Mobile phone is Bell locked

[SN257]

Hello,

I bought iPhone 14 pro max in Feb 2023 with Bell plan. I’ve come to India to visit my family and wanted to use Jio/Airtel SIM services available in India. Whenever I insert any of Jio/Airtel/Vodafone in the phone it says Updating and the next step it shows SIM not supported, either the phone is locked or the SIM not supported. I tried 3 carrier SIM in the phone and it says the same while the other device which I bought this month only on add a line from Bell works with any SIM inserted. I talked with chat service at Bell services and they say your device is unlocked from Bell. I’m not sure what the problem is. 

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❗AI Summary:

This thread discussion revolves around having a mobile phone that is locked to the Bell network. This means the device can only use a Bell SIM card and cannot operate on other carriers until it has been unlocked. After 60 days from the activation of your phone on the Bell network, your phone will unlock automatically at no cost.

Users often encounter a locked device after a new activation, hardware upgrade or when switching providers; when the phone has not been activated on the Bell network for a minimum of 60 days.

Unlocking Policy

Your phone must meet all eligibility conditions. Bell may refuse any unlock request that appears intended to defraud Bell or its customers.

Check if you’re eligible:

• The phone is not flagged as lost or stolen.
• Your phone must be locked to the Bell network. Bell can only unlock Bell devices.
• It has been at least 60 days since you activated your device on the Bell network.

If it has been less than 60 days since your phone has been activated on the Bell network but you meet the other eligibility criteria, you can request Bell unlock your device.

Bell phones that have been stolen or fraudulently acquired are permanently disabled from working on any Canadian, U.S. or international mobile networks. See Unlock your Bell device for full details.

To see if your Bell device is unlocked

Apple iOS devices:

Go to Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. If No SIM Restriction is displayed, your device is unlocked.

Google devices:

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > SIMs. Select the active SIM listed, scroll down to Network and toggle off Automatically select network. The device will scan for mobile networks. If you see network operators other than Bell, your device is unlocked.

Samsung devices:

Go to Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Network operators and toggle off Select automatically. eSIM-activated devices may need to select the eSIM at the bottom of the screen if the toggle is greyed out. The device will scan for mobile networks. If you see network operators other than Bell, your device is unlocked.

Motorola devices:

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Network > Advanced. Scroll down to Network and toggle off Automatically select network. The device will scan for mobile networks. If you see network operators other than Bell, your device is unlocked.

LG devices:

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile networks > Network operators > Search networks. The device will scan for mobile networks. If you see network operators other than Bell, your device is unlocked.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

Your device must meet all eligibility conditions below. Bell may refuse any unlock request that appears intended to defraud Bell or its customers. You do not need to be in canada to Unlock your device.

I wish I could help you, but I can not. We can not unlock your device on the Bell Community Forum. We do not have access to your account & device details. This issue can only be resolved with Bell Mobility Tech support.

Please reference the following. I am hoping there is something in these steps that may have been overlooked that will be of assistance to you.

Check if you’re eligible:

• The device is not flagged as lost or stolen.
• Your device must be locked to the Bell network. Bell can only unlock Bell devices.

To unlock your device:

Follow the steps below to log in to MyBell to unlock your device.

You'll need to have:

• A non-Bell SIM card that fits the device you want to unlock.
• Your device's IMEI number. Where can I find this?

There is no fee for unlocking your device.

1. Go to the MyBell unlock device page  to get started unlocking your phone.
2. Then, once you’ve got your unlock code, get next steps for unlocking your specific device

Take care.

[Jude32]

Not my intent to ask anyone in this forum to unlock my phone. I would hope no one except Bell has access to my particulars. I was frustrated when I made my post. I hope others would share their experiences and timing for a scenario similar to mine. 

It took over 1.5 days for Bell to remove carrier lock on my phone. My local sim is working now while I am aboard. 

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

Thank you for your reply in updating the Bell Community Forum. It is great to hear that your problem is now solved & your device is unlocked & your local SIM is now working.

Enjoy your trip.

Take care.

[dks]

Thanks for the update. Good to hear your issue is resolved. You can be assured that no one but Bell staff in the appropriate department has access to your account details and any helpers in this user to user forum do not. 

[Ian7]

I’ve been waiting over 2 months to get my iPhone 6 unlocked from Bell. They don’t seem to care and won’t unlock. I finally had to buy another phone . 

[Onong]

What if i did not put my bell sim card first, is there any posible way to unlock the phone?

Thanks!

[Ian7]

I don’t have Bell SIM card and Bell won’t unlock my iPhone. Keep telling me to wait for email from their unlocking dept which never comes. This iPhone is now useless unless I buy a Bell sim and hook up to Bell.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

You need to follow the instructions provided in order to unlock your device.

Bell can only unlock devices purchased through them. Bell cannot unlock a device purchased & locked to another carrier or supplier.

If your device is locked, please have a look at the following web link. All of the criteria & instructions to Unlock your device are included in a step-by-step process. Please start at the top of the page & confirm the information before proceeding to the Unlock your device at the bottom of the page.

Unlock your Bell device

Take care

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

Do you have a mobility account with Bell? If your device is locked to another supplier, Bell cannot unlock your device. If you have lost your SIM card, you will need to purchase another SIM card. You can purchase a new SIM card online or at a Bell store.

If you have a Bell Mobility account, you can transfer your service to a new SIM card.

How to transfer my existing Bell Mobility service to a new SIM card or eSIM

How to Unlock your device

Unlock your Bell device

Take care.

[Hasan Al Saffar]

Hi

I want to unlock my device but when I go to the procedure it gives me an error 

Error DE03

The IMEI number provided was found but the device cannot be unlocked at this time.

