unlocked 1.0.2 iPhone
First, thanks to everyone who made this possible. Iphone Dev team who made the sim-unlock application used in the tutorial, Installer.app team, geohot, Iphonesimfree :P and all others. No need to disassemble your phone anymore, and no need to input commands manually.
Warning! Firmware version 1.1.2 is now released. If you bought a phone that had 1.1.2 preinstalled (it shows a picture of a cable and the iTunes icon), it is not possible to unlock it. If you did not have this firmware when you bought the phone, i do not recomment to update to this version yet. It's very important that you don't let iTunes restore to 1.1.2 as well, so always select firmware manually by holding Shift/Option key while clicking Restore. Details about restoring/upgrading here.
This tutorial assumes that your iPhone has firmware version 1.1.1. If you are unsure, here is how to check: On the emergency dial screen dial *3001#12345#* and tap Versions. Firware version should be 04.01.13_G. If it's 03.14.08_G you have v1.0.2 and need to update it to 1.1.1 first. Read here first if you previously unlocked your phone.
NEW! If you have an unlocked 1.0.2 iPhone, or upgraded to 1.1.1 and have "damaged" imei (0049) you need to repair your phone. I have now put together the ultimate repair solution - this is the absolutely easiest way to repair the phones (virginize). To do so, just add http://i.unlock.no/ as a Source in Installer, make sure BSD Subsystem is installed (else it's in the System category) and install The Virginizer found in the Unlocking Tools category. There's two versions, use the one corresponding to your Modem firmware. Click here for more details. And remember, you got it here first!
Bypass activation and prepare phone for software installation
Make sure you have a SIM-card with PIN turned off, and power on your phone (the supplied AT&T card works fine).
On the activation screen, slide for emergency and dial: *#301# to make the phone call itself. (If the incoming call dialog quickly disappears but it keeps ringing, just dial 0 (remove *#301# first), and it will call itself)
Answer the call, and tap on Hold
Phone will call it self again, tap Decline. You will now be returned to the normal dialer.
Tap on contacts, and tap the + icon to add a new. The only info you are going to add to this contact are two URL's. To add a URL, tap Add new URL. The first URL is prefs followed by a colon: prefs: and the second is jailbreakme.com. Tap Save.
Your contact now has two "web pages" - tap on the first one (prefs:). This will take you to the settings dialog. The reason you want this, is because you need to connect to a Wi-Fi network, so tap on Wi-Fi, and get connected to a network, and make sure the icon on top of the screen is indicating that you are connected. While you are in the settings dialog, you should also set: General ? Auto-Lock ? Never.
Now, press the home button, and again, slide for emergency dial 0, Answer the call, Hold and Decline the new call so that you get to the contacts. Tap on your contact (No Name), and this time tap on the other home page, jailbreakme.com
Safari will launch and show you a webpage. Read through the text, before you Install AppSnapp
Phone will return to activation screen, but don't panic, just wait.
Phone should automaticly restart after almost a minute. . If it does not restart withing 2 minutes, click here.
When the phone starts again, it should no longer say slide for emergency, but rather Slide to unlock It means it was successfull! Activation is now bypassed, and phone prepared for software installation! (If you are going to use an AT&T SIM, you won't need to do the next step.)
Unlock the SIM-lock
Open installer, and install the update if prompted.
Go to sources and tap Edit and Add
Add this URL: http://i.unlock.no
Tap Done and then Refresh
Go to Install (at bottom) and scroll down to the Unlocking Tools category and install AnySIM
When installed you can press the home button, and you will find a new AnySIM icon on your home screen. Launch it and follow the instructions.
The unlocking process will take about 5-10 minutes, in the end it should say it was successful!
To clean up your phone, launch Installer and uninstall AnySIM. Then go to Settings ? General ? Auto-Lock and set it to a prefered value.
Congratulations, you are done!
