CarrierSwitcher.com

Remove Carrier locks

Unlock the carrier lock on your phone

Stuck on a carrier lock? Enter your device and see if you can get it unlocked.

  • Owner verified

    For people who own the device.

  • Major carriers

    United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Europe.

  • iPhone and Android

    SIM Not Supported, Invalid SIM, and prepaid locks.

  • Same-day start

    Check the IMEI, then open the path for that phone.

Check your device

1 / 4

What brand is your device?

01

Networks we cover

Type the carrier name. We list the major United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Europe networks that still sell locked phones.

  • AT&T
  • T-Mobile
  • Verizon
  • Cricket
  • Metro
  • Boost
  • EE
  • O2
  • Vodafone
  • Rogers
  • Bell
  • Telus
  • Orange
  • Deutsche Telekom

02

Stuck on SIM Not Supported

A new SIM goes in. The phone refuses the network. Shops quote a remote job. The carrier asks for a contract you already left.

iPhone

Apple shows SIM Not Supported, SIM Not Valid, or This SIM is from a different carrier. Fix iPhone SIM Not Supported.

Generic phone screen showing SIM Not Supported

Android

Samsung, Motorola, and others show Invalid SIM, SIM not provisioned, or Not registered on network. Unlock a Samsung from its carrier.

Generic Android phone showing Invalid SIM and not registered on network

03 / Factory carrier unlock

The lock lives on the carrier network

The tower checks the IMEI before a new SIM can attach. A reset does not move the phone. Settings will not add a network the carrier never allowed.

Why the network check wins

The carrier keeps an allowlist for that IMEI. That is why a new SIM shows SIM Not Supported or Invalid SIM. Apps that only edit the phone bounce after a reboot.

Read how a carrier unlock works
Two phones connected to a carrier network tower with IMEI check labels
Smartphone beside a purchase receipt with IMEI and a SIM tray on a paper white desk

Legal and safe

Authorized device ownership required

These resources are for people who own the phone. Official carrier desks and partner platforms both ask for proof. Stolen, lost, or fraudulently obtained phones are out.

Legal removal pathways

  • Proof of purchase with IMEI or serial
  • Account in good standing when the carrier still owns the lock
  • Owner-run tools and partner platforms
  • No stolen device processing

What we do not do

  • Perform the unlock on your device
  • Help with stolen or lost phones
  • Bypass a lock for someone who is not the owner
  • Sell IMEI codes
Read the owner rules

04 / Technical overview

How a carrier lock actually works

The radio asks the home network if that IMEI may attach. The answer sits on the carrier side. That is why a factory reset still blocks the next SIM.

Diagram of tower IMEI check, SIM attach, and carrier unlock paths

Network-side control

Not a setting on the handset

What the tower checks

At retail the carrier writes the IMEI into its allowlist. The phone can call that network. A SIM from another operator fails the same check.

The link survives a wipe, a firmware update, and a new eSIM download. The radio has to pass the carrier check on every attach.

What still hits the carrier

  • New SIM insert
  • eSIM download
  • Roaming attach
  • Reset, then a foreign SIM

Why local edits fail

The phone cannot approve its own IMEI. The network has to clear it. We do not call the carrier for you. You get the walkthroughs, unlock tools, and partner-platform access used on those paths.

All of these still ask the home network

Two kinds of carrier lock

Prepaid retail locks and postpaid contract locks look the same on the SIM screen. The path out is different.

Prepaid / retail lock

Sold at a store

The phone was cheap because it had to stay on that brand for a set term.

Usual blockers

  • Straight Talk, Total, Cricket, Metro, Boost
  • Time-on-network rules
  • A used phone with no receipt

Postpaid / contract lock

On an account

The line is still on a bill. The carrier can refuse until the contract or device payment is clean.

Usual blockers

  • AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon postpaid
  • Unpaid device balance
  • Account not in the owner name

Authorized removal pathways

Legitimate methods need the account, paperwork, or a professional platform you operate yourself.

Official carrier request+

If the account is clean and the wait is over, the carrier can clear the IMEI.

They usually want the IMEI, the account holder, and proof the device is paid off.

Wait out the retail term+

Many prepaid brands unlock after a published number of days on their service.

The policy page for that brand is the source. Results still vary by device history.