What does it mean what's wrong, why is my device not unlocking at this time and how can I unlock my device

please help me out ASAP.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

I wish I could help you, but I can not. We can not unlock your device on the Bell Community Forum. We do not have access to your account & device details. This issue can only be resolved with Bell Mobility Tech support.

Do you have a mobility account with Bell? If your device is locked to another supplier, Bell cannot unlock your device. If you have lost your SIM card, you will need to purchase another SIM card. You can purchase a new SIM card online or at a Bell store.

If you have a Bell Mobility account, you can transfer your service to a new SIM card.

How to transfer my existing Bell Mobility service to a new SIM card or eSIM

How to Unlock your device

Unlock your Bell device

To reach Bell Mobility Tech Support call: 1 800 667-0123 or dial *611 from any Bell mobile device.

In most cases, the main reason why your iPhone says SIM not supported is that your iPhone is locked to a carrier. Therefore, you're not allowed to insert a SIM card from any other carrier. Besides, any software problems and bugs can also result from the error.

If you purchased it this year from Bell, then it should be unlocked. There are a few things you must do first.

Let's try the following:

1. Ensure you have first inserted your active Bell Mobility SIM card into the phone and completed the Set Up flow on the phone; i.e. choose your language, time zone, login with your Apple ID or Google profile etc. This registers the phone on the network and confirms its authenticity (not lost or stolen etc.). This must be completed first or the device will not show that it is 'unlocked'.
2. You can check if your iPhone is locked by the carrier you purchased the phone from.
   You can verify this by going to the Settings app > General > Select About > Scroll down to locate Carrier Lock. If your iPhone says No SIM restrictions, then it is unlocked
3. Make sure the alternate carrier's SIM card is active and working.
   Before inserting the SIM card into your iPhone, please make sure it has been activated by the carrier to provide services or the error message will pop up.
4.  Eject and reinsert SIM card.
   Simply restarting your SIM card on iPhone may help you fix the problem. Just open the SIM card tray using an ejector and insert the SIM card again. Wait for seconds to check if your iPhone stops saying SIM not supported.
5. Do a force restart of your iPhone.
6. Check that your iPhone is up to date with the most current iOS.
7. Check that all of your apps are up to date.

Hopefully, one of these suggestions will resolve your iPhone 14 Max Pro SIM issue.

For more details, check out Unlocking your Bell Mobility phone

Please keep us updated on the Bell Community Forum.

Take care.

[Kamal sidhu]

Hlo 

i have a concern i recently bought a new iphone 16 pro max from canada and right now i am in india and whenever i tried to put any indian sim in that rather then bell sim it shows sim is not supported so how can i handle that issue and what should i do because i want to use other sim in this phone whilw i was in india. Can you pls help me to unlock it 

yours sincer

kamaljeet kaur

[dks]

Thank you for your question. Buying a phone in one country and taking it to another can be risky as the technical specifications in other countries may be different from Canada. There is no guarantee a cell phone will work in another country on another provider's network. There are also security protections in place if you take Bell-owned phones (paid for as part of an account) to another country. This thread  has the answers to your questions in the posts marked as Most Helpful. Follow the green checkmark to those posts. 

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Good Day.

This is a peer-to-peer community web site. As such, we do not have access to your account and billing details.

1. Did you purchase this device from Bell?
2. Have you tried your SIM from India in another device?
3. Has your account from India been activated?
4. Do you have an active Bell Mobility account?
5. Are you on a monthly or prepaid mobility plan? SmartPay?
6. Is this device locked to another supplier?
7. Have you contacted Bell Mobility?

Let's try the following:

1. Ensure you have first inserted your active Bell Mobility SIM card into the phone. This registers the phone on the network and confirms its authenticity (not lost or stolen etc.). This must be completed first or the device will not show that it is 'unlocked'.
2. You can check if your iPhone is locked by the carrier, you purchased the phone from.
   You can verify this by going to the Settings app > General > Select About > Scroll down to locate Carrier Lock. If your iPhone says No SIM restrictions, then it is unlocked
3. Make sure the alternate carrier's SIM card is active and working or the error message will pop up.
4.  Eject and reinsert SIM card. Simply restarting your SIM card on iPhone may help you fix the problem. Just open the SIM card tray using an ejector and insert the SIM card again. Wait for seconds to check if your iPhone stops saying SIM not supported.
5. Do a force restart of your iPhone.
6. Check that your iPhone is up to date with the most current iOS.
7. Check that all of your apps are up to date.

Please keep in mind that pre-paid customers are not eligible for roaming services.

To reach Bell Mobility, please call: 1 800 667-0123 or *611 from any Bell mobile device. The Bell International number is: +1 514 420-7748 . This is a free call from any Bell mobile device.

Let us know if you have any further questions.

Take care.

[Jwong]

Hello

is any advices that bell is lying or don’t take responsible.  I had my own Google pixel phone which is unlocked and been using with bell network for last 2 years.  Today I decide to switch to Roger, got a text msg from bell to confirm if I want to switch provider.  After I reply “yes” then switch to Roger’s simcard, and I can’t get network with Roger.  Long story short, I had dealing with Roger about the not working SIM card, first trouble shooting to use the same simcard to different phone and it’s work fine.  Then call bell customer service to try to get it solve and feedback to tell me get someone who had bell simcard to insert into my Google pixel.  Also it’s work fine but once switch to Roger’s simcard it not work again.  Bell customer service explained my phone did not locked by bell and tell me to chat with Google customer service and they said they never lock the device.  After trouble shoot by Roger and bell’s SIM card.  So it’s quite showing bell locked my phone.  So now bell not helping, Roger can’t find solution and google customer representative also suspect that bell had lock my phone from their back stage.  What can I do now to unlock my Google pixel phone???