Unlocked phones give you the option of not being tied down to a carrier’s contract, among other benefits. This option is becoming more and more appealing to consumers. There was an estimated 50.1 million active unlocked smartphones running on U.S. mobile networks, according to a 2019 statistic. Unlocked phones can be bought unlocked from Amazon, eBay, and Best Buy to name a few options. If you have a phone that is locked to a carrier, it can also be unlocked. However, can you get your phone unlocked if you still owe money on it? Let’s explore the answer to this question below. Before we do that, we will talk a little about the benefits of unlocked phones to understand the value of this process.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Unlocked Phones
Unlocked phones are becoming more popular as we have seen, but what are the benefits of owning one? The benefits include:
- A better selection of unlocked phones is available: There are devices that you don’t usually see in carriers’ retail stores. These include devices such as the OnePlus line of phones and Huawei phones.
- Unlocked phones tend to get updates faster: When a carrier releases updates for its smartphones, they usually have to tweak the operating system, since they usually include additional applications that aren’t included in the vanilla version of the operating system. This typically applies to Android phones as iOS updates are handled by Apple.
- Less bloatware on Android devices: As mentioned before, unlocked phones tend not to come with any bloatware (additional applications installed by a carrier). This frees up space on these devices.
- No contract obligations: With an unlocked phone, you aren’t tied into a 2-year contract. You have the flexibility of changing carriers whenever you feel like it.
Disadvantages of Unlocked Phones
There are some potential downsides to unlocked phones which we will describe here:
- No carrier support: If you purchase your phone from a carrier, they will be there to help if you ever have issues with it. If you have technical difficulties, a carrier can help but you’re on your own if you have an unlocked phone.
- No carrier incentives: While in many cases going with an unlocked phone can be more affordable, especially in the long run, carriers sometimes offer attractive deals on phones that are hard to beat. This may include bonuses included with plans. You will miss out on these incentives if you choose to go with an unlocked device.
- No payment plans: As we mentioned before, buying an unlocked phone can often be cheaper in the long run. However, sometimes it’s hard to beat the convenience of a payment plan. Unfortunately, this won’t be possible with an unlocked phone.
Can You Unlock Your Phone if You Still Owe Money On It?
Here we’ll explore if it’s possible to unlock your phone if you still owe money on it in the U.S. and Canada. In both cases you will need to have your IMEI on hand (printed on your phone’s box or viewable by dialing *#06#). You’ll need to provide this to your carrier or the unlocking service you’re using. If your carrier is doing the unlock, you’ll probably also have to provide your account information too.
U.S.
In the U.S., it is legal to unlock your phone. Carriers will unlock your phone if you don’t owe money it. If you do owe money on it then you do have the option of using a third-party unlocking service. However, make sure that you do your research before seeking out the services of a third-party unlocking service to ensure that you don’t run into any unscrupulous companies. You can search websites such as Trustpilot which exist to verify the legitimacy of businesses and also to show the quality of service being offered by businesses. If you go this route you will still be on the hook for the money owe on your phone.
Take Note of GSM vs CDMA
In the U.S., there are 2 different cellular standards that exists. These are Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). GSM is widely used and most cellular carriers around the world use it. The U.S. is one of the few countries where the U.S. of CDMA is somewhat prevalent. Sprint and Verizon both make use of the CDMA standard. While some CDMA phones also support GSM, not all of them do. This means that if you unlock a CDMA phone, you may not be able to use it with a GSM network such as AT&T. Bear this in mind when you’re thinking about unlocking your phone.
Canada
All phones sold in Canada since December 2017 are actually already unlocked. Customers can also unlock older devices at no cost by approaching their carrier. This means that unlocking isn’t too much of a hassle for Canadians. Note that if you switch carriers while still under contract with another carrier, you will have to pay any outstanding costs on the original contract.
Final Thoughts
In the U.S. you can get your carrier to unlock your phone if you no longer owe money on it. If you still do owe money on the device, it is possible to unlock it using a third-party unlocking service. However, you have to be wary that you don’t pay for the services of a dishonest company. In Canada, all phones sold since December 2017 are already unlocked. Customers can also request that phones sold before 2017 be unlocked. However, if you switch carriers, you will have to pay out any outstanding amounts due for your original contract.