6 Easy Steps to Unlock a Samsung TracFone

An easy-to-follow guide on unlocking a Samsung TracFone

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: October 12, 2024 Fact Checked

Samsung mobile phone units that you can get from TracFone are locked and can be used only on this specific carrier. This prevents the user from using it on other networks, which is against the contract agreement of service plans. This won’t be a problem if you’re in the US and have no plans of switching to other carriers. On the other hand, if you plan on going to places where the TracFone service is not available (such as going abroad), you need to unlock your Samsung TracFone before you can get it to work outside with other networks. This wikiHow article guides you through the process of unlocking a Samsung TracFone so you can use it with another carrier.

Things You Should Know

As long as you meet the requirements, unlocking your phone with TracFone is as easy as getting a code!
Call TracFone and get a code.
Get a SIM card from the carrier you're moving to.
Enter the code into your phone when prompted.

Steps

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1
Get your unlock code from TracFone. Call its customer service hotline at 1-800-867-7183, anytime between 8 AM to 11:45 PM (EST), any day of the week. When you get to talk with a representative, tell them that you need an unlock code for your phone.
- TracFone is a prepaid service provider, so it won’t be hard to request one. However, they will require your prepaid account to be active for at least a year before they can give you an unlock code. The representative will either dictate it to you over the phone (so have a pen and paper ready) or send it to your email.
You can use any SIM card, either local or international, as long as it can still be detected.

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Press the Power button of your unit to shut it down so you don't damage anything or shock yourself. There will be a recessed button that you can press (with a small tool like a paperclip) that ejects the SIM tray. Take out the old SIM card and place the new one in, making sure that the new card fits in the tray. Finally, press the Power button to turn your unit on.
Once it starts up, instead of the usual home screen, a message will be displayed notifying you that your phone needs to be unlocked first before it can use the SIM card from other networks.
Type in the unlock code you got from the TracFone representative using either the on-screen or physical keypad (depending on the model of your Samsung phone) and press the “OK” button to enter the unlock code.
A confirmation message will appear on your screen telling you that the unlock code has been accepted and you can now use your Samsung TracFone with other network carriers.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I download pictures from my Tracfone to my computer?

Community Answer

The easiest way is to email the pictures to yourself as an attachment, then open the pictures from your email.

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Question

I forgot my unlock code to get into my phone, what should I do?

Community Answer

Connect your phone to your compute with a USB cable. Then go into your phone's settings and reset it.

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Question

How do I unlock sim lock code-1 for Samsung SGH -T105G?

Community Answer

You click the home button and the power button at the same time. Then you should see if it is working, but make sure you have the charger plugged into the computer.

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Tips

Unlike other providers where you can get the unlock codes over the Internet, TracFone units are hard to decrypt and very few to zero websites generate unlock codes for units from this provider.

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This method can be used on any Android or Bada Samsung phones from TracFone.

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Phone unlocking only applies to GSM phones or those that use SIM cards. If you’re using a CDMA phone or a unit that doesn’t need any SIM card to operate, you cannot unlock it.

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Warnings

Before the FCC stepped in, TracFone customers were prevented from unlocking their phones to use with other carriers. Now, customers can request to unlock their phones, and if they have a phone that's locked with TracFone, they can get a refund, credits, or a trade-in so they can get a phone from TracFone that's unlocked.^{[1]
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Federal Communications Commission
Independent U.S. government agency responsible for regulating radio, television, and satellite, and phone communications

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To unlock your phone, you have to meet a few requirements, like having the phone activated before Nov. 2021, and using the service for at least a year.^{[2]
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