An iPhone 18 Pro or 18 Pro Max bought from Apple is usually unlocked. The exception is a phone financed at checkout through AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon’s own installment plan: Apple says it stays locked to that carrier until it’s paid off. Phones bought from a carrier follow that carrier’s unlock rules. Every US model is eSIM-only, so the lock decides whose eSIM the phone will take. Here’s how to tell which kind you have, and what to do if it’s locked.
The iPhone 18 Pro in brief
Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, 2026, and they went on sale on September 18. In the US the two models have no SIM tray at all: they activate only with eSIM and can run two eSIMs at once. Apple sells the same eSIM-only versions in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and several Gulf countries; elsewhere, such as the UK, its versions also take a nano-SIM card.
Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo, announced the same day, is eSIM-only in every country. Pre-orders open on October 16 and it arrives on October 23. Everything in this guide about checking and unlocking applies to it too.
Will my iPhone 18 Pro be unlocked?
It depends less on the phone than on where and how you paid for it:
| How you bought it | Carrier lock |
|---|---|
| From Apple, paid in full (including “Connect to a carrier later”) | Unlocked |
| From Apple with Apple Card Monthly Installments | Unlocked. Apple says these are always unlocked |
| Leased from Apple | Unlocked. Apple says a leased iPhone is always unlocked |
| From Apple, financed on the AT&T Installment Plan, T-Mobile Equipment Installment Plan or Verizon Device Payment | Locked to that carrier until paid in full |
| From a carrier’s store or website | Locked until that carrier’s unlock rules are met |
| Secondhand | Could be either, so check before you pay |
How to check the lock
- 1Look at Carrier LockOpen Settings → General → About and find Carrier Lock. “No SIM restrictions” means the iPhone is unlocked. “SIM locked”, or any other message, means it is tied to a carrier.
- 2Look at the carrier accountIf the phone came from a carrier, its online account usually shows the unlock status too. AT&T, for example, shows “Device unlocked” in the device details once it’s done.
- 3Run an IMEI checkFind the IMEI under Settings → General → About, or dial *#06#. An Apple report on our IMEI check page shows the carrier and lock details on record, the easy way to check a used phone without the seller’s account.
eSIM-only: what changes and what doesn’t
With no tray, the old test of borrowing a friend’s SIM card is gone. The lock itself works exactly as before: a locked iPhone 18 Pro only activates eSIMs from the carrier it’s locked to, and refuses another carrier’s eSIM until the lock is removed.
Moving your own number from an older iPhone is a separate thing. eSIM Quick Transfer works when your carrier supports it, and Apple says both phones need iOS 18.4 or later, the same Apple Account and Bluetooth turned on, with the old phone unlocked by its passcode. That moves your line; it doesn’t change either phone’s carrier lock.
Travel is where the lock shows. Apple’s buying page says an unlocked iPhone can use a travel eSIM at your destination; a locked one is limited to its own carrier’s roaming options. Our guide to using your phone abroad with a local SIM covers the rest.
If your iPhone 18 Pro is locked
Start with the carrier that locked it: once the phone qualifies, the unlock is free. AT&T unlocks phones bought more than 60 days ago and paid in full, and says eligible iPhones should unlock by themselves. T-Mobile wants 40 days of use on the line and the phone paid off. Verizon unlocks automatically once the phone is paid off. Our guide to unlocking an iPhone on AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon has the steps.
A brand-new 18 Pro on a multi-year payment plan won’t qualify for a long time. If you need it on another network sooner, or you bought it secondhand and can’t reach the original account, an IMEI unlock is the other route. Find your carrier on our carriers page and pick Apple: each model we can unlock is listed with its live price and delivery estimate. If the 18 Pro isn’t listed for your carrier yet, we don’t offer that unlock yet.
