Except for Canadian carriers, all carriers lock Apple iPhone to their SIM cards. Here’s how you can check if your iPhone is carrier locked and unlock it.

1. Check your Settings

Before you move onto other advanced methods, you go to your device’s Settings and check the unlock status of your device. This is not the most reliable method out there but it’s a good starting point.

Step 1 Open the Settings app, select Cellular Data.

Step 2 Ensure the Mobile Data Options option is present in this section.

If it’s not present, it means that your iPhone is SIM locked. If the “Mobile Data Options” text is visible, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that your iPhone is unlocked.

2. Insert a new SIM card

Changing SIM cards is a reliable method and lets you quickly find out the “SIM lock” status of your smartphone.

Step 1 Make a phone call with your smartphone and ensure everything works well.

Step 2 Press and hold the sleep button and turn off your iPhone.

Step 3 Use the stock SIM eject tool, open the SIM card holder, and remove the SIM card from the device.

Step 4 Insert a SIM card from a different mobile network operator. For example, if you are using a Verizon SIM, you have to remove it and insert another SIM from AT&T.

Step 5 Power up your iPhone and let it boot.

Step 6 Once the device boots up, ensure that the operator name is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen.

Step 7 Make a phone call again with your new SIM or network and ensure everything works as expected.

If your device accurately displays the carrier name in the status bar and the phone call completes successfully, your iPhone is in an unlocked state.

However, if your device throws the “Invalid SIM card” message, it is SIM locked to the original cellular company.

3. Contact Apple Support

If the aforementioned methods are too complicated for you, you can get in touch with Apple’s support team. 

This method doesn’t have a high success rate, primarily because of some unscrupulous individuals who use it to gather sensitive data about a user.

Step 1 Get the IMEI of the device using 3uTools. 

Step 2 Dial the number of the Apple support team.

Step 3 Talk to an Apple advisor.

Step 4 Tell the advisor that you have a used iPhone and would like to know if it is SIM locked or unlocked.

Step 5 Provide the IMEI number to the advisor wait for him or her to respond.

4. Use third-party services

Third-party websites like IMEI.info let you check whether your iPhone is unlocked or not. Note that this method is paid and requires you to have your IMEI number ready beforehand. IMEI.info charges $2.99 for a single IMEI check and you have to complete the payment via PayPal. 

What to do if your iPhone is SIM locked?

If you find your iPhone is SIM locked or carrier locked, you have two options in front of you –

1)Stay on your current carrier

If you decide to stay with your current carrier, you can keep using its SIM on your smartphone. This method will not entail any expense but you will remain locked to a contract, and hence, your network’s pricing model.

2)Unlock your smartphone

If you want to switch to another wireless service provider, you have to unlock your device using a third-party SIM.

You can get your phone unlocked from a third-party service or do it yourself using Turbo SIM or R-SIM 12. There are lots of iPhone and iCloud unlock scams online – and it’s for that reason we recommend you stick to manual methods.