Most phones are “locked”, meaning you can’t switch out SIM cards w/out the carrier authorizing it. However, those phones can also be “unlocked” which does allow for easy swapping of SIMs. This is useful when you go overseas. If your phone is unlocked, you can buy a local SIM card and get cheap rates while there. Once you’re back home, swap out the foreign SIM for your regular carrier again.
Yeah; meanwhile I have your basic $15 Virgin Mobile model
and pay as you go :)
Most phones are locked to only allow use on a specific carrier. Unlocking will let you use any carrier you wish.
However, the switching of sims is unaffected by this. In my long and expensive quest for the perfect smartphone, I’ve bought many a carrier locked phone on eBay and just popped my sim in.
So aren’t sidekicks ‘locked’ by design? Wouldn’t that reneder the phone useless to the crook?
I guess this is what was the case with mine.