Tools and partner platform access+

When the carrier desk is closed or the receipt is gone, the walkthroughs, unlock tools, and a voucher with prepaid credits for a professional phone unlocking platform are the next step.

You run the job on a phone you own. We do not perform the unlock. Results vary.

Used-phone checks

Watch the seller drop in a SIM the phone is not sold for. If the radio rejects it, you are buying a lock. Random IMEI sites can leak the number.

Carrier policy still applies

An official unlock can take days. A refused request does not mean a tool path will work. Eligibility and results vary by device, carrier, and condition.

05

Carrier and model pages

Open the pairing that matches the phone in your hand. Every carrier and every model is linked below.

Apple iPhone 13. Remove Straight Talk Lock. Use any Network on Apple iPhone 13.
Samsung Galaxy A15. Remove Straight Talk Lock. Use any Network on Samsung Galaxy A15.
Motorola Moto G Power. Remove Straight Talk Lock. Use any Network on Motorola Moto G Power.
Samsung Galaxy A16. Remove AT&T Prepaid Lock. Use any Network on Samsung Galaxy A16.
Apple iPhone 15. Remove Total Wireless Lock. Use any Network on Apple iPhone 15.
Apple iPhone 15. Remove Verizon Prepaid Lock. Use any Network on Apple iPhone 15.
Samsung Galaxy A16. Remove Boost Mobile Lock. Use any Network on Samsung Galaxy A16.
TCL K23. Remove Metro by T-Mobile Lock. Use any Network on TCL K23.

Index

Every carrier and model

Pick a carrier to expand the list. Each tile opens the page for that phone on that network.

Carriers
12
Models
142
Brands
15
01Straight Talk+
Open Straight Talk hub

42 models

02Total Wireless+
Open Total Wireless hub

26 models

03Verizon Prepaid+
Open Verizon Prepaid hub

15 models

04AT&T Prepaid+
Open AT&T Prepaid hub

14 models

05Walmart Family Mobile+
Open Walmart Family Mobile hub

14 models

06TracFone+
Open TracFone hub

11 models

07Boost Mobile+
Open Boost Mobile hub

10 models

08Simple Mobile+
Open Simple Mobile hub

5 models

09Cricket Wireless+
Open Cricket Wireless hub

2 models

10Consumer Cellular+
Open Consumer Cellular hub

1 models

11Metro by T-Mobile+
Open Metro by T-Mobile hub

1 models

12Virgin Mobile (discontinued)+
Open Virgin Mobile (discontinued) hub

1 models

06

What you get

Step-by-step guides

Follow clear instructions matched to your device and carrier.

Unlock apps and tools

Get access to unlock tools for your situation, matched to your device and carrier.

Professional phone unlocking platform voucher

You get access to a professional phone unlocking platform with a prepaid voucher for unlocks. You run the job. Results vary.

Unlock AI

Get AI help walking you through each step for your device and carrier.

07

What people pay instead

Unlock shop

$50+

One device. You wait on a queue you cannot see.

Carrier request

Weeks

Works when the account is clean and the contract is done.

CarrierSwitcher

Access

Tools, a platform voucher, and the walkthrough. You run the job.

08

What this is

What you get

CarrierSwitcher sells access to EZ Phone Help carrier-unlock guides. You run the steps on your phone. We do not remotely unlock the device.

What you do not get

We do not sell IMEI codes, talk to your carrier for you, or promise a working unlock. Official carrier policy still applies.

09

Full access

Unlock shops charge $50+. Access opens the carrier unlock tools, the voucher, and the walkthroughs.

Membership

EZ Phone Help guide access

  • Carrier unlock guides matched to brand and network
  • Video walkthroughs and software links
  • IMEI intake so you start from your device, not a generic article
  • Cancel anytime in YouTube

Billed by YouTube. Cancel anytime.

You are buying a monthly YouTube channel membership that opens unlock guides and tools. This is not a purchase of an unlock performed on your device.

10

Questions before you join

Longer answers live in how a carrier unlock works, Fix iPhone SIM Not Supported, and the brand pages to unlock an iPhone from its carrier.

11

Your phone, your carrier choice

Check the device. If the path looks right, start the unlock.

Eligibility and results vary by device, carrier, and condition. Access is EZ Phone Help guides and tools. You follow the steps. We do not perform the unlock on your behalf.