Ever since the Librarian of Congress that essentially makes it illegal to unlock your phone without your carrier's permission, there's been intense interest in the issue. But when it comes to unlocked cell phones, there's also been a lot of confusion. Many people have been looking for ways to unlock their devices.

Confused about locked vs. Unlocked phones? Ask Maggie explains. What are the explicit differences between a locked and unlocked phone?

Web site Mobile Unlocked, which sells unlock codes to consumers, says sales of unlock codes are up 71 percent. But others are still trying to figure out what the heck device-locking is all about and how and if their own smartphones can be unlocked. How Do I Unlock Iphone 4 To Any Network. Iphone Disabled Unlock Code. There's no question millions of consumers are still confused about cell phone unlocking. Aside from the legal issues, there are technical issues that may even make cell phone unlocking impossible for some consumers. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I re-examine this issue and offer some basic information about what a cell phone lock is.

I explain on which wireless networks cell phones can be unlocked. And I caution consumers to investigate before they buy a device they think is unlocked. I also explain to another reader why he can't bring just any phone to his prepaid Virgin Mobile service. Locked versus unlocked phones: What's it all mean? Could you please explain the concept of carrier locks on cell phones? It is a tremendously confusing topic. I think I know the basics, but there are always strange technicalities that I keep seeing that just throw me off and make me question whether I really know how the system works.