How do I unlock my phone?

Unlocking a phone from a different carrier

If your phone is locked (which is sometimes referred to as network or SIM locked), you’ll need to contact the original carrier to have it unlocked.

When you contact your carrier, they may require you to pay any balances due on your account before your phone can be unlocked. Please note, unlocking your device may take a few days to complete after you contact your carrier.

Unlocking an Assurance Wireless phone

Once a device becomes eligible for unlocking, Assurance Wireless will automatically and remotely unlock the device within two business days if the device supports remote unlock. Some devices cannot be remotely unlocked by Assurance Wireless. In these cases, Assurance Wireless will send a notification to the device within two business days of it becoming eligible, with next steps to complete the unlock process.

Some older devices with a Master Subsidy Lock (“MSL”) are not capable of being SIM unlocked. Please see below for information about these devices.

Assurance Wireless will unlock mobile devices that meet the following eligibility criteria free of charge:

• The device must be provided by Assurance Wireless
• The device has not been reported as lost or stolen or otherwise flagged as ineligible to be unlocked
• The device has been active for at least 12 months

However, Assurance Wireless may refuse any unlock request that would result in an abuse of these policies or is part of an effort to defraud Assurance Wireless or its customers. These policies are subject to change at Assurance Wireless' discretion without advance notice.

If you received a notification that your device is eligible to be unlocked, follow the steps below. If the notification mentions an unlock code, contact us at 888-321-5880 so we can provide it.

1. Make sure you are connected to the T-Mobilennetwork or Wi-Fi
2. Choose your device on the Devices page, then click the "Security" drop-down to find "Mobile Device Unlock" steps
3. Select “Permanent Unlock”
4. Wait while the device completes the unlock
5. Restart the device

Assurance Wireless makes no guarantee that an unlocked device will work on another carrier's network. Whether another carrier will accept and activate a device is subject to that carrier's policies and capabilities. Additionally, unlocking a device may enable some functionality of the device but not all (e.g., an unlocked device may support voice services but not data services when activated on a different network). Not all devices are capable of being unlocked.