Let’s learn how to unlock Samsung Galaxy S in order to take that old Galaxy phone and swap out SIM cards.
Things to Remember Before Unlocking Your Galaxy S
Make sure you backup your phone before unlocking it. There’s a small chance you lose anything, but it’s not worth the risk.
Method 1: Service Provider
This is probably the best method, because you only have to call your service provider and get a code. Sometimes the service provider will not give you a code if you haven’t been with them for a year or two. If that is the case then move to the next method.
Step 1
Navigate to the area where you call people on your phone. Type in these numbers: *#06#. This will reveal your IMEI code, which you might use later.
Step 2
Call your service provider to ask for an unlock code. Sometimes they ask for your IMEI code. If so, give it to them and move on to receive your unlock code.
Step 3
Write down your unlock code on a piece of paper. Remove your SIM card and insert the new one.
Step 4
Wait for your phone to reset and then wait for a field to punch in the new unlock code. It shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds to reset your phone.
Step 5
Punch in the new unlock code from your service provider and then your phone should be unlocked. Congratulations!
Method 2: GalaxSIM Unlock
The GalaxSIM app is great for people who don’t want to take the time to complete a manual unlock. Sure, you might want to take care of it yourself, but why not just download an app? If you are not technologically inclined then we would recommend following this method to unlock your Galaxy S. You don’t have to go through any messy manual setup techniques, and the risk of hurting your phone is minimal.
Step 1
To get the process rolling you have to click on the button below. This is a download link for the GalaxSIM Unlock app. Once you get to the app download page you have the opportunity to download it to your phone. Download the app and wait for the process to complete. Once the download is done you can go to the Open button and bring up the app.
Step 2
Once you open the app you can see that your phone is not unlocked. This first screen is pretty simple. All you have to do is click on the Unlock button and the process is started. The first screen also tells you the Device Model of your phone if that interests you, but it isn’t that relevant to this particular method.
Step 3
Once you click on the Unlock button you can wait for the app to unlock your phone. The app is supposed to unlock your phone in one step, but depending on your Android version you might have to walk through a few more steps. Once the phone is unlocked you don’t even have to reset the phone. This method is really quite simple and you don’t have to worry about anything manual. You can also go to the Details page to see exactly what parts of your phone are unlocked. This screen is helpful if you plan on unlocking different parts of the phone as opposed to others.
Method 3: Is Another Company Your Answer?
You are more than welcome to use a third-party company to unlock your phone. It’s not the first method that we would recommend, but if you don’t want to mess with a manual setup, or you don’t have the time, then go for it. When you use a third-party company you have to pay a small fee to get your phone unlocked. You tell them what phone you have and then they email you an unlock code for you to finish the process. Let’s take a look at the most simple method for unlocking your phone, but keep in mind you have to pay for this.
Step 1
Most unlocking services make you pay a fee. We would recommend just finding a service that makes you pay a small fee, because the free services give you a code, but you have to walk through several promotional setups to get there. In our opinion you don’t want to sign up for three other company trials when you are just trying to unlock your phone. Stick with a company like GSM Liberty to unlock your phone.
Step 2
To start off you have to fill in your manufacturer, model and phone carrier. This helps the company figure out what type of code you may need. Type in all of your information and click on the Submit button. If you don’t use GSM Liberty then it might be a little different, but the general idea is still the same.
Step 3
After you make a small payment the company will send you an email with the unlock code. Type this unlock code into your phone and then you have completed the process. Once again, you most likely have to pay a fee for these services, so we only recommend this process if you really don’t want to mess with completing the unlocking method manually. Now that your phone is unlocked you can now place a new SIM card in the phone and do what you wish with it!
Conclusion
We recommend trying the first two methods and then moving onto the third method if you can’t figure it out yourself. You shouldn’t have any problems as long as you follow all of the instructions. Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions about how to unlock Samsung Galaxy S. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
