iPhone Unlocking Guides

Here you will find our Apple iPhone Unlocking instructions, please select the below links for model specific instructions or for more general iPhone unlocking information please scroll down to our below guide.

General Information on getting your iPhone unlocked

If you have purchased your iPhone directly from a network provider such as Vodafone, EE, O2, Three, Virgin or GiffGaff for example then there is a good change it has been locked to a specific network and you are not free to use your phone with another network provider without getting it unlocked first.

If you have purchased your iPhone directly from Apple then the phone will be factory unlocked from new and you will be able to use any SIM card with your phone.

Is getting your iPhone Unlocked Legal?

Yes, it is 100% legal to unlock your iPhone, however please be aware that if you are paying for your phone as part of a contract and do not own the device outright simply unlocking the phone so you can use it on another network does not release you from your contractual obligations and you sill need to honour your contact. If you simply stop paying your bills then the phone will get blacklisted and you will not be able to use it at all.

How to unlock your Apple iPhone

Firstly you need to be sure your iPhone is actually locked to a specific network, in order to do this the first step is to ensure the phone is able to make and receive calls on at least one network. If it does then insert the SIM card from your chosen network provider into the phone and power it on. If you get a message saying “Activation required” as “SIM Not Supported” as shown in the below images then the phone is network locked and will need unlocking in order to us on your network of choice.

sim not supported - iPhone unlockingcould not activate iphone - iphone unlocking

Once you have established that the phone is locked then the first thing would be to contact your network provider to see if you are eligible for a free unlock.

How to unlock an iPhone Locked to EE

EE handsets need to be at least 6 months old before they can be unlocked and all bills must have been paid to date, if you meet this criteria then you can ask EE to unlock your iPhone. Currently EE charge £8.99 and it can take up to 7 working days for the unlock to complete.

You can find the EE iPhone unlocking form here: https://myaccount.ee.co.uk/device-unlock/

This service is for both EE pay as you go and contract customers. If you are using pay as you go EE will deduct the charge from your credit, if you are a pay monthly customer it will be added to your next bill.

If you are not an EE customer and you have an iPhone that is locked to the EE network, for example if you have bought the iPhone from a friend or eBay then it may not be so straight forward to get the handset unlocked from EE as you will need the original owners name and EE phone number.

If you are unable to get the phone unlocked directly from EE, fear not, we offer a EE iPhone unlocking service which is just £14.95 and takes 1-3 working days to complete, this works for all iPhone models such as the iPhone 5, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR etc.

If you would like to order your iPhone EE unlock from Simply Unlocked then please visit our website here: https://www.simplyunlocked.co.uk 

How to Unlock an iPhone Locked to Vodafone

Getting your iPhone unlocked from Vodafone is much the same as EE, you are required to have a Vodafone account or know the details of the original owner of the iPhone.

You can place your Vodafone iPhone unlocking request directly on their website here: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/unlock-code-request/
Unfortunately if you are not a Vodafone customer then they will not unlock your iPhone, you re required to sign up as a Vodafone customer for 30 days and then they will unlock your iPhone. This is not ideal, because the reason you would want your iPhone unlocking is so you would not be tied in as a Vodafone customer.

luckily there are other options, Simply Unlocked provide a Vodafone UK unlocking service for all iPhones such as the iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone XR etc. Typically Vodafone iPhone unlocks take 1-3 working days but the price does vary depending on which iPhone you have.
In order to get a Vodafone iPhone Unlocking quotation please visit our website
https://www.simplyunlocked.co.uk for more information.

How to Unlock an iPhone Locked to Three

Unlocking your iPhone which is locked to the Three network is a simple process, any iPhone purchased from Three after 1st January 2014 is automatically unlocked as soon as your connect the phone to iTunes or a WIFI network, this means the phone will be ready to accept a new SIM card immediately.
If the iPhone was purchased before 1st January 2014 you can still get it unlocked directly from Three by filling out their online form here: https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Device_Unlock
If for any reason Three are unable to complete your iPhone unlock then Simply Unlocked can also provide a Three unlocking service, just visit our website for more information.

How to Unlock a iPhone Locked to O2

For O2 locked iPhones just like with other network providers you are required to fill out an online form on the O2 website here: https://www.o2.co.uk/help/phones-sims-and-devices/unlocking-an-o2-mobile-to-use-on-a-different-network

The good news is that O2 will unlock your iPhone for free, if you are a contract pay monthly customer O2 will unlock your iPhone any time so you will be free to move network providers but you must finish paying your contract or the phone will get blacklisted. Pay as you go customers need to wait 1 year before O2 will unlock your phone, however once this time period is up they will complete the unlock free of charge.

If you can not wait a year or O2 will not unlock your iPhone then Simply Unlocked have a O2 iPhone unlocking service and we can unlock any O2 locked iPhone, such as the iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR etc.

For more information including pricing and unlocking times for O2 please visit our website https://www.simplyunlocked.co.uk for more information.

How much should I be paying for a iPhone Unlock?

If you are getting your iPhone unlocked directly from a network provider such as O2, Vodafone, EE or Three then the price will vary from free up to around £15.00. This always depends on several factors, the main one being how long you have been with the company.

If you have purchased your iPhone second hand then the chances are you will struggle to get the network providers to unlock the phone, in which case you will be looking at 3rd party unlocking providers.

Typically you would be expecting to pay from £15-£30 depending on your iPhone model and the network its currently locked to, be very wary of unlocking companies offering iPhone unlocking very cheaply and always read company reviews as there are many scam sites around.