How to SIM unlock the iPhone 8

Apple’s iPhone 8 was released back in 2017, a good 4 years ago. It also kind of represented the “last” time that we would see Apple use its Touch ID fingerprint sensor in its flagship phones. This is because when the iPhone 8 launched, it was launched alongside the iPhone X which introduced Face ID and brought the edge-to-edge display design that we see in flagship iPhones today.

It is still very much a good handset and comes with all the specs and features you’d expect of a flagship at that time. If you are still holding onto it and want to unlock the SIM card so that you can use it with a different carrier or when you travel overseas, then you’re in luck because unlocking the SIM is a pretty easy process.

Below, we’ll show you a couple of ways to unlock the SIM on your iPhone 8 where you can either get it done through your carrier, or use a third-party service like Android SIM Unlock.

Unlocking your iPhone 8’s SIM for free

Android SIM Unlock doesn’t charge a lot to unlock your iPhone 8’s SIM card, but in case you want to see if you can get it done for free, you can always go through your carrier first. Before you get too excited, do note that you’ll have to meet certain requirements first in order for your carrier to grant your request. This includes:

• The iPhone 8 needs to have been paid off in full. If you bought it fully unlocked then this shouldn’t be an issue, but if you bought it on an installment plan, then you need to ensure those monthly repayments have been paid in its entirety.
• You will also need to make sure that you have owned the device for at least 60-90 days, so if you just bought the phone, you might be out of luck. Since the iPhone 8 is almost two years old, we imagine that this shouldn’t be an issue for most of you.
• All your bills and any outstanding charges owed to your carrier should also be settled, meaning that you don’t owe them anything and thus puts you in “good standing” with them

The good news is that if you meet those requirements, you should be able to get the SIM unlocked for free. This is what you need to do:

1. On your iPhone 8 device, launch the Phone app and dial *#06# to pull your device’s IMEI number and write it down somewhere you can easily access later on
2. Call your carrier’s customer care hotline and ask request for a SIM unlock
3. You will then be asked to provide the service rep with your iPhone 8’s IMEI number which you should have already written down
4. Assuming you have met all the requirements that we mentioned above, the SIM unlock code will be sent to the email address you provided in the next 2-5 days.
5. Once you’ve received the code, take out the current SIM on your iPhone and put in the new one
6. You will be prompted to enter the SIM unlock code
7. Enter the SIM unlock code that you received in your email and you should be set

Getting the unlock code from Android SIM Unlock

In case you don’t meet the requirements that would qualify you for a free SIM unlock from your carrier, there are third-party solutions such as using Android SIM Unlock’s SIM unlock services. It will cost you a small fee but not much and the convenience you get from it might be worth the cost.

1. On your iPhone 8 handset, launch the Phone app and dial *#06# to display your phone’s IMEI number
2. Write the IMEI number down somewhere where you can refer to it easily
3. Go to Android SIM Unlock’s website
4. Select the country you are in and the carrier you bought the phone from and also the currency you wish to pay in
5. Enter the device’s IMEI number
6. Complete the checkout process with your payment and contact information
7. Once that’s all settled and done, you should then receive the iPhone 8’s unlock code in a matter of hours up to a few days (depending on the package you’ve chosen)
8. The moment you’ve received your code, you can then swap out the SIM on your phone with a SIM from another carrier
9. When you put in the new SIM, you should be prompted to enter the SIM unlock code that you received in your email, and once you’ve done that, you should be good to go

Once you’ve entered the SIM unlock code, your iPhone 8 should now be unlocked and you’re good to go. An unlocked SIM means that you can easily take your phone to a different carrier and use it with their services. You can also pass it to someone else or sell off your phone, or if you plan to travel, you can use it with the country’s local telco which might be cheaper than paying roaming charges.

We should remind you that this does not release you from your contract with your carrier, but at the very least it does give you some degree of freedom.