There are countless threads about how to unlock Straight Talk phones, and more specifically how to unlock Straight Talk iPhones, on Apple Community, Reddit, Quora, and other forums. After some analysis, I found that there are three main categories of people that want to unlock their Straight Talk iPhone:
- Those who bought an iPhone directly from Straight Talk (in most cases an iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, or iPhone SE)
- Those who bought a used iPhone online
- And to my great surprise, those who bought a Walmart Straight Talk iPhone that was supposed to be unlocked
In this post, we will answer the following questions about Straight Talk iPhone Unlocking:
- Is it difficult to Unlock a Straight Talk iPhone?
- Are Straight Talk iPhones factory unlocked?
- How can I unlock my Straight Talk iPhone?
- Are there any unlock Straight Talk iPhone hacks?
- Is there an available IMEI Straight Talk unlocking method?
- Can I unlock my iPhone through Straight Talk directly?
- Is there an app/software that can unlock Straight Talk iPhones?
- Are there any hardware unlocking hacks for Straight Talk iPhones?
- Can I use a Straight Talk Unlock Code on an iPhone?
- Can I Unlock my iPhone 12 Pro Max locked on Straight Talk?
There are ways to network unlock a Straight Talk iPhone, but not through hacks and unlock codes. We cover all of them in detail in this post. The fastest and easiest way is to request an unlock from the carrier directly. But if they reject your request, and you want an expert to analyze your Straight Talk iPhone and locate the best unlocking service, then an iPhone IMEI Unlock Check service is your next best option:
The unlock, if successful, will allow you to use your iPhone with any network, no matter where you are in the world.
Is It Difficult to Unlock a Straight Talk iPhone?
A lot of people struggle to unlock their Straight Talk iPhones because there isn’t one ideal solution and existing methods have strict restrictions that require very thorough research. The good news is that you don’t have to be an expert or have over 10 years of experience in iPhone Unlocking (like us). You just need to know what to pay attention to.
If you have a full iPhone IMEI Check report of your iPhone and know how to read it, it is very easy to identify what the problem is and pick the right unlocking method.
If you want to save time, let an iPhone expert do it for you with our iPhone IMEI Unlock Check service.
Are Straight Talk Phones Already Unlocked?
Straight Talk’s policy is to provide new iPhones to their customers for free. Usually, they offer older models such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, or iPhone SE.
However, these iPhones are sold as locked iPhones, so you will not be able to use them with other carriers. As a policy, they will remain locked for at least a year from their activation date. At that point, you can request an unlock (but they have many restrictions in their unlock policy).
The main reason people believe that Straight Talk iPhones are sold unlocked is due to false advertising for used Straight Talk iPhones by mostly unofficial sellers and Walmart (according to the complaints we’ve read).
Straight Talk iPhones are never sold unlocked. We have never encountered a case where an out-of-the-box Straight Talk iPhone was unlocked.
5 Methods for Unlocking a Straight Talk iPhone
In general, there are five ways to network unlock an iPhone:
- IMEI service (Recommended)
- Unlock request through the carrier
- Hardware hack like RSIM
- Software/app
- Unlock code
1. Unlock Straight Talk iPhone with an IMEI Unlock service (Recommended)
An IMEI Unlock service is the only tested and guaranteed way to unlock a Straight Talk iPhone.
How IMEI Unlock Services Work
It’s easy to search for an IMEI Unlock Service in Google and choose one of the suggested suppliers.
They will ask for the IMEI number of your iPhone and an upfront payment. The provider will then submit your IMEI to a server that has access to mobile networks and Apple databases. The server will then change the SIM Lock status from locked to unlocked. You will only have to wait a few days for your order to be processed.
However, many things can go wrong if you aren’t familiar with how IMEI services work and what it takes to guarantee success.
What You Need to Know About IMEI Unlock Services:
- Which network is locking your iPhone
Since there isn’t a one-size-fits-all service that support all networks, you’ll need to know which network your phone is locked with to determine the service you need. - If your iPhone is compatible with available services
You need to know before ordering an IMEI service if your iPhone is compatible with the IMEI Unlock services that are currently available. - Your iPhone model
Although the model generally only affects the IMEI Unlock price (it’s more expensive for the latest iPhone models), some models have limitations. - If your iPhone is blacklisted
It is still possible to unlock a blacklisted Straight Talk iPhone, but it requires a different service, usually called Premium IMEI service. Ordering a simple Unlock for a blacklisted iPhone will not work and you won’t be refunded. - Your iPhone’s financial & contract status
If there’s an outstanding financial balance (unpaid contract bills, pending device installment plan) or if the iPhone is still under an active contract, you will need a special service, usually called Semi-Premium IMEI Unlock. The simple Straight Talk Unlock service will not work in this case. - The Apple warranty status
An active Apple warranty or AppleCare+ can relock your device after a successful IMEI Unlock. - If your iPhone’s IMEI has been replaced
Unlock services only work with the original IMEI. In many cases, networks or Apple might change the IMEI (hardware replacement, insurance claim). Unlocking an iPhone with a replacement IMEI will not work. - When your iPhone was activated
The service you need may depend on when the iPhone was activated with the network.
