Phone unlock

Do you need a mobile phone unlock?- Be Smart – Let aGeek Help You Become Network Free!

aGeek Mobile Phone Unlocking Chesterfield.

Reasons why you would want to unlock your phone

When you first have a new phone from your mobile network provider, it will more than likely be tied or locked to that network.

If you try another network’s sim card in the phone, it may not work with a different sim.

If the phone is unlocked it means you can use the phone with another compatible Sim card with a different network provider.

There are a few benefits to this:

There may be less expensive tariffs

If you like your phone but feel it is costing you too much, freeing the handset from your network means that you get to hold onto your mobile phone but can switch to a cheaper Sim-only deal on another network.

Promotional deals

The mobile phone networks often give away free Sim cards, which can sometimes include free texts or calls. If your phone is tied to another network you are not able to take advantage of these deals. It is always worth shopping around for a new great value deal.

Your handset can increase in value

A mobile phone that is unlocked usually sells for more on websites such as Ebay or Facebook because there are much more desirable to people on other mobile networks and even to people in other countries.

Calling from abroad and the freedom to “roam

An unlocked mobile means you can use a foreign Sim card if you are on holiday abroad. This helps to cut your phone call costs when you are abroad.

You have more freedom

You are independent and don’t have to rely on being tied to the mobile network you originally had your mobile phone from – and it’s usually simple to do.

A mobile phone can be unlocked as easy as contacting your network provider (there may be a charge to pay if you are still in a contract with the network). Most older handsets should be able to be unlocked using codes generated for free on the web. If that doesn’t work, aGeek in Chesterfield can do it for a reasonable price.

If you do have to pay your network provider to unlock your mobile phone, unless you already have a great tariff deal, the savings would soon cover the cost of unlocking your mobile.

The reason why mobile phone companies lock their phones in the UK

Many mobile phone companies use heavily subsidised mobile phone models to persuade you to choose them. They simply don’t want to lose money on the cost of a handset and they want to make their money back. To the phone network, it doesn’t make sense to sell you the phone at a reduced cost for you to then take a mobile contract with a different company.

There are some network providers, such as Three, who do sell phones unlocked. These are available on both pay-as-you-go and pay-monthly contracts.

It is legal to unlock your mobile phone

Some people still think that unlocking your phone is illegal. Not surprisingly, mobile phone companies do little, if anything, to let you know otherwise. People sometimes get confused with unlocking and unblocking and often get them mixed up. They are different things. Basically:

Unlocking a phone is legal. It simply means being able to use any compatible Sim card with the mobile handset on any network.

Unblocking is completely illegal. This is when a mobile phone has been blocked by the networks. Usually, when a phone has been reported as lost or stolen, the network will lock the handset and therefore it is rendered unusable. You should never attempt to unblock a mobile phone. It is illegal.

How to unlock your phone

Firstly, unlocking a phone isn’t always necessary. When you are trying to unlock your phone, make sure it is locked to a network in the first instance.

To see if your phone is locked to the network try another network Sim in the handset. If it is locked, a message should appear on the screen.

Going to your network is often the easiest option to unlock your mobile phone.

For most smartphones simply contact your network – their unlocking service is often free.

If your pay-monthly contract with your network is over the minimum term they are not allowed to charge you unlocking fees. Sometimes even if you are still in a contract the network will not charge you.

Check your network’s policy and apply

First, find out what your network’s unlocking policy is.

Below are the unlocking charges of the major mobile phone operators in the UK:

Handset unlocking policies

Tesco

Three

Virgin

Vodafone

Tesco

Three

Virgin

Vodafone

Table correct as of June 2018. (1) Incl Orange and T-Mobile. (2) For phones bought prior to 2014, you can usually unlock via this online form – it’s free and can take up to 10 days. See full Three unlocking info.

If your mobile phone has been purchased second hand it might be a little more difficult to unlock.

Some mobile networks will still do it for you, but others, for example, Vodafone, can request that the unlock be put through by the previous owner who originally had the contract.

If you do have any issues, consider having aGeek in Chesterfield unlock your mobile phone.

Please note: If your current network cannot give you a price for an unlock code, it may mean that it isn’t possible to unlock your phone with a code. If this is the case, do not try buying a code anywhere else. They may even charge you only to come back and tell you that it isn’t possible to unlock your mobile phone. You could try unlocking the phone using a cable instead.

If approved, use the unlock code

If and when your network comes back to you and confirms that your phone unlock has been processed, you may need to type a code into the phone to unlock it.

This is dependent on the type of handset you have – the network will supply you with specific instructions. With models such as iPhone, you only need to follow the on-screen instructions for using a different Sim card once it has been inserted. (This can involve connecting it to iTunes through a computer or laptop).

A word of warning with iPhones:

If you have an iPhone that is jailbroken, for the official unlock to work, you need to first remove the jailbreak and all of the associated applications from your iPhone. If not, you won’t be able to unlock the iPhone this way.

If the network won’t do it, try aGeek in Chesterfield

Even though aGeek may not be able to unlock your mobile phone for less than what the network will charge you for it (there is no harm in checking first). If the mobile network provider won’t do it because you’ve got a second-hand phone or you’re not yet far enough through your contract, it’s worth trying aGeek.

The internet is not always the best way to go because of the number of scam operators promising a quick fix.

Sometimes these sites will charge you regardless of being able to unlock your phone or not. If you do decide to go through with the online route, make sure you know exactly what it is you are getting and paying for. Always check the terms and conditions to make sure you will get the code you need and are not being fobbed off. Make sure the site is 100% legitimate, as there are some nasty unscrupulous sites out there.

Take note that while some promise quick turnaround and say they can send the code in as little as 15 minutes, some customers report it can take several weeks for the code to come through, depending on the network.

Once it arrives, follow the instructions in the next method to put it into the handset.