To unlock a phone you meet your carrier’s conditions and then, in most cases, it happens by itself or after one request. The conditions are what differ. On a postpaid plan the usual test is that the phone is paid off. On prepaid it is time, and that time is now a full year at most carriers.
What unlocking is, and is not
The FCC defines it narrowly: “disabling software that would prevent a consumer from attempting to activate a phone designed for one wireless provider’s network on another wireless provider’s network.”
It does not make an incompatible phone compatible. And it should not cost anything. Under the industry’s own code, the FCC says, carriers “agreed not to charge existing or former customers additional fees to unlock a device if it is eligible to be unlocked.”
How long each carrier makes you wait
| Carrier | Postpaid | Prepaid |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Unlocked automatically once bought at full price or paid off | 365 days of paid, active service, then on request |
| AT&T | Bought 60 or more days ago and paid in full | 12 months of paid service |
| T-Mobile | 40 days active on the line and paid in full | 365 days, or more than $100 in refills per line |
| Cricket | Prepaid only | 365 days of paid service |
| Metro by T-Mobile | Prepaid only | 365 days since activation |
| Boost Mobile | After the financing plan is completed | One year after activation |
Each row is from the carrier’s own unlock policy, read on October 8, 2026.
Two of these changed in 2026
Verizon Prepaid. For phones activated on or after January 27, 2026, the lock lasts 365 days. Phones activated before that date were unlocked automatically after 60 days.
Cricket. Phones bought on or after July 1, 2026 need 365 days of paid service. Phones bought before that need six months.
If you bought a prepaid phone this year, check which side of those dates you are on.
The other conditions
Time is not the only test. Across these policies the phone must have been sold by that carrier, must not be reported lost or stolen, and the account must be in good standing. AT&T adds that your bill “can’t be past due”. T-Mobile allows no more than two unlocks per line in 12 months.
How to ask
- Confirm the phone is paid off and the account is current.
- Check whether it has already unlocked. AT&T says an eligible Apple, Samsung or Google phone “should unlock by itself”. T-Mobile and Metro unlock remotely “within two business days” of a phone becoming eligible.
- If not, make the request the way your carrier asks. The list below has each one.
- Put in a SIM from another carrier to confirm it worked.
- Verizon Prepaid: call 800-922-0204.
- AT&T: submit a request at att.com/deviceunlock. Prepaid Android phones use the AT&T Device Unlock app.
- T-Mobile: check “Device lock status” in the T-Life app. For a locked iPhone, contact T-Mobile. On a Samsung phone, Settings, Connections, More Connection Settings, Network Unlock.
- Cricket: iPhones through the online device unlock process. Most Android phones through the myCricket app, using “Unlock Device” on its sign-in screen.
- Metro by T-Mobile: automatic. Its support line is 888-863-8768.
- Boost Mobile: call 833-502-6678.
Straight Talk and the other Tracfone brands
Straight Talk’s full unlocking policy is on a separate site that we could not read. Its support pages do say this much: if you have not met the minimum period of service, Straight Talk “may unlock your device, but you will incur a charge of up to $300”. Verizon Prepaid’s policy has the same $300 clause.
Military deployment
The industry code says carriers “will unlock mobile wireless devices for deployed military personnel who are customers in good standing upon provision of deployment papers.” Cricket and Metro each repeat it in their own policies.
The FCC’s guide is here. Once the phone is unlocked, the rest of the move is in how to switch carriers.