A few tweaks
If you want to enable the International menu, install Enable International menu which is found in the Unlocking Tools category. This will let you choose keyboards, and set your phone to use your prefered regional settings, like date and phone number formatting. Be alerted though - it looks like Apple haven't finished this feature completely yet (which is probably why it's deactivated) so there may be some issues. In my case Fahrenheit and Celsius is mixed up in the Weather application for instance!
By default, the EDGE settings found in Settings ? General ? Network ? EDGE are not saved when phone is restarted. To fix this, install EDGE Settings fix which is found in the Unlocking Tools category..
If YouTube does not work ("You must first connect to iTunes..."), try to install YouTube activation which is found in the Unlocking Tools category. Also make sure that the phone has correct date.
If you for some reason need to deliver your phone to Apple (service etc.), i recommend that you revert the unlock first so that they (hopefully) can't see it's been unlocked. Install OneSIM which is found in the Unlocking Tools category, and tap on the new icon it creates to run it. After you are done, do a restore in iTunes.
iPhoneSimFree
We would like to let all our valued customers know that all testing for update 1.1.2 version phones is now complete. Yet again, SimFree remained completely unlocked and restore resistant for 1.1.2 version phones but we wanted to check and verify new updates to the OS region changes before recommending trouble free updates. As with all updates, the phone needs to be jail-broken and activated again for it to function. Thanks to the great work of the community, jail-breaking a 1.1.2 phone is now possible and works great.
We would like to also bring your attention to the recent events surrounding the iPhone Scene around the world. The recent launch of the European iPhone has introduced a new Bootloader which "currently" does not allow any kind of unlocking. The same Bootloader is present on the new iPhones that are purchased in the US with 1.1.2 pre-installed.
We are also ready to release SimFree v1.8 which is for people who got their base-bands updated to 04.02.13_G before using SimFree. This version must be used on a 1.1.1 Phone (with old bootloader) and then you will be able to update to 1.1.2 and still remain unlocked.
As a reminder, customers who have used any version of SimFree in the past are NOT required to re-unlock their phone for this update!
Procedure to update to 1.1.2 from older versions:
1. In Installer go to Tweaks 1.1.1 and install Oktoprep.
2. Open iTunes and hit Update in order to install 1.1.2 (note that if you press Restore it wont work)
3. After that is done, download Jailbreak-1.1.2 and proceed with the Jailbreak procedure. (for Windows & Mac)
4. You will want to install iWorld from Installer after you update (found in Tweaks 1.1.2) in order to fix a known 1.1.2 crash caused with Unsupported Carriers.
The procedure to Install SimFree v1.8 on your Phone remains the same as before. Just add http://tinyurl.com/2qxpe6 in the Installer Sources and you will have the option to install SimFree v1.8 on your phone.
Keep your eyes pealed for more news soon to come.
SimFree v1.7 now Native for v1.1.1 iPhones
With the release of the new jailbreak/activation by the community development teams there is no longer a need to downgrade to 1.0.2. SimFree 1.7 is specifically tailored to be run on 1.1.1 phones with no need to downgrade. The brilliant work by the teams combined with SimFree 1.7 means that it is now possible to get a brand new 1.1.1 phone and have it fully up and running in under 10 minutes. We strongly recommend that all our resellers switch to this new method of jailbreak. We can now also recommend that all our previously unlocked users upgrade to 1.1.1 . Please note that if you have already unlocked your phone once using any previous version of SimFree there is no need to unlock it again.
Please follow the simple step by step instructions outlined below to get Simfee 1.7 onto a freshly jailbroken phone.
1. On the Activation Screen, slide ro the Emergency Screen.
2. Type *#307# and hit Call, the phone will start ringing and diplay 1 Calling.
3. Delete all the numbers from the top right of the screen and Call the number 0.
4. Press Answer, Hold and then Decline.
5. Go to Contacts and create a contact. In the Url field type prefs://1f and save it. Then add another URL and type jailbreakme.com and save it.
6. Click on the prefs://1f and you can select your WiFi network. Exit by pressing home and then Dial and Call the number 0 from the emergency screen.
