How to SIM unlock the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3
Samsung’s latest flagship phone is the Galaxy Z Fold 3. It is also the company’s most expensive phone to date, so we get it if you chose to buy it through a carrier and use one of their installment plans to help make it an easier and more affordable pill to swallow.
This also means that your phone is now locked to the carrier and that itself has some limitations. For example, one of the biggest limitations is how the SIM is locked to that carrier so trying to use it with a different carrier is not possible. This makes it tricky if you’re trying to switch carriers or use it overseas with a local telco.
The good news is that even if your phone is locked to a carrier, there are a couple of different ways that you can actually get it unlocked that we’ve listed below, so if one method doesn’t work for you, don’t worry you can try the other one which usually has a greater degree of success.
- Expansive Screen: Get a super slim tablet right in your pocket with the ultimate folding mobile phone screen
- Near Invisible Camera: Enjoy an incredible uninterrupted view thanks to the first-ever Under Display Camera
Unlocking through your carrier
Unlocking through your carrier is the best solution since it is usually a free service that carriers offer to customers, but usually there are some criterias you’ll need to meet in order to qualify for a SIM unlock. This includes:
- You need to be in good standing with your carrier, meaning that you don’t have any outstanding bills and that the contract with your carrier for the phone has expired
- You’ll also need to make sure that you have owned the device for at least 60-90 days
Now these requirements might differ from carrier to carrier, so it’s always best to give them a call to make sure you’re eligible. Assuming that you are eligible, then here’s what you need to do next:
- On your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 handset, launch the Phone app and dial *#06# to pull up your phone’s IMEI number
- Write the IMEI number down somewhere so you can refer to it later
- Call your carrier and request for your SIM unlock code
- You will probably be asked to provide the IMEI for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3’s
- If you meet all the requirements that we mentioned above, the SIM unlock code will be sent to the email address you provided in the next 2-5 days.
- Once you’ve received your code, swap out the SIM with a SIM from another carrier
- Enter the SIM unlock code that you received in your email when prompted and you’re set!
Getting the unlock code from a paid third-party service
Now, there is a chance that if you don’t meet the eligibility requirements set by your carrier, they won’t unlock your phone for you, but don’t worry, that’s what services like Android SIM Unlock are for. You’ll have to pay a bit, but you’ll still be able to SIM unlock your phone even if your carrier won’t do it for you.
- On your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 handset, launch the Phone app and dial *#06# to get the device’s IMEI number
- Write the IMEI number down
- Go to Android SIM Unlock’s website
- Enter your device’s IMEI number
- Complete the checkout process with your payment and contact information
- Once payment is made, you should then receive the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3’s unlock code either through SMS or email
- The moment you’ve received your code, you can then swap out the SIM on your phone with a SIM from another carrier
- You should be prompted to enter the SIM unlock code that you received in your email, and once you’ve done that, you should be good to go
Note: this article may contain affiliate links that help support our authors and keep the Phandroid servers running.