In some cases, the only thing you need to unlock your phone is a software update your carrier will push to your device, and then you insert the new carrier’s SIM card and you’re good to go.

What Does it Mean for a Phone to be Carrier Unlocked? When a phone is "unlocked," this means it is not tied to a specific network or carrier, such as Verizon or AT&T. An unlocked ...

(Some carriers automatically unlock phones remotely after a certain ... and the network provider will have used software restrictions to tie the device to its service for the duration of the ...