How to check if your phone is unlocked

A travel eSIM connects to a network other than your home carrier’s, so your phone has to be free to use other networks. A phone that is locked to a carrier can only use that carrier’s service until the lock is removed. Here is how to check if your phone is unlocked before you buy.

On iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General, then About.
3. Look at Carrier Lock. If it says No SIM restrictions, your iPhone is unlocked.

If you see anything else, contact your carrier. Apple cannot unlock an iPhone for use with another carrier: only your carrier can, and Apple notes that it might take the carrier a few days.

On Android

Android phones do not all show the lock status in the same place, so start with where the phone came from.

• Bought outright from the maker. Google says all phones sold in the Google Store come unlocked.
• Bought from a carrier, or with a contract. It may be locked. Google explains that a phone bought from a carrier can be SIM-locked for up to two years, and works only with that carrier until the lock is removed.
• Samsung Galaxy. On some Galaxy phones, depending on the carrier, you can see the lock status in Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Network unlock.

If you cannot find it, your carrier can tell you. Ask whether the phone is unlocked for use with other networks abroad, and if it is not, ask them to unlock it.

Check well before your trip

Only the carrier that locked your phone can unlock it, and it can take a few days. Ask before you travel rather than at the airport, so there is time to sort it out.

A phone that is still locked can stop a travel eSIM from connecting, whichever network the eSIM uses. That is why this check comes before you buy.

Still not sure?

If you cannot tell whether your phone is unlocked, contact us with your phone model and the carrier and country you bought it from. You can also check your model on our compatible phones page, and read is my phone eSIM compatible? for the other two checks.