Confusion is a plush villain. Isn’t it?
You can buy the most fantastic product on the market but you will still reconsider your decision as soon as the newer model is launched.
We understand when you say that you bought a total wireless phone for the endless benefits it offers but now also wish to try what Verizon is offering.
People switch to a total wireless phone because it gives them the liberty to choose their affordable phone plan without a binding monthly contract. This works for many users and they never really change the service.
Some individuals, on the other hand, are on the side of a dilemma where they are not sure if the grass is greener on the other side.
You cannot, however, just switch a SIM Card on your phone and hope it will work. In most cases, the device is locked to a particular carrier and needs to be unlocked before use.
If you have a total wireless phone and are switching to some other carrier for any reason, in this article we will help you understand how to unlock total wireless phone.
Follow along where we will understand the basic terminology first and then figure out the rest.
What does it mean by Phone ‘Unlocking’?
If you are not very tech-savvy, you might have trouble understanding what is signified by the term ‘unlock’.
Let us understand what it means so that it becomes easier for you to understand when in-depth concepts about the total wireless phone unlocking are discussed.
Usually, when you buy a phone, it is affiliated with a particular carrier. You can easily use the SIM Card from that carrier and without any extra procedures just activate the SIM and start making calls.
This means that your device is ‘Locked’ for a particular mobile carrier.
If you need to switch your carrier at any point, then you will need to perform certain extra procedures depending upon your mobile carrier to ‘Unlock’ the phone from the original carrier.
It is only after you follow the correct procedure that you will be able to use any other carrier on your device.
Now let us discuss in the next section how to unlock your phone when you are working with the Total Wireless carrier.
Requirements to get your Total Wireless Phone Unlocked
There are certain requirements or eligibility criteria that you need to fulfill to get your phone unlocked.
Unless these conditions are fulfilled, you will not be able to switch to another carrier.
These terms are:
- Your phone should not be on a blacklist or under suspicion of fraud. In these cases, the phone will be banned to switch carriers and there is nothing you can do about it.
- You must use the phone service for about 12 months before you can think about getting rid of the carrier and switching to a new one.
- If you are in the military, you will most likely get an easy pass to switch your cell phone carrier.
- All your phone bills must have been paid in full with no dues remaining.
If you fulfill the conditions stated above, you will likely face minimal trouble while unlocking your phone.
How to unlock a Total Wireless Phone?
Well in some extremely lucky situations, you might discover that the phone you are using is already unlocked and no further actions are required.
To check if this is the case, follow the steps below.
- Switch off your phone
- Remove the existing SIM Card
- Place the new SIM Card
- Switch on the phone
- Try to make a call with the new SIM
- If the phone call connects, this means that your phone is already unlocked.
If the call does not connect and you also happen to see a warning on the phone that says that your phone is locked, this means you will need to put extra effort into unlocking your phone before you can use any other carrier on it.
Different carriers have different rules for the unlock and here we will discuss the particular rules for a Total Wireless phone.
Method 1: Call the Total Wireless Department
The easiest way to get your total wireless phone unlocked is by asking the business assurance department at the company.
They do not give you much trouble if your phone fulfills the requirements stated in the section above.
The bills should be paid in full and there should be no dues. Also, the phone must have used total wireless for 12 months before you make the request.
They can be reached at the number- 1-888-442-5102 on all days of the week. From 8 A.M to 11.45 P.M EST
The department will ask for your IMEI number and then they will tell you to wait for a couple of days. They ask for a couple of days to verify your request about the phone.
They verify if the device has been using a Total Wireless connection for more than 365 days. If they find that the device has not yet used 365 days of paid total wireless, your request for the phone unlock will be rejected.
Method 2: In The case of the iPhone
If you are using an iPhone with a total wireless connection, then you can easily go to the iPhone’s general settings to make sure that the device is unlocked or not.
Here is how you can do that.
- Launch the iPhone Settings
- Go to the General Section
- Tap the About option
- Navigate further down to find the option Carrier Unlock
- If the section is fuelled with the phrase, “No SIM Restrictions”, then the phone is already unlocked and you do not need to follow extra procedures before you can switch to a new carrier.
In case the iPhone is not unlocked, you can again call the support number on Total Wireless and they will unlock it for you. The new policy also states that the iPhone is automatically unlocked after 60 days of using the total wireless service.
Method 3: Pay an urgency fee
If you have not completed 365 days that are mandatory to switch from a total wireless phone, then you can still unlock your phone.
This option, however, is not free and you will need to pay a fee that will aid you in urgently switching to a new carrier if you decide to do so.
However, according to the new policy, you still need to use the service for at least 60 days after which you will be provided the unlock code on request and a fee payment.
Method 4: Use software from the market
There is much software available on the internet that help you unlock your devices for a fee. They guarantee that they will unlock your phone and no matter what is the make of your device or carrier, they work.
Now, some of these software work, and the others are just tall claims made by a company looking for petty cash from you.
It is difficult to identify which one is legit and therefore, this option is a little risky and implausible.
Conduct thorough research before you use any such software and still do not expect them to give you a hundred percent legit service.
We suggest that you do not use this option and instead wait for the Total Wireless timeline to unlock the phone.
What not to do While unlocking a Total Wireless Phone?
There is something that can hinder your process of unlocking the total wireless phone. To make sure that your process is seamless, take care of this point mentioned below.
Make sure that you use the SIM Card that is provided by the phone that you bought. The timeline is started with the SIM that you get with the phone.
If you just take an already used total wireless SIM card and put it into your new phone to sidestep activation of the new SIM, the IMEI number will not register the 365 days that are needed to unlock the phone.
This is a reason many people are confused as to why their phone is not eligible for unlocking. Take care that you do not make this mistake.
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