Cricket unlock requirements explained

Cricket Wireless is a prepaid carrier, and many of its phones are sold locked to its network. If you want to use one with a different carrier, start by asking Cricket. When you qualify, it is usually free.

This guide covers the usual rules in plain English. Carriers change their policies, so check your carrier’s current policy on the official Cricket unlock page.

The usual requirements

Cricket generally looks for conditions like these:

• The phone was sold by Cricket or is locked to the Cricket network.
• The phone has been active on a paid Cricket account for a minimum period.
• The phone is not reported lost or stolen, and is not linked to fraud.
• The account is in good standing.
• Any device payment arrangement is complete.

Exact time periods are on the official page. We do not repeat numbers here because they change.

How Cricket unlocks usually work

Depending on the phone, the unlock may be handled in one of a few ways:

• An unlock request to Cricket, after which the phone is marked unlocked.
• An unlock app that is built into some Android phones. When the phone is eligible, the app can apply the unlock.
• Customer support, if the request needs a person to look at it.

The official page explains which route applies to your phone. Follow it there rather than trusting an old forum post.

Step by step

1. Find your IMEI. Dial *#06#. See how to find your IMEI if that does not work.
2. Check your account. Make sure the account is paid and the phone has been active long enough.
3. Request the unlock using the route on the official Cricket page.
4. Keep any reference number and the date you asked.
5. Restart the phone with a SIM from another carrier when Cricket confirms. Some phones need this to finish.

Check that it worked

Put a SIM from another carrier in the phone, restart it, and try a call and mobile data. If you see “SIM not supported” or a similar message, the phone is still locked. Our guide to checking if your phone is unlocked has the steps for iPhone and Android.

If Cricket says no

Read the reason first. The common ones are:

• Not active long enough. Keep the phone active on a paid plan and ask again later.
• Account problem. Pay any overdue amount, then ask again.
• The phone is flagged. If the IMEI is reported lost or stolen, the phone cannot be unlocked by anyone legitimate.
• Someone else’s account. If the phone was bought on another person’s account, they may need to make the request.

If you think the refusal is wrong, ask to speak with a supervisor and keep notes of dates and names. Our guide on what to do if your carrier refuses to unlock has more ideas.

Buying a used Cricket phone

A phone that is still locked to Cricket is only useful on Cricket until it is unlocked. Before you buy:

• Run a free IMEI check to see the carrier and lock status.
• Ask the seller if they can request the unlock before the sale.
• Make sure they have signed out of their Apple ID or Google account and reset the phone.

We never remove account locks like Activation Lock or Google account protection, so do not buy a phone that still has someone else’s account on it.

When a paid unlock makes sense

A paid unlock can help when:

• You left Cricket and cannot get support on the old account.
• You bought the phone used and the first owner cannot be reached.
• The carrier route did not work and the reason is not one you can fix.

We check eligibility first and show the all-in price and delivery time before you pay. If the unlock fails, you get a full refund. We do not unlock lost, stolen or blacklisted phones.

Summary

Keep the phone active on a paid account, check the official Cricket page for the current rules, and ask Cricket first. If that route is closed to you and the phone is eligible, a paid unlock is the next option.