An unlocked cellular phone means one of two items; it can be used on any network provider or that you are able to install any app on it. With the price of today's smartphones climbing to a few hundred dollars, the mobile producers and the network providers must offer some attractive programs in order to get customers to upgrade their phone. The typical approach is to provide the mobile phone for free or at a serious discount and in return you sign up for a contract in which you accept to pay a minimum sum monthly. The sting in the tail is that while you get the newest phone worth several hundred dollars, it is usually locked to the service provider you signed the contract with. So, if you'd like to switch providers or move to a month by month plan when the agreement ends you will have a difficult time taking your smartphone with you.
The quickest way to find out if the device is locked to a network provider is to insert a sim card from another service provider and see if you get a signal and are able to make calls. If you can't then you most probably have a locked device. The 'lock' isn't a physical lock but a program inside the OS? This program checks that the network service provider is valid and stops any attempt to hook up to another carrier.
It is possible, however somewhat dangerous, to unlock a device either by entering a sequence of numbers from the keypad or connecting it up with a personal computer which has some software to remove or reprogram the core files. You'll not come across any retailers delivering this service but certainly small, independently owned cell phone shops may offer this service for a small fee should you ask them. Nonetheless, be warned that when you decide to unlock your mobile phone to be used on another provider it likely voids the warranty. There's always the risk that it could wipe the device memory permanently and then you'll have a block of plastic about as effective as a brick.
One reason why you may want to get the device unlocked, and one of the driving factors numerous folks look to do so is when you're traveling in another country for any length of time you want to keep your device but use a local sim card to lower your expenses on phone calls, texts and data. A locked smartphone is not going to provide the ability to achieve this hence the sole alternative is to get the device unlocked.
Another type of locking is the restrictions implemented by the producer of the device. Apple iPhone is notorious for this due to the fact Steve Jobs decided that he does not want people messing with the operating system or installing unapproved applications. This has given rise to the expression 'jailbreaking' for the iPhone. Lots of customers attempt to escape and unlock their iPhone by way of jailbreaking it. However, doing so voids the warranty and support.
In contrast, Google's Android phones are open source and provides the freedom and flexibility to customize everything. Programmers are free to build and install any sort of application which most argue makes the Android a superior OS since there is no need to unlock it, jailbreak it or circumnavigate limitations that have been applied. Nevertheless, most network providers will probably lock the unit to their network and you may need unlocking services from a local cellular retailer.
The quickest way to find out if the device is locked to a network provider is to insert a sim card from another service provider and see if you get a signal and are able to make calls. If you can't then you most probably have a locked device. The 'lock' isn't a physical lock but a program inside the OS? This program checks that the network service provider is valid and stops any attempt to hook up to another carrier.
It is possible, however somewhat dangerous, to unlock a device either by entering a sequence of numbers from the keypad or connecting it up with a personal computer which has some software to remove or reprogram the core files. You'll not come across any retailers delivering this service but certainly small, independently owned cell phone shops may offer this service for a small fee should you ask them. Nonetheless, be warned that when you decide to unlock your mobile phone to be used on another provider it likely voids the warranty. There's always the risk that it could wipe the device memory permanently and then you'll have a block of plastic about as effective as a brick.
One reason why you may want to get the device unlocked, and one of the driving factors numerous folks look to do so is when you're traveling in another country for any length of time you want to keep your device but use a local sim card to lower your expenses on phone calls, texts and data. A locked smartphone is not going to provide the ability to achieve this hence the sole alternative is to get the device unlocked.
Another type of locking is the restrictions implemented by the producer of the device. Apple iPhone is notorious for this due to the fact Steve Jobs decided that he does not want people messing with the operating system or installing unapproved applications. This has given rise to the expression 'jailbreaking' for the iPhone. Lots of customers attempt to escape and unlock their iPhone by way of jailbreaking it. However, doing so voids the warranty and support.
In contrast, Google's Android phones are open source and provides the freedom and flexibility to customize everything. Programmers are free to build and install any sort of application which most argue makes the Android a superior OS since there is no need to unlock it, jailbreak it or circumnavigate limitations that have been applied. Nevertheless, most network providers will probably lock the unit to their network and you may need unlocking services from a local cellular retailer.
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