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Your two-year contract is finally up, and you want to save some money by bringing your phone to a carrier with lower rates. Sadly, odds are that your phone is locked to your carrier, which prevents you from jumping ship and using your phone on another network. Thankfully, legislation and the Federal Communications Commission have made the process of unlocking your phone easier than ever. More importantly, it superseded an earlier decision made by the Library of Congress that interpreted cell phone unlocking as a violation of copyright (a ruling that actually saw phone unlocking rise in popularity). Cell phone unlocking, in other words, is legally permissible.

Just because unlocking your phone is legal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy to do, though. Let’s dive into how to unlock a phone and break free of your ties to a carrier.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Before you set your mind on unlocking your phone, you’ll need to keep in mind that doing so isn’t a fast process. Unlocking your phone can take several phone calls and hours of work. It’s also a good idea to unlock your phone before you leave your current carrier.

With that in mind, there are a few nuggets of information you’ll need:

The account holder’s name and account number.
IMEI number of your device.
Your phone number.
The account holder’s Social Security number or password.
A completed contract and/or device payment plan.
Overseas deployment papers, if you are in the military and want to unlock your phone before your contract is up.
Now that you have that information, let’s see how each carrier handles unlocking your phone.

UNLOCKING A VERIZON PHONE
Even though Verizon uses CDMA instead of GSM for channel access, most of Big Red’s devices come with an unlocked SIM card slot. According to Verizon, its 4G LTE devices aren’t locked, and if you want to bring one of them to another carrier, there is no code you need to rejig the phone’s radios for other networks.

Even though SIM-equipped Verizon phones can be used on AT&T, T-Mobile, or other GSM carriers, the phone will need to have roaming GSM radios in order to make phone calls and send texts in the United States. While most recent Verizon handsets will work just fine on American GSM bands, your mileage will vary when it comes to LTE support.

Verizon doesn’t have an online method to make an unlock request, but you can call 888-294-6804 and request a SIM unlock.

The procedure’s a bit different for postpaid 3G devices on Verizon’s network. Most aren’t locked, but require that you enter a code — either “000000” or “123456” — to enable third-party cellular compatibility. Verizon’s specially branded World Devices, on the other hand, can’t be unlocked without the assistance of a store tech, which you can request by dialing the company’s support line at 800-922-0204.

Unlocking a prepaid device can get a bit dicier. A vast majority of the prepaid 3G phones on Verizon can be unlocked with the code “000000” or “123456,” but Verizon’s off-the-shelf Phone-in-the-Box prepaid handsets (whether 4G or 3G) are locked into the network for 12 months after activation, or until the amount of payment specified on the back of the box have been exceeded. And, as with Verizon’s World Phones, you have to call Verizon support at 888-294-6804 in order to start the process.

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