As of 2020, BT, which also includes EE, holds the largest share of the UK mobile network market, with 29.2 million customers. Formed as a joint venture in 2010, EE was purchased by BT in April 2018. As of 2016, EE’s combined coverage reaches almost 99% of the UK population. Some pretty impressive achievements for a company only a decade old. Millions of people purchase iPhones in the UK each year, 7.1 million in 2019 alone, a figure which will almost certainly be topped in 2020 with the release of the iPhone 12.
Laws of probability would suggest that given the number of iPhones sold in the UK and the size of the EE network that millions of those devices are locked to the EE network.
Not just in mobile, but in all walks of life, consumer preference is changing. More so than ever buyers are pursuing flexibility and freedom, with technology ever-evolving the ability to swap and change on short notice is alluring, particularly to early adopters. With this in mind, the classic phone contract becomes ever more unattractive. Growing in popularity as the demand for expensive devices grew rapidly, handsets bought through these kinds of the contract make purchasing new devices more manageable but offer a distinct lack of flexibility.
For people looking to Unlock EE iPhone handsets and it is worth searching for the best method, much in the same way that anyone looking to unlock their EE Apple device would do so.
3 Methods to Unlock Your Device
Professional Unlocking Services – You may consider specialising in unlocking phones and who will therefore provide a professional IMEI unlocking service. DirectUnlocks, for example work with a third-party company to ‘whitelist’ your device on Apple’s database. This means that even if you have to update your firmware or perform a hard reset, the device remains unlocked for good.
Manufacturer Unlock – Depending on who your network provider is, they may allow you to unlock your device directly through them. However, this is not always the case and different network providers have varying rules as to whether they will or will not allow you to unlock your device through them. Many networks will not allow you to unlock your device until you have paid for it in its entirety or for at least 6 months. Others will allow you to unlock but will charge you more than other professional unlocking services. You’ll also have to work within their timeframes and processes.
Alternative Methods – Now we’ve discussed the legitimate, albeit one much more convenient than the other, methods of unlocking, we also discovered some alternative methods that are far less reliable and which are worth avoiding. Google searches will return suggestions of ‘jailbreaking’ which is a non-legitimate method which does not guarantee success or the functioning of your phone following the attempt to unlock. There are also several local stores which claim to be able to unlock your device but will need to take your device and can’t guarantee their reputation.
There’s an almost endless list of benefits to unlocking your iPhone from EE, in the age of flexibility and freedom it seems almost absurd not to unlock. Unlocking means you can pick and choose the usage deal that works for you without being restricted to a single network. When selling your device, you’re likely to attract more customers and sell for roughly 20-30% more. You can also travel, for business or pleasure, without facing expensive roaming charges from your current network.
If you do decide to unlock your device, you must choose a method that is reliable, customer-friendly and stands the test of time. Hopefully, this guide has given you the information you need for peace of mind when unlocking your mobile device from EE. You’ll want to keep in mind that with the iPhone 12 release soon, unlocking will help you make the most out of your iPhone.
For more information, visit Direct Unlocks
