You can give your old mobile phone to someone else, like a friend or family member, when upgrading to a newer handset.
Every year, millions of us upgrade to a new mobile phone. Rather than leaving your old mobile phone unused in a sock drawer, a good option is giving your old mobile phone to someone else, like a friend or family member.
In the UK, you’re allowed to give your mobile phone to someone else providing you own it. In the vast majority of cases, you’ll own your mobile phone providing you bought it on a Pay Monthly contract, on Pay As You Go or on a SIM-free basis. You’ll normally own your handset even when you’re in the middle of your contract, but there are a few exceptions so it’s worth double-checking this in the contract (e.g. on EE’s Pay Monthly plans, you won’t own your handset until you’ve had your price plan for 6 months). On some price plans (e.g. Sky Mobile Swap), you’ll own your mobile phone but it’s typically expected that you’ll trade it in after a certain amount of time.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to give your old mobile phone to someone else. We’ll start by providing a checklist of things you should do, before looking at how your friend or family member can get started with the device. We’ll also discuss the alternative options available to you, like selling your old mobile phone or recycling it.
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You can access the internet on your smartphone using either a 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G connection. Find out how download speeds compare.
When it comes to mobile internet download speeds, terms like 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G are often used. Referring to four different generations of mobile technology, each of them gives a very different download speed.
Older 2G connections give a download speed of around 0.1Mbit/s, with this rising to around 8Mbit/s on the most advanced 3G networks. Speeds of around 60Mbit/s are available on 4G mobile networks in the UK (but this can be substantially higher in other countries like the US). Next-generation 5G mobile networks are targeting a download speed of over 1,000Mbit/s (1Gbit/s).
In this article, we take an in-depth look into the topic of download speeds and see how 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mobile networks compare. We’ll also consider the real-world speeds and how they’ll impact upon your actual day-to-day usage.
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A dual-SIM phone allows you to use two different SIM cards, with two mobile networks and two phone numbers on a single device.
Traditionally, dual-SIM smartphones have been a rarity in the UK mobile market. However, they’ve rapidly grown in popularity over the last few years as an increasing number of people buy unlocked smartphones from manufacturers like Huawei, Motorola and OnePlus.
Dual-SIM smartphones allow you to use two different SIM cards at the same time on one handset. This means you can be simultaneously connected to two mobile networks on just one device. The advantages range from being able to use a single device for both personal and work usage, to being able to take advantage of greater coverage and lower price on two mobile networks.
In this article, we’ll discuss how you can benefit from a dual-SIM smartphone, and what you should look out for when choosing a dual-SIM device. We’ll then look at how you can buy a dual-SIM smartphone from mobile phone retailers in the UK.
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By understanding the UK’s telephone numbering scheme, you can work out how much a phone call will cost you.
In the UK, it’s normally possible to work out the cost of a phone call and whether it’s included in your allowance simply by looking at the phone number.
The most important thing to look at is the telephone number prefix (or the first few digits at the start of the phone number). The telephone number prefix dictates the cost of your call, and whether it’s included within your plan.
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If you’d like to use a Samsung Galaxy smartphone on a different mobile network, you might need to unlock it. Find out how to unlock a Samsung Galaxy from networks in the UK.
If your Samsung Galaxy smartphone was purchased from a mobile network in the UK, there’s a good chance it’ll be locked to the mobile network you bought it from.
Before you can use your handset on another network, you’ll first need to go through the process of unlocking it. This is often necessary to take advantage of a cheaper SIM-only deal or to use a different SIM card when travelling abroad. It could also allow you to give your old smartphone to friends or family, regardless of which mobile network they’re on.
In this article, we’ll take you through the process of unlocking a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. We’ll start by showing you how to find out if your handset is locked and how to find the IMEI number on your handset. We’ll then discuss how you can unlock your Galaxy smartphone from each of the UK’s major mobile networks, including how much you can expect it to cost.
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You may need to unlock your iPhone before you’re able to use it on other networks. Find out how to unlock an iPhone from UK mobile networks.
If your iPhone was purchased in the UK, there’s a good chance it’ll locked to your mobile network operator. Before you’re able to use a SIM card from a different mobile network (either in the UK or abroad), you may therefore first need to unlock your iPhone. If you don’t unlock your iPhone before attempting to use it on another network, you’ll receive an error message on your phone stating “SIM Not Valid”.
