iPhone Porting Your Number To A New Carrier: How to Fix It

The order of operations that keeps your number safe. This page explains what it does, how to use it on an iPhone and which carriers it applies to.

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Why does this happen and how do I fix it?

The single rule that matters: never cancel your old service first. Every one of the four carriers and the FCC say the same thing. A port pulls the number across and closes the old line for you when it completes; cancel first and you have to get the number reactivated before anyone can move it. Note too that your old carrier cannot refuse to port your number even if you still owe them money.

Everything else is about having the right credentials ready. A port is validated against the old account and any mismatch rejects it — the account number, the account holder name and the billing address exactly as the old carrier holds them, plus a number transfer PIN. That PIN is a distinct thing from your login password and from the PIN on the SIM, and it expires quickly, so fetch it immediately before you start rather than days ahead.

The last trap is account protection. Verizon Number Lock, T-Mobile Port Out Protection and AT&T Wireless Account Lock all exist to stop criminals stealing your number, and they work — they will block your own legitimate port just as effectively. Each has to be turned off on the old account first.

Important: Do not cancel the old line, wipe the old phone or delete the old eSIM before the port completes. Any of those can strand the number and force a reactivation before it can move.

What should I try, in order?

1. Keep the old line active and paid. Do not cancel anything until the number has arrived on the new carrier.
2. Confirm the iPhone is unlocked: Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock should read No SIM restrictions. A locked iPhone cannot take another carrier's line.
3. Turn off port-out protection on the old account. Verizon calls it Number Lock, T-Mobile calls it Port Out Protection and applies it per line, and AT&T calls it Wireless Account Lock in the myAT&T app. On T-Mobile only the primary account holder can remove it.
4. Get a number transfer PIN. Verizon: My Verizon or dial #PORT, valid 7 days. AT&T: dial *PORT or use your account profile, valid about 4 days. T-Mobile: the T Life app, while connected to the T-Mobile network with Wi-Fi off. UScellular has no self-service — you must call customer service.
5. Give the new carrier the PIN plus the old account number, account holder name and billing address exactly as they appear on the old bill. The FCC requires simple ports to complete in one business day, and wireless-to-wireless often finishes within hours.
6. Only once calls and texts arrive on the new line should you remove the old eSIM or SIM. Then confirm the old account has actually closed so you are not billed twice.

Which carriers does this apply to?

Published for	Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and UScellular
Type	iOS setting
Good to know	Transfer PINs are each carrier's own implementation, not an FCC requirement, so the names, retrieval routes and expiry windows differ. Verify the current process with your old carrier before you start.

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