If purchased your phone from a carrier, it’s usually locked to their network. This means it will only function with the carrier you purchased the phone from (e.g. AT&T, Verizon, etc). More often than not, carriers do this for leased phones customers pay off monthly. But even if you paid off your device, some carrier default lock phones anyway.
You will not own the leased merchandise or acquire ownership rights unless you make payments for the full term of the lease or exercise an early purchase option. There is no obligation to continue with the lease past the current payment. Amounts shown do not include sales tax. Terms and pricing vary by State. Not available in MN, NJ, VT, WI, or WY. Apple iPhone SE (2nd Generation) Apple iPhone SE (2nd Generation) Brand. Best Buy Brands Best Buy Brands. Samsung Samsung. Motorola Motorola. OtterBox OtterBox. Show More; Price. $250 - $499.99 $250 - $499.99. $500 - $749.99 $500 - $749.99. Lease to Own ›Apply Now; Get.
So if you want to unlock Samsung Galaxy phones, you’ve come to the right price. We’ll break down how to get your phone unlocked in no time at all.
Let’s jump right in!
Why is my Samsung Galaxy Locked?
Your phone company is not trying to rip you off. In fact, locking phones is how they protect themselves from customers who lease expensive phones from them and jump to another carrier without paying off their phone bills.
If your account is in good standing and you’ve paid off your phone entirely, your phone company will help you unlock your phone in no time at all. Regardless of whether you’re going through your telecom provider or another channel, here’s everything you going to need to unlock Samsung Galaxy.
Find Your IMEI Number
All phones have a unique identifier known as an IMEI Number ( International Mobile Equipment Identity). You’ll need to find before you do anything. Following these steps to find an IMEI number on any Samsung Galaxy Device including Tablets and Phablets.
- Select your phone app and switch to the keypad.
- Tap these characters and numbers on the keypad exactly: *#06#
- Your phone will immediately show a screen with the IMEI and MEID numbers. The top one is your IMEI number. Write everything done though should only need the first 15 digits (everything before the slash).
- Tap OK to return to your keypad screen.
Unlock Leased Iphone Forgot
For the Galaxy Tab and other Galaxy devices, you can find the IMEI number under settings. Tap About Device then Status. Write down the IMEI number from here.
Request Carrier Unlock for Samsung Galaxy
Now that you have your IMEI number, you’re ready to request an unlock. This is the only way you’ll be able to do it for free.
- Make sure your phone is eligible. If you own the device and it’s been paid off for at least a month, you should be able to initiate an unlock request through customer service online or on the phone.
- Have your IMEI number hander along with other account information. Be prepared for them to ask identity verification information.
- Once you have been confirmed eligible, they’ll ask for your IMEI number.
- From here, your carrier will initiate an over-the-air update or give you an unlock code to enter when inserting a different SIM card.
- Make sure your phone has been unlocked through testing with another SIM card or an eSIM if your phone is compatible.
If your device isn’t fully paid off, there are some cases when telecom companies may still along with your device. This is typically for members of the military who have been deployed overseas. If you can furnish your transfer paperwork, they’ll usually unlock your device for you. Some business and government accounts may also be eligible for early unlock. If you any questions, contact your telecom provider.
Be aware that carrier unlocks must be issued by the original carrier. For example, if you switch from AT&T to Verizon, you’ll need to get AT&T to unlock your phone first. You won’t be able to use Verizon until you do.
Unlock Leased Iphone Vs
My Carrier Won’t Unlock My Phone for Me
In some cases, your carrier will not or cannot unlock your phone. For the average person, this is most inconvenient when they want to travel abroad with their leased device. In many countries, it’s cheaper to use a local SIM card than pay expensive data roaming fees. If you need to unlock your Samsung Galaxy for any reason, and your carrier cannot help you, you do have some options.
Nowadays, you can easily find SIM card unlock services online. There are many options, but do homework to find a reputable service. Check the reviews and make sure they’re not cybercriminals trying to steal your data. Two top companies are Doctor Sim and Unlock River.
These can get a little pricey. They start from a minimum of $20-30 and can be as expensive as $150. But you only have to unlock your Samsung Galaxy once so it’s worth it. However, each device requires an individual code. So if you unlocking both your Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Tab it will get pricey.
