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.

[dks]

The only reason Bell might lock your phone is that it is not yet fully paid for of you have charges not paid. You will have to call Bell directly at 1-866-310-2355 to determine if you have any outstanding charges. The Community Forum is a peer to peer forum and cannot access any matters of accounts and billing. 

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

There is little we can do to assist you on the Bell Community Forum if Bell Mobility Customer Service has indicated to you that your device is not locked to their network.

As a starting point, please check off the following:

1. Are you the original owner of the device?
2. Has the device ever been reported as lost, missing & or stolen? If this is the case, then it could be locked do to this reason.
3. When you were with Bell, did you have a SmartPay 2 yr contract agreement? Did it include the DRO option?
4. Have you verified that your account at Bell is paid in full?
5. Have you received your final bill from Bell?
6. Have you checked your MyBell account online to see if there are any outstanding charges?

If none of the items I mentioned earlier do not apply to your situation and you have received a confirmation email from Bell to port your number to Rogers, then I can only suggest that you discuss your issue with a Roger's Mobility manager.

Thank you for reaching out to the Bell Community Forum.

Take care.

[Harjot]

Same with me can you please tell me the solution

[dks]

Thank you for your concern. As we can not assist in account matters, please review the questions in @WelshTerrier 's reply, marked with a green checkmark below, and contact Bell directly, as @WelshTerrier  suggests.  

[M-A88]

I purchased my iPhone 16 Pro Max directly from Apple in November. This morning, I woke up to find it stuck in SOS mode. After trying DFU mode and every troubleshooting step I knew, I decided to visit the Apple Store. The technician there confirmed that the phone was working perfectly.

Next, I went to Bell, my current carrier, where I was told that my phone had been blacklisted on February 13 for no apparent reason. Since I had bought it directly from Apple, this made no sense. To troubleshoot, Bell had me switch from a physical SIM to an eSIM and attempted to deactivate and reactivate the SIM, but nothing worked. They ultimately informed me that they couldn’t remove the phone from the blacklist because Rogers, my previous carrier, was responsible for the block.

I then contacted Rogers technical support. After some time, they confirmed that my phone was indeed blacklisted in their system, but they had not requested the ban. They assured me that they had now submitted a request to have it removed, though it could take some time. Interestingly, they also mentioned that I wasn’t the only person experiencing this issue—apparently, they had been receiving multiple calls about iPhones purchased directly from Apple being mysteriously blacklisted without cause.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

Thank you for posting & sharing this with the community.

Once a device has been blacklisted for whatever reason, the only way to remove the device from the list is to contact the carrier that blacklisted the device. You'll need the device, ID, proof of purchase. They will get it removed from the blacklist. ONLY the carrier that placed it on the list can do so.

Take care.

[Kck88]

I purchased an iPhone 13 from Bell as a spare phone and sent it to the Philippines as a gift. I did not open or activate the phone with my active Bell number before sending it. Now, they are trying to use a SIM card from a Philippine carrier, but it does not work and displays this error:

Carrier Lock

“This device might be restricted to the original carrier and/or have certain capabilities limited. Contact your provider for more info.”

How can I unlock the iPhone so they can use it with a local SIM in the Philippines? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[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.

Is this for a Monthly or Pre-paid Bell mobility phone?

To see if your Apple iOS device is unlocked: Go to Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. If No SIM Restriction is displayed, your device is unlocked.

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:

Use the button below to log in to MyBell and follow the steps 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?

Please select the following web link:  Unlock your device

If after completing the above steps & you are still experiencing issues, you will need to contact Bell Customer Service - Mobility Tech Support.

There is no fee for unlocking your device.

Take care

[AndrewAndrew]

I have a Galaxy S7 Edge that is carrier locked to Bell. I called and neither mobility support nor the unlock team can find the IMEI in the system, and the phone doesn't show up when they search my inactive account.

How do I get the unlock PIN?

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

As a starting point, are you the original owner of this device? Are you sure that you purchased this device previously from Bell?

Your device must meet all eligibility conditions below.

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

You'll need to have:

• A non-Bell SIM card that fits the device you want to unlock.
• Your device's IMEI number.

There is very little we can do to assist you on the Bell Community Forum in this matter if you are unable to lock a device that Bell does not have a record of in their system.

You could visit a Bell Store as they may be able to provide you with further information.

Take care.

[Louisekatz]

I switched over from Bell to Rogers last year, and I just had my phone replaced through Apple, a couple of months before, when I switched to Rogers to my surprise, my phone is locked to Bell. It has been a year and a half now and they still refused to unlock my phone 

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

As you already know, this is a community website. A peer-to-peer forum. As such, we do not have access to your account & billing records.

In order to assist in answering your question, we need for you to provide us with the specific details

Bell may refuse to unlock a phone for various reasons, including if the device is reported as lost or stolen, if the customer is not in good standing (e.g., outstanding balance), or if the customer is not the original owner. Bell also has a policy where new phones are initially locked to their network for a period of time, typically 60 days, but can be unlocked earlier upon request.

Were you still under contract to Bell when you had your device replaced at Apple? SmartPay 2-yr agreement? Device return option?

Why is Bell refusing to unlock your device? Is there an outstanding balance remaining on your Bell account? Did you end your Bell SmartPay Agreement early?

If Bell is refusing to unlock your phone, there has to be an explanation for this action. Situations such as this cannot be resolved on the Bell Community Forum.

If you require further clarification or additional specific details to confirm an outstanding balance, etc., you can call Bell Mobility Customer Service billing & orders at: 1 800 667-0123 or dial *611 from any Bell mobile device.

Take care.

[Gill_2000]

"Hey fellow iPhone users! I'm having some trouble with my iPhone 16. I recently requested my provider to unlock it for use with any SIM, but I'm still facing issues when trying to switch to a different SIM. While purchasing i asked the provider to make sure that it will support all SIM cards including India but its still locked by provider.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice or solutions would be greatly appreciated! I've already contacted my provider, but it’s gonna take 60 days as they mentioned.

[dks]

Thanks for your question. Most providers in Canada, including Bell, lock phones until the phone is paid for. That is a Bell company policy and can’t be changed. In addition, cellular frequencies may be different in other parts of the world and a cell phone bought in Canada may not work in another country. 

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

Can you please provide us with further details if you are requesting our assistance? Are you porting your number to Bell Mobility from another carrier or are you trying to upgrade your device that you purchased from another source or carrier.

You may be able to bring your mobile phone or smartphone to Bell. Assuming you're in a position to move to Bell, there are three things you'll need to ensure:

1. Your device must be compatible.
2. If your device is currently locked, it needs to be unlocked.
3. The device has not been reported lost or stolen. We recommend you purchase your device from an authorized retailer. If you unknowingly purchase a phone that is on the national list of lost or stolen mobile devices, it cannot be used on the Bell network.

Bell cannot unlock a phone that is locked to another carrier or has been reported lost, stolen or missing.

If your device is compatible, you can buy a Bell SIM card online or from a Bell store near you.

Let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Take care.