Can Verizon phones work on T-mobile?
By
HuutiMoney
This blog post will answer the question ” Can Verizon phones work on T-Mobile?. It covers the topics like eligibility criteria to unlock the Verizon Phone and compatibility checking. It will also provide you with the most commonly used T-Mobile phone plans.
Can Verizon phones work on T-mobile?
Yes, Verizon phones work on T-Mobile. Most Verizon phones are unlocked but you need to check whether your phone is unlocked and compatible with T-Mobile. Most of the new Verizon Phones are compatible with the T-Mobile network. But if you have an iPhone 6 or earlier model, it may not be fully functional with T-Mobile.
What is a T-Mobile?
T-Mobile is the third-largest wireless network provider in the United States. T-Mobile is a German telecommunication industry and it has some investments in other mobile communication industries in the United States
T-Mobile USA has a network sharing agreement with Cingular Wireless, an American mobile operator. Due to this, T- mobile has access to some top markets in the USA.
Which carrier is used by T-Mobile?
Mainly, there are two carriers, namely GSM and CDMA. GSM stands for “Global System for mobile”. It is second-generation cellular technology. Another carrier is CDMA, and CDMA stands for “code division multiple access.” T-Mobile is a GSM network carrier, and it is used for mobile voice and data services.
What is a Verizon?
Verizon Wireless network is the largest service provider in the United States. Its headquarter is in New York (USA) and Verizon Wireless is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications.
The 4G network of Verizon covers 70% of the country. So Verizon is well ahead as far as network coverage is concerned.
Which carrier is used by Verizon?
Verizon makes use of CDMA network carriers. In CDMA, many users share the same carrier frequency. In CDMA, a share of bandwidth, as well as time, is achieved.
Many new phones can work with both GSM and CDMA. Even if your unlocked phone works with both carriers, you need to check the compatibility with the T-Mobile network.
Are all Verizon phones use a sim card?
Almost all Verizon phones use a sim card.SIM is a subscriber identity module. Some phones have internal sim cards. Such sim cards are hermetically sealed and you cannot take them out of the phone. But if the phone is having an external sim card, you can easily take it out and can use it on another phone.
If you purchase a phone from Verizon then a sim card may be preinstalled on your phone, you don’t have to purchase it externally. But if it is not preinstalled you will have to request a new sim card. You will get a new sim card from the Verizon service center as a part of your phone plan. Even if the sim card is lost or damaged, you are eligible for a new sim card without any charges.
The majority of newer phones including iPhones and some Android phones use 4GLTE or 5G network, for which a sim card is required. Verizon offers different sim cards for 4GLTE, 5G, and CDMA mobiles. But these sim cards will work on Verizon verified devices to use the Verizon network.
Steps to bring the Verizon phone to T-Mobile
Use the following steps to bring your phone from Verizon to T-Mobile.
- Unlock your phone.
- Check the compatibility of your phone using the IMEI number.
- Purchase a new T-Mobile SIM card.
- Select a T-Mobile phone plan.
- Insert the SIM card into your phone.
Eligibility criteria to unlock Verizon phone
One can unlock Verizon iphone devices, provided that the following criteria are satisfied.
- You must have purchased the cellular phone from Verizon.
- The cell phone should not be reported as blocked or lost.
- An account concerned with the device must be active for a minimum of 60 days.
- Any associated service agreement must be fulfilled. For example installation billing agreement, lease agreement.
- Depending upon prepaid or postpaid plans, the Device should satisfy all necessary unlock requirements.
- The device must have SIM unlock capability.
Things to keep handy before unlocking the device
Before using the unlock steps, you should know the IMEI number of your phone and the PIN unlock key (PUK).
What is International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)?
IMEI is a special identifier associated with Global Mobile Communications System (GSM) phones IMEI is used to identify a device on a cellular network. GSM phones are assigned with 15–17-digit identifiers. It is your device’s social security number. It identifies the device uniquely and the network it is being used on.
How to get the IMEI number of your phone?
The simplest way is, you will get an IMEI number on the label of the mobile battery. If it is not clear then use the following steps to retrieve the IMEI number of your phone.
- Dial *#06# on your phone device.
- Click on the “settings” and then click on “General”.
- Click on the “change device” link then select your device and enter “find IMEI number”.
