What It Means to Have an Unlocked Phone. Most cell phones and smartphones are tied, or locked, to a certain cellular carrier, such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, or Sprint.

Phones, like the iPhone 14 Pro line, can be locked to a carrier when purchased on an installment plan. James Martin/CNET Before we go into unlocking, first let's explain what it means for a phone ...

Locked phones often come with pre-installed carrier apps, i.e. bloatware, that you can't remove. Some apps might be useful, but many are redundant and just hog storage space.

Carrier phones are almost always locked exclusively to that provider. You can’t buy a phone through Verizon and immediately use it on AT&T. While you can remove this lock, certain requirements ...

All of its unlocks are performed over the air (OTA), so your phone stays with you while the unlock is happening, and the entire process usually takes no more than 24 hours. If you got a Samsung phone, ...

Many phones that can be unlocked using facial recognition can be fooled by a photograph, research has found. According to consumer body Which?, scammers can bypass the screen lock on certain ...

Unlocked phones must be paid in full, unless you use a credit card or third-party financing. The point is you need to cover the cost of the phone right away, and we all know these gadgets can be ...

Depending on where you buy it, your Android phone may be carrier-locked. Unlocked phones support SIM cards from any carrier, but if the device is locked, the phone can only use SIM cards from one ...

If you bought an iPhone on contract, in the U.S. at least, then there’s a good chance that it’s locked and will need to be unlocked before you can use it with a different carrier.

Step 3: Contact your carrier to request an unlock code. You can get in touch with the support team via phone, email, or chat — whichever option is most convenient for you. Step 4: Submit your ...

Below we’ll explain exactly how to check, and how to get it unlocked if needed. Oh, and the process for doing this is much the same for any phone – Samsung or otherwise – so you can use this ...

An unlocked smartphone is a phone that can work with any cell phone carrier. Some phones are not unlocked and so they can ...