If you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or 3, or a Galaxy S3 or S4, you could unlock it for free so it can migrate to any carrier you fancy, anywhere in the world!
If your Galaxy S3 is on Verizon, for example, and you have a two-year contract, you can only use the handset on Verizon. You can’t use any other SIMs with it, until you unlock it . Once it’s unlocked, you can travel with your phone and use a local SIM, or send the phone to a relative overseas.
How to do it:
Take out your native SIM and replace it with one from a different carrier. Then turn off your handset, before turning it back on again.
Then go to your dial pad and tap in this code: *#197328640#. Go to your main menu > [1] UMTS > [1] Debug Screen > [8] Phone Control > [6] Network Lock > Options [3] Perso SHA256 OFF. Wait for 30 seconds or a minute before going back to your main menu and choosing “back”. You will now see a “Network Lock” message. Choose [4] NW Lock NV Data INITIALLIZ.
If you typed in the sequence right, it should read: “Asterisk Pound One Nine Seven Three Two Eight Six Four Zero Pound”. Remember that some people call the asterisk “star”, and the pound button “hash”.
You should have an unlocked Galaxy handset now, so you can start planning those exotic trips. This code’s been used by Samsung engineers for a while, so try it out on different Samsung handsets.
