Question re unlocking an old phone

[Su1234]

I have a new phone and a new contract with O2 and kept my number. I gave my old phone to my grandson for his first day back at school...but it doesn't work as they don't have an O2 sim. I read that you go into the my O2 app to unlock the old phone, but that phone has been wiped and I don't live near them to do anything with it. I wondered if I would have a problem with my new phone (and new contract) if I took my sim out and put it back in the old phone anyway...can anyone please advise? I started a call with O2 but abandoned it when they started asking if I was talking about the phone I was on, as I didn't want anything to happen to my new phone!

[Su1234]

Thank you again, I'll get her to try that

[Su1234]

Ah well, it didn't work...so I'm back on the phone to O2 and the lady says they are escalating it...could take a while. She says they should have sent me an email with a code and instructions what to do, but it never arrived. What a terrible process O2 has for their old phones 😞

[MI5]

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@Su1234 wrote:

She says they should have sent me an email with a code and instructions what to do, but it never arrived. What a terrible process O2 has for their old phones 😞

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@Su1234 

I repeat again, you do not get a code for an iPhone.

Customer service are talking rubbish.

I do think it would help you to connect the phone to a PC with iTunes open.

[Su1234]

My daughter tried itunes and it didn't work though. Well I just spent an hour on the phone to O2 and got through to a lady who sounded knowledgeable and told me she was going to escalate it...however, she told me again that I would get instructions by email from O2 as to how to unlock it - and she mentioned the code again. I don't know what to think! She says it should be unlocked within 24 hours, but I've heard that before...She kept me on hold because she was going to talk to the people who escalate it - but she couldn't get a reply from them. It all sounds a real mess.

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@Su1234 

You should get an email and or a text to tell you it's unlocked.

You then just put a none O2 sim in it.

Nothing else, no codes, no secret menus, nothing.

[Su1234]

Well thank you, that will be a breeze if it is that simple! Let's hope they do it this time

[MI5]

Fingers crossed

[Su1234]

My daughter asked if I had tried to unlock the phone on the O2 app…I said yes, but there was nowhere to do it. So I figured I would go look at my O2 account on my pc. I couldn’t see anywhere to do it, then I noticed on one page (by accident) that my phone number was listed twice. Suddenly the penny dropped that one of them was referring to my old phone even tho I had taken the sim out and it no longer had that number. So I clicked on it and it gave me the option of unlocking it!! I hit the button and it said I would receive an email within 7 days…but the email came through in seconds, it simply said the phone is now unlocked, I told my daughter and the phone is now working with the different sim! You were absolutely right (of course), no codes, nothing to do…perfect! A happy grandson, thank you for all your help

[MI5]

Good to hear @Su1234 👍