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Means sim lock. What does “phone locked” mean?

When buying an iPhone, even a new one, secondhand, it is important to remember that it may be tied to a specific mobile provider. Selling an iPhone “tethered” is practiced in many countries - under the terms of the contract, users receive an Apple smartphone at a low price, but are obliged to pay money for a certain period of time (up to two years) for the right to use the device. In order not to get into trouble and not run into a similar iPhone, users must be able to check the current status of the device.

An unlocked iPhone, in turn, allows you to use a SIM card from any operator without resorting to various tricks. Sellers of locked iPhones most often keep silent about the status of the iPhone they are selling, wanting only to quickly get rid of the “defective” device. You can find out all the ins and outs of an iPhone within a few minutes - for this you need to use the help of a special service.

Step 1: Go to Menu Settings -> Basic ->About this device

Step 2. Find the IMEI item and rewrite the specified numbers

Step 3: Go to iphoneox.com

Step 4. Enter your IMEI in the “Enter IMEI here...” line and click Check

Step 5: Wait for the scan to complete

Step 6. Check the iPhone status in the Contract status line

Unlocked status means that your phone is not locked and you can safely continue to use it. Unknown - can mean different things: from the fact that the smartphone is unlocked, to the inaccessibility of information about your device to the service. A status representing the name of the mobile operator, for example, TMeteorele - Ireland IRL, indicates that the iPhone is locked to this specific operator.

If you are wondering what exactly a locked iPhone means, then you have come to the right article. Today I will tell you the types of locks and what ways to get around them.

Of course, I won’t go into details, such as sites to use or who to contact in this or that case. Purely general information to help you understand what a locked iPhone means.

What is a locked iPhone?

If you want to buy an iPhone for yourself, then it is best not to chase too low a price, because there is such a thing as Locked iPhone.

There are actually two types of such iPhones:

  • locked to the operator: in America, phones are often made purely for one operator, that is, you cannot use any other SIM card;
  • iCloud: If a user forgets their iCloud password and then sells their device, they subsequently end up with a useless brick.

Both options come across to many buyers quite often, and to avoid this, it is best to buy a smartphone only from trusted sources.

And of course, the ideal option is when you buy a device directly from the official Apple store - this is an option that will never let you down.

How to find out if your iPhone is locked or not?

If Locked SIM. In the first case, you will have to check the phone simply by inserting your SIM card. If the network is available and you can make calls, then everything is fine.


And by the way, we carefully look at the SIM card slot, because sometimes they can insert a chip. Some craftsmen have now begun to solder them, and this makes it impossible to check the account in the usual way.

If iCloud Locked. Here everything is much more complicated, because we get a phone that is not suitable as a smartphone at all, because you won’t be able to download anything for yourself.


We also make sure that you are logged out of iCloud before purchasing. Reboot your device and immediately enter your details. If everything shakes, then everything is ok.

Also, if there is a new update, then it is best to try updating. This may appear at this stage too. So be careful.

What to do if your iPhone is locked?

It’s quite a shame when you finally buy yourself an iPhone, and then there’s such a setup. There are, of course, a couple of ways and they may well fit some options.


If this is the case with a SIM card, then you need to unlock the phone and now there are quite a lot of craftsmen who are actively doing this. Of course, there are options when he is not able to help.

Usually, you just buy a special activation code, or simply insert a chip that will help you fully use your iPhone.

In the case of iCloud everything is much more complicated. The easiest option is to try to find out your login and password to log out of your old account, but this is just ideal.

In practice, usually the processor is simply changed or the phone is simply used as an iPod. Also, people simply sell their device for spare parts.

Previously, people tried to find out passwords and e-mail, but the process is quite labor-intensive and many simply do not want to take on this.

conclusions

Now you know a little more about a locked iPhone and what it actually is. It is best not to get into such a situation, but if this happens, then you will have to get out of it as soon as possible.

There are ways to solve this problem and many work quite well. Of course, try to buy either through good friends or just in normal stores.


Not all future iPhone owners are familiar with the concept of "locked iPhone". Let's talk about this in detail today. First, let's decipher this concept.

Locked iPhone is a phone tied to a specific telecom operator.

For example, if you bought a locked iPhone linked to the American operator AT&T, this means that you can only use it if you use a SIM card from this operator. SIM cards from other operators will not work in such a phone, and therefore you will not be able to use the phone.

How not to buy a locked iPhone

If you are buying a new phone from an official reseller, then before purchasing you should check the condition of the lock. If he sim free– this means that the phone is unlocked, but if locked, it means the phone is tied to a specific operator.

Usually, official resellers (not telecom operators) have unlocked phones.

If the seller cannot give you an answer, then the only way out is to insert your SIM card into the phone and try to call somewhere. If you succeed, then the phone is unlocked, but if not, then most likely the second one.

In my case, after opening the SIM card slot, I saw a SIM card from the AT&T operator inside, which aroused my suspicions. After inserting my sim, my phone required re-activation, which I simply could not do with my sim.


If you decide to buy a phone online and not on the official Apple website, then the only way to find out the status of the lock is to punch it using IMEI. But the guarantee of such verification is void. Therefore, I would categorically not recommend buying such equipment on the Internet.

How to find out if iPhone is locked by IMEI

There are many free sites on the Internet that are ready to provide you with this information, but not all of them work. One of the sites where you can get a phone number using imei is http://www.imei.info/.