Follow these steps to unlock your phone with a service:
- Find a reputable service that offers a money-back guarantee.
- BE sure you have your IMEI number along with manufacturer and model details.
- After you receive your unlock code in your inbox, store it somewhere safe.
- Insert a SIM card for a different carrier into your phone.
- You’ll be prompted to enter the unlock code.
- Once unlocked, your phone will be able to use a SIM card from any carrier in any country.
Unlocking Samsung Galaxy Tab at a Repair Shop
Your last option is using an electronics repair shop to unlock your Samsung Galaxy. As with unlock services, you should do your homework and make sure the shop has a good reputation. You may have to leave your phone there for a couple of days.
Reputation is key as you don’t want them swapping out your expensive internal Samsung components with cheap substitutes.
Many repair shops just use online unlock services so you’ll end up paying about the same costs with a small labor fee. So this is not a great option. You’re better off just doing it yourself so don’t have to deal with the hassle of leaving your phone anywhere.
How to Unlock Samsung Galaxy Smartphones
Samsung Galaxy smartphones are some of the best on the market. With such an awesome phone, you should have the freedom and flexibility to use it anywhere. By unlocking your phone, you open to a world of possibilities. You can jump between carriers finding the best deals at home or abroad. Follow these steps and your phone will be unlocked in no time at all.
And if you’re ready to upgrade to the latest phone with eSim technology to have the freedom of using any carrier without requesting carrier unlocks, you can sell your old phone to Buyback Boss.
With Buyback Boss, you get an instant quote for your phone with the highest price guaranteed. Then you just print off your free shipping label and send your old phone to us. You’ll get cash deposited in your Paypal account or a check in the mail in no time at all.
Buyback Boss offers a 14-day price lock and gives you the option to have your phone returned if you change your mind. You have nothing to lose so try it out now!
To learn about unlocking phones, head over to the Buyback Boss Blog. You can learn how to unlock phones on different carriers and a whole lot more. Buyback Boss is your partner in all things tech. Find the best deals on new phones, learn technology tips and tricks, and how to decide whether a Galaxy or iPhone is the right choice for you. Learn everything you want to know on our blog!
In Short: Software unlocks haven’t worked in more than 8 years and hardware unlocks will destroy your phone and void your warranty. Therefore, the only reliable way to unlock your iPhone is with an IMEI or factory unlock.
I’ve tested five unlock websites and the results have clearly demonstrated that the best unlock company is IMEI Doctor. You won’t find cheaper prices, their customer support is responsive and helpful, and best of all, they’re the only company that has consistently unlocked every iPhone I’ve sent them.
My Pick: IMEI Doctor
Key Features: Fast, cheap, and will actually unlock your iPhone
IMEI Doctor is my #1 pick for iPhone unlocks because unlike EVERY other provider I’ve tested, these guys actually deliver on what they promise. If you purchase an unlock, you don’t just get a bunch of empty promises and continual delays, you actually get an unlock. On top of that, their prices are on par or better than the competition, they do it quickly (sometimes less than 48 hours), and their customer support is helpful and polite.
If you need your iPhone unlocked today, head to IMEI Doctor now.
Runner-Up: Direct Unlocks
Key Features: Great customer support
Direct Unlocks is my second choice. Their prices are reasonable (not great) and when they unlock your phone, they do it reasonably quickly. The problem is that they don’t have a 100% strike rate. They’re batting at about 85-90% right now (which is still above average). In their favor though, they have GREAT customer support – helpful, polite, courteous, and always willing to help out – who can keep you up to date when things aren’t going as planned.
If IMEI Doctor isn’t working for some reason and you’re happy to take a risk, visit Direct Unlocks here.
The Research
Unlock A Leased Phone
- Why you should trust me
- Why carriers lock phones
- How carrier/factory/IMEI phone locks work
- Three unlock methods
- Who should do this
- How I picked
- How I tested
- My Pick
- Runner-Up
- The Competition
- Conclusion
Why You Should Trust Me
I’m a mobile industry veteran, having opened my service store back in 2006. We serviced the very first iPhones and I worked on every model up until I sold the store in 2014. This included unlocking iPhones as soon as that became a ‘thing’. Since then, I’ve been writing about smartphones and smartphone technology and have published more than a 150 articles and conducted more than 1,000 hours of research.