7. Select the second URL called jailbreakme.com of the contact you created and and follow the Install AppSnapp. Wait for it to finish and reboot the phone when its done.
8. Now AppTapp is on your Home Screen so you can install SimFree v1.7 directly on the phone.
9. In Sources press Edit, Add, and type in http://tinyurl.com/2qxpe6 . Accept the AppTapp installer message and it will show iPhoneSimFree on your Install list.
10. After that you must install from the System tab the BSD Subsystem and then SimFree v1.7 from the iPhoneSimFree tab.
11. You should now Go to the phone Settings application and in General - AutoLock, select Never you can now run SimFree v1.7. Its that easy!
Worlds First Unlock for iPhone 1.1.1 / 04.01.13_G Firmware
Our sincere congratulations, to the iPhone/ iTouch Dev Team for their brilliant work in finding an ingenious way to jailbreak the 1.1.1 system. This exciting news means we are now able to gladly welcome all SIMFREE unlocked phone owners to UPGRADE to 1.1.1 if they so wish
Further to this, we are very proud to announce, (after some very difficult and lengthy hardware hackery), we were able to retrieve the necessary info to create the world first 1.1.1 unlock solution. We have now tested SimFree v1.6 with phones that have the new Baseband version 04.01.13_G with full success. This now means that SimFree v1.6 release, is now capable of completely restoring/repairing software unlocked "bricked" iPhone. Those of you wishing to repair your phone, please read the following steps.
Steps for "un-bricking" your anySim or iUnock iPhones:
1. Follow the iPhone/iTouch dev team steps to bring your phone back to 1.0.2 system (your baseband firmware will still be the newer 04.01.13_G)
2. Register your true IMEI (found engraved on the back of your phone) with our servers through one of our trusted resellers.
3. Power down your phone and REMOVE your sim
4. Power up with the sim removed and Install SimFree.app 1.6 (simplest method is through apptapp installer, see post below)
5. Follow this tutorial to execute the Simfree. app.
Here is the direct link to SimFree v1.6: Download SimFree v1.6
Why use iPhoneSimFree, Facts about unlocking with SimFree
1. iPhoneSimFree was the first to release a Software Unlock for the iPhone.
2. iPhoneSimFree Unlock works on ALL versions of iPhone (1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1.1)
3. iPhoneSimFree Unlock works on ALL versions of Modem Firmware ( even the latest 04.01.13_G )
4. iPhoneSimFree Unlocked phones can be updated from any version to 1.1.1 safely without bricking your radio and GSM functions (unlike other unlock methods)
5. iPhoneSimFree does not patch your devices firmware ( unlike other unlocking methods )
6. iPhoneSimFree can FIX all phones that anySim and iUnlock bricked with the 1.1.1 update
7. iPhoneSimFree Unlock is restore and update resistant up to and including 1.1.1
Q & A For iPhoneSimFree Users and 1.1.1 iPhone Update
Seems there is a bit of confusion about our last post. Here are some of the most common questions, with some corresponding answers.
Q. Why do you say it is unlocked if you can't activate a non AT&T sim?
A. There is a difference between unlocking and activation. Unlocking is related to GSM standards and allowing a sim to be used on different carriers, and activation is something made up by apple to further restrict their users. After upgrading to 1.1.1 the radio of the phone is still unlocked, meaning it can still connect to other carriers, but apple requires the phone be activated to do so.
Q. How do you know it is unlocked if you can't activate?
A. There are several ways to know this. Firstly, the phone does not report "Incorrect SIM". Secondly the IMEI is correct. Thirdly if you bring up the field test, you can see the provider is not AT&T. And finally (and coolest of all), there are ways to actually call out and receive calls from the emergency call screen. If you can get the baseband to crash (we do it by calling some emergency numbers with no sim in place) and then insert the non AT&T sim, it can pick up a signal and calls (non-emergency) can be placed and received from the emergency call screen on the non AT&T carrier.
