What do i do if my sim card is locked

If your phone uses a SIM card to operate, you can activate a security feature called a SIM PIN. The SIM PIN protects your SIM card from unauthorized use, and must be entered in order to use your phone. Enter it incorrectly three times and your SIM card becomes locked. You can unlock your SIM card on your own, however, by typing in a PIN unlock key. Your carrier can provide you with the unique PUK code for your device.

Table of Contents Show

What is a SIM PIN?
What if I Forgot My SIM PIN?
How to Unlock Your SIM
What happens if SIM card is locked?
Can I unlock my SIM card?
How do I take the SIM lock off?
Why does it say my SIM card has locked?

Step 1

Contact your wireless carrier by calling the toll-free customer service number. (Find this on your provider's website or a recent invoice.) You will need to verify your account password before the PUK code is released to you.

Step 2

Power your phone on. You will see a "SIM Locked" or "Enter PUK" message. Type in the eight-digit PUK code and press "OK."

Step 3

Type in a new four- to eight-digit PIN code when prompted, then press "OK."

Step 4

Verify your new PIN code by re-entering it when prompted. Press "OK." Your SIM is now unlocked.

References

AT&T Wireless: Answer Center--What Should I Do If My SIM Is Blocked?
AT&T Wireless: Answer Center--What Is The Difference Between A Device Lock Code, A SIM PIN and A PUK Code?

Warnings

If the PUK code has been entered incorrectly 10 times, your SIM card is permanently locked. You will need a replacement SIM card.

Writer Bio

Amy McClain has worked as both a feature writer and a copy editor for a prestigious daily newspaper. She also enjoys writing as a hobby and takes creative writing courses in her free time. She has worked in sales and marketing for a wireless company for over seven years.

Every cellular device — iPhones included — has a SIM card. To oversimplify a bit, it’s how your device connects to your cellular service.

Normally, you may not give your SIM card much thought. These days, new iPhones will already have a SIM card in them that is activated remotely. But physical SIM cards are still removable.

With that in mind, there’s actually a security feature in recent versions of iOS that you may run into problems with. It’s called a SIM PIN. Here’s what you need to know.

Contents

What is a SIM PIN?
What if I Forgot My SIM PIN?
- How to Unlock Your SIM

What is a SIM PIN?

Essentially, the SIM PIN — added as an additional feature in iOS 12 — is a security code that you can “lock” your SIM card with.

Whenever you restart your device or pop your SIM card out and place it in a new device, you’ll need to input the SIM PIN to access cellular functionality.

That can come in handy if your iPhone is stolen. It can prevent people from just popping out your SIM card, placing it into a device that they have on hand, and using your cellular line to make calls and texts.

If you’re interested, you can set up a SIM PIN by going to Settings > Cellular > SIM PIN.

Make sure you write this SIM PIN down somewhere safe that you can easily access. Sending an email to yourself or using Notes on iCloud are both good options.

Of course, if you already have one set up, you’ll need to input it before you set a new one. Which brings us to a problem: what if you’ve forgotten your SIM PIN?

How to Setup eSIM and Dual SIM on your Apple iPhone
How to use Dual SIM with your Apple Watch
Here are the New Features Coming to your iPhone with iOS 12.2

What if I Forgot My SIM PIN?

There are a couple of important things to note if you have forgotten your SIM PIN.

There’s really no way to reset a SIM PIN on your iPhone. In fact, there’s no way to reset a SIM PIN at all. Once you’ve chosen one, you’re stuck with it if you’ve forgotten it.
You only have three attempts to unlock your SIM card via PIN. If you input the wrong SIM PIN three times, your SIM card will be locked — cutting off access to voice and data.
Stop inputting anything if you can’t remember your SIM PIN after a few tries. If you happen to fail 10 further input attempts, your SIM Card will be locked permanently. There’s no way to undo this, so you’ll need to get a new SIM card from your carrier.

How to Unlock Your SIM

After you input three incorrect PIN codes, your iPhone will ask you to type in a PUK code. This is your ticket to unlocking your SIM PIN.

Note: The PUK code is not your PIN, so don’t try to input your PIN code to unlock it. (Again, too many attempts will render your SIM card useless.)

As far as getting a PUK code, typically an eight digit number. You’ll obtain it from your specific carrier.

Normally, you can contact your carrier by dialing 611 from your mobile device. But if you’re locked out of voice functionality on your SIM, you may need to try other methods of getting in contact with them.

Borrow someone else’s phone, contact your carrier through their website, or simply bring your device into a brick-and-mortar carrier store.

You’ll need to be the account holder for your carrier subscription, or at least have access to the account and SIM card itself.

Once you have your PUK code, you’ll input it in Settings > Cellular. Alternatively, it may appear when you try to access certain cellular capabilities. You should see an Enter PUK screen — enter your code here.

Like SIM PIN attempts, you only get 10 chances to properly input your PUK Code. So make sure that you type in that code really carefully.

When you type in the proper PUK Code, you should be able to regain access to your SIM card and its various functions. Again, if you want to use a SIM PIN in the future, be sure to write it down somewhere safe.

It’s also worth noting that carriers will need to verify a subscriber’s identity before they get a PUK code. So don’t worry about malicious entities contacting you carrier and trying to get that code for themselves.

We hope that you found this short article helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Mike Peterson

Mike is a freelance journalist from San Diego, California.

While he primarily covers Apple and consumer technology, he has past experience writing about public safety, local government, and education for a variety of publications.

What happens if SIM card is locked?

You can lock and unlock each SIM card you use on your device with a PIN (Personal Identity Number). When a SIM card is locked, the subscription linked to the card is protected against misuse, meaning that you have to enter a PIN every time you start your device.

Can I unlock my SIM card?

The only way to unlock a password-protected SIM is to get a special code called a PUK (PIN unlock key) from your mobile provider. The provider may need you to prove your identity to give you this code. This wikiHow teaches you how to use a PUK to unlock your SIM card.

How do I take the SIM lock off?

Enable or Disable SIM PIN Lock on Android Smartphones.

Click Settings..

Select Security..

Select Set up SIM card lock..

Toggle the SIM card lock feature On or Off. You will be prompted to enter your SIM PIN..

Why does it say my SIM card has locked?

The SIM card on your mobile phone will become locked if you enter an incorrect personal identification number (PIN) three times. You won't be able to use your phone, except for emergency calls. To unlock it you must reset your PIN by entering your SIM card's unique unlock key (also called a PIN unblocking key or PUK).