iPhone: About unlocking

Summary

Follow the instructions in this article to unlock your iPhone. Unlocking allows you to use your iPhone with different carriers.

Products Affected

iPhone

Follow these instructions to unlock your iPhone:

  1. Check if your carrier offers unlocking. Only your carrier can unlock your iPhone.
  2. Contact your carrier and request an unlock.
    • You may need to meet certain requirements to qualify for unlocking. This may take up to seven days.
  3. Once you receive confirmation that your iPhone unlock has been processed, back up your iPhone.
  4. Erase the contents of your iPhone.
  5. Complete the setup assistant and restore your backup.

Additional Information

Follow the steps below if you experience issues or receive the following error message displayed in iTunes or on your device:

"The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported. Only compatible SIM cards from a supported carrier may be used to activate iPhone. Please insert the SIM card that came with your iPhone or visit a supported carrier store."

  1. Restore your iPhone.
  2. Contact your carrier to verify that the unlock was applied in your carrier's system.
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