- The article will be displayed for your device, follow the instructions.
How does IMEI help service providers?
GSM uses subscriber identity module cards to store subscribers’ information. Customers can easily switch the SIM card from one device to another and start making calls without any problem. It helps operators identify valid customers and disable the devices from their end if reported lost or stolen.
IMEI is hardcoded by the manufacturer; it helps the carrier understand the capabilities of the device; it helps the provider to get the device to a nearby tower for connection.
If you lose your phone or if it gets stolen, IMEI will help you make sure the person who stole it won’t be able to use your device. The device can be denied service to any cellular network even if the SIM is changed.
What is PUK?
PUK stands for personal unlocking key. suppose you are using the native security feature of the cell phone and accidentally you have locked your SIM card. In such cases make use of PUK to unlock the SIM card.
You need to call all the customer care support to get a PUK code. Once you will retrieve it, enter the code to unlock the SIM card.
You will have to enter this code correctly because if you enter it incorrectly many times, then the SIM may be permanently locked.
How to unlock Verizon phones?
If you want to use a Verizon phone on T-mobile then your phone must be unlocked. First check that eligibility criteria for unlocking are satisfied.
Unlocking postpaid phones
Unlocking Verizon phones is absolutely free. The Verizon carrier automatically unlocks your device after 60 days of service provided that you have satisfied all eligibility criteria.
Unlocking prepaid phones
- To unlock prepaid phones the following steps are used.
- Insert a new sim card into the cell phone and switch on the phone.
- Enter the code “000000” or “123456”.
- For manual help call customer care support.
Steps to unlock Verizon iphone
- Click on the phone app of your iPhone.
- Tap the keypad to dial *611, It will connect you to Verizon customer care service.
- Make a request for “carrier unlock”.
- Wait for unlocking confirmation.
Unlocking iPhone using iTunes
Even after satisfying all eligibility criteria, it may happen that your iPhone is still not unlocked. In this case, use the following steps to unlock the iPhone using iTunes.
- First, complete the iTunes backup.
- Reset your iPhone.
- Once the welcome screen gets opened, reinstall the backup files by connecting the iPhone to iTunes.
- Try this using Unlock features.
How to check whether the cell phone is already unlocked?
Some network carriers provide cell phones which are already unlocked. To check whether your cell phone is already unlocked or not there are some simple methods.
- Call your current network carrier and ask for the information, whether your cell phone is locked or unlocked.
- If you have a GSM cell phone then the simplest technique is; to remove the original sim card, insert another SIM card and check whether you can make calls or send a text. if you are in a position to make a call or send a text then your phone is unlocked.
How to check the compatibility of your phone?
Even if you have an unlocked phone, you need to check the compatibility of your device on the T-Mobile network. Use the IMEI number to check whether your device is compatible with T-Mobile or not.
Can you continue the current phone number and select the T-Mobile phone plan?
Yes, you can keep your old phone number when you transfer to T-Mobile. The next step will be to select a suitable phone plan.
T-Mobile phone plans
Under this category, we will consider the following significant plans
- Unlimited plans
- Family plans
- Prepaid plans
Unlimited plans
It is a plan which gives unlimited text and voice for the entire month. It also includes unlimited data. But after reaching a specific data limit, the data speed is affected, and it is reduced.
Technically, these plans are unlimited, but the fact is that speed gets reduced as you go on using premium data.
What’s an unlimited plan?
It is a plan which gives unlimited text and voice for the entire month. It also includes unlimited data. But after reaching a specific data limit, the data speed is affected, and it is reduced. Comparing unlimited plans of both the network providers, T- mobile has an edge, some unlimited plans from T mobile are cheap, and you get more premium data.
What do you mean by premium data?
It is internet data that runs over 4G LTE and 5G networks. It provides data speed from 30 to 100 Mbps.
T-Mobile provides three unlimited data plans:
- Essential unlimited plan
- magenta unlimited plan
- magenta plus unlimited plan.
| Plan | Price per line | Unlimited text and talk | Premium data | Mobile hotspot data | Unlimited Video streaming | |
| Essential | $60 | Applicable | 50GB | Unlimited at 3GB speed | Sd streaming | |
| Magenta | $70 | Applicable | 100GB | 5GB high-speed data | Sd streaming | |
| Magenta plus | $85 | Applicable | Unlimited | 40GB high-speed data | Up to 4k UHD streaming |
Family plans.
