How to know if my mobile is free

Smartphone locked

For many years, operators have been dedicated to subsidizing the price of telephones so that users could enjoy high-end telephones, without having to leave a kidney in the attempt. To prevent users from unsubscribing and going to another company, the operators, usually block the devices, a lockdown that usually lasts two years.

But if we want to sell the terminal, because we have tired of the one we have and want to output it, first of all we must make sure that the terminal does not present any blockage, that is, that it is not tied to any operator, since otherwise, the money that we can ask for the terminal varies considerably. Here we show you how can we know if our mobile is free.

Today, many operators have stopped subsidizing phones, especially high-end phones such as iPhone and Samsung, since they allow us to pay them in comfortable monthly installments and in no case are the operator blocked or tied. In this way, if before ending the stay we want to get rid of the terminal, we can do it without any problem.

But not all operators offer us free terminals from the factory, since mid-range or low-end terminals are still subsidized in most cases, which implies that it is likely that are tied to the operator for at least two years, the minimum period required by the operators to maintain the commitment when obtaining a mobile phone for free.

How to know if my mobile is free

Terminal blocked by operator

Knowing if our mobile is free from the factory or is anchored to the permanence of an operator, is a very important factor both when buying a terminal and when selling it. When it comes to selling it it is important, because its value varies a lot if it is free of origin or is tied to an operator. It is also important when buying it, because if the seller stops paying the corresponding fees, the operator can block the use of the terminal through IMEI, turning our brand-new device into a nice paperweight.

Each terminal offers us a series of codes that when entering them in the terminal, allows us know instantly if our terminal is tied to an operator or not. Unfortunately, these codes are completely different between manufacturers, so below we show you the codes with which, according to the manufacturer, we can know if our terminal is free or tied to an operator.

Samsung Terminals

Samsung logo

The code with which the Korean company allows us to know if our terminal is free or tied to an operator is * # # 7465625. This code must be entered from the calling application. If the message OFF appears on the screen, our phone is free. If on the contrary, the message ON appears, that implies that our terminal is tied to an operator.

Sony Terminals

Know if my Sony phone is factory free

The Japanese giant of the telephony market, Sony, allows us to know if our smartphone is free through the code ## 7378423 ## a code that we must enter in the terminal calls application.

Next, a menu will be displayed with different options, from which we have to select service information and then Configuration. Within the Configuration menu, we must look for Rooting Status. If Yes appears, our smartphone is free from the factory, but if No appears, our terminal is tied to the corresponding telephone operator.

Huawei Terminals

How to know if my Huawei is free

The third manufacturer that sells the most phones worldwide, Huawei, allows us to know if our terminal is blocked or completely free by entering the following code from the calls application: * # * # * # * # 2846579. A menu will appear, where we will press Project Menu> Network Information Query> SIM Lock Info. If, on the contrary, SIMLOCK_DEACTIVE appears, it will mean that our Huawei terminal is completely free.

LG terminals

How to know if my LG is free

The other chaebol Korean, LG, allows us to know if our smartphone is blocked or not by accessing the terminal settings. Within the Settings, we go to About phone> Software information. If the version ends in -EUR-XX means that our terminal it's factory free and that it has not passed through the operator's filters.

Inserting the SIM card of another operator

SIM card

If we have at hand the card of another operator, which is not part of the same operator, we can quickly know if our terminal is blocked or if it is completely free. If when entering it, in addition to the PIN, asks us for an unlock code, it means that our terminal is tied to an operator.

If on the contrary, just ask us for the PIN and when you turn it on, it hooks up to the card operator, it means that our terminal is free, so we can start using it with another operator without worrying about blocking.

Calling the operator

If you do not want to complicate your life with the codes and configuration menus of the terminals, the quickest option to know if our smartphone is free or is blocked by the operator is by contacting the operator. We will get out of doubts quickly and they will also inform us about the time of permanence and therefore the terminal block, after which we can request its release completely free of charge.

Our smartphone is free as long as ...

To this day, all the high-end terminals that the operators make available to us in convenient terms of 24 months (the usual period offered by companies to pay for the smartphone) are completely free, since in most cases, the final price we pay for it it is the same as if we bought it directly in a physical or online store completely free from the factory.

It will also be factory free as long as do not buy it from a telephone operator, either directly to the manufacturer, on Amazon, El Corte Ingles or any other establishment that sells them. In this case, it is not necessary to make any checks to know if it is free or not.

The key is our IMEI

Get IMEI number

The IMEI of mobile phones is like the registration number of cars or the IP that we use to surf the Internet. Through the IMEI you can know at all times, who bought the terminal and its condition, locked or free from the factory. If our terminal is blocked and a period of 24 months has elapsed since we bought it, the only number that really interests the operator to unlock our terminal is the IMEI.

To know the IMEI of our smartphone, we just have to go to the Calls application and enter the code * # 06 #. Then a numeric code will be displayed, code that we have to provide the operator to process to unlock the terminal. Each operator has a different procedure when releasing the terminal. If we do not have our terminal at hand, we can obtain this information in the device box directly or through the terminal purchase invoice.

Unlocking Orange smartphone

Unlocking Orange smartphone

The French company stopped blocking the terminals since 2014, therefore, all the terminals that it has put on the market through its company are all completely free and it is not necessary to request unlocking. If you have a terminal with more than four years, Orange offers us a website in which we can request the unlock code entering the IMEI of the terminal along with the model of the same (unnecessary information since this is within the IMEI code).

Unlocking Vodafone smartphone

To unlock a terminal from the British company Vodafone, we must access the mobile application directly through the Web that gives us access to our account. Next, click on Management> Settings and Extras and select Unlock my mobile.

We scroll to the end of the page until we find the Unlock mobile option, where we must enter IMEI number. Once we have entered it, we will have to wait a maximum of 48 hours to receive the unlock code, an unlock code that we must enter in the terminal when it is not requested when inserting a SIM card from another operator.

Unlocking Movistar smartphone

Movistar

Movistar allows us to request the unlocking of a terminal we have to get in touch with 1004 in addition to offering us the option through the customer area. To do this, we need to have the IMEI of the terminal that we want to unlock at hand. This process will take a maximum of 48 hours.


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