Are you inserting a new SIM Card on a phone and getting the ‘Phone Not Allowed’ message? This is one of the issues of having a phone which is linked to one particular carrier. Carrier phones work in a different way, and do not welcome SIMs of other carriers, which limits their usage. Be it a trip abroad or plans to resell your phone, a locked phone weighs you down with many limitations. Fortunately, there are many ways to solve this problem and unlock your device to many more possibilities.
Buying a smartphone from a carrier company is not bad at all. Firstly, these companies have made phones cheaper and more affordable for all. More people use new technology which is very useful in their daily lives. But the smartphone age has also given birth to a submarket of refurbished phones that benefits people by making phones even more affordable. Buyers of such phones face errors like ‘phone not allowed’ when they try to insert a SIM into their purchased device. This is when people find out that the phone is locked.
About the Phone Not Allowed MM#6 Error & How to Fix it
The MM#6 error is what you see on the screen of a locked phone when you try to make calls or send text messages from a different carrier SIM. This is why, it is very important to buy an unlocked phone that does not cause you trouble after purchase. But, is there anything you can do about a locked phone?
We have listed 5 ways in which users can unlock their phone and work around this error.
1. Call the SIM Provider (Works in 99% of the Cases)
The fastest and easiest way of avoiding the carrier issue is by contacting the SIM provider. The customer service department will take care of your issue and guide you on how to unlock the phone. but, this won’t be as simple as a call to the customer service. Here are some roadblocks you may face:
- If you purchase a phone which was stolen or blacklisted, you cannot provide details about it to the customer service
- The carrier in most cases will charge you a fee to unlock the phone, called ‘equipment switch’
- Some phones come with a linked phone number, which will be very hard to erase or unlink
2. The Operations Menu
Some carriers allow you to resolve this issue by dialing *#78# which brings up an operations menu. You can disengage the carrier with the help of this menu and unlock your device. Then, you can switch to a different SIM Card and your phone will be good to use. Not all carriers come with this helpful feature so you will know once you try this option.
3. Learn About your Phone Model
If the first two steps did not help unlock your phone, then you will have to contact your next best friend: the internet. Search for you particular phone model, its carrier and how you can solve the issue. One standard tip you might find through this search is rooting. Learn all about rooting if it applies to your phone model and carrier type.
5. SIM Unlocking Service
Do you own an iPhone and want to use it on a different carrier? If your budget is up to a hundred dollars, you can try the SIM Unlocker chip. It enables you to use your phone on any carrier with its unique chip. However, check the compatibility of the chip with your phone first.
5. Last Resort
When all else fails, you have to take your phone to the carrier and get this problem solved. After all, this is the sanest way to deal with the phone error. The company will provide you with a solution which is long-term, safe and abides by the US laws. You can reach out to them via call or email and explain the situation at hand.
Last Word
We hope this article helped you solve this problem. If it did not, we would recommend tip #5 as last resort. In order to avoid this error altogether, we will always advise you to be careful when purchasing a secondhand device. Get your secondhand phone from a reputable service and make sure that it is not linked to a carrier company. If you have any other tips or comments about this error, we would love to read those in the comments section.
