Software updates are essential for maintaining a phone’s longevity given how frequently apps update nowadays. However, there are a few key differences and advantages that unlocked phones have over locked ones. You won’t notice any significant differences in terms of app installation and phone performance. Locked and unlocked phones may not have much of a difference from the outset. What Are The Advantages Of An Unlocked Phone? © Photo by In short, an unlocked phone doesn’t automatically ensure compatibility, but it does increase its likelihood. Also, it’s a bit complex sometimes as you’d still have to check your device’s compatibility with other networks. GSM vs CDMA-based phones, more on that later). However, this didn’t open smartphones to cross-network compatibility (i.e. The more technology progressed, the more smartphones were sold as already unlocked and non-carrier specific.
But, what are the benefits of the so-called unlocked phone? If it’s still unclear, unlocked phones are devices that you can use outside of your current carrier.
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Learning how to check if your phone is unlocked with IMEI is easy. Thankfully, you can now unlock modern-day smartphones, but it either takes time or is extremely difficult. Most of them were locked to a particular carrier with carrier-specific features. In the past, phones weren’t even compatible with other carriers at all. Unless you’re a tech genius, your locked smartphone might go to waste if you decide to switch carrier. However, this renders smartphones incredibly difficult to resell or refurbish. Most carriers, if not all, lock the smartphones they offer to keep customer loyalty. Usually, carriers will keep your device locked until you finish paying the lease or installment plan. If you want to use T-Mobile, then you’ll need to have an AT&T unlocked phone in order to do so. Let’s say you bought a smartphone with your AT&T plan. So, what exactly is a locked phone?Ī locked smartphone simply means you can only use it with a sim card from a specific carrier it’s locked to. Thus, the public has to deal with the troubles of locked phones. Unfortunately, the industry is swarmed by companies driven by self-interest.
If the tech industry was run primarily with the consumers in mind, chances are locked phones wouldn’t even exist. So, before we learn how to check if your phone is unlocked with IMEI, let’s first understand the significance of unlocking phones. That’s why it isn’t surprising that most people know next to nothing about the differences between locked and unlocked phones. Most of the time, they’ll only concern themselves with unlocking their phones when they want to switch carriers or use dual sim devices. When people buy mobile phones, they don’t normally check whether the phone is locked or unlocked. What Is The Difference Between Locked And Unlocked Phones? © Photo by artboySHF on Shutterstock
If you’re unfamiliar with both IMEI and unlocked phones, you’ve come to the right place. Then, o nce they do attempt to check, they would encounter the problem of not knowing how or having to buy an entirely new sim card.įortunately, there’s a simple solution if you want to learn how to verify if your phone is unlocked with an IMEI number. Some even purchase phones without the slight intent to unlock it. The problem is most people don’t even know if their phones are already unlocked or not. You can also use it if you travel international and switch carriers as you please.
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However, it’s a huge plus if your phone is already unlocked, making it compatible with other carriers as well. That’s especially so if you’re sure that you’ll stick with your carrier for a long while. Locked smartphones aren’t much of a problem to those who purchase their phones from a specific carrier.