How to carrier-unlock your phone: every US carrier’s rule in one dated table

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You may not need an unlock. On your own carrier’s roaming the lock doesn’t matter: see roaming on US carriers. It matters once you add another carrier’s eSIM, so check Is my phone unlocked? and Does my phone support eSIM? first.

Unlock rules by carrier

Sixteen rows, each taken from the carrier’s own unlock policy page, with the date we checked it. Only the carrier can lift its lock: Apple says it can’t unlock an iPhone for use with a different carrier (Apple).

How to unlock an iPhone from a carrier, or any phone: meet your row’s rule, and ask if it says on request. Rows split postpaid vs prepaid where a carrier prints both.

Consumer Cellular and Tello are not in the table. Consumer Cellular’s pages disagree on the wait (Consumer Cellular), and Tello’s page sat behind a reCAPTCHA (Tello). Check with each carrier.

What the FCC requires, and what it only proposed

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has only proposed a 60-day unlock for all carriers, in FCC 24-77 (2024), and it is not in force. The order in force, DA 26-43 of January 12, 2026, covers Verizon alone.

DA 26-43 waived the FCC’s handset unlocking rule for Verizon, which follows the CTIA Consumer Code instead (FCC DA 26-43). The waiver holds until the FCC settles on an industry-wide approach; Verizon’s own terms are in its guide.

FCC 24-77 would have all carriers unlock a handset 60 days after activation (FCC 24-77). Until the FCC adopts it, FCC unlocking rules for all carriers remain a proposal, and each carrier’s own policy decides.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have agreed to the CTIA code, FCC 24-77 says; it is an industry code, not an FCC rule. As the FCC’s unlocking guide describes it, prepaid phones unlock “no later than one year after initial activation” (checked on October 29, 2026).

Do you need an unlocked phone for a travel eSIM?

Yes, unless you only roam on your own carrier: Apple says an iPhone used with another carrier abroad “cannot be locked to a carrier” (Apple). It holds with your US number on beside the eSIM too: carrier-locked vs unlocked.

So settle how to unlock an iPhone from a carrier before you pick a plan. Waits run from none at payoff (Verizon) to 365 days (Verizon Prepaid, T-Mobile Prepaid, Metro); a Verizon Gift Card adds 35 days.

A request through AT&T’s online unlock request form can take up to 48 hours. T-Mobile, Metro and Boost unlock on their own within 2 business days of eligibility. Where your row says on request, ask for the unlock for eSIM use well before you fly.

Forgot your passcode? A different kind of unlock

A forgotten screen passcode is not a carrier lock, and no carrier unlock rule on this page applies to it.

Carriers without their own guide

Seven carriers in the table have no guide of their own here: Visible, Metro, Mint, Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Google Fi and US Mobile. Their MVNO unlock rules follow, each from the carrier’s own page with the date checked.

Visible

Visible’s rule turns on the purchase date, January 20, 2026. Bought from Visible before it, a phone gets an automatic unlock after 60 days of active service, with the account paid for those days. Bought on or after it, the phone unlocks on request after 365 days active and paid (checked on October 29, 2026, Visible terms).

Phones financed on or after June 1, 2026 have a second route. They unlock on request after 365 days or once the loan is paid off, whichever comes first.

Metro

Metro by T-Mobile unlocks a phone bought from Metro 365 days after activation, at no charge. The unlock is automatic, within 2 business days of eligibility (checked on October 29, 2026, Metro).

Mint

Mint Mobile’s help page says its phones “will automatically be unlocked 60 days after activation on our network” (checked on October 29, 2026, Mint). Mint dates that page June 25, 2024.

Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity Mobile sets three terms: 60 days since activation, the phone paid in full, and no past-due balance on the account. Once they are met, the unlock usually runs by itself within 48 hours of payoff (checked on October 29, 2026, Xfinity).

Spectrum Mobile

Spectrum Mobile’s wait is 60 calendar days of activity, plus full payment, for a phone bought from Spectrum. You ask for the unlock yourself, with the account in good standing (checked on October 29, 2026, Spectrum). A phone you brought from another carrier goes back to that carrier for its unlock.

Google Fi

The Google Fi help page we checked states no unlock rule, so the table gives none (checked on October 29, 2026, Google Fi). Run the lock check first; a locked phone needs the carrier it is locked to.

US Mobile

US Mobile says most of its devices are unlocked. Promo devices unlock after 30, 60 or 90 days, on request to support (checked on October 29, 2026, US Mobile).

All guides in this topic

• Boost Mobile Unlock Policy: 1 Year Prepaid, Paid-Off Postpaid — Boost Mobile unlock policy: prepaid 1 year after activation, postpaid at payoff, automatic within 2 business days.
• How to Check if Your iPhone Is Unlocked (and Android) — How to check if iPhone is unlocked: Settings → General → About.
• How to Unlock a Cricket Phone: 365 Days or Six Months — Cricket unlocks after 365 days of paid service (July 1, 2026 policy); its help page says six months if bought earlier.
• How to Unlock a T-Mobile Phone: 40 Days and Paid in Full — How to unlock a T-Mobile phone: 40 days on the line, paid off, automatic in 2 business days.
• How to Unlock an AT&T Phone: Rules, Request, Prepaid — AT&T unlock rules: a postpaid phone bought 60+ days ago and paid in full; Prepaid after 12 months of paid service.
• Tracfone Unlock: Up to $300 Early Fee, Straight Talk, Total — Tracfone unlock, Straight Talk, Total Wireless: early unlock up to $300; request line 1-888-442-5102.
• Verizon Unlock Policy: Paid Off Means Unlocked — Verizon unlock policy: a phone unlocks once paid in full, 35 days later with a Verizon Gift Card; Prepaid after 365 days.
• What Does Unlocked Phone Mean? Carrier Lock Explained — What does unlocked phone mean? It takes a SIM or eSIM from any compatible carrier; a locked one, only its own.

Frequently asked questions

Sources are linked in the text. Carrier terms change: for your own plan, check with your carrier.

Unfamiliar term? See the eSIM glossary.