You’re ready to switch carriers, but is your phone unlocked? Your phone’s settings or carrier account can give you a direct answer. Start there, then test another carrier’s SIM or eSIM if you still need confirmation.
Check Carrier Lock on your iPhone
This check answers the unlock question without changing your cellular plan.
Open Settings > General > About on an iPhone running iOS 14 or later. This works for physical SIM and eSIM models.
Read Carrier Lock. If it says No SIM restrictions, your iPhone is unlocked. In the UK, Apple calls this field Network Provider Lock.
Contact your carrier if the phone does not show an unlocked status.
Find your Android phone’s carrier-specific menu
A missing Galaxy unlock menu comes down to carrier software: Samsung says availability varies by carrier.
On a Galaxy that includes it, open Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Network unlock > Network lock status.
Read the displayed status. The Permanent unlock and Temporary unlock buttons start unlock operations; their presence does not mean your phone is already unlocked.
For an AT&T Samsung phone released after September 1, 2025, open Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Network lock status instead.
On a supported T-Mobile Motorola phone, open Settings > About Phone > Device Unlock.
Inspect the carrier unlock screen. Its Permanent Unlock option requests an unlock rather than displaying your current status.
Use your carrier account if your phone has no lock-status menu. These paths apply to supported phones, not every Android device.
Contact the original carrier if the account does not give you an answer.
Look up the status in your carrier account
For T-Mobile’s website check, sign in to your account.
Open Accounts.
Select the line associated with your phone.
Choose Check device unlock status.
Read the lock status separately from unlock eligibility.
For the app alternative, open T-Life.
Tap Manage.
Select Manage all if needed to display your lines.
Choose your line.
Open Device lock status.
For AT&T, sign in to your wireless account.
Select your phone.
Look in Device info for Device unlocked.
Keep the distinction in mind: eligibility does not mean unlocking is complete, and a temporary unlock is different from a permanent one.
Ask the original carrier to resolve unclear results
Use this route when settings and account information disagree or leave you without an answer. It also applies when an approved unlock has not taken effect.
Contact the carrier that locked or sold the phone.
Ask whether the carrier unlock has actually completed. Apple directs iPhone owners to their carrier and cannot perform the carrier unlock itself.
Enter *#06# in the phone dialer to display the IMEI on phones that support the code. The IMEI identifies your device; this code does not display carrier-lock status.
Provide the device identification your carrier requests.
For an existing AT&T unlock request, open the AT&T request status page.
Enter your IMEI number.
Enter the Request number from AT&T’s email.
Select Submit. The result reports your request’s progress, not necessarily a completed unlock.
Follow any completion instructions shown.
Try another carrier’s physical SIM
This test checks whether your phone accepts service from another carrier.
Get an active, compatible SIM from a different carrier. Your phone needs a physical SIM slot for this method.
Insert that SIM into your phone.
Complete the carrier’s activation instructions.
Check that service works using the new carrier’s plan. Successful service is practical evidence that your phone accepts that carrier.
Read any error message. Verizon identifies SIM Not Supported as an indication of a locked device, with wording varying by manufacturer. A generic service failure needs further diagnosis and does not establish that the phone is locked.
Test an eSIM plan without a physical SIM
No SIM slot? An eSIM-capable phone supports the same practical test with another carrier’s plan. You need an active plan from a different compatible carrier, and your model and region must support the eSIM setup.
For an iPhone, obtain the other carrier’s eSIM QR code.
Open Camera.
Scan the QR code.
Tap Cellular Plan Detected.
Select Continue.
Tap Add Cellular Plan.
On a supported Pixel, open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add SIM > Set up an eSIM instead.
Choose the provider.
For a supported Galaxy, open Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM.
Complete your carrier’s activation instructions for your phone.
Confirm that service works through the newly added plan. Successful service provides practical evidence of carrier acceptance. Seeing Add eSIM alone does not prove your phone is unlocked, and neither does roaming with your original SIM.
If activation fails, ask the new carrier to check compatibility and activation. If that does not resolve it, ask the original carrier to confirm the unlock status. Failed eSIM activation alone does not establish a carrier lock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I tell whether my iPhone is unlocked from Cellular Data Network settings?
No. Apple says access to APN settings depends on carrier permission. The presence of Cellular Data Network does not establish whether your iPhone is unlocked.
Are Google Pixel phones purchased from Google Store unlocked?
Yes. Google says phones purchased directly from Google Store come unlocked. Your original receipt or order establishes that purchase history, but it is not a live lock-status check.
Should I erase my iPhone to check whether it is unlocked?
No. Apple documents backing up, erasing, and restoring as a way to finish a carrier-confirmed unlock when another SIM is unavailable. That procedure completes an unlock; it is not a first-line status check.
Can a work or school iPhone block eSIM changes even when it is unlocked?
Yes. Organization management settings can restrict adding or removing eSIM plans. Ask your administrator whether eSIM Modification restrictions apply. A blocked eSIM change does not establish a carrier lock.