doctorSIM Review: Is It Legit or a Scam? Does It Work?
  • Last updated on May 6, 2022
  • by Darren

We see a lot of smartphone owners pondering how to unlock their device from the restraints of a carrier. It’s usually the case that these same people start researching the best services to do so. Are you one of those people? We’ve got your back – our doctorSIM review is going to help you make this decision.

In this review, we’ll focus on what doctorSIM offers their customers, the pros and cons of it, and a few alternatives.

Part 1. doctorSIM Review: Read This before Trying

doctorsim-unlock-iphone

doctorSIM offers a lot of different smartphone services. Some of their main ones are:

  • Unlocking mobile phones from their carrier
  • Check if your mobile phone is on a blacklist (e.g. if it’s been stolen)
  • Purchase a mobile credit top up from anywhere in the world

Now, it’s normal to be sceptical about a website like this considering most people believe only hackers can unlock a mobile phone from its carrier. However, doctorSIM is different. No “black-hat” hacking is involved – this is a professional service.

From our experience unlocking an iPhone through this site, we thought the process was relatively straightforward. There were no hiccups and although the turnover can take up to a week, our order was fulfilled within 4 days.

1. Pros of doctorSIM

When it comes to this smartphone unlocking service, there’s plenty of pros:

Pro

  • Supports unlocking all major phone brands as well as many lesser-known brands
  • iPhone and Android smartphones don’t need to be jailbroken or rooted to unlock
  • Available to users in countries all over the world
  • Flawlessly simple process (input a few details, place your order, and a pro takes care of the rest)
  • You can also check if your smartphone has been reported as stolen and compare phone plans
  • Reasonably priced in comparison to having your carrier unlock your smartphone

1.2 Cons of doctorSIM

There are a handful of downsides to using this service to unlock a smartphone though, including:

  • Can sometimes take up to 7 days to unlock your smartphone (if you’re in a hurry, this isn’t ideal)
  • There are a few reports stating that the unlock service wasn’t effective (but the 30-day money back is guaranteed)

It’s a matter of weighing the pros and cons, and it’s clear the pros far outweigh the latter.

1.3 Is doctorSIM Fake or a Scam?

The short answer is no – doctorSIM is not a scam. It’s legit and effective for removing the limitations that network carriers put on smartphones, as well as running certain checks on them or topping up your credit while you travel.

Although this doctorSIM review is based on our own experience, if you don’t want to take our word for it then just look at the glimmering reviews. With over 18,500 reviews across the likes of Trustpilot and Twitter, it’s difficult to rule out the effectiveness of the services they offer.

1.4 Things You Need to Know before Unlocking

The most important thing you should know before using any iPhone unlocking service: check the blacklist status of your device with an accurate IMEI checker.

If your device is blacklisted (reported as stolen or lost) as the following picture shows, then there is no way to unlock your device unless you can remove it from the blacklist list.

example iphone xs imei check

Part 2. Top 3 Alternatives to doctorSIM

doctorSIM isn’t for everyone, we understand that. To provide as many people with a solution they’re comfortable with (whether that’s doctorSIM or an alternative) as possible, we’ve done the research and tested a few alternatives.

Here are the top solutions we found, and that we’ve tested for ourselves, that are similar to doctorSIM.

#1 – DirectUnlocks

directunlocks phone unlock

DirectUnlocks is the top alternative we used and had a great experience with. This is a simple website which offers carrier unlock service, iCloud unlock service and frp removal.

How does it work? All it requires is a few details about your iPhone and a small fee. Currently, the delivery time is between 1-24 hours for most carriers in most countries, but this may increase depending on the current orders that DirectUnlocks has to process.

