Switching from T-Mobile to another cell phone provider isn’t rocket science. To start, you’ll need to unlock your phone—and we’ve got the deets on how. Here’s a quick look at some of the more surprising requirements for unlocking your T-Mobile phone. Before you unlock your T-Mobile phone . . .
You can only request two unlock codes per line of service each year. You might need to give T-Mobile proof of purchase for your phone. Your device must have been active on T-Mobile’s network for at least 40 days—and prepaid phones must be active for at least a year.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Yeesh. What you’ll need for unlocking a T-Mobile phone:
The primary account holder’s name and the account number The account password or the account holder’s social security number Your phone number Your phone’s 14- to 15-digit IMEI or MEID number
You can usually find your IMEI or MEID number under the battery cover or on the back of your phone. If you can’t find it there, just dial *#06# and your number will pop up automatically. If you’re considering switching to AT&T, you should have no problem bringing your phone with you when you go. That’s because both AT&T and T-Mobile run on the global system for mobiles (GSM) network. Here’s which cell phone providers use which networks:
GSM: AT&T and T-Mobile CDMA: Verizon and Sprint
Swapping to Sprint, on the other hand, may be difficult. T-Mobile and Sprint don’t quite match up, but some 4G LTE devices will work on Sprint’s network. If you want to hop over to Sprint from T-Mobile, we recommend calling Sprint to make sure your phone is compatible first. Whether you’re transferring to AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, each provider allows you to keep your existing phone number. Simply enter your 10-digit phone number to see if it is eligible.
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While unlocking your phone means you can use it with a different wireless carrier or even overseas, jailbreaking means you remove restrictions set in place by the maker of your phone. By removing these restrictions, you can download and use unauthorized apps. For example, if you decided to jailbreak your Samsung phone, you’d be able to download apps that aren’t available on the Google Play store.
