How can i unlock my phone from sprint

Q: Does it cost money to unlock a Sprint phone?

Thus, its a smooth process for the most part, and there is no dedicated cost to unlock a phone. Note that due to some phones having network bands unique to the carrier, they might not function fully well on your carrier of choice after unlocking due to missing hardware.

T-Mobile and Sprint are now one. New incoming Sprint customers will be referred to T-Mobile plans and products, and Sprint stores are adorned with “Now Part of T-Mobile” signs. Current Sprint customers can keep their pricing and plans.

Table of Contents Show

Can a Sprint locked phone be unlocked?
Can I unlock my T mobile phone myself?
Does it cost money to unlock a Sprint phone?
What does ## 72786 do?

Sprint's website now redirects to T-Mobile
Most Sprint stores have now been rebranded as T-Mobile locations
Sprint plans have been phased out, though current Sprint customers can stay on their current plans

For more detailed information on the brand unification, check out our T-Mobile - Sprint merger article.

In this article:

Device Info for Unlocking
Eligible Sprint Phones
Unlocking for International Travel

Article Summary

Follow these steps to unlock your Sprint cell phone or tablet:

Make sure you cell phone is eligible for unlocking (i.e., must be fully paid off, must have been active on the Sprint network for at least 50 days, etc.)
Contact Sprint and provide your Sprint account number and password, the last 4 digits of your SSN, your device's IMEI or MEID number, cell phone number

NOTE: Sprint allows you to unlock your cell phone for international travel before you've paid off your device in full.

Sprint Unlocking Checklist

Device must be SIM unlock capable
Device must be or have been active on the Sprint network for a minimum of 50 days
Device must be fully paid off, whether through an equipment installment program or through a final lump sum payment at the end of a Flex lease
Account must be in good standing

Device Info for Unlocking

To ask for an unlock, you'll need to contact either Sprint Customer Care for domestic unlocking, or Sprint Worldwide Care for international and military unlocks.

You'll need:

The account number attached to the device
The account password, or last four digits of your social security number
The IMEI or MEID number of the device. This number will be located somewhere on the device itself, or you cal dial *#06# to get it. The number will be 14 or 15 digits long and appeat onscreen after you dial and press call or send.
The device phone number
If requesting an unlock for military deployment, your deployment papers

Sprint phones eligible for unlocking

Almost all of Sprint's popular newer devices are eligible for domestic and international unlocking, meaning that, once eligible, you can insert another carrier's SIM card to activate it on their network, both here and abroad (more on that in the next section).

The following are some Sprint devices eligible for domestic and international unlocking:

iPhone 5s
iPhone 5c
iPhone 6
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone X
Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8+
Samsung Galaxy S9 / S9+
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
LG G5
LG G6
LG V30

One notable exception from this list is the iPhone 5, which cannot be unlocked for domestic use on another carrier.

Unlocking for international travel

Sprint allows you to unlock your phone for international travel, so you can pop out Sprint's SIM and pop in one from an overseas carrier. To be eligible, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

Current Sprint customer
Device has been active for at least 90 days, with no overdue payments
You cannot have unlocked more than one other device within the last 12 months

Customers will need to contact Sprint to apply for an international unlock, but take note: unlocking for international use won’t necessarily mean that the device is unlocked for domestic use. You’ll still have to request another unlock if you wish to change your US carrier.

If you need an unlock for overseas military service, you will need to provide proof of your deployment, and you must not have unlocked another Sprint device within the past 12 months.

One last note. . .

Many former Sprint users have found out the hard way that it's not always easy activating a Sprint device on a different network. Sprint is a CDMA carrier, like Verizon; however, despite using the same kind of technology, not all of Sprint's phones are compatible with Verizon service--you'll need to check the IMEI with Verizon first.

Technically, it's possible to use a Sprint phone on T-Mobile or AT&T's GSM networks, if your device is LTE-capable or an iPhone.

The problem is that although 'global' phones can be activated on GSM service, you may find that you're not able to use all your device's features (for example, without CDMA your phone may not be able to make and receive calls and texts, even if accessing LTE is possible). Generally, success depends on what sort of phone you have.

However, you can still use your handset on a Sprint MVNO, such as Ting, Boost Mobile, or Republic Wireless.

Looking to take your Sprint phone to a new carrier? Compare plans from an assortment of carriers by pressing the blue button below!

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About Sprint...

Sprint is considered one of the "big four" carriers in the United States. Sprint's many retail locations are scattered throughout the country, and the company is headquartered in Overland Park, KS.

Network Sprint operates a nationwide 3G/4G CDMA network on the 1900 MHz PCS band. Sprint's LTE band frequency will support bands 25 and 41.

Coverage: Sprint consistently ranks #4 in national network coverage tests.

Where to Buy: Sprint sells their plans and phones online and at their over 4,500 stores.

Bring Your Own Phone to Sprint: To bring your phone to Sprint, it must be unlocked and have previously run on CDMA technology. Find out more about bringing your own phone here.

Tethering: Customers who purchase Sprint's Unlimited Freedom Plan will get 10 GB/month for tethering purposes. Customers without the Unlimited Freedom Plan can purchase network data for $15/1GB.

Prepaid: Sprint's prepaid arm is called Sprint Forward.

Taxes & Fees: Sprint will charge state taxes and fees on top of your monthly cell phone plan cost.

Fact: Sprint's origins stretch all the way back to 1899 (!) with the founding of Brown Telephone Company in rural Kansas. Learn more about Sprint via our carrier review.

Can a Sprint locked phone be unlocked?

If you have a postpaid Sprint plan (where you pay your bill at the end of the month), then Sprint automatically unlocks your phone once it's eligible. If you're not sure if it's unlocked, you can call Sprint's Customer Care team. You'll need to give them a few pieces of information so they can finish the process.

Can I unlock my T mobile phone myself?

Unlock a Phone on T-Mobile To unlock a T-Mobile device, go to T-Mobile's unlock page and follow the steps listed for your phone's manufacturer. If 40 days have passed since you bought your phone through the carrier and your postpaid account is in good standing, T-Mobile will unlock your phone.

Does it cost money to unlock a Sprint phone?

Thus, it's a smooth process for the most part, and there is no dedicated cost to unlock a phone. Note that due to some phones having network bands unique to the carrier, they might not function fully well on your carrier of choice after unlocking due to missing hardware.

What does ## 72786 do?

SCRTN is the acronym for Special Code To Reset the Network. ##SCRTN# (##72786# on the phone dialpad) is the code that should be dialed to initiate the process of resetting mobile device network settings. An SCRTN is sometimes referred to as a “network reset” by industry professionals.