Apple’s iPhones aren’t exactly known for their competitive price tags, which is why many might opt to buy them through a carrier so as to be able to pay it back on an installment plan. Apple’s iPhone SE (2020) does shift that narrative because at $399, it is one of the cheapest iPhones we’ve seen around in recent years.
If you did get the iPhone SE from your carrier but would love the freedom of being able to use it with any carrier and travel with it overseas and use it with a local telco, then you’ve come to the right place as we’ll show you how to unlock the SIM of the iPhone SE either for free through your carrier, or using services like Movical.
Free iPhone SE unlock code from your carrier
If you’d rather not pay a third-party to unlock the iPhone SE, you could always try your luck with your carrier. There are certain requirements that you need to meet first in order for the iPhone to be unlocked by your carrier, which includes:
- First of all, the iPhone SE needs to have been paid off in full, meaning that if you’re on an installment/repayment plan, you’ll need to make sure that the phone has been fully paid for.
- Secondly, you will have to make sure that you have owned the device for at least 60-90 days, so if you just got your hands on it, you might be out of luck.
- Lastly, you will also need to be in good standing with your carrier. This means that ensuring that all your bills with your carrier have been paid off and that there is nothing you owe your carrier in terms of unpaid bills or fees.
Assuming you meet those requirements, then here are the steps to take to get your free SIM unlock code:
- On your iPhone SE handset, launch the Phone app and dial *#06# to display your phone’s IMEI number
- Record the IMEI number down somewhere where you can refer to it easily like on a piece of paper or the Notes app
- Call your carrier’s customer service hotline and ask them for your SIM unlock code
- You will then be asked to provide the service rep with your iPhone SE’s IMEI number
- If you meet all the requirements that we mentioned above, the SIM unlock code will be sent to the email address you provided in the next 2-5 days.
- Once you’ve received your code, you will now be able to swap out the SIM with a SIM from another carrier
- Enter the SIM unlock code that you received in your email when the prompt comes up and you should be all good to go
Buying the iPhone SE unlock code
Given how new the iPhone SE is, there is a good chance that your carrier will probably not give you a free SIM unlock code, although you should probably try anyway just to see if they will. In the event that you are turned down, not to worry because thanks to third-party services like Movical, for a very affordable fee, you’ll be able to unlock your iPhone SE’s SIM.
- On your iPhone SE, launch the Phone app and dial *#06# to display the IMEI number
- Write the IMEI number down somewhere for easy reference
- Go to Movical’s website
- Select your country and service provider and also the currency you wish to pay in
- Enter the device’s IMEI number
- Complete the checkout process with your payment and contact information
- You will receive the iPhone SE’s unlock code in a matter of hours up to a few days (depending on the package you’ve chosen)
- When you receive your code, swap out the SIM in iPhone SE with one from another carrier
- Enter the iPhone SE SIM unlock code you received and your phone will be unlocked
Once you’ve completed all the steps mentioned above, your iPhone SE should now be unlocked and you will not have any issues with swapping between carriers. This is particularly useful when you’re traveling overseas as purchasing a local SIM is usually cheaper than paying for roaming.
We should remind you that this does not release you from your contract with your carrier, but at the very least it does give you some degree of freedom.