How to Unlock a GSM Phone

Lisa Gade shows and explains how to unlock your GSM cell phone. Read our companion article with further info and useful links here: . We use a Samsung Galaxy S5 for the demo and test a code provided by cellunlocker.net, but the explanation applies to most all GSM mobile phones and smartphones. Why unlock your phone? So you can use it with a different carrier's SIM card! Why would you want to do that? It's handy when traveling overseas where you can insert a local pre-paid SIM card or if you're switching carriers or buying a used smartphone. Note that CDMA phones like those used on Verizon and Sprint work differently, and unlocking doesn't apply to them. Here in the US, AT&T and T-Mobile are the two largest GSM carriers and many small networks use GSM too. Your carrier may supply an unlocked code free if you're a customer with an active account, and if not, you can buy unlock codes typically from $15- $35 from sites that sell codes.