Q. Why does all this matter, if I can't yet use a non AT&T sim?
A. A few reasons. Firstly the phone can still be used by AT&T users after upgrade. Secondly, if apple has patched the methods used to perform the unlock, as long as an activation method is discovered, the phone will work perfectly on other carriers. With other unlocking solutions, if you were to upgrade the phone it would currently be a brick, and if apple has patched the methods to perform the unlock, it would also stay a brick forever..
News concerning iPhone
We have successfully completed a test of the 1.1.1 firmware update on IPSF unlocked phones. We are very pleased to report that the phones are still fully unlocked, and if you are using an original activated AT&T sim, you can activate and use the phone with no issues at all. Unfortunately, currently there is no way to jailbreak/reactivate the phone for use with a sim card other than the original AT&T card. Therefore for our customers who have no immediate need to use alternate providers and are still using their AT&T card, you are welcome to update your phone. For the rest please be patient, as the jailbreak issue is something that affects much more than just the unlocking. The thousands of open source developers who have put a cumulative 10s of thousands of man hours into various apps and tools now have no way to get them onto the phone as well. We are all looking into the jailbreak issue as it affects us all, and we will keep updating our site as well as the open source community at large with any information we can about this.
We also tested an AnySim unlocked phone, and after the update it appeared to be relocked. The IMEI was reported as 004999010640000 (see below), and a T-Mobile sim was reported by the phone as an "Incorrect SIM" rather than the new "Different SIM Detected" message.
The 004999010640000 issue (Resellers please take note):
004999010640000 is a special IMEI number reported back by a phone in "lockdown" mode. We have seen this a few times mostly in relation to other unlocking methods. We are currently updating our servers to accommodate new customers wishing to recover their phones from lockdown mode, but it is essential that the REAL IMEI of the phone is passed on to our servers, or else the server will not issue the unlock. The real IMEI can be found engraved on the back of the phone or on the back of its retail box. We will update our site when the Servers have been updated to fix lockdown phones.
Hackers have worked out how to unlock the latest iPhone firmware
Hackers have worked out how to unlock the latest iPhone firmware, 1.1.2, to allow handsets running it to operate on any GSM network. Yet confusion reigns - one popular unlocking app may have been updated 'unofficially'.
Firmware 1.1.2 was released this past Friday, just ahead of the UK and German iPhone launches. New European models being sold for use on the O2 UK and T-Mobile Germany networks come with 1.1.2 pre-installed.
Methods posted so far involve taking a 1.1.2 handset and downgrading the firmware to the previous version, 1.1.1. Opening 1.1.1 to accept third-party applications - a process called 'jailbreaking' - allows the handset's baseband software, currently at version 4.02.13_G, to be unlocked. Users can then re-upgrade to 1.1.2.
Separately, one group calling itself the iPhone Elite Dev Team released on Friday an app called AnySIM 1.2, designed, they claim, to unlock a jailbroken 1.1.2 handset, albeit only ones that have been upgraded - owners of factory-shipped 1.1.2 iPhones are warned not to apply the software. It doesn't work on UK iPhones, the team say.
Whatever, a day after the release of AnySIM 1.2, Netkas, an administrator on the Hackint0sh website - home to many of procedures for unlocking past iphone firmware releases - said: "Iphone dev team didn't make AnySim 1.2 for 1.1.2 firmware yet. So any AnySim 1.2 apps for now [are] not from iPhone dev team. So they may (or may not) make your iPhone bricked, beware."
The following day, the iPhone/iTouch Dev Team posted a graphical app that takes an iPhone that's been downgraded to 1.1.1 iPhone, jailbroke and upgraded to 1.1.2, then re-jailbreak it.
iPhone coder Erica Sadun's experiences with the process can be found here
Rival development teams FUDding it out to be first? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it's a sign how murky the world of iPhone unlocking has become, and we'd recommend waiting for a clearer picture to emerge before attempting these processes.
iPhoneUnlockAustralia
Due to popular demand, iPhoneUnlockAustralia is happy to announce the sale of TurboSIM and StealthSIM! There's no need to wait for shipping from Europe! There's no need to pay in Euros! There's no need to pay by Western Union! We'll have it in stock, shipped from Canberra, and you can pay via PayPal or Australian Bank Deposit! Are you interested in unlocking your OTB 1.1.2 iPhone? Contact us today and we'll put you on the waiting list!
