How: Can you transfer your phone to a new carrier? That’s how you say

How: Can you transfer your phone to a new carrier? That’s how you say

If your current carrier is too expensive, has poor reception in your area, or doesn’t support features you’d like to use, switching to a different carrier is an obvious step. But can you bring your current iPhone or Android phone?

In most cases, your current smartphone will work fine on another carrier’s network. Transferring it is now easier than when we had to overcome obstacles to unlock a carrier-locked cell phone in the US. However, knowing if your phone is unlocked, paid for, and compatible with the network is not exactly easy.

To change carriers, you may need to pay for the phone with the carrier you bought it from and also unlock it. If you purchased your phone from someone other than your carrier — like directly from Apple, Google, or Samsung — it’s highly likely that it’s ready to switch carriers. However, you should always double check to prevent any compatibility glitches.

Step 1: Find your phone’s IMEI

Some of the other steps below will require you to enter your device’s IMEI or International Mobile Equipment Identity and are easy to find. You can find it in the phone settings, but it’s even easier to call the dialer code. If you have a dual SIM model, you must have two IMEIs.

  • iOS: Settings -> General -> About -> IMEI
  • Android: Settings -> About phone -> IMEI
  • Both: In the phone app, dial *#06#

You will also be able to find your device’s serial number with the dial code and through the About menu in the Settings app. Perhaps you need to know this too.

Step 2: Make sure your phone is compatible

Before doing any of the more advanced steps below, you should check if your iPhone or Android phone will work with the carrier you want to switch to. Typically, new devices work with most major wireless carriers, but this varies by network.

AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM networks, so your phone must support this type of network. Verizon and US Cellular are both CDMA networks. In addition, your phone must support the carrier’s network technologies (5G, 4G LTE, etc.) and network frequencies (bands).

To check if your phone is compatible with your mobile operator, visit:

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) such as Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, and US Mobile use one or more of the four major US carriers and their network technologies.

Step 3: Make sure it pays off and is up to date

If you purchased your smartphone from your carrier and still have money, you may not be able to use your phone with another carrier until you pay off the balance. If you purchased your phone from a different carrier, go to step 4.

AT&T and T-Mobile force you to pay the rest of the phone before you can transfer it to another carrier, but it also has to be on their networks for at least 60 or 40 days, respectively. Even if you paid for the phone in full when you bought it, you still have to wait 40-60 days online.

However, Verizon will automatically unlock phones after 60 days of activity on their network, even if you’re still paying for the phone. As long as you continue to make payments from your device, you can switch carriers. US Cellular will automatically unlock phones after 120 days on its network, but may do so sooner if you have paid for your device or are in the military and are in a deployment.

You can check if you have a debt by phone in your personal account online:

If you don’t have an account or don’t know the password, you can always call them on the phone numbers provided in step 4 (option 4).

Something to be careful with

If you purchased a phone as part of a carrier promotion and want to pay for the phone, you may have to pay for the phone in full without the promotional discount. For example, if the carrier has a $700 rebate, if you trade in your phone and you bought the phone for $1,000, you might have to pay the balance of the $1,000 total instead of $300.

This happens when your phone carrier requires you to make 24 or 36 month payments by giving you 24 or 36 month credits on your phone bill, essentially creating a 24 or 36 month contract. If you breach the contract, you must also pay the carrier’s part.

The good news is that T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T will pay you to switch to them with a prepaid card. These prepaid cards usually pay off most, if not all, of the balance of the current contract. However, sometimes the carrier will also hold you for 24 to 36 months.

Step 4Check if your phone is unlocked

Now that you know that your device is compatible with the new carrier’s network and can be unlocked by your current provider, you should check if your smartphone is truly unlocked. When a smartphone is locked, it means it is locked to use your existing mobile carrier’s network, so installing a SIM card for a different network won’t work.

