How to check if your iPhone is unlocked: Carrier Lock guide

Open Settings, tap General, then About, and read the line next to Carrier Lock. If it says No SIM restrictions, your iPhone is unlocked and will accept a SIM or eSIM from any network. If it shows a carrier name, the iPhone is locked to that carrier and only that carrier can remove the lock.

How to check if your iPhone is unlocked in Settings

The quickest check is Apple's own: open Settings, tap General, tap About, then read the Carrier Lock line. No SIM restrictions means the iPhone is unlocked. A carrier name means it is locked to that network. On some phones and in some regions the line is labelled Network Provider Lock instead, with the same meaning.

Step by step:

1. Unlock the iPhone and open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap About.
4. Scroll to Carrier Lock (or Network Provider Lock).
5. Read the status shown next to it.

This is the method Apple documents for iOS 14 and later. On iOS 13 or earlier Apple gives different guidance: ask your carrier to confirm the unlock, then restore the iPhone to factory settings and restore from a backup. If you are unsure which iOS version you are on, check Settings > General > About first, since the Carrier Lock line only appears on newer versions.

A carrier lock is not the same as an eSIM compatibility problem. A phone can support eSIM and still be locked, so check both before you buy anything: see the eSIM compatible phones list and confirm the lock status here.

What No SIM restrictions means

No SIM restrictions is Apple's wording for an unlocked iPhone. It means the handset has no carrier lock, so it will accept a physical SIM or an eSIM from any network that supports the phone. It says nothing about whether the phone is paid off, only that the software lock has been removed.

When you see this message, an eSIM from a travel provider can be installed and used alongside your home line. You will need the phone's EID number during installation, and the install an eSIM guide walks through the QR code steps.

Two limits are worth knowing. First, an unlocked iPhone can still be tied to an iCloud Activation Lock, which is a separate ownership lock. Second, unlocked does not mean every network technology will work perfectly: Verizon notes that an unlocked device may have limited functionality on another network because network technologies differ.

If you are buying a used phone, No SIM restrictions is the single line to see with your own eyes before money changes hands.

What a carrier lock is

A carrier lock, sometimes called a network lock, is software set by the mobile network that sold the iPhone. It stops the handset from accepting SIMs and eSIMs from other carriers. Only the carrier that applied the lock can remove it, and Apple cannot unlock an iPhone for use with a different carrier.

Carrier rules vary by provider and by whether the phone was bought on postpaid or prepaid:

• AT&T postpaid devices can be unlocked once bought more than 60 days ago, paid in full, not reported lost, stolen or involved in fraud, not active on another AT&T account, and with no past-due bill for current customers. AT&T Prepaid devices need 12 months of paid AT&T service.
• Verizon postpaid devices unlock automatically when bought at full retail price or when the financing balance is paid in full, and Verizon does not re-lock a device once unlocked. Verizon Prepaid devices stay locked until 365 days of paid and active service.
• T-Mobile postpaid devices must have been active on the requesting line for at least 40 days and be paid in full; prepaid devices generally need at least 365 days since activation on T-Mobile. The device must have been sold by T-Mobile, not reported lost, stolen or blocked, and the account must be in good standing.

Regulation is shifting. In 2024 the FCC proposed requiring all mobile providers to unlock handsets 60 days after activation (WT Docket 24-186). On 12 January 2026 the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau granted Verizon a waiver (DA 26-43) of the handset unlocking rule tied to its 700 MHz C Block licences and its TracFone commitment, so Verizon now follows the CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service unlocking commitments like other carriers. The FCC said the waiver stays in effect until it decides on an industry-wide approach to handset unlocking.

In the UK the picture is simpler: Ofcom banned mobile providers from selling locked handsets to consumers from 17 December 2021, so new phones bought from UK networks since then work on any network.