  • Capable of unlocking all of the most recent iPhone/Samsung models, and the older ones too
  • Can be used to remove iCloud Activation Locks from any iOS device
  • iPhone and iCloud unlock only cost $19 each, better than many competitors offer
  • Your iPhone can be unlocked within 24 hours, but the delivery time differs between each carrier
  • Only a few pieces of information are required to place an order and have your iPhone unlocked (e.g. your IMEI number and your phone carrier)

Of the 3 alternatives we tried, this one appealed to us for one simple reason. The user experience is crucial. Not to mention that our delivery was fulfilled within the 24-hour time frame as promised.

tmobile us unlock complete

#2 – AppleiPhoneUnlock

Next on the list of doctorSIM alternatives is AppleiPhoneUnlock who like the others primarily offer IMEI unlocks. Other customers have left reviews filled with praise and we see no reason that ours has to be any different!

When using this service, we found everything incredibly straightforward, were pretty happy about the delivery time of just 2 days (even though it can take up to 3), and the phones were unlocked without issues.

  • Maybe the cheapest phone unlocking service
  • Available to iPhone/Samsung/LG/Huawei/Sony/ZTE/Alcatel/Motorola owners all over the world
  • Can unlock IMEI or iCloud Activation Locks
  • Delivery takes up to 3 days for most carriers

If we had to pick one flaw with this doctorSIM alternative it would be that compared to DirectUnlocks, it takes a little longer but much cheaper to complete. That said, it gets the job done.

#3 – IMEIDoctor

Last up is IMEIDoctor. This website focuses on unlocking iPhone, iCloud Activation Lock removal, and carrier checks.

Right off the bat, it’s clear that this site’s main disadvantage is that it’s exclusive to iPhone. But if we disregard this and focus on the features that this website offers and how effective it is, it’s truly fantastic.

  • For all carriers, it costs $28 to unlock your iPhone
  • After placing an order, you can track the progress of your device’s unlock with the “Order Tracking” feature
  • iPhone unlocks are taken care of by a team of trained professionals

In terms of the negative points, there’s not much to mention. Sure, Android devices can’t be unlocked, but that’s about it! However, the long delivery time for some carriers can be off-putting.

To Conclude…

If we rule out the couple of negatives that there are to using doctorSIM, it’s clear that it’s definitely up there as one of the best options. However, we can appreciate that some people are in a rush to resolve their locked smartphone problems.

Those alternatives above are only suitable for iPhone and can’t unlock Android devices. Therefore, unless you have an iPhone, doctorSIM is the preferable choice.

About the Author

Darren is an Apple Certified Independent Technician with a passion for researching all aspects of phone locks, including Activation Lock, carrier lock, screen lock, FRP lock, and more. With years of experience in the mobile phone industry, Darren has become a leading authority in his field and has been a sought-after consultant for individuals and businesses seeking to unlock their devices.

Comments

  • I wish I had checked this article first before attempting doctorSIM. I suppose it’s technically too early to be sure, but I’m three days in on their 23hr estimated time and no results. Seems like I got scammed.

    Reply

  • doctorSIM is a complete rip-off. They gave “excuses” as to possible reasons why they couldnt unlock my iPhone 8+ but none applied to my phone. 100% paid for and under no contract. Left my previous carrier after fulfilling my agreement. Paid they $50 for NOTHING!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!

    Reply

  • Doctor Sim is unable to unlock my Samsung Tablet. Any others I can try?

    Reply

  • Hi Darren

    i had bought second had 8plus iPhone ,
    later i came to know is in blacklisted and locked
    While using its show (SIM NOT Valid)
    Without sim i can use rest of the app and Internet including able to login apple ID
    Kindly help me what i should do

    Reply

  • Can you offer any suggestion for android phones

    Reply

    • I used DirectUnlocks, I have a Samsung Z flip and zero issues unlocking my device. Highly recommend, I’ve never gone through so much trouble to have a phone activated. I don’t recommend AT&T, I think they have a fraudulent way of screwing people out of the ability of using their device on a different network. Love DirectUnlocks, awesome service, Android unlocking wasn’t an issue …

  • Will it erase my data? I want to unlock without data loss

    Reply

  • Exceptionally Efficient. Bought my daughter a used Note 8 from a re-seller on swappa. Had my first bad experience on AT&T unlock page saying the device hasn t been activated on their service for at least 60 days. Directunlocks got me the unlock code in less than an hour.

    Reply

  • Does it works. And if not can I get a refund

    Reply

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