T-Mobile network providers give reasonable offers for family plans. If you add lines, then the cost per line will get reduced. For the magenta max family plan, if you add one line, the cost per line will be reduced by $15. If you add more lines, you can bring the cost down to $40 per line. It’s a perfect offer for totally unlimited and high-speed data. Speed up to 30 Mbps or even more can be obtained.
Prepaid plans
T-Mobile offers its prepaid plans. The range of prepaid plans is from $45 to $75 per month. You can avail 4GB of LTE data for $45 and 10GB of data for $50. At the higher end, T-mobile offers unlimited data plans for $75.
How to activate SIM with T-Mobile?
To activate your SIM card, use the following steps.
- Log in to your T-Mobile account.
- Provide the security verification details.
- Select the option either SIM or eSIM.
- Enter the EID number of your phone. It is the serial number of your device.
Below are other Verizon articles you may be interested in:
Can I use Verizon iphone on T-Mobile?
Do Verizon phones take sim cards?
Does Cellcom use Verizon towers?
Conclusion:
This blog explains to you all the ways by which you use Verizon phones on T-Mobile. This blog gives you details about unlocking the phone, checking compatibility with the T-Mobile network, and steps to activate your phone with the T-Mobile network.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs): Can Verizon phones work on T-Mobile?
Is it worth switching from Verizon to T-mobile?
Verizon Wireless network is the largest service provider in the United States.
T-Mobile is the third-largest wireless network provider in the United States.
T-mobile offers better plans. It provides a good combination of extras and perks with each plan.
How to check IMEI?
To check the IMEI number of your device following steps are used.
- From the Home screen, select Main Menu.
- Scroll to and select Settings.
- Scroll to and select Phone Settings.
- Scroll to and select Phone info.
- Scroll to and select Version info.
- Scroll to and view the IMEI.
You can find the number in your phone’s settings. For iPhone use the following steps.
Go to Settings > General, then About.
Or
On the dial pad screen, press *#06#, and you will see the IMEI. Some phones require you to press the send key after the code.
Are all Verizon iPhones compatible with the T-Mobile network?
Most of the new iPhones are compatible with the T-Mobile network. But if you have an iPhone 6 or earlier model, it may not be fully functional with T-Mobile.
How to decide whether your Verizon iphone is eligible for unlocking?
- You must have purchased the cellular phone from Sprint.
- The cell phone should not be reported as blocked or lost.
- An account concerned with the Device must be active for a minimum of 60 days.
- Any associated service agreement must be fulfilled. For example installation billing agreement, lease agreement.
- Depending upon prepaid or postpaid plans, the Device should satisfy all necessary unlock requirements.
- The device must have SIM unlock capability.
How to set up your iPhone with T-Mobile?
- Check out the compact ability of your phone.
- Check out whether your phone supports the frequency band of T-Mobile carrier.
- Use “online SIM is checker” to find out which SIM card is suitable for your device.
- Set up and configure your iPhone.
How do I check if my T-Mobile IMEI is clear?
You need to go to your settings and find out your device’s IMEI number. Once you have your IMEI number, you can go to the official T mobile website to check if the IMEI is clear.
Are all cell phones locked?
All cell phones are not locked. The cell phone purchased from a carrier under some contract is locked. However, if you purchase a phone directly from the manufacturer, it is unlocked. In this case, you can easily switch from one carrier to another.
References:
T-Mobile vs Verizon: Which carrier is better for you?
By Ryan Haines November 1, 2021,
How to Switch Your Verizon iPhone to Another Carrier
03 March 2021
By Chris Holmes WhistleOut
Can I Bring My iPhone to Another Carrier?
CRAIG LLOYD @craigelloyd
Updated October 16, 2018,
7 things the Verizon iPhone doesn’t have
The Verizon iPhone may answer some peoples’ smartphone prayers, but it isn’t without its caveats.
Jessica Dolcourt headshot
Jessica Dolcourt
Feb. 2, 2011,
What are Phone Bands (GSM, CDMA) and Why Do They Matter?
Does Verizon Use SIM Cards? (Everything To Know)