A major benefit of unlocking your iPhone is the ability to access cheaper tariffs in the UK. You can also use your iPhone abroad with a different SIM card whilst travelling, drastically reducing how much you pay for roaming. Finally, unlocking your iPhone will allow you to pass it on to others (e.g. a family member or for sale on websites like eBay).
In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of unlocking an iPhone. We’ll show you to how to check whether your iPhone needs to be unlocked. We’ll also show you how to find your iPhone’s IMEI number and how to request an unlock from your network (including the costs and the timeframe for unlocking). We’ll also discuss SIM-free iPhones, some of which may be locked if you purchased it prior to July 2017.
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O2’s Classic Pay As You Go tariff charged 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB. Customers get 4G coverage and access to O2 Priority.
O2 Classic Pay As You Go is no longer available to new customers. O2’s Classic Pay As You Go was available between the 17th November 2016 and the 6th November 2019. If you’re not already a customer, consider
joining 1pMobile instead (1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB using coverage from EE).
In the UK, O2 offered a Pay As You Go tariff known as Classic Pay As You Go. Designed for light mobile users, the tariff had no regular monthly charges. Instead, customers only paid for what they actually used at the rates of 3p/minute, 2p/text and 1p/MB.
Customers on Classic Pay As You Go have full access to O2’s network, including 2G, 3G and 4G coverage. They also qualify for Priority, O2’s exclusive customer offers programme. This comes with a number of benefits such as a free hot drink from Caffè Nero most Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
As of November 2019, the Classic Pay As You Go tariff has been withdrawn for new customers. Instead, you should now consider joining 1pMobile instead, who charge 1p/minute, 1p/text and 1p/MB. Customers who are already on Classic Pay As You Go can remain on the plan for the time being.
Order 1pMobile SIM Card →
In this article, we’ll review O2’s Classic Pay As You Go tariff. We’ll start by looking at how much it costs and at the features and benefits of the tariff. We’ll then compare it to the deals available on other mobile networks before discussing coverage and how you can keep your existing phone number when moving to Classic Pay As You Go.
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Everything you need to know about mobile unlocking. Find out which networks lock their phones, how to unlock your handset and where to buy a new unlocked smartphone.
In the UK, some mobile networks will lock your smartphone to their network so you won’t be able to use the handset on a different network. The process of removing these restrictions is known as ‘mobile unlocking’. Following a successful unlock, network restrictions will be removed and you’ll be able to use your mobile phone on any compatible mobile network.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about mobile phone unlocking. We’ll start from the benefits of unlocking your handset and how it allows you to get cheaper deals both in the UK and abroad. We’ll then look at the handset locking policy on each UK network before discussing how you can unlock an existing smartphone. Finally, we’ll discuss how to buy a new unlocked smartphone from retailers in the UK.
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Find out how much it’ll cost to use your mobile phone abroad and the various ways to save money on international roaming.
Every year, millions of us travel abroad. When we do so, we’ll often want to use our mobile phones to stay connected and to help us find our way around.
In this section of the website, we’ll look at how much it’ll cost to use your mobile phone abroad in top destinations (including Europe, Spain, the USA, Canada, Turkey and India).
We’ll also share some our top tips for getting the most out of your phone when abroad: from using wi-fi to save money to downloading maps so they’re available offline.
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If you’ve purchased a SIM-free iPhone from certain UK retailers, it may have locked itself to the first mobile network you used on the handset.
Typically, a SIM-free mobile phone is also an unlocked smartphone. As you’ll have paid the full retail price for your handset upfront (up to £1,000 for the latest flagship smartphone), you’ll normally be able to use the handset on the mobile network of your choice. For instance, you could get a cheap SIM-only deal or you could use a free Pay As You Go SIM card inside the handset.
Historically, things haven’t always been so simple when purchasing a SIM-free iPhone in the UK. In the past, SIM-free iPhones from certain UK retailers (including the Carphone Warehouse) would lock themselves to the first mobile network used on the handset. The iPhones were also restricted to only working on UK mobile networks. Nowadays, this is no longer the case for newly-purchased iPhones but you may still be affected if your iPhone was purchased in the past.
We’d currently recommend buying your SIM-free iPhone from John Lewis. You’ll benefit from a 2-year guarantee at no extra charge, along with the John Lewis “Never Knowingly Undersold” promise. The standard warranty on an iPhone is just 1 year when purchased from most other retailers.
In this article, we’ll discuss SIM-free iPhones in the UK and we’ll look at how the unlocking status differs depending on where you buy it. We’ll also look at the best places to buy a permanently-unlocked iPhone and how you can unlock a SIM-free iPhone from your mobile network.
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