Buzz
There have always been various methods to check whether your iPhone is locked or international through different means and services. Sometimes, all you need is to check the iPhone's IMEI to determine its status. However, a very cunning method has emerged recently, where SIM card chips are directly implanted into the phone's SIM tray, replacing the original one completely. This direct implantation renders users unable to distinguish between iPhone Lock and International.
However, there's always a solution for every issue on an iPhone, and you can indeed differentiate between iPhone Lock and International, avoiding buying used phones stuck with iPhone Lock instead of the advertised international iPhones. So let's explore now with Mytour how to distinguish between iPhone Lock and International, and recognize iPhone Lock.
Guide to differentiate between iPhone Lock and International.
Method 1:
To differentiate between iPhone Lock and International, simply navigate to the SIM section in Settings > Phones and then select the SIM application. If your iPhone displays options like Carrier Select, Lock Carrier, Edit IMSI, then your device is undoubtedly an iPhone Lock.
Method 2:
If your iPhone is not displaying the SIM application for non-supported carriers, you can differentiate between iPhone Lock and International using method 2. With this method, you will activate the carrier selection menu of the SIM card. However, you should also note that if you are certain your device is locked, you should not proceed as it may cause signal loss for your iPhone.
Step 1: Go to the dialer and enter the following code: *5005*7672*0# then press call.
Step 2: If you see the message 'Successful Settings - Service Center Address - No Address', congratulations, you own an international version of iPhone.
In the case depicted on the right, unfortunately, that's definitely a locked device.
Above, Mytour has assisted you in distinguishing between iPhone Lock and International, helping you identify the device you're using and prevent potential pitfalls when purchasing an iPhone.
If you still don't know what iPhone Lock or International means, Mytour would like to explain further.
What is iPhone Lock?
iPhone Lock refers to iPhones locked to specific carriers, only usable with the network from where you purchased it. They are priced lower than international iPhones, hence people often import locked iPhones along with SIM cards for resale. However, iPhone Lock may encounter issues like intermittent signals, inability to check account balance, or other minor glitches when used with a SIM card adapter.
What is International iPhone?
An International iPhone is provided by Apple to distributors and retailers, rather than being exclusively sold by specific carriers. International iPhones can be used with most SIM cards, but they are significantly more expensive than Locked iPhones.
Currently, the latest product from Apple is the iPhone 7. If you're using an iPhone 7 and don't know how to check the IMEI to determine its origin, the following guide on checking IMEI for iPhone 7 will assist you.
