unlock a phone

[Kallen87]

how do I carrier unlock a public mobile phone? I bought an Iphone from a guy and need it unlocked to use a different carrier sim card???

[computergeek541]

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@Korth wrote:

@computergeek541 

But how could an iPhone be carrier-locked by Public Mobile? They never sold iPhones long ago (when phones were locked) and they don't lock any of the phones (including iPhones) they sell now.

I'm guessing that if the phone is indeed carrier-locked then it must be by some carrier other than Public Mobile.

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There's no actual locking to specifically Public Mobile, but phones can be locked to Telus. I have read about and even seen one instance of a Koodo phone that would not work on Telus until after it was unlocked, but that's an extreme rarity. 

An iPhone device sourced from Telus or Koodo can be locked depending on when it was purchased, and yes, it will work at Public Mobile.  Public Mobile will unlock it.

[Korth]

@computergeek541 

But how could an iPhone be carrier-locked by Public Mobile? They never sold iPhones long ago (when phones were locked) and they don't lock any of the phones (including iPhones) they sell now.

I'm guessing that if the phone is indeed carrier-locked then it must be by some carrier other than Public Mobile.

If it's SIM-locked then the owner of the SIM card (and account and phone number) must request a PUK code from the SIM card issuer.

If it's blacklisted (registered as lost/stolen/etc) then the owner of the phone must have it removed from the blacklist. With "owner" meaning the person who actually purchased the phone (or the SIM card) new from a carrier or from a store - the person whose name is on file - not the person who purchased it "from a guy".

No screenshot from the OP. So we don't know what information he's looking at, where he found it, what it means.

[computergeek541]

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@softech wrote:

@CountyDownIeUk 

sorry, I agree with @Korth 

Public Mobile started selling refurbed devices - including some iPhones - circa 2019. These were (and are) all entirely unlocked devices which will work on any (Canadian) network and provider. 

You probably had an unique sitatuation.

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Public Mobile did sell locked devices long before 2019, and I don't mean before Telus bought them.  After Telus made the purcahse of Public Mobile, did sell locked Telus devices.  While those would be very old devices by now, those devices would still be locked if the customer hasn't yet went through the unlocking process.  Either way, Public Mobile does unlock any and all devices that are locked to Telus/Koodo.  This isn't even a "might" thing.  It's company policy for them to do it.

[darlicious]

@softech @MrSpock 

Unlike Bell and Rogers....Telus and it's flanker brands do not hold their locked phones hostage and once contacted will provide the unlocking code or in the case of apple devices contact Apple to unlock the phone. So while public mobile has not sold locked phones for a decade and never locked iPhones they will upon request "unlock" a device locked to the telus network.

Since this iPhone has the public mobile carrier profile and if it is locked then it's locked to the telus network otherwise it could not get to the stage to update the carrier profile to public mobile.

Either that or the phone is not locked it just can't access data to another network until the carrier profile is updated. Perhaps instead the former owner's Apple id is "locking" the device.

[CountyDownIeUk]

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@softech wrote:

@CountyDownIeUk 

sorry, I agree with @Korth 

Public Mobile started selling refurbed devices - including some iPhones - circa 2019. These were (and are) all entirely unlocked devices which will work on any (Canadian) network and provider. 

You probably had an unique sitatuation.

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@softech 

Iam not saying that @Korth is not correct BUT FULLY READ the OP! AND read your response. 

[softech]

@CountyDownIeUk 

sorry, I agree with @Korth 

Public Mobile started selling refurbed devices - including some iPhones - circa 2019. These were (and are) all entirely unlocked devices which will work on any (Canadian) network and provider. 

You probably had an unique sitatuation.

[CountyDownIeUk]

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@MrSpock wrote:

@Kallen87 public mobile does not lock phones you have to find out what carrier it is locked to 

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@MrSpock 

@softech 

That is NOT true. PM DOES unlock phones. They have done for me. 

[Korth]

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@Kallen87 wrote:

under carrier it says public mobile 36.0.1

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Can you post a screenshot?

If the phone is carrier-locked to Public Mobile then it will work fine with a Public Mobile SIM card.

Public Mobile used to sell phones, circa 2011-2013, which may have been carrier-locked. But these were all Android and Blackberry devices, no iPhones.

Public Mobile started selling refurbed devices - including some iPhones - circa 2019. These were (and are) all entirely unlocked devices which will work on any (Canadian) network and provider. They might have software settings configured for Public Mobile, but software settings are designed to easily be changed by end-users.

If you bought this troublesome iPhone "from a guy" then I think your best option is to contact the guy and get him to unlock it. If the phone is indeed carrier-locked then the only ways to unlock it are to have the original carrier unlock it (which they will only do for the original customer who purchased it from them) or to buy an unlock from eBay (which can be dirt cheap but can be somewhat costly for fancy new iPhones).

Buyer beware on used cellphones. Always test the device with your own (working) SIM card before walking away from the deal. You have no idea where the phone originally came from, whether or not it's been blacklisted as lost/stolen, whether the guy trying to sell it is indeed the original owner.

[BKNS27]

@Kallen87 

What model iPhone is your phone?

You might also check to see if it is Blacklisted.

Dial *#06# to get the IMEI number of the phone then enter it:

https://www.imei.info/carriers/canada/ 

If it is not Blacklisted, you can go to a mom and pop cell repair shop to unlock the phone for you.

Or follow @mu100 setting instructions to see the carrier that locked the phone and have it unlocked but you will need the seller’s account number to process with unlocking the phone.

[darlicious]

@Kallen87 

If the phone is locked then it's locked to the telus network. Contact customer support here, at koodo or telus and give them the IMEI # of the phone to send the request to Apple.

[mu100 · Accepted solution]

If you go to settings > General > About 

scroll down it should say ‘No SIM restrictions’ next to ‘Carrier Lock’. That means your phone is already unlocked

It is normal for the phone to show the current/last carrier it was connected to next to 'Carrier' you need to scroll down until you see 'Carrier Lock'

 

[hTideGnow]

Hi @Kallen87  what error message you got?  

You see the Carrier Profile, the phone might be unlocked already 

[softech]

@Kallen87 confirm if your iPhone is locked:

• First go to Settings and then Cellular. 
• If you see a Cellular Data option under the Cellular menu, then your iPhone is unlocked. 
• If you don’t see “Cellular Data Network” as an option under Cellular, then the phone is locked.

[RossN]

@Kallen87 do you have a public sim in it,that's why it says that 

[softech]

@Kallen87 no, PM won't help to unlock phone that not sold by them ( and they always sell unlocked phones).  They might help if phones were locked by Telus or Koodo.  which carrier the phone locked to?

Honest, the seller should help.   If not, you might need to find mobile shops to help 

[Kallen87]

under carrier it says public mobile 36.0.1

[RossN]

@Kallen87 what model iphone? what message are you getting?

[MrSpock]

@Kallen87 public mobile does not lock phones you have to find out what carrier it is locked to