First, you need to find out the IMEI of your phone. There are several ways to find out:

  1. If you have the phone in your hands, then unfold it and on the back cover you will see a 15-digit number, this is the IMEI.
  2. Dial the combination *#06#, then press the call button. The IMEI will appear on your screen.
  3. In the phone menu, go Settings –> General –> About this device, in the table you will see the IMEI number.
  4. Ask your dealer. But it is important to remember that you can be deceived by calling it from another phone.

If everything was done correctly, you will see basic information about your phone. For example, this is what information about my phone looks like, see photo below.


To find out whether your phone is locked or not, you need to press the button "SimLock & Warranty", I circled it in a red rectangle. IMPORTANT! You must be registered on this site in order to carry out such a check.

After clicking this button, the phone scan will begin, and after a few seconds the result will appear on your screen.


As you can see, the status SIM lock: Unknown, which means “unknown”. In my case, it is not clear whether the phone is locked or not. If the phone is not locked to an operator, then you will see the Unlocked status, otherwise Locked.

As practice shows, by the end of 2013, almost all websites stopped providing reliable information about the status of the phone.

How to find out where your iPhone is from and what operator it is locked to

To do this, you need to look at your phone model. This can be done in two ways:

  • Look for symbols like these on the back of the box: ME303LL/A
  • Go to the menu Settings - General - About device, in the model field, find similar symbols, as shown in step 1.

Now pay attention to the last two letters, I have this LL. We look for them in the list below and it becomes more or less clear to us where the phone comes from and which operator it may be connected to. In My case, this is the USA AT&T.

List of country name abbreviations

  • AB - United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia (Mobily, etisalat operators)
  • B - UK and Ireland (Operator O22)
  • BZ - Brazil (operator Claro, VIVO)
  • C - Canada (Fido and Rogers operators)
  • CR - Croatia (T-Mobile operator, blocked)
  • CZ - Czech Republic (operators O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone, unlocked)
  • DN - Austria, Germany, the Netherlands (T-Mobile operator, blocked)
  • E - Mexico (Telcel operator, blocked)
  • EE - Estonia (EMT operator)
  • FD - Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland (operators One (Aust), Orange (Liech, Schwe), Swisscom (Liech, Schwe).
  • FB - France (operator SFR)
  • GR - Greece (Vodafone operator)
  • HN - India (Airtel and Vodafone operators)
  • J - Japan (operator SoftBank)
  • KN - Denmark and Norway (operators Telia (Dan) and NetcCom (Nor)
  • KS - Finland and Sweden (operators Telia (Sw), Sonera (Fin)
  • LA - Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador (operators Comcel (Col), Claro (Gond, Gua, Peru, Sal), Movistar, Porta (Eq), TM SAC (Peru)
  • LE - Argentina (operators Claro, Movistar)
  • LL - USA (AT&T operator)
  • LT - Lithuania (Omnitel operator)
  • LV - Latvia (LMT operator)
  • LZ - Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay (CTI operators Movil (Par, Uru), Claro (Chile), Movistar (Uru), TMC (Chile)
  • MG - Hungary (T-Mobile operator)
  • NF - Belgium, France (Mobistar (Bel) and Orange (Fr) operators), Luxembourg (Vox Mobile operator)
  • PL - Poland (operators Era and Orange)
  • PO - Portugal (Optimus and Vodafone operators)
  • PP - Philippines (operator Globe)
  • RO - Romania (Orange operator)
  • RS - Russia (operators VimpelCom, MegaFon, MTS)
  • SL - Slovakia (Orange, T-Mobile operators)
  • SO - South Africa (Vodacom operators)
  • T - Italy (operator TIM and Vodafone)
  • TU - Türkiye (operator Vodafone, TurkCell)
  • TA - Taiwan (operator Chunghwa Telecom)
  • X - Australia and (operators Optus (ABC), Telstra (ABC), Vodafone)
  • X - New Zealand (operator Vodafone)
  • Y - Spain (operator Movistar)
  • ZA - Singapore (operator SingTel)
  • ZP - Hong Kong and Macau (operator Three)
  • TH – Thailand

Video - locked iPhone

That seems to be all, I hope I didn’t miss anything, I’m waiting for your edits and questions in the comments.

We will talk about how to unlock an iPhone in the following articles.

Some users have probably seen advertisements for the sale of iPhones at a suspiciously low price, and this could even be about a new device. At the same time, the ad contains the following note: the iPhone is locked. What does it mean?

In some countries, iPhones are sold locked to certain operators. This means that initially the device works with only one telecom operator. If you insert a SIM card from another operator into it, you will not be able to make calls, receive calls, send or receive SMS messages.

As a rule, a locked iPhone initially costs less, but you need to understand that you can only use it by paying for the services of a specific telecom operator. And in some countries, the iPhone even costs a penny if you buy it with a contract. But the point is that under the contract you are obliged to use the tariff plan for a certain time, which cannot be called cheap.

How do locked iPhones get to Russia? Usually imported by private individuals from other countries. Sometimes a person who decides to buy an iPhone abroad may not even suspect that his device simply won’t work here. It is not surprising that there are quite a lot of such offers on message boards.

How to check if iPhone is locked?

There are two ways:

  • Check iPhone by IMEI. You can find many such services on the Internet.

Is it possible to unlock a locked iPhone?

Most often yes.

  • You can use Turbo SIM, an adapter similar to a chip. It replaces the operator's ID with yours. The problem is that every time you restart your iPhone, you have to repeat the activation procedure again.
  • You can officially unlock the device, for which you need to contact your cellular operator and ask to unlock the device. The service is paid, its cost depends only on the operator itself.

Is it worth buying a locked iPhone?

Only if it is possible to unlock it and this promises considerable savings. If you are not sure that you can unlock your smartphone, it is better to refuse the purchase.