What does it mean when they say a cell phone is locked or unlocked?

Answer by  kellij66 (91)

If a cell phone is locked, it means you can only use 1 carrier with that particular phone. If it's unlocked then you could put your SIM card in no matter what carrier you have and the phone would work

Answer by  Katie57 (169)

Many cell phones come with a locking feature. When you put your phone in lock mode (usually by selecting it from a menu on your phone), you prevent the phone from accidentally dialing a number. This is most useful for non-flip style phones.

Answer by  kaoshavoc (11)

If a phone is locked it means that it can only be used by a certain phone company. If you unlock a phone then you can take it to any provider that you want provided they use the same reception technology.

Answer by  Cathy65 (652)

A locked cell phone means that the keypad is locked. This keeps you from accidentally dialing numbers when the phone is in your purse or pocket. Unlocked means you can dial numbers.

Answer by  tyler13 (92)

When a cell phone is unlocked it means that it can be used. For instance, you can make a call, text message, surf the web, etc. When a cell phone is locked it is unusable or frozen. Usually a code has to be typed in to unlock it.

Answer by  TwoToneDodge (2204)

When a cell phone is locked it means the owner of the phone has set up a oassword activation that lockes down all functions intil it is typed in. You will need this password to used the phone.