Checking if your phone is unlocked and will work overseas

You just arrived in Europe and make up one's mind to purchase a local SIM for your iPhone. When yous turn on your iPhone, you become a message that says "No SIM" or "Service Unavailable." At present what?!

Before you purchase a SIM for international travel y'all'll desire to ostend two things. First, that your phone is unlocked and will part with some other operator's SIM. And second, that your phone supports the frequencies of the other operator'due south network.

Be sure y'all have an Unlocked GSM phone

If you choose to purchase a prepaid SIM when traveling abroad, be sure your GSM phone is unlocked. If y'all signed a contract or are paying for your phone monthly then your phone is probably locked to your habitation operator's network and won't work with other operator SIMs.

If you don't know if your phone is locked yous tin can do whatsoever of the post-obit to find out:

  • Inquire your operator
    Call your current operator's client back up and explicate y'all want to use your telephone overseas. Ask if the telephone is SIM-unlocked.

  • Endeavor another SIM
    Place a SIM from another operator in your phone and see if the phone recognizes the other operator'due south network.

  • Check your IMEI
    You tin use one of the many sites on the web to check your phone'southward IMEI, which is a unique number that identifies your phone. Simply dial *#06# on your phone and the IMEI will exist displayed on the screen. Go to one of the websites and enter your IMEI. This is usually a paid-service and may price $two to $3. That's much better than arriving in another land only to observe you can't employ your phone!

  • Recommended site: http://www.imei.info/

Checking your phone's frequencies

Simply as of import as having an unlocked phone is having a phone that supports the frequencies of the operator networks where you'll be traveling. For example, 4G or LTE services in the Us utilize dissimilar frequencies than those services in Brazil or the UK. It's very piece of cake to decide what network frequencies your phone supports, and you can do it for free!

  • Look upward your phone's model number
    If you know the exact model number of your phone so you can use the site below to find your phone and all its technical details, including supported frequencies.

  • Recommended site: http://www.gsmarena.com/

Just enter the proper noun of your phone in the Search box at the height of the page. Remember, you'll demand to know your phone'southward verbal model number to determine what frequencies it supports. Is your iPhone 5S the A1453 or the A1530?

  • Check using your IMEI
    You can use one of the many sites on the spider web to check your phone's IMEI, which is a unique number that identifies your phone. Simply dial *#06# on your phone and the IMEI volition be displayed on the screen. Go to i of the websites and enter your IMEI. Checking technical details of a telephone using the IMEI is typically a costless service.

  • Recommended site: http://www.imei.info/