If you are not 100% sure about the status of your iPhone, you will not know which service to use or if your device meets the conditions of the Straight Talk Unlock service.
Straight Talk Unlock IMEI services are not always available. When they are online, they only work for a limited time and for a limited number of IMEIs. Getting an IMEI unlock check will help prevent you from selecting the wrong service and losing precious time and money.
Success Rate of IMEI Unlock Services
Although all suppliers will claim that their IMEI unlock methods never fail, that isn’t the whole truth.
The service they’ve tapped into always starts with a 100% success rate. Unfortunately, this percentage gradually drops until the service is shut down.
Sooner or later, it will reappear and follow the same pattern which is why you need to check if the service is active before making a purchase.
Cost of an IMEI Unlock Service
An IMEI unlock generally costs between $50 and $200. The final price will depend on the status of your device and the availability of the unlock service.
Each company charges differently and it is quite likely that for the same service you will find huge fluctuations in prices between providers.
The big problem right now is that companies are offering Straight Talk IMEI Unlock services for between $20 and $30, but they are just pre-orders because the service isn’t available.
- If the service is available, the company will ask you for an extra payment to unlock the phone.
- If it’s not available immediately, they will notify you that another payment will be necessary once the service is activated.
How to Guarantee Results of an IMEI Unlock Service
There are IMEI Unlock suppliers that offer superb services. However, they will not refund you if you purchase the wrong service or a service your iPhone doesn’t meet ALL the conditions for.
The same goes for pre-orders.
Although they are often written somewhere in very fine print, it is very difficult to locate and understand the Terms & Conditions. Also, the final price of the actual unlock service will not be visible to you throughout the ordering process and pre-orders are non-refundable.
Although they only ask for your IMEI, these services do not know the status of your device and which Straight Talk Unlock service you will need.
Fortunately, it is possible to find out the exact status of your iPhone and which service will unlock your Straight Talk iPhone permanently in just a few seconds.
With our iPhone Unlock Check service, not only will you get a full report on your iPhone within a few seconds, but an iPhone expert will suggest all the available Straight Talk IMEI Unlock solutions that will work for your specific device.
2. Request to Unlock Straight Talk iPhone Through The Carrier
Straight Talk, like many other carriers, allows you to request to unlock your iPhone on their website.
Who can request a carrier unlock: Everyone. Even if you aren’t a Straight Talk customer.
Requirements for carrier unlock: Your iPhone must meet all the conditions of the Straight Talk Unlock Policy.
Price of carrier unlock: $0 – $10. There is usually a fee if you aren’t or have never been a Straight Talk customer.
Success rate of carrier unlock requests: 1% – In our 10 years of experience, we have helped more than 2,000 clients make an unlock request to Straight Talk and only 22 iPhones were successfully unlocked. Straight Talk’s unlock policies are extremely strict and will reject most requests.
Straight Talk’s Strict iPhone Unlock Policy
It is a straightforward process to try unlocking your iPhone through Straight Talk’s website. The main issue is their SIM Unlock policy:
- The iPhone must have been locked by Straight Talk
- They will unlock phones of current and former Straight Talk customers for free and charge you if you are not a customer
- The iPhone cannot be blacklisted
- There must be no outstanding financial balances
- The iPhone must have been active in their service for at least one year
- Military personnel must provide additional paperwork
How to Request a Carrier Unlock from Straight Talk
Go to their website to request an unlock and follow these simple steps:
- Scroll down to the Serial Number field and fill in your iPhone’s IMEI number
- Check the “I’m not a robot” captcha box
- Click “Verify Eligibility”
They will then inform you if your device is eligible to be unlocked.
- If your iPhone is eligible, they will ask for your email and phone number to finalize the unlock process.
- If your iPhone isn’t eligible, they will not disclose the reason and redirect you to a page about their unlocking policies that looks like this
Despite having submitted your unlock request on the Straight Talk website, this is actually TracFone’s policy because Straight Talk is now owned by TracFone Wireless.
TracFone also bought NeT10 Wireless, Total Wireless, Telcel, SIMPLE Mobile, and SafeLink Wireless Connection so all of these networks now share TracFone’s SIM unlocking policies.
