A phone is great when it works, but traveling can quickly reduce your expensive BlackBerry to an expensive paperweight if your phone isn’t unlocked for local carriers. You can get unlock codes from your carrier or from a third party if your carrier contract doesn’t happen to be up. Follow this guide to learn how to unlock any BlackBerry.
Getting an Unlock Code
Get your BlackBerry’s IMEI number.
This unique identifier is required by either your carrier or the third-party unlock provider in order to get your unlock code. To retrieve your IMEI number, follow the appropriate steps for your device:
- BlackBerry 10 – Go to Settings, then select Advanced. Tap Hardware from the dropdown menu that appears. Your IMEI number will be listed in the window.
- BlackBerry 6 and 7 – Click Options, and then click Device. Click Device and Status Information to find the IMEI.
- BlackBerry 5 and earlier – Click Options and select Status. Your IMEI will be displayed.
Contact your carrier.
Your carrier will typically unlock your phone for free after your contract has been fulfilled. This means you will not be able to receive your code unless your contract obligations have been fulfilled and your phone has been completely paid off.
Contact a third-party unlocking service.
If you need to unlock your phone and your carrier will not give you the code, you’ll have to pay for a code from a third-party unlocking service.
- Be sure to read reviews for third-party services to make sure that the company you are paying is legitimate.
- You will need to provide your IMEI number when you request your unlock code.
- Receiving your code could take up to 3 days, but usually happens within a few hours.
Entering the Code
Unlock BlackBerry 10 devices.
Go to Settings, select Security and Privacy, and then SIM Card. Scroll down and tap the Unlock Phone button. Enter your code and tap OK.
- You have 10 tries to enter your code or your phone will be disabled.
Unlock BlackBerry 7 devices.
First, disable all network connection. You can see your connections by opening the Manage Connections. Make sure that your WiFi and mobile networks are disabled.
- Open the SIM Card menu by opening Options, selecting Device, Advanced System Settings, and then clicking SIM Card.
- Type “MEPD” while in the SIM Card menu. A new menu will appear after you finish typing, and Network should show as Active. 71xx, 81xx, and 91xx model users will need to type “MEPPD”.
- Type in “MEP[Alt]2”. If nothing happens, try typing “MEP[Alt]4”. You need to press the Alt key to enable typing numbers. 71xx, 81xx, and 91xx model users will need to type “MEPP[Alt]2” or “MEPP[Alt]4”.
- Enter your unlock (MEP) code. You have 255 tries to get it right, so don’t mess it up! Once you’ve unlocked the phone, you can insert your new SIM card and re-enable your network connections.
Unlock BlackBerry 6 devices and earlier.
Remove the existing SIM card by removing the battery and popping the SIM card out of its housing. Insert the SIM card for the new network. When you power the phone back on, you will be prompted to enter your unlock code.