Unless you’re unlocking a cellphone that was originally locked to AT&T, you will have to go through a few hoops to achieve that goal here in the US. Out of the four major carriers here in the states, AT&T is the only carrier that has put some effort into helping people unlock their phones without hassle or major inconveniences. Now, if you have a T-Mobile phone, it’s not impossible to get it unlocked; T-Mobile has all the tools and assistance you need to get your phone unlocked as quickly as possible.
T-Mobile unlock eligibility requirements
Firstly, to unlock a T-Mobile phone the legal way, you must meet all of their policy requirements. If you’re already a customer who meets all their requirements and already have created your free T-Mobile online account, then having your phone unlocked by them should be as easy as eating a piece of chocolate. These are the unlock requirements you should meet:
- The phone must be locked with T-Mobile, they cannot unlock a phone from another carrier.
- The device has to be clean and not reported lost, stolen or blocked.
- The person requesting the unlock must have a T-Mobile account in a good standing condition.
Unlocking a T-Mobile phone
Now, to get your device unlocked, head over to T-Mobile.com and login into your account:
- After login in, scroll down until you see your device and click the option that says “View account” at the right side of “My line.”
- Scroll down to “Lines and Devices” and select the handheld you would like to unlock.
- Now from this page, select “Check device unlock status.“
- From this page, you will be able to see all the information about the unlock status of your device. If it says that your device is eligible to be unlocked, just hit the Contact us button and explain to a rep that you would like to unlock your phone. From this point on, all you’ll need to provide the rep is your phone’s IMEI.
To get your phone IMEI for the T-Mobile rep:
You can easily obtain your device’s IMEI from your T-Mobile account or through the T-Mobile mobile app. The other method of obtaining your IMEI is through the device itself…
On iPhone – Navigate to Settings> About > IMEI.
On Android – Just dial *#06#.
After you request to get your device unlocked, instructions to finish the unlock process will be sent to your email address. iPhone users do not need an unlock, all they need to do is insert a non-T-Mobile SIM card in their device once T-Mobile sends the email confirmation of the unlock.
Unlock T-Mobile phone without an account
If somehow you’ve ended up with a T-Mobile-locked device in your hands — whether you bought it from another person, eBay or another online store, and you do not have access to a T-Mobile account, don’t worry it, you can still get it unlocked for free. Any T-Mobile rep will unlock it as long as the device has not been reported lost, stolen, or blocked and it has been fully paid off by its original owner.
The problem with those who do not have access to a T-Mobile account is that they also do not have access to a customer service representative in a timely manner. If you fall into this category, you will have to contact T-Mobile through some other methods other than directly from a T-Mobile account. Here’s are all the ways you can contact a T-Mobile representative without a T-Mobile account:
- @TMobileHelp On Twitter
- 1-800-937-8997
I’d recommend contacting a representative on Twitter as it’s faster. You can also call them. Once you get a hold of a representative, explain to them that you would like to have your device unlocked. They do not need account information nor previous device owner information to request an unlock on behave of you.
