iPhone & iPad · Lock Status

Apple SIM Lock Check

Sellers say "unlocked" far more often than it is true. Enter the IMEI to see what the records say about an iPhone or iPad before you pay for it.

15-digit IMEI

Dial *#06# on the handset to display its IMEI.

This check runs against a live device database. Create a free account to run it.

Takes a moment, and your results are saved to your account.

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The Risk

What a SIM Lock Does to a Phone You Have Just Bought

A SIM lock — carrier lock, network lock, the same thing under three names — is a restriction a mobile network applies to a handset it supplied. Put another network's SIM into a locked iPhone and it refuses to register, usually behind a "SIM Not Supported" message. Everything else about the phone works normally, which is exactly why the problem stays invisible until you are home with it.

Networks use the lock to hold on to phones they are still owed money for, on contract or on instalments. When the agreement is settled the customer can ask for the lock to be lifted, and the phone becomes what people call factory unlocked. The right to make that request belongs to the account holder — not to whoever buys the handset afterwards.

So a lock discovered after the sale is more than an inconvenience. You are relying on a stranger to go back to their old network on your behalf, and the answer turns on their account rather than yours. Settle it before the money moves, not after.

The Two Answers

Unlocked

Takes a SIM from any network, anywhere

Locked

Tied to one network until that network releases it

Before You Pay

What a Lock Check Is Actually Protecting

The Phone May Not Work At All

On your network a locked handset is an expensive iPod. Better to know that before you travel across town to meet a seller.

Roaming Abroad

An unlocked iPhone takes a local SIM on holiday. A locked one leaves you on your home network's roaming rates.

What It Is Worth

Unlocked handsets fetch more second-hand. If you are the one selling, the status is worth confirming so you can state it plainly.

Claims Versus Records

"Unlocked" in a listing is a statement by the seller. The IMEI lookup is a statement from the record, and only one of the two is checkable.

Knowing Who Holds the Lock

Where a handset is locked, knowing which network applied it is the first thing anyone needs in order to get it lifted.

Room to Negotiate

A locked phone is not worthless, it is worth less. Knowing early is what lets you price it accordingly, or walk away.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check whether an iPhone is SIM locked?

Enter the 15-digit IMEI above. The lookup reports whether the handset is carrier-locked or factory unlocked. The number comes from dialling *#06#, or from Settings > General > About — and a seller who will not give you the IMEI has already told you something useful.

Can I unlock it myself once I have bought it?

Not directly. The proper route is a request to the network that applied the lock, and networks generally act on it once the contract or instalment plan behind the handset is settled. If the account is not yours, you are asking the previous owner to make that request on your behalf. Third-party services exist and vary in reliability.

Is a SIM lock the same as iCloud Activation Lock?

No, and confusing the two is expensive. A SIM lock limits which network the phone will work on. Activation Lock ties the device to an Apple ID and stops anyone else setting it up at all. A handset can be clear of one and held by the other, so both are worth checking.

Does this work for a cellular iPad?

Yes. Anything Apple builds with a cellular modem carries an IMEI, and the lookup treats it the same way as a phone.

The seller says it is unlocked because it works on their SIM. Does that settle it?

Only if the SIM is from a different network. A phone will always work on the network it is locked to, so testing it with the seller's own SIM proves nothing at all. The IMEI lookup does not depend on who is holding the handset, or on which SIM happens to be in it.

Activation Lock is a different problem with a different answer: iCloud Unlock Service →