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How do I know if my phone is locked to another network?

How to check if your phone is locked, with easy steps to test and unlock it for use with any network, including giffgaff.

M
Written by Mark Murray
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Wondering if your phone is locked to another network? Here are some signs to look out for:

  • You might get a message like "SIM card not valid", "SIM lock" or "Insert correct SIM card" when you pop in your giffgaff SIM.

  • If your phone has the logo of a mobile network printed on the outside or on the home screen then it could be locked to that network. But it’s worth checking with your giffgaff SIM anyway as the presence of a logo doesn't always mean the phone is locked.

Other ways to check if your phone is locked to another network

  1. If your phone has the logo of a mobile network printed on the outside or on the home screen when it's switched on.

  2. Take the giffgaff SIM card out, and put a SIM from another network into the phone. If it gets a signal/network and you're able to use your services, that means your phone is unlocked. Be sure not to use an O2 SIM as giffgaff uses the O2 network.

  3. Check in the settings of your phone:

    • Android

      1. Open 'Settings'

      2. Tap ‘Connections’, ‘Network and internet’, or other similar name

      3. Tap ‘Mobile network’, or similar

      4. Tap ‘Choose network’ or ‘Automatically select network’. If your phone shows several available networks it is unlocked. If you can only select one then it is locked to that one.

    • Apple

      1. Open Settings

      2. Tap ‘General’, then ‘About’

      3. Tap ‘Carrier lock’. If it says ‘No SIM restrictions’, then your phone is unlocked. If it names a network, that means it is locked to that one.


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