Phones purchased from Verizon are typically locked for 60 days after the time of purchase or activation. After 60 days, Verizon unlocks phones automatically. Customers don’t need to take any action for their phones to be unlocked after. The unlocking policy is the same for both Android and iOS phones purchased from Verizon.
Military exemption
Members of the military may be able to get a phone unlocked even if a phone hasn’t been owned for 60 days. Per Verizon:
Unlocking policy history
Years ago, Verizon began selling all of its phones unlocked. The policy came about thanks to negotiations with the FCC that ultimately gave Verizon more spectrum rights. In 2019, Verizon received approval from the FCC to lock phones for a brief, 60-day period. Verizon argued that it needed to put the locking policy in place to reduce fraudulent subscriptions.
Unlocked phone compatibility
Locked phones are tied to a specific carrier or network. While unlocked phones are not tied to a specific network, they aren’t guaranteed to work with every network. Many unlocked phones will lack the hardware necessary to work on some networks. For more information, see Phone Compatibility & Unlocking Explained.
