How To Unlock Samsung Galaxy S4 For Free and Break Carrier Chains

ByJagdish Purohit January 16, 2014May 13, 2021

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is currently one of the best Android smartphones in the world. It has loads of apps and all the features that you would want in a premium Android smartphone. While there is almost nothing that you can’t do on your Galaxy S4, some users are limited to using their device if locked by a carrier contract. If your device is carrier locked, then you might face a lot of problems, especially not being able to use your phone in a different country.

Note: For easy, safe and guaranteed rooting of Android Devices with 24×7 Support you can try using Once Click Root

Usually, you can get your device unlocked through the carrier by paying a small fee, and you can also use an IMEI unlock service. We will tell you how to unlock Samsung Galaxy S4 for free, without paying a penny or using any third party service. The unlocking process takes only a couple of minutes, and you will be able to use any other SIM/Carrier on your device after unlocking your Galaxy S4. After that, ambitious types can even root their Galaxy S4.

A Warning Before You Unlock Your Phone

Although we try to provide methods that work for everybody, unlocking a phone is not always the most reliable tactic. You’ll notice that some techniques may not work for your model or carrier. In this case, simply move onto a new method. You also might find that none of the methods work. In this case your carrier probably makes it so that you cannot unlock your phone. They usually do this to keep you on contract. They only give out an unlock code if you plan on traveling for a bit. We apologize if you cannot unlock your phone, but the following methods are the best you can find.

Method 1: Special Dial Codes

This is possibly the only effective and reliable method to unlock your Galaxy S4 for free, without the use of any third party service. The method is quite easy and it will only take a couple of minutes before your Galaxy S4 is free from your carrier contract. This method will work with any carrier and a lot of users have had success using this method.

Note: This method will only work on stock Samsung ROMs so all of those using custom ROMs should use the second method.

Step 1

Remove the carrier SIM card you are using from your Galaxy S4 and insert the SIM card of another carrier that you would like to use. If you don’t have another SIM card yet, you can use this method without a SIM card inserted in your phone as well.

Step 2

Now, go to your phone dialer and dial *#27663368378#. You don’t need to press the Call button since after you dial the numbers, you will automatically be taken to the ServiceMode screen. If nothing happens when you dial the above code, you will need to dial *#0011# instead.

Step 3

Press the Menu button on your Samsung Galaxy S4. You will get a menu list while in ServiceMode. Click on the Back option while you are in the menu. Now, press the Menu button again on your device and this time, click on Key Input.

Step 4

You will now see a text box pop up for the input key. Simply, enter 1 and click on OK. Press the Menu button one more time and click on Back. You will now be taken to the ServiceMode main options menu.

Step 5

Next, tap on [1] UMTS. This will take you to the main UMTS menu. After that, tap on [1] DEBUG SCREEN.

Step 6

While in the DEBUG SCREEN menu, tap on [6] PHONE CONTROL. Under PHONE CONTROL, click on [6] NETWORK LOCK.

Step 7

You will now see three PERSO options. Click on [3] PERSO SHA256 OFF.

Step 8

Now, you need to go back to the main menu. For this, simply press the Menu button followed by the Back option in the menu list. Under the main menu of UMTS, click on [6] COMMON.

Step 9

You will now be in the ServiceMode COMMON menu. Here, select [6] NV REBUILD. You will now get a notification popup saying that a Golden Backup exists. Simply tap on [4] Restore Back-up.

Step 10

Now, wait for your device to go through a strange process. Your Galaxy S4 might freeze for a couple of seconds, get a black screen and light up the notification LED. After this process, your phone will reboot automatically. Your device will be fully unlocked and carrier free after that. You will be able to use any SIM card on your device and won’t need to worry about your carrier any more.

Method 2: GalaxySim Unlock (Root)

This is a less reliable app for unlocking the Galaxy S4, however, a lot of users have had success using this simple app. The method is probably the easiest and quickest way to unlock your device with just a couple of taps. Downloaded by over 500,000 users, the method should work on most Galaxy S4 devices locked with any carrier. You will need root access in order to use the app.