How to get your iPhone unlocked by your carrier

Only your current carrier can remove the lock. Contact them, ask for a carrier unlock, and expect it to take a few days to process. Apple cannot do it for you. Once the carrier confirms the unlock, check Settings > General > About again and Carrier Lock should read No SIM restrictions.

How the request usually runs:

1. Contact your carrier and ask to unlock the iPhone. Have the IMEI ready; the carrier may ask for it.
2. The carrier checks the account is in good standing and any contract or device payment plan is complete.
3. The unlock is processed on the network side. You do not need a new SIM for this.
4. After a few days, recheck Carrier Lock in Settings.

AT&T says eligible Apple, Samsung and Google devices should unlock automatically once they meet the requirements; others can be requested at att.com/deviceunlock, and non-customers can request without an AT&T account. AT&T also says a prepaid device is still locked if inserting a non-AT&T SIM shows a message that the SIM is not compatible with the AT&T network. For Samsung phones released after 1 September 2025, AT&T says lock status appears in Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Network lock status.

One Verizon quirk: paying the remaining balance with a Verizon Gift Card delays unlocking by 35 days so the funds can be verified. If your unlock seems stuck, ask the carrier whether a payment method is holding it up.

Once the carrier confirms the unlock, how you start using another network depends on what you have to hand. With a new carrier's eSIM, follow Apple's eSIM setup steps. With a new SIM card, swap the card and the phone activates. With no other SIM available, Apple says to back up, erase and restore the iPhone.

What happens if a locked iPhone tries another eSIM

A locked iPhone will not connect using a SIM or eSIM from another carrier. If you insert a SIM from a different network, iOS can show the message The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported; Apple's fix is to check Carrier Lock and contact the carrier. A travel eSIM on a locked phone simply will not get service.

This matters most for travel eSIMs. Apple says a local or worldwide travel eSIM can only be used if the iPhone is not locked to a carrier. For Dual SIM with two carriers, both carriers must unlock the iPhone, or both plans must come from the same carrier. So if your home line is on one network and your travel eSIM on another, the phone must be unlocked, full stop.

Symptoms of trying anyway are No Service, no data, or the unsupported SIM message. Nothing is broken; the lock is doing its job.

If your phone is unlocked and eSIM ready, a data only eSIM keeps your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes while data runs over the travel plan. See calls, texts and OTPs with a data eSIM and, if you are weighing formats, eSIM vs physical SIM.

Before you buy a travel eSIM: a quick checklist

Two boxes must be ticked before a travel eSIM will work: the iPhone must be unlocked, and it must be eSIM compatible. Check Carrier Lock in Settings > General > About, confirm the model supports eSIM, then buy. Buying first and checking later is the most common way to waste money on a plan you cannot activate.

Run through this list:

• Carrier Lock says No SIM restrictions.
• The model appears on the eSIM compatible phones list.
• You know where to find the EID, needed at installation.
• You have decided how to keep your home line reachable; a top-up keeps a prepaid home line active, and Slashtel sells top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes.

On the Slashtel side, the eSIM is data only: no local phone number and no calls or SMS, though WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges. The eSIM is bought online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and the QR code arrives by email within minutes. Someone else can buy it and enter the traveller's email, so the code goes straight to the person who will use it. Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so it can be bought and installed at home before the flight. The network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand, and more data can be added to the same eSIM later with no new QR code. Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week. If you are still deciding between a local plan and roaming, read eSIM vs roaming, and browse destinations to see where coverage is offered.

Sources

Checked 24 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.

• https://support.apple.com/en-us/109316
• https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1008728/
• https://www.verizon.com/about/consumer-safety/device-unlocking-policy
• https://t-mobile.com/responsibility/consumer-info/policies/sim-unlock-policy
• https://www.fcc.gov/document/order-granting-verizon-handset-unlocking-waiver
• https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-417932A1.pdf
• https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-proposes-mobile-phone-unlocking-requirement-0
• https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/mobile-phones/mobile-companies-now-banned-from-selling-locked-handsets
• https://support.apple.com/en-us/109317