To help ensure this review is fair, unbiased, and accurate, I’ve enlisted the help of three smartphone service store owners who frequently unlock their customer’s phones and have tried every unlock company on the market.
Why Carriers Lock Phones
Carriers lock phones for one simple reason: they don’t want you to leave. It’s not complicated, it’s not intricate. It’s simple. They don’t want you to stop using their services.
The majority of the cost of providing your phone and internet service is in acquiring you as a customer. Your twenty-five phone calls a month and 4gb of streaming data make up less than a quarter of a quarter of a fraction of 1% of their load and their cost on that is a fraction of what you pay. BUT, if you leave, they’re going to miss out on extracting their full value-for-money from you.
This is why they lock phones.
Don’t believe any hype about how it’s for your safety so someone can’t steal your phone and use it on another network. That’s a lie designed to believe it’s for your benefit. You get no benefit from having a locked phone. You just get scammed.
How Phone Locks Work
Phone locks aren’t implemented by software on your phone or some computer chip installed during manufacture. The reason you can’t use your phone on another network is that your phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number is listed as ‘locked’ on the IMEI database.
When booting up, your phone checks it’s locked/unlocked status on this database and if you’re still listed as locked, it will only allow SIM cards from the carrier you’re locked to. Every other carrier’s SIM cards will be rejected.
Three Unlock Methods
There are three iPhone unlock methods that have claimed to have worked since the first models of the iPhone were released: software unlocks, hardware unlocks, and IMEI unlocks.
Software Unlocks
Software unlocks were the first unlocking method invented. They worked by firstly jailbreaking your iPhone and then if your iPhone contained a particular modem type (for its internet connection), you could run a specific piece of software that would allow your phone to imitate the IMEI of another unlocked phone. This tricked the phone into allowing you to use another carrier’s SIM cards.
Unfortunately, Apple caught wind of this and switched to a different modem by 2010.
Hardware Unlocks
Hardware unlocks got around the fact that Apple used unhackable modems in their post-2010 phones by finding another way to switch carriers. This time, a cover was inserted over your SIM to make it appear as though it was from the carrier your phone was locked to.
For example: if your phone was locked to AT&T and you wanted to use T-Mobile, you would insert a cover over your T-Mobile SIM to make it appear as though it was an AT&T SIM and your phone would allow you to use it.
This was theoretically great, but there was a problem. If you’ve ever changed the SIM in your phone, you’ll know those things are both tiny and fit pretty snuggly — especially the new SIM cards. Do you think you’d be able to fit a cover around your SIM before you insert it without jamming it in and breaking it? No, and you wouldn’t be able to.
Hardware unlocks last just as long as it took for people to realize that jamming a cover into your SIM slot and then trying to get your SIM card in there wasn’t going to work. People broke their phones and worst of all, voided their warranty. People were left with bills of hundreds of dollars and their phones were still locked!
IMEI Unlocks
Eventually, phone company employees realised there was a massive demand for phone unlocks from people who either couldn’t get their phone unlocked by their carrier (because they were under contract) or didn’t want to pay up the hundreds of dollars that phone companies were asking to unlock their phone, and they could make some money from it.
This spawned the industry known as the IMEI unlock industry. The unlock provider are typically employees of the phone carriers who want to help people get around the ridiculous charges and petty excuses stopping people from unlocking their phones. They’re willing to risk their jobs to change your phone’s IMEI status from locked to unlocked so you can break free and use your phone on any network.
Who Should Do This
You should unlock your iPhone if, for any reason, you want to be able to use your phone on another carrier. That includes people who:
- Are dissatisfied with their carrier’s connectivity, service, or price
- Moving to an area with inadequate service from their current carrier
- Are joining a group plan with another carrier
- Traveling overseas and don’t want to pay international roaming fees
- Want to sell their phone (unlock phones sell for 20-30% more than locked phones)
Or who anticipate they’re going to have a need in the future (it doesn’t hurt to be prepared).
