Just about every carrier locks you into a two-year contract and then you can’t even complete simple tasks like using your phone internationally. The only way to break the chains and get rid of these restrictions from your carrier is to unlock the phone for good. This removes the barriers placed by your carrier and lets you do cool things like chat with people when you travel internationally or opt for a cheaper carrier plan later on. The options are limitless when your unlock your phone, so why isn’t everyone taking advantage of this? Well to start, you may void your contract and therefore ruin any warranties you have. This is not appealing to some people. Let’s learn how to unlock HTC One, a quite popular Android phone, to understand the steps needed in order to expand the possibilities with your phone.
Method 1: Speaking With Your Service Provider
Although you really don’t want to pay anything or work with your service provider when unlocking you phone, it is an option, and asking your service provider for an unlock code is probably the quickest way to unlock your HTC One.
Step 1
Click on the Settings button on your HTC one.
Step 2
Locate the About Phone tab and click on that to reveal specialized manufacturer information about your particular phone. After that go to the Phone Identity option to see some more information about your HTC One.
Step 3
Search for an option that says IMEI. Make sure you write down this entire number for future reference. You also have the option to navigate to where you type in a phone number and type in the following command: “*#06#” (without the quotation marks). This gives you your IMEI number and might be a little quicker than going through all of the previous steps. You are going to call your service provider and tell them you want to unlock your HTC One. They will probably ask you a series of questions that lead up to you giving them your IMEI number.
Step 4
Depending on your service provider you will most likely have to fill out a SIM unlock code form in order for the company to completely release you from your contract. Once you provide your IMEI number and fill out the form your service provider will send you a SIM unlock code through the mail. Keep in mind that procedures do change, so some of the companies might change this and send it to you through email or even tell you the unlock code over the phone. As of this article, all service provider take about three days to send you an unlock code.
Step 5
Once the SIM unlock code comes in the mail you can take out your HTC One phone. Make sure you backup up all of your information and save the apps you might want to use in the future. Although an unlock should not clear your phone there is a chance that something becomes corrupted.
Step 6
Turn off your phone and open it up to remove your SIM card. This SIM card is located on the side of your phone, in the upper left hand corner if you are looking at the screen.
Step 7
Replace the original SIM card with another SIM card from the carrier of your choice. Turn the phone back on and wait for it to completely reboot.
Step 8
Once the HTC One boots up completely it should bring up a pop up that asks for the SIM unlock code. Type in this code that was provided by your previous service provider. Congratulations! You can now use your HTC One without the restrictions of your original service provider. Notes: Keep in mind that this method should typically get you an unlock code for free from your provider. If you don’t meet some of their criteria the providers may ask for a fee. The service providers have different rules on whether or not you can get a SIM unlock code for free. some of them want your contract to be in good standing, some just want the phone to be paid off and others want the phone to be active for a certain period of time. Since these standards change on occasion it’s best to call your provider to find out how you can get a free unlock code.
Conclusion
Now it’s your turn to share with the Android community about when you plan on unlocking your phone. Do you have a HTC One that you plan on unlocking, or is there another type of phone like the Galaxy S4 that needs to be unlocked? The possibilities are quite endless if you unlock your phone, so take it into consideration–even if you don’t consider yourself a technical person. Speak to someone who knows what they are doing and ask them to unlock your phone. It only takes a few minutes and then you have the power to complete various new tasks. We hope you can take this article and learn how to unlock HTC One Android phones, because unlocked phones are much more fun than the regular phones you get right out of the box. Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have about unlocking a HTC One in the comments section below. We understand that this process takes a little bit of technical knowledge so share your concerns and let us know if any of the steps don’t seem to work on your particular phone.
