What are the explicit differences between a locked and unlocked phone? OK, so a lot of that info was irrelevant, but I've been scouring the Web sites of Verizon and AT&T and trying to learn more about all of this. It would be great if AT&T would let us use a prepaid plan for one of our iPhones to use for the two weeks we visit each summer, but for some reason they won't. We've resorted to using crappy basic phones with prepaid AT&T calling plans for simple communication (we have no Wi-Fi/Ethernet networking for our iPhones/computers). Each summer my family visits Crane Lake, Minn., where Verizon has zero coverage but AT&T has very broad coverage. I think I know the basics, but there are always strange technicalities that I keep seeing that just throw me off and make me question whether I really know how the system works.įor context, I'm a Verizon customer with an iPhone 4S.

Locked versus unlocked phones: What's it all mean?Ĭould you please explain the concept of carrier locks on cell phones? It is a tremendously confusing topic. I also explain to another reader why he can't bring just any phone to his prepaid Virgin Mobile service. And I caution consumers to investigate before they buy a device they think is unlocked. I explain on which wireless networks cell phones can be unlocked.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I re-examine this issue and offer some basic information about what a cell phone lock is.

Aside from the legal issues, there are technical issues that may even make cell phone unlocking impossible for some consumers. There's no question millions of consumers are still confused about cell phone unlocking. But others are still trying to figure out what the heck device-locking is all about and how and if their own smartphones can be unlocked. Web site Mobile Unlocked, which sells unlock codes to consumers, says sales of unlock codes are up 71 percent. Many people have been looking for ways to unlock their devices. But when it comes to unlocked cell phones, there's also been a lot of confusion. Ever since the Librarian of Congress decided not to renew a provision in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that essentially makes it illegal to unlock your phone without your carrier's permission, there's been intense interest in the issue.

Verizon prepaid phone unlock code