Is my phone unlocked? The iPhone check in Settings, and what to ask your carrier on Android
In short
On iPhone, open Settings → General → About: if “No SIM restrictions” appears next to Carrier Lock, your iPhone is unlocked (Apple, checked on October 29, 2026). Only your carrier can unlock it; Apple can’t.
On this page
Android is different: Samsung and Google publish no lock check, so you ask your carrier. Check before you buy a travel eSIM, because a phone locked to your carrier can’t take another carrier’s plan. If you will roam on your own carrier’s plan instead, the lock does not matter.
How to check if an iPhone is unlocked
Apple’s check takes three steps: “No SIM restrictions” next to Carrier Lock means the iPhone is unlocked. If you don’t see that message, Apple says to contact your carrier (checked on October 29, 2026, Apple).
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap About, then find Carrier Lock.
iPhone: is it unlocked?
Apple's path (support.apple.com, checked on October 29, 2026): Settings › General › About. "No SIM restrictions" next to Carrier Lock means the iPhone is unlocked. Menus can differ by model and software version.
Menus can differ by model and software version.
T-Mobile’s page uses Apple’s words, “No SIM restrictions” (T-Mobile). AT&T’s page adds the locked form: if Carrier Lock says “SIM locked”, your device is locked (AT&T).
A US iPhone 14 or later is an eSIM-only iPhone, with no SIM tray (checked on October 29, 2026, Apple). Abroad, an eSIM is then the only way to add a travel plan, so settle the lock before you leave. More on trays and models: Do iPhones have SIM cards?
How to check on Android: Samsung, Pixel and others
Samsung and Google publish no lock-status menu on their US help pages, so the short answer for Android: ask your carrier. Samsung says unlock requirements “vary by carrier and are not dictated by Samsung” (checked on October 29, 2026, Samsung).
AT&T prints its own Samsung steps, split by release date:
| Samsung phone | Steps as AT&T prints them | What AT&T says to read |
|---|---|---|
| Released after September 1, 2025 | Settings → Connections → More connection settings → Network lock status | Look for Network lock status to find out if the phone is unlocked |
| Released before September 1, 2025 | Settings → About phone → Software information → Service provider software version | A version ending in ATT/ATT came from AT&T “and can be unlocked”; one with ATT that ends in something else “was unlocked before coming to AT&T” |
These are AT&T’s instructions, not Samsung’s (checked on October 29, 2026, AT&T). Menus can differ by model and software version.
AT&T’s Samsung network lock check reads a status. T-Mobile’s Samsung label, Network Unlock, runs the unlock instead (T-Mobile’s steps).
A Pixel from the Google Store comes unlocked, Google says. One bought from a carrier “could be SIM-locked for up to 2 years” (checked on October 29, 2026, Google). For any other phone or carrier, ask the carrier that sold it: unlock rules by carrier.
What your carrier’s account shows
AT&T and T-Mobile show the carrier unlock status in your online account, an answer from the company that set the lock. AT&T’s Device info reads “Device unlocked” once the lock is off (checked on October 29, 2026, AT&T).
T-Mobile shows the device lock status on T-Mobile.com and in T-Life; the steps are on our T-Mobile unlock page (checked on October 29, 2026).
Verizon’s unlocking policy page gives no account check. It says Verizon unlocks a paid-off phone automatically and “will never re-lock it” afterward; to confirm yours, ask Verizon (checked on October 29, 2026, Verizon).
It says locked: what to do before your trip
Each carrier sets its own unlock rule, from no wait for a paid-off Verizon phone to 365 days on T-Mobile and Verizon prepaid lines. The table gives each rule in one line, with the date we checked it and the full rule page.
| Carrier | Rule in one line | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Postpaid: bought 60+ days ago and paid in full. AT&T Prepaid: 12 months of paid AT&T service | October 29, 2026 |
| T-Mobile | Postpaid: active at least 40 days on the line, and paid off if financed or leased. Prepaid: 365 days since activation, or more than $100 in refills and more than 14 days since purchase | October 29, 2026 |
| Verizon | Postpaid: no wait once the phone is paid off (35 days later if a Verizon Gift Card paid). Prepaid: 365 days of paid and active service | October 29, 2026 |
Once you qualify, timing differs. AT&T says an eligible Apple, Samsung or Google phone on an AT&T Wireless plan should unlock by itself. If you send a request, it usually takes minutes but can take up to 48 hours (AT&T).
T-Mobile unlocks an eligible phone within two business days if it supports remote unlock (T-Mobile policy). Apple adds that an unlock “might take the carrier a few days”.
Our illustration, not a carrier rule: you fly on December 20 with a paid-off AT&T iPhone, bought over 60 days ago, that still shows locked. Request the unlock by December 15: even at AT&T’s 48 hours, that leaves three days before the flight (our arithmetic).
Still inside a waiting period? AT&T’s page suggests its International Day Pass if a phone “isn’t eligible to be unlocked before you travel abroad”. Compare your carrier’s roaming first: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon.
The rules above are each carrier’s own policy. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) describes six unlocking standards that CTIA-The Wireless Association adopted in 2014. They are an industry code, not an FCC rule (FCC guide, checked on October 29, 2026).
Since January 2026, Verizon follows that industry code instead of the old 60-day rule, under FCC order DA 26-43. The FCC’s 2024 proposal of a 60-day unlock for all carriers, FCC 24-77, is a proposal and not in force.
Other carriers and resellers: unlock rules for every carrier and what carrier-locked means.
Why a locked phone can’t use a travel eSIM
A travel eSIM is a plan from another carrier, and Apple says an iPhone used with another carrier abroad “cannot be locked to a carrier” (checked on October 29, 2026, Apple). Why keeping your US line on doesn’t get around it: what carrier-locked means.
Once the check shows unlocked, see Does my phone support eSIM?, then how to install an eSIM and our country plans.
Frequently asked questions
What does “No SIM restrictions” mean on iPhone?
It means the iPhone is unlocked. Apple shows those words next to Carrier Lock in Settings, General, About, and says unlocking “means that you can use it with different carriers”. On an AT&T iPhone, “SIM locked” in the same place means the phone is still locked.
How do I check if my Samsung phone is unlocked?
Ask your carrier: Samsung’s US help gives no lock-status menu. AT&T sends Samsung phones released after September 1, 2025 to Network lock status under More connection settings. T-Mobile’s Network Unlock step performs an unlock; it doesn’t show a status.
Can I add a travel eSIM to a locked phone?
No: a travel eSIM is a plan from another carrier, and the lock blocks it. Get the unlock first; if it can’t happen before your flight, use your carrier’s roaming instead.
Can an IMEI check tell if my phone is unlocked?
Not from an official source we found, so we don’t send readers to IMEI-checker sites. AT&T’s unlock status portal does ask for an IMEI, together with a request number: it tracks a request you already sent. To learn whether the phone is locked, use the iPhone Settings check, your carrier account, or ask your carrier.
Sources checked: Apple: how to check if your iPhone is unlocked · Apple: travel eSIM and carrier lock · Apple: iPhone models with eSIM only in the US · Apple: eSIM-only iPhone models · Samsung: move your Galaxy phone to a different carrier · Google: Pixel SIM unlock · AT&T: device unlock · T-Mobile: unlock your device · T-Mobile: device unlock policy · Verizon: device unlocking policy · FCC: cell phone unlocking · FCC: order DA 26-43 · FCC: proposal FCC 24-77.
Unfamiliar term? See the eSIM glossary.
Not sure how much data to take? Work it out from your trip length and how you use your phone.