What if you bought a used phone and it was unlocked but on this phone it had a software issue and it was necessary to do a hard reset now my current service no longer is accepted how do I go about fixing that issue it says my phone is carrier locked

Xtrenm wrote:

So now what do I do is the phone junk then or what

The phone is carrier-locked.

You could ask the carrier if they will unlock it, so you can use it with a different carrier. They might do that. They might refuse. It's not up to us.

You could look into getting cellular service from that carrier. Maybe they'll refuse to remove the carrier lock - but will be happy to take your money for cellular voice, text message, and data service.

If the carrier refuses to unlock the phone … and you can't use them, or refuse to use them … then the phone will be useless as a cell phone. You might be able to use it as if it were an iPod touch – to do Web browsing using a Wi-Fi Internet connection; to run apps; to play music. But if it's carrier-locked, and you can't or won't use that carrier, that's the end of its cell phone days.

I see that the Related Article about a different kind of lock (Activation Lock). That one's an anti-theft lock designed to make stolen or lost phones useless to thieves.

If what you have is an Activation Locked phone, it is a brick, unless your friend is the one who locked it, and is willing to release the lock. Carriers cannot remove Activation Lock.

Yes, it was carrier locked when purchased, he hacked it (or paid a company to hack it) to remove the lock and it came back when you reset the phone.

You will now need to contact the company it is locked to and ask if they will unlock it.

How to unlock your iPhone for use with a different carrier - Apple Support