How To Know If My Phone Is Gsm

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This wikiHow teaches yous how to decide whether your phone uses a CDMA network or a GSM network. Knowing this information is important if y'all want to remove a carrier lock from your phone, or if you lot want to utilise a specific carrier's SIM card in your unlocked phone.

Steps

1
Take into account your location. Unless you're using a phone purchased in either the United States or Russian federation, your phone well-nigh likely uses GSM.^[1]
- Fifty-fifty with the United states using CDMA with 2 of its major cellular networks, only around 18 percent of cellular networks in the world utilise CDMA.
two
Understand that most smartphones utilize LTE. CDMA and GSM are 3G networks, but both CDMA- and GSM-networked phones are able to apply 4G (LTE) every bit long equally the smartphone itself supports a 4G-enabled SIM card. This ways that choosing between CDMA and GSM may not be necessary if you're not attempting to switch to a dissimilar network.^[ii]
- This means that your phone having a SIM card no longer helps determine whether you lot're using CDMA or GSM.
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3
Consider your current carrier. By default, Dart, US Cellular, and Verizon use CDMA for their phones, while AT&T, Virgin Mobile, and T-Mobile apply GSM. If you bought the phone from a carrier, just knowing the carrier'southward proper noun will be enough to tell you what the network type is.
- Verizon phones come equipped with CDMA, simply they also support GSM.
- If you bought an "unlocked" phone, that ways the telephone itself can be used on any carrier's network. In which case, knowing current carrier'south network won't tell you if your telephone uses GSM or CDMA.
four
Bank check your phone'southward "About" settings. If you see a MEID or an ESN category, your phone requires CDMA; if you lot meet an IMEI category, your phone is GSM. If you come across both (e.g., Verizon phones), your telephone supports both CDMA and GSM, and may use either network. Utilise the following steps to cheque your phone'southward "About" settings:^[three]
- iPhone:
  - Open up the Settings app.
  - Tap Full general.
  - Tap About.
  - Scroll downward to look for the MEID (or ESN) or IMEI number.
- Android:
  - Open the Settings app.
  - Scroll down and tap System (Android Oreo only).
  - Tap Most phone.
  - Tap Status,
  - Look for an MEID (or ESN) or IMEI number.
5
Look up your telephone's model number. If y'all still can't make up one's mind whether or not your phone is CDMA or GSM, effort looking upwards the phone's model number. Y'all can notice this in the telephone's manual, or yous can check your phone's Nearly settings. An online search will display the type of network associated with the telephone model.
- iPhones have the model number listed on the back of the phone'southward housing, though the number can be difficult to run into if you lot have a black or space-greyness version.
vi
Check your telephone'due south specifications. The documentation that came with your telephone should have a list of specifications that say whether or not your telephone uses GSM or CDMA. You can also check the specifications for your phone manufacturer'south website.
- If you lot no longer have your telephone's model, effort visiting the phone manufacturer'due south site, and looking upwards the blazon of telephone you accept (e.g., iPhone vii, jet black, 128 gigabytes). You can narrow it downwardly from there.
7
Call your current carrier. If you take a current carrier, you can call them to inquire whether your phone is CDMA or GSM. They will most probable need your phone's IMEI or MEID number, equally well equally your name and other account data.
- Over again, if your phone is unlocked and has never used a specific carrier, y'all'll have to look up the telephone's model number. Calling a carrier won't work.

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Question

Are at that place dissimilar sized sim cards?

Yes, there are. As electronic circuits are becoming smaller in size and weight, sim cards come in two types - micro sim and nano sim.
Question

I accept a Samsung Galaxy S3 with a SIM carte du jour slot that was used with a Verizon plan. So what network does this run on? GSM or CDMA?

Some phones support both GSM and CDMA. In this case, the phone works with any GSM carrier, just will not necessarily piece of work with any CDMA carrier.
Question

I have a Galaxy S3 that I bought from Verizon. According to what I read is is CDMA; it also has what I think is a SIM bill of fare - that means it's GSM. Obviously it can't be both. How to resolve this conundrum?

Some phones support both GSM and CDMA. In this example, the phone works with any GSM carrier, but will not necessarily work with any CDMA carrier.

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GSM phones are most usually used throughout Europe and Asia, and are usually preferred while traveling due to their modularity.
When you take your phone into a carrier's store, yous may exist able to decide whether it supports both networks. Some phones, such as certain models of Verizon phones, support both CDMA and GSM networks via multiple SIM card slots.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

If you can't find your phone's model number anywhere, you may need to take the phone into a manufacturer shop (eastward.g., an iPhone would get to an Apple tree store and a Samsung Galaxy would get to a Samsung dealer) to have a professional person determine your phone's model and network type. This is usually free.

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Commodity Summary 10

iPhone:
one. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Nearly.
4. If you see MEID or ESN, your phone is CDMA.
5. If you meet IMEI, your telephone is GSM.

Android:
1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Nearly telephone.
iii. Tap Status.
four. If you see MEID or ESN, your telephone is CDMA.
5. If you see IMEI, your phone is GSM.

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