Do you know about SIM-Lock and SIM-Free smartphones? If your phone is bought from a carrier in Japan, there is a good chance the smartphone may be locked to the carrier. If so, the phone cannot be used with other network carriers (in Japan and overseas). But fear not! We will show you how to SIM-unlock a smartphone from au!
Unlocking an au smartphone
1. Conditions for unlocking a smartphone
① Currently under an au contract
- Complete the process through My au (Free)
- Complete the process at an au Shop (3,000 JPY)
Complete the process through either of the above. It is recommended that you complete the process online through My au since it is free.
② If you are not under a contract (canceled contract, bought the phone used, someone gave it to you, etc.)
- Complete the process at an au Shop（3,000 JPY）ONLY
If you purchased your phone from someone other than the au shop, it is not possible to unlock your smartphone on My au online.
In addition, 101 days or more need to have passed since the product was purchased and paid in full. If you do not know the purchase date of your phone or purchase method, you can check this information at an au shop.
2. Using the My au Unlock Method (Online)
Now that we have checked that we are able to unlock the phone, it is time to get to what you have been waiting for…unlocking your phone!
Follow the instructions below to get the IMEI and go through the online au website to unlock a smartphone.
① Go to the au website, and go to the SIM unlock procedure [SIMロック解除のお手続き] page
② Click the SIM unlock procedure [SIMロック解除のお手続き] button at the bottom
③ At the login page, log in using your au account details
④ Go to the bottom of the page and see if your smartphone is able to be unlocked or not
⑤ If you can unlock your smartphone, put a checkmark in the checkbox in the upper left corner
⑥ Go to the bottom and click Next
⑦ Select the reason for canceling and then click Apply using the above information [この内容で申し込む]
⑧ Congratulations! The unlock smartphone procedure is complete!
*For Android smartphones, you will receive an unlock code [解除コード].
*The final step for unlocking the phone using the unlock code may be different depending on your smartphone. You can find more information on the au site for using non-au SIM cards with your now unlocked phone.
In Conclusion
What did you think? Were you able to unlock your smartphone so you can use it on a different carrier? Be sure to follow the instructions correctly. If you run into any issues, please contact au.
We try to keep this page as up-to-date as possible. However, please note that the information on this page may become outdated or may differ depending on your phone and situation. For up-to-date information on SIM unlocking smartphones from au, please visit au’s website.
au Website Unlocking Procedures
Final Words
Sakura Mobile also provides cellphone services to foreign residents living in Japan. There are many reasons that we can recommend Sakura Mobile.
Features of Sakura Mobile:
- docomo 4G LTE Network
- No 2-Year Binding Contract
- Reliable English Support
- Various Payment Methods
The newest Voice + Data SIM plans include 4GB for 2,980 JPY per month and 25GB for just 3,980 JPY per month for heavy users! Check out the details on the Sakura Mobile Official Page
If you have any questions about our services, please feel free to contact us here.
For other carriers
If you are looking to unlock a smartphone from another Japanese carrier, please check out the links below to find out how to unlock a smartphone from SoftBank and docomo.
How to Unlock a SoftBank Smartphone
How to Unlock a docomo Smartphone
