Most iPhone users don’t anything about Blacklist status until they have to deal with it. When you want to unlock barred or CLEAN iPhone the unblocking process changes completely. In this article, I will tell you everything about blacklisted iPhones, how to avoid buying them and of course all the possible ways of using or even unbarring a blacklisted iDevice.
Read our latest post: How to unlock iPhone with Unpaid Balance
Why an iPhone gets Blacklisted?
There are 5 reasons that will certainly blacklist an iPhone:
- When the iPhone is reported as LOST by the original owner to his mobile network
- When the iPhone is reported as STOLEN by the original owner to her Carrier
- When there are unpaid contract bills to a Wireless Network or past due balances
- When the iPhone is involved in fraudulent activities
- When an iPhone is flagged as replaced. This has to do with an illegal iPhone Unlocking service which is performed by replacing a locked iPhone’s motherboard or when the original owner uses Warranty or Insurance Plan to replace a problematic iDevice
When none of the above applies then, we consider the iPhone as CLEAN. Unlocking a barred/CLEAN iPhone is a completely different process.
What happens to a barred iPhone?
A blacklisted iPhone will not work on any Carrier inside the country of the Wireless Network that barred it. Every nation has its own ”Blacklist” and some countries even share them. For example, USA, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico have a common blacklist so when an iPhone is barred inside one of them then the ban applies to all of them.
How can you end up with a blacklisted iPhone
Since you are reading this article, you belong in one of the following categories
- You are the original owner and you didn’t pay more than 2 monthly installments
- You bought a refurbished iPhone without IMEI Checking it first
The IMEI Check Service on barred/CLEAN iPhones
Before I show you how to unblacklist and unlock an iPhone successfully there is only one tool which guarantees that: The IMEI Check Service.
IMEI Checker requires an iPhone’s IMEI number in order to uncover:
- SIM Lock Status
- Locking Mobile Network Identification
- Blacklist/CLEAN status
- Find My iPhone Status
- Contract Status
- Financial Balance Status
- Apple Warranty or AppleCare Status
- Insurance Claims Status
- Replaced IMEI/Serial number Status
- iPhone’s specifications
This info is extracted from Apple’s GSX Databases and only official third-party partners have access to it. One trusted IMEI Check Provider I recommend (after testing it personally, based on our visitor reports and looking at testimonials on siteJabber) is UnlockSpector.
The coolest thing about them is that they can also get in talks with the Carrier that is locking your iPhone and if nothing can be done by it, they will suggest you other legal and trusted iPhone Unlocking options.
Of course, you can find many FREE IMEI Check tools online but none of them have access to GSX Database and as a consequence, their results are totally false. This is why they are free after all.
Why IMEI Check before you unlock a barred/CLEAN iPhone
First of all, if you have used this service before you buy a refurbished iPhone, you wouldn’t look for unbarring and unlocking services. But even now you won’t be able to unlock your iPhone without it
- Do you know which Wireless Network locked and blacklisted your iPhone
- Why was it barred? The reason it was blacklisted will determine the unlocking procedure you will have to follow
- Even if you successfully unlock it, your iPhone can get blacklisted again if it remains under contract or warranty with the previous owner. All the more, a CLEAN iDevice can become blacklisted at any time for the same reasons
Can I unlock a barred/CLEAN iPhone?
If the iPhone is proved to be CLEAN and eligible for SIM Unlocking after the IMEI Check then all you have to do is to contact the Carrier and use their SIM Lock Deactivation services.
When the iPhone is blacklisted then things are tougher but not impossible.
Unlock barred/CLEAN iPhone due to defaulted contract payments
If the previous owner left unpaid bills, contact the Wireless Network, learn the exact amount and negotiate to make the pending payments. When you come to an agreement, your iPhone will be immediately unbarred.
Unlock barred/CLEAN iPhone when reported as STOLEN/LOST/REPLACED
In the past, there were unbarring services for almost every network. This was possible because the iPhone was barred only in the country of origin of the Mobile Network that blacklisted the iPhone. You could unbar the iPhone with a twist:
- The iPhone remained blacklisted in the original country but it was becoming CLEAN in all others. So you could use this iPhone as a travel phone or just sell it to another country as unlocked at its maximum refurbished price
If you ask me, I was never fond of them because owing money to a Wireless Network is ok by me but in all other cases someone stole (or just found) an iPhone and sold it to you. Of course, it’s not your fault but what would you think if the same thing has happened to you?
Anyway, nowadays things are different because as I already told you, most countries share their blacklists (even overseas). However many visitors claim that they found functional Unbarring Services in iPhoneUnlock.Zone.
Leave a comment below with your questions. Did you manage to unlock your barred/CLEAN iPhone and how? Your comments make us better. Until next time, take care iPhone Unlockers!