User level: Level 1 (4 points)Hello, I purchased a used iPhone 16 Pro Max in Pakistan. The phone shows “Network Provider Lock: SIM locked” in Settings. I would like to use a Pakistani eSIM.
Can you help me determine whether this device belongs to your network and whether it is eligible for an official carrier unlock?
I can provide the IMEI privately through your official support channel if needed. Thank you.
Posted on Oct 15, 2026 6:09 PM
User level: Level 10 (233,174 points)Oct 15, 2026 6:18 PM in response to aneesghouri
Sorry, but no one here, not at Apple has the ability to unlock a Carrier locked iPhone. There are HUGE risks in buying used devices and you've run into one which may make using the phone in Pakistan impossible. Only the carrier the phone is locked to can unlock it. And as Niel correctly suggests, if you are not their customer, or there are fees owed on the phones contract, they may be completely unwilling to unlock the phone for you.
Since you bought a used iPhone, read this --> The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying … - Apple Community
And this from Apple about unlocking a carrier locked iPhone --> How to unlock your iPhone for use with a different carrier - Apple Support
If I were in your shoes, I'd return the phone and get my money back. It's very unlikely you'll be able to get the carrier to unlock the phone.
User level: Level 10 (244,490 points)Oct 15, 2026 6:19 PM in response to aneesghouri
This is not Apple support, it is a user-to-user technical support forum. What is the model number of your iPhone? From that we can determine where the iPhone was originally sold, and may give a hint about which carrier it is locked to.
But as Niel says, only the carrier it is locked to can remove the lock; Apple cannot do it.
As you purchased a used phone you may have additional problems: The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone
User level: Level 10 (756,437 points)Oct 15, 2026 6:14 PM in response to aneesghouri
No Pakistani carrier provides iPhone unlocking. If it came from elsewhere, contact that carrier; many of them only offer this to their current or former customers.
(265244)
User level: Level 9 (55,707 points)Oct 15, 2026 6:57 PM in response to aneesghouri
aneesghouri wrote:
Can you help me determine whether this device belongs to your network and whether it is eligible for an official carrier unlock?
You are not speaking to Apple, or to the carrier to whom your phone is locked. Neither provide support in these user-to-user forums. Furthermore, Apple doesn't operate cellular networks ("your network"). It's the carriers who do that.
As far as identifying the carrier you need to contact, you are in a much better position than we are.
I can provide the IMEI privately through your official support channel if needed. Thank you.
There is no point in providing the IMEI to Apple. They cannot unlock your phone.
User level: Level 7 (28,946 points)Oct 15, 2026 6:59 PM in response to aneesghouri
You purchased a used iPhone that was not properly prepared for resale. You were scammed. Return the device for a refund if possible.
User level: Level 9 (55,707 points)Oct 15, 2026 7:16 PM in response to lkrupp
lkrupp wrote:
You purchased a used iPhone that was not properly prepared for resale. You were scammed. Return the device for a refund if possible.
Completing the steps in
What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
should be done to properly prepare an iPhone for resale.
An iPhone prepared in that way
Completing the steps will not remove carrier lock, remove carrier blacklisting, or remove social media device bans. If someone has a carrier-locked iPhone that they want to sell, the best thing for them to do is to get their carrier to release the lock before they sell the phone. If they cannot do that, it is only fair for them to tell prospective buyers that the phone is carrier-locked, and to tell prospective buyers to whom it is locked.
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256376945