Verify that the phone is locked via IMEI
Before going into the heart of this tutorial and discovering, together, how to unlock an operator locked phone, you must verify that the phone in your possession is actually locked with a code IMEI. You can perform this operation by relying on some specialized sites, but first you must obtain the IMEI code of your smartphone, or the 15-digit code that uniquely identifies the device on the mobile network. You can do this in one of the following ways.
- Open the dialer of your phone and dial the number * # # 06.
- Su Android, go to Settings> About phone> Status> IMEI data.
- Su iOS, go to Settings> General> About and scroll the screen until you find the code IMEI which is at the bottom.
- Look for the IMEI code in the purchase packaging of the telephone: usually it is written on a label applied to the box or on the illustrative booklets contained inside it.
For more information on how to check IMEI, take a look at the in-depth study that I just linked to.
After obtaining the IMEI code of the phone, connected to one of the sites that allow you to check the blocked IMEI, for example International Numbering Plans, enter the IMEI code of your smartphone in the field Enter IMEI number below e poi pigia sul pulsating analysis.
If your device has been blocked by the operator via IMEI, you will see the symbol > | in the red part of the colored bar located in correspondence with the wording IMEI Validity Assessment, located within the section Information on IMEI xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
An even more reliable and accurate site than International Numbering Plans is CheckMEND, which allows you to check if a phone has been blocked via IMEI code thanks to an in-depth analysis procedure, which costs £1,99 (VAT included).
I remind you that, if your phone is actually blocked by the operator via the IMEI code, it will be fully functional but cannot be used to make and receive calls, since it is not possible to use the telephone line following the blocking. Any cards inserted in the SIM compartment of the phone blocked by IMEI are therefore unusable.
What to do if the phone is locked via IMEI
After having ascertained that the mobile phone in your possession has unfortunately been blocked with an IMEI code, you are probably wondering why all this happened. There are basically two plausible cases: the phone turns out to be stolen, or the previous owner has not paid all the purchase installments of the smartphone (if it is a subscription device): let's see together what to do if the phone is locked via IMEI.
In the first case, that is, if the phone appears to be stolen, the blocking took place following a complaint from the original owner of the cell phone (if you remember, I told you about this practice in my tutorial on what to do when a cell phone is stolen). If this is the situation you unfortunately find yourself in right now and the device in your possession turns out to be actually stolen, sporgi complaint of the incident by going to the nearest station of the police or of police, bringing your mobile phone and all the purchase documentation in your possession. If you don't, you could get yourself in serious trouble and risk being charged with receiving stolen goods and other offenses that can be prosecuted.
Naturally, the phone in your possession will then be returned to the rightful owner who in turn filed a theft / loss report and, if all goes well, you could get compensation for the damage suffered, since whoever resold you the phone practically scammed you.
In any case, the next time you decide to buy used items on the Internet, try to pay more attention to the seller's profile, perhaps referring to the feedback and reviews of other users, and buy on secure platforms that offer guarantees should problems arise. similar to the ones you faced. If you want to learn more about the subject, feel free to consult the guide in which I explain how to shop online in total safety.
If the previous owner of the phone in your possession has not paid all the installments of the device purchased by subscriptionon the other hand, the blocking of the terminal by means of an IMEI code was carried out following this non-compliance on the initiative of the operator himself. In this case, to try to remedy the situation, you will have to contact customer service of the telephone operator who perpetrated the blockade, explain the situation, provide the purchase documentation in your possession and follow the instructions that will be provided to you to remedy the situation. Below I will briefly remind you how you can contact the main cittàn operators by telephone.
- TIM - call the number 119 and, after listening to the guiding voice, presses on the number 4 to receive assistance, then on the number 2 to ask for help regarding administrative and commercial assistance services and then press the number 6 to speak to an operator. For more information on how to contact TIM, take a look at the tutorial I linked to you.
- Vodafone - call the 190, then presses the button 1 to request assistance on mobile telephony and then press the button 4 to ask for assistance from a consultant. For more information on how to contact Vodafone, please read the guide I have dedicated to the subject.
- wind - call the number 155 and presses the button 2 for assistance. For more information on how to contact Wind, read the tutorial I just linked to you.
- Three - call the number 133 and use the sequence 2-2-9 to speak to a consultant. For more details on how to contact Tre, read the in-depth analysis I have dedicated to the subject.
I remind you that the number combinations to be used to speak to a consultant are subject to frequent variations by the respective operators, so always follow the instructions of the voice guide in order to avoid problems. After contacting the operator who blocked the device by phone, explain your situation and provide all the data that will be requested. Most likely, the operator will provide you with a fax number to forward the documentation to (including your valid identity documents) and will unlock it in a few working days.
If the operator who has carried out the blocking does not unlock your device, even though you have provided all the documentation of the case that proves the regular purchase of the device, assert your rights by contacting an association for the defense of consumer rights , like theADUC (Association for the Rights of Users and Consumers) which in the past has already dealt with cases similar to yours (such as the one you find at this link).
Other solutions to unlock operator locked phone
When they encounter problems related to the phone being blocked by the operator, some users try to solve it by going "the wrong way". In some cases, for example, they are aimed at users experienced in the modification of the IMEI, which can be perpetrated by means of special equipment that allow you to "override" the restrictions imposed by the operator who has blocked the terminal. As you can imagine, carrying out this kind of procedure is illegal.
In other cases, users turn to sites that offer unlock codes, often for a fee, through which it is possible to unlock terminals locked by the operator. I advise you not to turn to similar solutions because they do not work properly: it is much better to contact the operator who perpetrated the block directly and thus avoid running into further problems.
How to unlock operator locked phone
