Device Unlocking Policies

U.S. Cellular® as a participating carrier in the CTIA's "Consumer Code for Wireless Service" has voluntarily agreed to unlock phones and tablets (hereinafter referred to as "devices") under certain circumstances described below. Unlocking devices describes the disabling of any software on a device that would prevent a device from being used on any compatible network. Some devices are not eligible to be unlocked because of the age of the device or because there is not technology readily available to permit the device to be used on any other compatible network.

It is important for consumers to know that an unlocked device is not an assurance that such device will:

Operate on any other carrier's network due to technical differences between carrier networks.
Or, if it does operate on another network, that it will perform all the functions that it performed on the U.S. Cellular network.
Be accepted by any carrier for use on their network even if the device is compatible with that network to some degree.

To mitigate theft and other fraudulent activity, these devices sold by U.S. Cellular (including its authorized agents and resellers) are locked to the U.S. Cellular network for 120 days after activation:

Brand	Models
Apple	iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
	iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
	iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
	iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus
	iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus
	iPhone SE (2nd Gen)
Samsung	Galaxy S20 Fan Edition

Postpaid Device Unlocking Policy

As soon as is practical, after the 120-day locking period is completed, U.S. Cellular will automatically unlock your postpaid device if your account is in good standing - no action is required on your part. If your account is not in good standing, please contact U.S. Cellular Customer Service for assistance.

During the 120-day locking period, U.S. Cellular will unlock your postpaid device upon request if:

You are a U.S. Cellular customer on military duty, you present deployment papers for a location outside of the U.S. Cellular coverage area, and your postpaid account is in good standing.
You are a U.S. Cellular customer who has paid for your device in-full and your postpaid account is in good standing.
You are a former U.S. Cellular postpaid customer who has fulfilled all financial obligations to U.S. Cellular.

Prepaid Device Unlocking Policy

As soon as is practical, after the 120-day locking period is completed, U.S. Cellular will automatically unlock your prepaid device provided that it is active on the U.S. Cellular network - no action is required on your part. Your prepaid device will remain locked until after the locking period is complete.

During the 120-day locking period, U.S. Cellular will unlock your prepaid device upon request if you are a U.S. Cellular customer on military duty and you present deployment papers for a location outside of the U.S. Cellular coverage area.

Things We Want You to Know

U.S. Cellular will not unlock devices that are lost, stolen or obtained fraudulently.
U.S. Cellular cannot unlock devices that have been sold by other carriers.
U.S. Cellular locked 4G LTE devices that were launched before February 1, 2016; some of these devices can be unlocked via a software update.
U.S. Cellular locked 1X and 3G devices that were launched before February 1, 2016; some of these devices may be unlocked upon request. Please contact Customer Service for assistance with these devices.
U.S. Cellular may not be able to unlock a device due to technology obsolescence.