Network lock vs iCloud lock: what each one means

The difference in one minute

• Network lock, also called carrier lock or SIM lock: the phone works only on the carrier that sold it. It comes off when that carrier unlocks it, usually after the phone is paid off and has been active for a while.
• iCloud lock, which Apple calls Activation Lock: the iPhone stays tied to the owner's Apple Account. It comes off only when the owner turns off Find My or removes the phone from their account, or through Apple with proof of purchase.
• Blacklisted is a third thing: a carrier has the phone's IMEI reported lost or stolen. Clean vs blacklisted, explained.

A phone can have one lock, both or neither. An iPhone can be unlocked from its carrier and still have Activation Lock on, and an iPhone with Find My turned off can still be locked to a carrier.

What a network lock is

According to the FCC, many phones sold in the US are locked to the carrier that sold them, often because the phone was sold at a lower price or on an installment plan. The lock stays until the phone is paid off or for a set time. Even a phone bought at full price can be locked for a short time, such as 60 days, to help stop theft and fraud.

Unlocking lifts the carrier's lock and nothing else. It does not erase your photos, contacts or apps. It also does not make a phone work on a network it was not built for, so check that the phone supports the new carrier before you switch.

How to check if your phone is unlocked

iPhone

Settings › General › About

Look next to Carrier Lock. If it says No SIM restrictions, the iPhone is unlocked. If it says anything else, it is locked, and Apple says only your current carrier can unlock it.

Samsung Galaxy

Settings › Connections › More connection settings › Network unlock

Tap Network lock status. Samsung says the options vary by carrier, so some Galaxy phones do not show this menu.

Google Pixel and other Android phones

Google's help page gives no menu for it. A Pixel bought from a carrier can be SIM-locked for up to 2 years, Google says, so ask that carrier. On T-Mobile, the phone's unlock status is in your T-Mobile account.

Try another carrier's SIM card

AT&T gives this test for its prepaid phones: put in a SIM card from a different carrier. If the phone says the SIM is not compatible, it is still locked. A phone that runs only on eSIM cannot do this test; ask the carrier.

Any phone, without touching it

Use the free BK Wireless IMEI check. For an iPhone, the emailed result shows whether it is carrier locked and to which carrier. For an Android phone you tell us is from T-Mobile or Metro, Verizon, Cricket, Xfinity Mobile or a Tracfone brand, it shows whether that carrier has the phone reported lost or stolen.

How to get a phone unlocked

Ask the carrier that locked it. Each carrier sets its own rules. These are from their own policy pages, checked in October 2026:

• T-Mobile: monthly plans, active on T-Mobile for at least 40 days and paid in full. Prepaid, 365 days after activation, or sooner once the account has enough refills. Eligible phones unlock automatically within two business days.
• Metro by T-Mobile: bought from Metro, not reported lost or stolen, and 365 days since activation. Unlocks automatically within two business days.
• Verizon: phones bought from Verizon unlock automatically once they are paid in full. Paying with a gift card adds 35 days. Prepaid phones unlock after 365 days of paid, active service.
• AT&T: bought more than 60 days ago, paid in full and the bill not past due. Most eligible Apple, Samsung and Google phones unlock by themselves. Prepaid needs 12 months of paid service.
• Cricket: 365 days of paid service on the phone, and not reported lost or stolen. Cricket unlocks on request.
• Boost Mobile: a phone on a payment plan unlocks within two business days once it is paid off, or right away if it was paid in full. Prepaid phones unlock one year after first activation.

Other carriers post their rules on their own sites. The FCC says the carriers that follow the wireless industry's unlocking code do not charge current or former customers to unlock a phone that qualifies.

What iCloud lock (Activation Lock) is

Activation Lock is part of Find My. It turns on by itself when the owner turns on Find My, and Apple links the iPhone to the owner's Apple Account on its activation servers. While it is on, nobody else can set the phone up and use it. iPads and Apple Watches have it too.

How to tell

• During setup the screen says iPhone Locked to Owner. Apple's advice if you bought it online: return it.
• On a phone you can open, Find My is on under Settings, [your name], Find My.
• Checking an iPhone you don't have in hand? The free IMEI check can also show whether Find My is on.

How it comes off

1. 1 of 3On the iPhone: turn off Find My

   Enter the Apple Account password when asked. If Stolen Device Protection is on, turn it off first. Step-by-step guide.

   Settings › [your name] › Find My › Find My iPhone
2. 2 of 3Without the iPhone: remove it at icloud.com/find

   The owner signs in, selects the iPhone and clicks Remove This Device.

3. 3 of 3Lost the account or the password? Ask Apple

   If you are the owner and have proof of purchase, Apple lets you start an Activation Lock support request.

Android has an owner lock too

Google calls it device protection, and many people call it Factory Reset Protection. With a Google Account and a screen lock on the phone, it helps stop anyone else from using it if it is reset without your permission: setting it up again needs the screen lock or the Google Account password. To turn it off before you sell, remove your Google Account from the phone.

How to get an Android phone ready to sell.

Buying or selling a used phone

• Buying: Apple says not to buy an iPhone with Activation Lock on, and to ask the seller to erase it so you can test it. Check Carrier Lock too. The full checklist: buying an unlocked phone.
• Run the free IMEI check before you pay, so you know about a carrier lock or a lost or stolen report.
• Selling: turn off Find My or remove your Google Account first. We cannot accept an iPhone with Activation Lock still on, and an unlocked phone is worth more.

Questions