We can't promise in advance that any specific phone qualifies — eligibility depends on your carrier's own rules, which vary by carrier and change over time. What we can do is explain the main factors, and give you a real answer in under a minute once you enter your IMEI. This page is deliberately general for that reason: treat it as what to expect, not as a guarantee for your exact phone.
1. Contract or financing status
If a phone is still being paid off on an installment plan, most carriers require it to be paid in full before it can be unlocked. If you're not sure, your account statement or carrier app will show a remaining balance if one exists. Paying it off early specifically to unlock sooner is a reasonable, common reason people do it.
2. Blacklist status
A phone reported lost, stolen, or left on an unpaid account by a previous owner is blacklisted — and a blacklisted phone generally can't be unlocked or activated on major networks, regardless of who currently holds it. This status follows the device, not the person, which is exactly why it matters so much when buying secondhand. See checking a used phone's IMEI before you buy.
3. Account standing
If the line has been cancelled, the account usually needs to be settled with a zero balance first. An account still in good standing on an active line is generally the simplest case. A dispute or a pending fraud review on the account can also pause eligibility until it resolves.
4. Carrier-specific rules
Some carriers require a phone to have been active on their network for a minimum period, and may cap how many lines can be unlocked per account each year. These specific rules vary by carrier and change from time to time, so we check the current rule for your exact carrier at the moment you order rather than publishing numbers here that could go stale.
How eligibility is actually checked
None of this requires you to guess. When you enter your IMEI and current carrier, we run the same kind of eligibility and blacklist checks the carriers themselves use, and show you a real result — eligible now, or specifically what is blocking it — before you commit to an order.
| Factor | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Contract / financing | Paid in full, or not originally financed |
| Blacklist status | Clean — not reported lost, stolen, or unpaid |
| Account status | Active and in good standing, or a cancelled account settled to zero |
| Carrier-specific rules | Varies by carrier and can change — checked automatically at order time |
It also helps to remember these factors are independent of each other. A phone can be fully paid off and still blacklisted from a previous owner's unpaid account, or blacklist-clean but still mid-contract. Each one is checked on its own, and any single failing factor is enough to hold up an order until it's resolved.
For iPhones specifically on AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, see unlocking an iPhone: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon. For how long a typical order takes once you do qualify, see how long does unlocking take.
