apple tree Store) are unlocked by default. But an iPhone bought from a network, usually as part of an ongoing network plan, volition be locked. This is normally for a set up period (24 months is mutual), and the monthly fee you pay covers function of the cost of the device - which is why you tin't but stop paying halfway through and walk away with the handset.

It'south not possible to tell, only by looking at the iPhone, whether it's locked or unlocked: Apple tree does not allow other phone companies to brand iPhones. (You don't get Iii- or EE-branded iPhones, for example.) To confuse matters fifty-fifty further, some phones are locked when sold, merely are unlocked at a later date when the possessor finishes paying off the contract.

But don't worry. It's relatively easy to discover out if your iPhone is locked or unlocked, using either the Settings app or a SIM menu, and in this article we're going to show you how.

How to check if an iPhone is unlocked in Settings

The simplest method of checking if an iPhone is locked or unlocked is to cheque in the Settings app.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options. (If the device is fix to American English you'll demand to tap Cellular > Cellular Data instead.)
  3. Check for an option named Mobile Data Network (or Cellular Information Network).
  4. If you run into an option for Mobile Data Network, your iPhone is most likely unlocked. This option should not announced on locked iPhones.

How to tell if an iPhone is locked or unlocked: Settings

This method is not 100 per cent effective, however, and nosotros get the impression that it has get less accurate since the launch of iOS thirteen. If you need to know for certain - if you're buying a second-hand iPhone, for example, and want to know if yous're paying a fair price - you should use a SIM carte to check if it's unlocked. Nosotros'll walk through that method adjacent.

How to check if an iPhone is unlocked using a SIM card

For this method it's best to accept two SIM cards, from different networks. Follow these steps to cheque that the iPhone is unlocked:

  1. Brand a phone call using the current SIM card. Brand sure information technology connects.
  2. Power off the iPhone. Concord downward the Sleep/Wake push and employ the Slide to Power Off pick to switch off the iPhone.
  3. Use the SIM-bill of fare ejector tool (or a paper clip) to squirt the SIM card from the iPhone.
  4. Insert your new SIM card.
  5. Printing the Sleep/Wake button to wake up the iPhone.
  6. Brand a phone call. Cheque that the iPhone can connect a call using the new SIM carte du jour.

If the call does not connect with the new SIM card, the iPhone is locked.

How to tell if an iPhone is locked or unlocked: Slide to power off

Yous can sometimes get a carrier to unlock an iPhone by calling them, or use a tertiary-party unlocking service such as Doctor SIM. For more on that, see How to unlock an iPhone.

Contact your carrier

Information technology's non such a quick solution - information technology may accept a while for the carrier to get dorsum to you - but if you need to know for sure so information technology may be worth getting in touch with the network provider you lot've signed up to and seeing if they can aid. Many carriers can check for you if you provide a handset'southward IMEI.

There are independent IMEI checking services too, but these services would e'er charge a fee for this (the legitimate ones would, at any rate). Your carrier may well offer the service for free. It can't hurt to ask, anyhow.

Use an online IMEI checker

Yous know how to find your IMEI, right? Once y'all've got that code, you can go to 1 of the many IMEI-checking tools online and observe out if the handset it's assigned to is locked or unlocked. The problem is that virtually of these services enquire for a payment (although mostly only a few quid).

There are free services too: you could effort IMEI24.com, which appears legit and has been recommended by others. Nosotros must stress, still, that nosotros don't know the company and cannot vouch for its services - other than to say that nosotros've tried it, it returned a bunch of information that was correct (about age and blazon of device, when it was purchased, how long the warranty had to run and similar) and... it couldn't in the end tell u.s. whether our iOS 13-based iPhone 11 Pro was locked or non. If y'all'd paid for the service this would be profoundly annoying.

How to check if an iPhone is locked or unlocked: IMEI checker

Further reading

At present that you know whether your iPhone is locked or unlocked, yous're equipped to take the next step.

If you needed this data because yous want to sell it, read How to sell an iPhone for more than advice. If you lot're passing it on to a youngster, on the other hand, then How to gear up up parental controls may be a more useful article.

Finally, remember to check out our guide to the all-time iPhone deals and contracts for advice on your next purchase.