Since 2014, the CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Services requires carriers to follow six standards when it comes to unlocking a device, and two of them are noteworthy:

As you can see from step 2, carriers set their own rules for when your device can be unlocked, but they must meet the minimum requirements outlined in the unlock policies above. Some of them will automatically unlock your phone after a set period of time. If they don’t, they should at least let you know that your device can be unlocked when you meet the eligibility requirements.

Try any of the options below to check your device’s lock status.

Option 1: Check your phone settings.

The easiest way to check if your smartphone is carrier locked or unlocked is through your device settings, which should clearly state the status.

iPhone

On iOS 14 or later, go to Settings -> General -> About, then scroll to Carrier Lock. If it says “No SIM restrictions”, your iPhone is unlocked. However, some users have reported that the “Carrier Lock”menu item is inaccurate or doesn’t even exist. If this is what you are experiencing, try one of the other options below.

android

Checking if your Android phone is unlocked is a bit trickier because it depends on the Android version, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and current carrier. T-Mobile makes it very easy to see network blocking status on most LG, Motorola, OnePlus and Samsung phones.

For example, on a Samsung Galaxy with the latest version of One UI, you can go to Settings -> Connections -> Advanced connection settings and see the Network Unlock option. Touch this and it will immediately tell you if it is locked or unlocked. If it’s locked, you can request it to be unlocked right from here, so you can skip step 5 below!

Here are a few places for the lock status on other devices sold by T-Mobile:

  • LG: Settings -> Network and Internet -> Mobile networks -> Network unlock
  • Motorola: Settings -> About phone -> Device unlock
  • OnePlus: Settings -> Wi-Fi & Internet -> SIM card & network -> Advanced settings or network unlock.

For devices that don’t currently use T-Mobile, we have to make some assumptions about what some of the settings say. Try going to any of the options below and if you see multiple carriers, your phone is most likely unlocked.

  • Settings -> Connections
  • Network and Internet -> Mobile network
  • Cellular network -> Advanced -> Select network
  • Cellular Network -> Advanced -> Automatically select a network

Alternatively, you can enable developer options on your Android phone to access the “OEM Unlock”toggle. devices”, which means that your device is locked. If you don’t see “OEM Unlock”, it’s most likely blocked.

Option 2: Use Online IMEI Checker

You can also use an external online IMEI checker, but while many of them will give you information about your phone, they may not indicate the SIM lock status, asking you to pay to get this information. IMEI 24 is one of those. However, I also used iPhone IMEI check and it was free as long as you have the serial number and IMEI (or both IMEIs for dual SIM models).

Option 3: Insert a new SIM card

This option is fast, but only useful if you have a different SIM from a different carrier. Turn off your smartphone, open the SIM card tray, remove the current operator’s SIM card, and replace it with another operator’s SIM card. Close the tray and turn on your phone again.

If it is blocked, you may receive a warning such as “SIM card invalid”, “SIM card not supported”, or “SIM card not recognized”. However, it can be unlocked if you see your carrier’s logo in the status bar. Confirm by trying to make a phone call to see if the call goes through. If so, it is most likely unlocked.

Option 4: Call your original carrier

Whatever carrier your smartphone is linked to, you can call the number to find out more about the lock status of your device. It’s a little annoying because you might have to deal with hold times, but it’s the only option if the other options don’t work.

Step 5Unlock Your Phone (If Not Already Done)

If your phone is not currently unlocked, you will need to unlock it. You can request an unlock through your device settings or carrier app. Otherwise, you may have to use the carrier’s web application or call them. Make sure you don’t cancel the service if you want to port your phone number to a new carrier.

For INVO:

When you request a phone unlock, carriers have two business days to:

  • Unlock your device or
  • Initiate an OEM request to unlock the device, or
  • Explain why the device is not suitable for unlocking, or
  • Explain why they need extra time to process the request.

What’s next?

Now that you know your phone is unlocked and paid for, you can switch to a new carrier. Make sure you haven’t unsubscribed from your current carrier to keep your phone number. Contact your new carrier’s support or visit their website for instructions on how to port your number. If you want a new phone number, you can cancel and switch right away.

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