Cricket might not be the most well known wireless service on the market, but as a subsidiary of AT&T, it’s an excellent choice for locals who are looking for a cheaper wireless service than what many of the big companies offer. However, just like the big companies, you may move to or go to areas where the cell signal is poor, or you don’t want to accrue absurd charges when going on international travel. That’s why being able to unlock your phone on Cricket is so nice. With a cricket phone unlocked, you can easily pop-in a SIM from another carrier for better cell service, or to use a cheaper, local wireless service when traveling internationally.
So how do you unlock a Cricket phone exactly? Follow along below and we’ll take you through the process, step by step.
Prerequisites
Cricket, like other carriers, has some prerequisites that you have to meet before you can request your phone to be unlocked.
- The device you want to unlock has been active for at least six 6 months of paid service.
- The device is designed for use on and is locked to Cricket’s network.
- The device has not been reported lost or stolen. otherwise known as blacklisted.
- The device is not associated with a fraudulent account; your account must also be in “good standing.”
Cricket is actually one of the few carriers that supports military personnel pretty well. The Cricket policy is that they will unlock one Cricket-based smartphone for a service member who doesn’t meet the requirements, but that person will have to provide deployment papers or other supporting documentation.
How to unlock a Cricket phone
Cricket actually makes it fairly easy to get an unlock code, so long as you meet the necessary requirements. The steps to do it online, over at the Cricket website are:
- Sign in, visit Account Settings and select Get Code.
- Scroll down to locate the number of the phone or line you’d like to unlock.
- Select Request Unlock.
- The unlock code for eligible Android phones will automatically be displayed on screen, as well as texted to your phone, so long as you meet the requirements. The unlock process for eligible iPhone users is a little different, as they will receive their unlock code via text message the following business day.
You can also use the Cricket app to unlock your phone.
- Download and ppen your myCricket app.
- If you’re already signed into the app, make sure to sign out.
- From there, you can tap Unlock Device on the app’s sign-in screen.
- Tap Unlock at the bottom of the screen.
- Once your phone is successfully unlocked, restart it to complete the process. Once restarted, you should be able to take your Cricket phone and use it on any other network, including international ones.
Like we mentioned, Cricket is one of the few carriers that support military members with excellent communication services. If you need an expedited unlock, here’s the official word from Cricket:
“If you’re in the military and need expedited unlocking prior to deployment, please call Customer Support at 1-800-CRICKET (1-800-274-2538) or dial 611 from your Cricket phone. We appreciate your service. “
Use a third-party service
Red tape is unfortunately a thing that you have to wade your way through on almost every carrier out there; however, if you want to skip it, and don’t mind paying an extra few dollars to skip it, you can use a third-party service to unlock your phone. Using a third-party unlocking company can get your phone operating on another network in no time, and without all of the red tape from your carrier. It does usually cost some money, which can range from a couple bucks all the way up to an average of $60.
You’ll want to search around and research good companies for this, though. Make sure they’re reputable, otherwise you might end up handing your money to one in return for, well, nothing. Once you purchase a code, it’s usually sent directly to the provided email, and then you can follow the included steps to unlock your phone.
Verdict
As you can see, much like other carriers, Cricket has some strict requirements that you have to meet in order to have your smartphone unlocked. That’s generally the case, as they want you to stay on their network and not head off to a competitor’s network. However, Cricket still has a process in place that allows you to unlock your phone. But, if you don’t meet those requirements or get denied, you can use a third-party service to unlock your phone, if you’re willing to pay the added cost.
Have you unlocked a Cricket phone before? Did these steps work for you? Sound off in the comments section below.
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