How to SIM unlock the Samsung Galaxy A51

The Samsung Galaxy A51 was launched back in 2019 as a mid-range phone. For a mid-range phone, it is a pretty value for money purchase as it packs some pretty decent specs. But even though it is a mid-ranger, it could still be slightly out of reach for some, but that’s why carrier plans are great.

Carrier plans help to soften the purchase blow so instead of forking out hundreds of dollars upfront, you can instead opt to pay the amount back over a period of time. These contracts are useful and beneficial, but it does mean that you’re locked into them for the next couple of years.

To ensure that you don’t run away and just swap out the SIM for another carrier, part of the deal also includes locking the SIM of your phone. This means that in the event you need to swap out the SIM for another one, you might not be able to do so. Thankfully, carriers do offer SIM unlocking services and in order to qualify:

• First: the device needs to have been paid off in full. If you bought the phone on an installment plan and are still repaying it, you might not necessarily be eligible for this;
• Second: the device needs to have been owned by you for 60-90 days, meaning that your carrier won’t be unlocking the SIM the day you just bought it from them;
• Thirdly: you will need to be in good standing with your carrier. What does this mean? It means that any bills or outstanding amounts you owe them have to be paid off first. If you have old bills or late fees, you’ll have to get those sorted out.

The good news is that if you meet those requirements, there’s a good chance your carrier will unlock the phone’s SIM for you, and here’s what you need to do next:

1. On your Galaxy A51 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. Call your carrier’s customer service hotline and request for your SIM unlock code
4. You will then be asked to provide the service rep with your Galaxy A51’s IMEI number
5. If you meet 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.
6. Once you’ve received your code, you can then feel free to swap out the SIM with a SIM from another carrier
7. Enter the SIM unlock code that you received in your email when the prompt comes up and you’re good to go

Getting the unlock code from a paid third-party service

In the event your carrier refuses your request to unlock the SIM as you don’t meet the requirements, don’t worry. If you really need to get the phone’s SIM unlocked, you can turn to third-party services like Android SIM Unlock. By using this service, you will have to pay a small fee, but the good news is this works for devices that don’t meet the requirements we mentioned above.

So if you have a phone that’s still relatively new but you want the SIM to be unlocked, here’s how you can go about it:

1. On your Galaxy A51 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. Enter the device’s IMEI number
5. Complete the checkout process with your payment and contact information
6. Once that’s all settled and done, you should then receive the Galaxy A51’s unlock code either through SMS or email
7. The moment you’ve received your code, you can then swap out the SIM on your phone with a SIM from another carrier
8. 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 gone through all the steps we mentioned above, your phone’s SIM should be unlocked. If you need to do some SIM swapping, go right ahead and it should accept it just fine. If you plan to go on holiday and want to buy a local SIM, you shouldn’t run into any issues either.

Of course, we have to remind you that an unlocked phone does not end your contract with your carrier. Any obligations you have to your carrier still needs to be met, so you’ll still have to pay your bills on time as well as any device repayments there might be.