How to tell if your iPhone is unlocked

The ten-second check

Since iOS 14, the iPhone tells you directly whether it’s locked.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General, then About.
3. Scroll down to Carrier Lock.

That one line is the answer. It reads the phone’s actual lock status rather than guessing from where you bought it, so trust it over a receipt or a seller’s description.

While you’re on that screen, look for EID as well. An EID means the iPhone has eSIM hardware. Our eSIM compatibility guide covers that half of the check.

What the Carrier Lock line means

If the phone has just been unlocked and still shows as locked, restart it and look again. The status can take a little while to update.

Test with another SIM

The practical test works on any iOS version, and it’s what the Settings line is summarising:

1. Borrow a SIM from a friend on a different carrier.
2. Turn the iPhone off, swap the SIM in, and turn it back on.
3. Wait for signal, then make a call.

If the call connects, the phone is unlocked. If you see a message such as “SIM not supported” or “SIM not valid”, it’s locked. Put your own SIM back afterwards.

No physical SIM tray, as on iPhone 14 and later sold in the US? Use the Settings check or ask your carrier instead.

Ask your carrier

Your carrier can see the lock on its own system. Call, use live chat, or check the carrier’s app, and have the phone’s IMEIready: it’s under Settings › General › About, or dial *#06#.

This is also the right route if you have the phone on finance or a contract, because the carrier can tell you exactly when it becomes eligible for unlocking.

Three locks that aren’t a carrier lock

“Locked” means several different things on an iPhone, and only one of them stops you using another carrier.

• Activation Lock. Part of Find My, it ties the phone to an Apple Account. It stops a stolen iPhone being set up by someone else but has nothing to do with networks.
• SIM PIN. A code that protects the SIM itself, set in Settings › Cellular › SIM PIN. If the phone asks for a SIM PIN, the lock is on the SIM, not the handset.
• Passcode. The screen lock. It protects your data, not your choice of network.

Why an eSIM needs an unlocked phone

An eSIM is a SIM in every way that matters to a carrier lock, just without the plastic. A locked iPhone rejects a travel eSIM from another provider the same way it rejects a rival’s SIM card. It may refuse to add the plan, or add it and never connect.

So check the lock before you buy. A travel eSIM installs once, and a locked phone is one of the few problems that can’t be fixed in the arrivals hall. Our guide to what an eSIM is explains why it installs only once.

If your iPhone is locked

1. Ask the carrier that locked it for an unlock.Most carriers unlock phones once they’re paid off and the account is in good standing. Conditions and timings vary, so ask early.
2. Wait for confirmation.The carrier processes the unlock on its side. When it’s done, restart the phone and check Carrier Lock again.
3. Finish the unlock if asked.Usually inserting another carrier’s SIM is enough. In some cases the carrier or Apple will tell you to back up and restore the iPhone to complete it.

If the unlock won’t come through before you leave, the options are your own carrier’s roaming, which varies a lot by carrier, or tethering to a travelling companion’s phone that does have a travel eSIM.

Buying a used iPhone

Check the phone in person, before you pay. Open Settings › General › About and look at Carrier Lock and EID, and make sure the seller has signed out of their Apple Account so Activation Lock is off.

Remember the region, too. iPhones sold in mainland China have no eSIM, however new they are, so a phone that’s unlocked can still be unable to take a travel eSIM.