What Does an Unlocked Phone Means?

If a phone is not restricted to a particular career, that means the phone is unlocked. It also implies that you are not bound to use a monthly chain contract of a specific carrier, and you can switch careers without being penalized. The most significant advantage of buying unlocked phones is that you have the freedom to switch to the latest models of handsets as per your likings.

Not only one, but there are several reasons why you should opt for unlocked phones:

1. Unlocked phone work on all carriers that use the GSM network.
2. You are free to choose any carrier or plan as per your usage and phone compatibility.
3. Unlocked phones are the best for international travel as it offers immense flexibility to business travellers, students, and tourists.
4. The locked phones offer a more expensive voice and data plan as compared to the unlocked phones. Thus, unlocked phones prove out to be more affordable when you calculate your total monthly payments.
5. Setting up your unlocked phone is effortless.
6. These phones have a higher resale value.

It is merely because of the software. The locked phones are locked by carrier software, whereas an unlocked phone does not have software.

Unlocked phones are the phones which are open to all careers. However, the handsets which are not tied to any specific network are said to be universal. For many years, unlocked phones and almost all smartphones were exclusively GSM. However, in the last couple of years, many smartphones have become universal, including the iPhone X, Google Pixel 2, and many others.

There are three ways of buying a new phone that includes:

• Directly from the phone manufacturer such as Apple store, Samsung store, Google store, etc.
• You can also buy new phones from third-party retailers such as Amazon, Flipkart, Best Buy, or any local phone store near you.
• Through a phone carrier such as T-mobile, AT&T, Verizon, etc.

Jailbreak is a process that is undergone on iPhones, iPad, and many other Apple products to remove software restrictions imposed on iOS. It enables users to install extensions and other applications that are not authorized by the Apple App Store.

Some people muddle the unlocking with the jailbreak process. However,  both are different. Jailbreak is only for unlocking the phones from software-based restrictions and has nothing to do with career unlocking.

You can check your phone’s unlocking status by using its IMEI number. You need to follow these instructions (for iOS and Android users) to check whether your phone is locked or not unlocked for:

1. Dial *#06# to get your IMEI number in a pop-up window.
2. Head to imei.info.
3. Enter your IMEI number.
4. Click on the Warranty & Carrier button. To use this specific service, you need to create a free account.