How I Picked
Picking my #1 recommendation turned out to be far easier than I anticipated before I started this journey. The #1 recommendation is the only unlock company that fulfilled every unlock I purchased. I had developed a 5-element assessment criteria:
- Success – was the unlock successful?
- Price – how much did the unlock cost?
- Speed – how long did the unlock take?
- Support – did anyone answer my questions?
- Ease – how easy was the process?
But the only time I used it was to rank the other providers who couldn’t fulfill every unlock I purchased.
How I Tested
The testing was done in three stages.
Stage 1: Getting rid of obvious scams
The first stage involved eliminating every unlock carrier who was an obvious scam. This was as simple as compiling a list of unlock providers, eliminating ones that the current smartphone service shop owners identified as scams, then visiting each unlock providers website and looking for tell-tale signs of a scam. This included untraceable payment platforms (Western Union), no contact information displayed, and outrageous guarantees (“Instant IMEI unlock!”).
Stage 2: Assessing Reviews
The next stage in the process was to analyze the reviews of the remaining unlock companies to further eliminate any problem websites. This involved combing through 5 authoritative review sites (like TrustPilot, Snopes, Better Business Bureau, etc…) and further eliminating any sites who scored lower than 3/5.
Stage 3: Testing remaining companies
After working through the previous two stages, I was left with 5 unlock websites. I was given 10 iPhone IMEIs by my supporting team and purchased two IMEI unlocks from each provider.
The Results
After working through all three stages, this is what our tests found.
Best iPhone Unlock IMEI Doctor
The iPhone IMEI unlocker you should to unlock your iPhone is IMEI Doctor. This recommendation is easy because they were the only unlock company to unlock both phones in this test, and every other phone I’ve sent for every other test. Their consistent ability to unlock every phone – regardless of phone model, country, or carrier – means it’s not worth looking at any other provider.
But that’s not the only reason I recommend them. If there was another provider that also unlocked every phone IMEI, these guys would still be my #1 recommendation because they do everything else right as well.
Their prices are on par, if not better than the other providers. They start from as little as $20 for the cheap ones but can be upwards of $90 for the more obscure unlocks.
They’re also consistently faster than other unlock providers on comparable unlocks. Their AT&T unlocks were completed in 28 and 37 hours respectively and always beat other providers when unlocking the same model from the same carrier in the same country.
And finally, their customer support team is excellent. They’re polite but efficient and to the point. They’re not going to waffle on with unnecessary information to make it look like they’re doing a good job. They’ll just tell you what they need to tell you so you can get back to living your life.
It’s clear this company is run by someone who values doing the little things right which makes them an easy choice for #1.
To unlock your iPhone, visit IMEI Doctor now.
Runner-Up: Direct Unlocks
Direct Unlocks is #2 on my list. They managed to unlock both IMEIs I sent them in this test, but they’ve let me, and my consulting team down before. As I said above, they’re batting at about 85-90% at this point in time. And don’t get me wrong, that’s FAR better than the industry average, but why settle for that when IMEI Doctor is hitting 100% right now?
You won’t be disgusted by their prices, but they’re still more than IMEI Doctor by about 20-30%. Their customer service is really helpful, polite, and responsive, and their unlock speed is also good, but that doesn’t really matter that much when your phone is still locked…
If IMEI Doctor isn’t working, check out Direct Unlocks and they might be able to help you.
The Competition
There were three other unlock companies I tested. They’re three I’ve tested before and their results were in line with the other tests I’ve run.
iPhone Express Unlock came through on one unlock (T-Mobile Germany) but failed with AT&T. Well, not technically failed just yet because they’re still promising that the unlock will be complete within 2-3 days (even though we’re 2 weeks past the due date as I write this).
Sim Unlock failed with one and succeeded with one. This was an improvement from the last test I ran, but it’s still not good enough to put them on any list of recommendations.
And lastly, Unlock Me Now wasn’t able to unlock either iPhone and still hasn’t refunded either payment.
Conclusion
If you’re locked to an inadequate provider or just want a change, the only way to move forward is with an IMEI unlock. Of the 20 unlock companies I reviewed and 5 I tested, the best iPhone unlock provider is IMEI Doctor. They’re fast, cheap, have great customer service, and most importantly, will actually unlock your iPhone!
Unlock your iPhone here: IMEI Doctor