A network lock — a SIM lock — is a restriction the selling network applies so a subsidised handset only works on its own SIM cards. Unlocking removes that restriction. The phone is unchanged in every other way: same software, same warranty, same account, same everything.
How an unlock is actually done
The request is filed against the IMEI with the network or the manufacturer that holds the lock. Apple devices are released remotely — the phone is unlocked the next time it activates, and there is no code to type. Most other handsets come back as a code you enter once with a different SIM inserted.
Because the record is changed at the source, an official unlock is permanent. It survives a factory reset and a software update, and it does not need to be repeated when you change SIM again.
The lock belongs to one network. An unlock is filed with that network and no other, which is why a check that names the carrier is the sensible first step.
What an unlock will never do
| Situation | Does an unlock fix it? | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Phone works only on one network | Yes | A SIM lock, which is what unlocking removes |
| Reported lost or stolen | No | A blacklist entry, held separately and reversible only by the reporter |
| Unpaid contract or instalments | No | A finance agreement between the seller and the account holder |
| Asks for a previous Apple Account | No | Activation Lock, which needs the original account |
| Google account after a reset | No | Factory Reset Protection, which needs that account |
| Carrier refuses the request | No | A policy decision by the network, not a technical limit |
Anyone offering to remove a blacklist entry, clear a finance agreement or bypass an activation lock is offering to interfere with a record that belongs to somebody else. It is worth being blunt: those services either fail, or they help move a phone that someone else is still looking for.
When a request comes back refused
- The handset is still inside its contract or instalment plan.
- The account it belongs to has an unpaid balance.
- It has been reported lost or stolen.
- The network does not offer unlocking for that model or that market.
- The IMEI does not match a device that network ever sold.
A refusal is a network decision, and no supplier can argue it away. What a service can do is not charge you for it — which is why credit for a refused unlock should return to your balance rather than being kept as a fee.
How long it takes, and what to expect
Turnaround is set by the network, not by whoever files the request. Some return within hours, some take days, and the same network can be quick one week and slow the next. Any service quoting a single number for every carrier is quoting a hope. Expect an estimate per network, and expect it to be an estimate.
Prices and typical turnaround are published per network and per device service.
See unlock prices