How To Unlock Samsung Galaxy Phone – Free Guide

Our guide explains everything you need to know about how to unlock your Samsung Galaxy to use on any UK mobile network, such as EE, Vodafone or O2 and the incredible benefits that you can take advantage of. We discuss how to unlock your Samsung legally and the important information you need to know beforehand. We also compare free vs. paid Samsung unlock codes to help you decide on the best option for you.

Continue reading for our step-by-step guide on how to legally and permanently unlock your Samsung phone in a matter of minutes - plus, we’ve included some handy tips right at the bottom of our guide.

Benefits of unlocking a Samsung Galaxy Phone  

You may be wondering why you should consider unlocking your Samsung Galaxy phone. An unlocked phone is beneficial for just about anyone, it allows you to take back control of your monthly bills and data by shopping around for deals with any network provider. What’s more, you can take advantage of 12-month sim only deals as opposed to 24-month contract plans that you are usually tied to with network providers.

Additionally, when you go abroad, you can purchase a local sim card and insert it into your unlocked Samsung Galaxy. This means rather than paying roaming charges, you can use your phone to call, text, and use data at local rates, which means cutting down on unwanted bills. This is particularly beneficial for travellers that go away for business.

Lastly, another benefit of unlocking your Samsung Galaxy is to get more money for your phone when you decide to sell it. Generally speaking, your Samsung Galaxy can sell for a lot more money if it is unlocked and ready to use with any network.

Is it legal to unlock a Samsung phone? 

So you’ve discovered the amazing benefits of unlocking your Samsung phone, and now you may be wondering “Is it legal to unlock my Samsung?”. The simple answer is, yes! It is 100% legal and safe to get your Samsung Galaxy phone unlocked, either by your network provider or a third-party service in the UK, just visit OfficialSIMUnlock.

Unlocking your Samsung Galaxy phone is completely legal and by unlocking your phone via an IMEI phone unlock service, your warranty stays valid too. This also applies to other phone manufacturers including iPhones and other Android devices, which are all compatible with OfficialSIMUnlock service.

Third-party services and network providers use IMEI to unlock Samsung, iPhone and Android devices as this is the recommended and official method to securely unlock the network on the manufacturer’s database.

Samsung phone unlocking online by IMEI is a permanent solution that uses your IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) to unlock your Samsung from the phone manufacturer’s official database, which is 100% legal. Network providers can do this for you, however, it’s usually a long process, whereas using a third-party service like OfficialSimUnlock is affordable and quick with a turnaround time of around 24 hours.

What you need to do before you unlock your Samsung Galaxy phone 

If you are unsure whether your phone is locked or not, a quick and simple way to find this out is to take your sim card out of your Samsung phone and insert another sim card by a different network provider. If you get a prompt message saying “Invalid SIM” or “SIM not recognised” this means that your Samsung Galaxy is locked into a specific network.

Knowing which network provider your phone is currently locked to is important to find out before processing your unlock order, however, if you can’t find this information out manually, an IMEI network check service can do this for you.

Find your IMEI number   

Your Samsung Galaxy IMEI number is a unique number that identifies your exact device, which is an essential piece of information needed when you unlock your Samsung phone.

To retrieve your IMEI number simply dial *#06# from your Samsung Galaxy (or any smartphone). Once you have dialled this number a barcode with a 15-digit number will appear on your screen. This is your device’s unique IMEI number.

What if I can’t get my IMEI number by dialling the code? 

If you can’t retrieve your IMEI number on your Samsung Galaxy phone by dialling *#06# you can retrieve your IMEI number by going into the settings app on your device. On your phone go to settings > More… > About device > status.

Unlock your Samsung Galaxy by your network 

You can unlock your Samsung phone by contacting your network provider. It can be slightly cheaper to do so, however, it’s not a simple process as using a third-party service. OfficialSIMUnlock provides a hassle-free and affordable service with a 100% success rate and excellent customer ratings.

Typically network providers will make you jump through hoops in order to unlock your Samsung phone, because they ideally want to keep you as a customer. For example, if you have taken out a contract within 6 months, usually you cannot unlock your Samsung phone through your network provider. However, using OfficialSIMUnlock will allow you to unlock your phone instantly no matter when you began your contract.

Different network providers offer different restrictions and rules when it comes to unlocking your phone. See below for our quick network provider guide.

Unlock Vodafone phone  

With Vodafone you can request an unlock code on their website. There are a few rules depending on which sim card you have. If you have a monthly contract with Vodafone you will need to have no outstanding debt on your bills and you must be actively using your sim card for more than 30 days.

Unlock an EE phone 

In order for you to unlock your Samsung from EE you will need to be the EE account holder and you must have had the device for at least 6 months. You also need to have paid any outstanding bills, plus the phone cannot be reported lost or stolen. You can check if your phone has been blacklisted using an IMEI check.

Unlock an O2 phone 

If you are on Pay As You Go tariff with O2 you can unlock your device anytime with the network. Furthermore, if you are in contract with O2 you will need to see out the minimum term of your contract. There is a catch - you can only unlock the network if you have purchased the device directly from O2.

Unlock a Three phone 

If you have purchased a Samsung phone directly from Three after 1st January 2014, your phone is automatically unlocked. However, if your phone is older follow the below guidelines to unlock your phone with Three.

You can request an unlock code from Three to unlock your phone and this can take up to 72 hours for Apple devices and even longer for non-Apple devices, which can take up to 7 days.

Also, non-apple devices including Samsung Galaxy phones can be a long process to go through to unlock your Samsung. You will need to have a Three account or you will need to make one before filling out the online form to unlock your Samsung.

In conclusion, it’s easier and stress-free to simply use a Samsung unlock service, with no questions asked. All that’s needed to unlock your phone is your IMEI number and the network your Samsung is locked to. It’s as simple as that.

Should I use a ‘Free’ unlock code to unlock my Samsung Galaxy?  

Another way to get your Samsung Galaxy phone unlocked is to find a free unlock code online. However, this comes with a warning. Although there is a lot of online unlock code generating software out there, it doesn’t mean that they are genuine.

Usually, when something is offered for free, it comes at a cost of either not working properly or the higher risk which is potentially damaging your Samsung and deleting your data. For this reason, we advise against free unlock codes as it is hard to know which software will work and which ones will leave you with a damaged phone. This could end up with you paying over the odds to repair your phone or having to get a new one.

Things to consider when unlocking your Samsung Galaxy

Consider sim card sizes when changing network 

When you have unlocked your Samsung phone, remember that sim cards come in three sizes (Standard, Micro and Nano). When you take out a new sim deal or if you’re using a SIM card from a friend, it’s worth checking if the SIM card fits in your Samsung phone correctly.

Check your phone hasn’t been blacklisted 

Unfortunately, phones that have been blacklisted or barred due to unpaid phone bills, or if the phone has been reported lost or stolen cannot be unlocked.

This is particularly important if you’re buying a second-hand phone. You can check the blacklist status prior to purchasing a second-hand phone by retrieving the IMEI number and scanning it through a Blacklist Check.