3. Use a Hardware Method to Unlock Straight Talk iPhone
There are countless hardware unlock products out there known as “card stickers”. We decided to test them out ourselves by trying to unlock a Straight Talk iPhone 6. Here are the results:
Who can use a hardware unlock method: The package says everyone, but…
Requirements for hardware unlock method: Each one of them works on a specific iPhone model, iOS version and mobile network.
Price of a hardware unlock hack: $10 – $40
Success Rate of a hardware unlock hack: 0%
There are seven of these hardware unlock hacks for iPhone: RSIM, GPP SIM, Turbo SIM, Heicard, XSIM, Gevey, and UnlockMySIM. All of them have received a lot of negative criticism for many different reasons:
- Did not work in all iOS and iPhone models
- Was not a permanent iPhone Unlock solution
- iOS can’t be updated after unlock
- Hardware Unlock SIM Card was defective
- Voids Apple warranty
- Damages or even destroys iPhone
- Increased sudden call drops
- Leads to weak service signal
In our tests, we found that the bad reviews are true. Of the seven hacks, two of them were defective and none of them managed to unlock the iPhone.
How to Use a Hardware Method to Unlock a Straight Talk iPhone
These unlock Straight Talk phone hacks almost look like any normal SIM card which is why many people refer to them as “SIM Interposers”.
Squeeze the SIM Interposer with the SIM card you want to use inside the iPhone’s SIM slot. Then, go to the iPhone’s settings and change them according to the instructions included with the box you purchased.
4. Use Software/app to Unlock Straight Talk iPhone
This method is no longer available. Any kind of current unlock software is a scam, not just for Straight Talk but for any network.
Downloading any online Unlock Straight Talk iPhone software is dangerous. The ones that cost a few dollars aren’t going to work. The ones that are free are usually trying to steal your personal data and credit or debit card information.
This method used to unlock iPhone models up to the iPhone 4s with iOS 6.1.6. No device today has software versions that old so all software unlock methods (Ultrasn0w & Cydia) no longer work.
Be extremely wary of sites that still suggest this method and stay away from any kind of iPhone unlock software.
5. Use Unlock Code to Unlock Straight Talk iPhone
Many, if not all networks, including Straight Talk, use this method to provide SIM Unlock (for free or a small fee) as long as the phone meets all the requirements of the unlock policy.
There are also third-party services that have somehow gained access to these codes or found a way to generate them for themselves by imitating the algorithm used by each network.
However, the unlock code method is ONLY for ANDROID phones.
The problem is that you will find many companies offering them for iPhones for between $10 and $60.
Although there is no way they will work on iPhones, no company is going to give you your money back.
Stay away from any kind of iPhone Unlock code solutions.
Which Method Should I use to Unlock my Straight Talk iPhone?
Of the 5 different Straight Talk Unlock options above, only two may actually work. So here’s what we recommend:
- First, go to the Straight Talk website and request a SIM unlock. They will probably refuse but you have nothing to lose.
- Then try an IMEI Unlock service, but first, check if your Straight Talk iPhone is eligible for an IMEI Unlock.
Before choosing an IMEI Straight Talk iPhone Unlock online supplier, make sure the device is eligible by verifying:
- The exact IMEI status of a device
- If the iPhone is supported by the IMEI Network Unlock service you need
- If the service is currently available
- That you are getting the right service at the right price and not a pre-order
- That you can get your money back if anything goes wrong
You can easily achieve all of the above with an iPhone IMEI Unlock Check. After all, this is what all IMEI Unlock suppliers actually do before submitting your IMEI number to a server.
Our recommendation for Straight Talk Eligibility IMEI Unlock Check: iPhoneUnlock.Zone
After providing you with an instant and accurate IMEI Check report, iPhone Unlock experts will study your case in detail and offer all the available and guaranteed unlock solutions.
They are available 24/7 to answer any questions about the report and the services offered.
You will also have access to the lowest available prices. The team checks every day for the best and cheapest services from more than 2,500 suppliers worldwide.
With iPhoneUnlock.Zone, you know that their recommended service will unlock your phone or else you’ll get your money back.
Exactly the same goes for any iPhone, regardless of which network has locked it and whatever additional issues it may have.
NO STRESS, NO RISK OF LOSING YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY, FULL SUPPORT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
Let the Pros Tell You how to Unlock Your Straight Talk iPhone
1 comment
[…] Normally, the whole unlock request process takes around 3-5 business days. AT&T is an exception (the whole process is automated) and it only takes a few minutes/hours. If for any reason they take longer than a week, you can restart the unlock request process. You can read more about unlocking a Straight Talk iPhone here. […]