Check Whether the iPhone Is Carrier Locked

iPhone Handoff carriers
Apple

Another important thing to check is whether the iPhone can work with your cellular carrier. Some iPhones are locked to a particular network, meaning you can’t simply use another carrier’s SIM or eSIM.

This can be a problem when buying a used iPhone from another country. For example, a device originally sold through a carrier in the United States might still have restrictions that prevent it from working with your local network.

Fortunately, Apple makes it easy to check whether an iPhone is carrier unlocked.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Select About.
  4. Scroll down until you find Carrier Lock.
  5. Check whether it says No SIM restrictions.

If you see No SIM restrictions, the iPhone is carrier unlocked according to Apple’s status information.

If you see a carrier restriction, you’ll need to contact the original carrier to find out whether unlocking is possible. Even if unlocking is technically possible, it’s rarely worth the hassle.

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