Visible unlock policy in 2026, for the shop holding the phone

Visible is Verizon's app only brand, and until January 2026 its phones unlocked themselves after 60 days like every other Verizon device. That stopped on January 20, 2026, when Visible and the other "Verizon Value" brands moved to a 365 day lock that is lifted only on request (source). This page lays out the policy as Visible publishes it, the pieces a shop needs to know when the phone arrives with no account holder, and where the old 60 day rule still applies.

Last reviewed 2026-10-28. Written for shops by STACKS. Not affiliated with any carrier.

The 365 day lock

Visible's policy page, last updated January 20, 2026, puts it in one sentence: "Visible locks any smartphone you purchase through Visible for 365 days" (source). The lock applies to new devices, which Visible defines as phones that are not used, Certified Pre-Owned, refurbished or preowned (source). A phone "will unlock upon request after 365 days" when all of the following hold (source):

1. You purchased the smartphone on or after the Effective Date, January 20, 2026.
2. You activated it more than 365 days ago, which requires an active plan, whether an upgrade or a new line.
3. The device has at least 365 days of paid service.
4. Usage was ordinary and complied with the Terms of Service.
5. Nobody reported the device lost or stolen.
6. There are no signs of fraud with the account or device.
7. If the device was financed, the clause below applies.

The paid service test is the one that catches second owners. "If you stop paying for service, your progress toward the 365-day requirement pauses" and resumes only after reactivation, continuing until 365 paid days are reached (source). A phone that was on Visible for five months and then traded in is not seven months from the 365 days; it is frozen at five until somebody pays Visible again on that line.

Financed devices and the June 1, 2026 clause

For a device "financed on a monthly mobile plan on or after June 1, 2026", the unlock is available on request after 365 days if the conditions above are met, and an early unlock is available by paying off the device loan through Affirm (source). Multi-month and annual plans with a device loan taken on or after June 1, 2026 follow the same 365 day rule (source). Note the order of the tests: paying off the loan opens the early route, but the lost, stolen and fraud tests still apply.

Denials and exclusions

Visible "denies unlocking requests if a member abuses the policies or systems, including the unlocking policy" (source). It also cannot unlock devices purchased outside Visible, or replacement devices provided by Assurant or Apple, and it warns that the policy "is subject to change at any time, without advance notice" (source). Two practical details from the same page: activating a Visible SIM in a different phone does not count as activating the device, which must register on the Visible network itself; and a locked phone with a foreign SIM shows "SIM Not Supported" (source).

Military relocation

A member with relocation orders outside Visible's coverage area can ask the Visible Care team, via chat, to unlock the device and suspend service; Care reviews and validates the request (source).

Phones bought before January 20, 2026

The policy page applies itself to purchases on or after the Effective Date and says nothing about earlier phones. Press coverage of the change says that before it, phones from these brands "were unlocked automatically after 60 days" (source), and Verizon's prepaid page, as indexed, says phones activated on or before January 26, 2026 are remotely unlocked 60 days after paid activation (source). That page was not read directly and the cutoff dates quoted in press vary between January 19 and January 27, so for a specific older Visible phone the only safe statement is: check the device, do not assume.

How to check lock status

Visible's page says the lock status appears under the SIM or network settings on iPhone, Samsung and Google devices (source). On iPhone that is Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock, where "No SIM restrictions" means unlocked. A SIM from another carrier that is rejected or that prompts for an unlock code means the lock is still on (source).

The trade-in case

Visible's route runs through the member's own app or chat session, counts paid days on the member's account, and excludes anything not bought from Visible. A shop holding a Visible phone with no account holder therefore has no Visible route at all, and the clock is paused besides. The value gap this leaves is covered on locked vs unlocked value. Before buying, the financed and blacklisted page explains the free check that catches a device whose owner stopped paying the Affirm loan, because an IMEI reported after the sale stops working everywhere, unlocked or not.

Our Visible services are listed near the top of this page as STACKS sells them: each row states the condition it applies, the turnaround and whether it is refundable if it fails. A carrier unlock does nothing for Activation Lock; Apple's guidance is not to take a used iPhone that still asks for the previous owner's Apple Account (source).

If it is your own phone

Ask Visible Care in the app or by chat once the 365 paid days are up; it is free (source). Unlock STACKS serves approved businesses. See how approval works.

Regulatory context

The 60 day rule that Visible inherited came from Verizon's 2007 700 MHz C Block licence condition, and the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau waived it on January 12, 2026, pointing Verizon to the CTIA Consumer Code instead (source). That code allows prepaid devices to stay locked until "no later than one year after initial activation", which is where 365 days comes from (source).

Questions shops ask

RELATED AT&T C Spire Cricket and Tracfone / Straight Talk Spectrum All carriers Locked vs unlocked value Financed and blacklisted

APPLY FOR AN ACCOUNTWHATSAPP