TurboSIM/for the 1.1.2 iPhone - Buy it here from Bladox in Australia. The Turbo SIM/StealthSIM has the ability to unlock an iPhone, allowing the usage of other mobile operators other than AT&T in the iPhone. This can be done as the Turbo SIM/Stealth SIM tricks the iPhone into believing that it is operating on the AT&T network even though it is connected natively (not in roaming mode) on another mobile operator. It does this by copying the IMSI and ICCID number of the original AT&T SIM, so when iPhone asks for the legit AT&T numbers, TurboSIM/StealthSIM gives it them instead of the SIM currently in the tray.
Unlock the iPhone
The wait is over. For me that wait was painfully long as I bought an iPhone on launch day only to have to wait until just a few minutes ago to make my first phone call. I passed the time by following the exploits of the guys in #iphone.unlock on undernet who were brave enough to open their iPhone and apply George Hotz’s now infamous hardware hack. But the real juice was in unlocking your iPhone from AT&T without the need to open it. None of that would have happened without the hard work of many different people and groups inlcuding the iPhone Dev Team, the dozens of testers and code wizards in IRC (Daeken, geohot, zappaz, gray, guest184 etc), and of course the guys at iphonesimfree for discovering the buffer exploit that unlocked the phones to begin with. *Editor: This post was modified heavily to include a much more detailed iPhone unlocking tutorial. Read on!
So what’s done is done, and the iPhone is now truly unlocked and usable on any carrier, without having to open it. iUnlock was officially released by the iPhone Dev Team but it should be mentioned again that it was the work of well over a dozen dedicated people. Keep in mind that if you expect their to be updates to this stuff, you should make a donation to at least one of the groups I mentioned above.
Unlock the iPhone in OS X - 7 Easy Steps
I have all the files you need and a quick guide for performing the unlock on OS X below. A huge thanks to my Russian friend (guest184) in #iphone.unlock on undernet for putting the guts of this together before going to sleep. I just tested it and it worked fine for me on my iPhone here in Asia on Thai GSM and TRUE. I unlocked several more phones with others to verify the steps. If you need help post in the channel and I will do my best to assist, but I am no expert!
Before you Begin: Restore your iPhone to Apple factory settings and install the 1.0.2 update. This can be done by putting the iPhone into recovery mode. This is done by holding both the select and sleep buttons for 25 seconds while your iPhone is docked. Do this until it reboots and returns with a yellow sign reading: Connect to iTunes. Fire up iTunes. Choose Restore. To confirm your version, go to Settings > General > About > Version on the iPhone.
Warning: These tools are not perfect and while it is quite rare, it is always possbile to brick your iPhone when messing with the firmware, and file structure. Also be sure to set your Settings > General > Auto-Lock to Never. You’ve been warned.
Step 1 - Jailbreaking with iNdependence
You need to jailbreak your iPhone in order to write files to it. There is a lot written about this and it is pretty simple to do (1 click) but it often causes problems. A good tool for doing this is either iNdependence, or iFuntastic. iNdependence works best for me so that is what I will show here. The latest version of iFuntastic (v3.x) installed a lot of uneccesary stuff on my iPhone so I avoided it.
Unlock the iPhone
Very late last night, I chatted with Ryan Block of Engadget. At that time, he was happily engaged in making calls on his iPhone using a T-Mobile SIM. Today Engadget announces a full iPhone software-only unlock. According to Ryan, this unlock comes courtesy of iPhone SIM Free.com. I haven't personally tried out the unlock but Ryan writes that he can confirm "100% certainty that iPhoneSIMfree.com's software solution completely SIM unlocks the iPhone, is restore-resistant, and should make the iPhone fully functional for users outside of the US".
So what does this mean? It means that the iPhone just went International. You can use any SIM on the iPhone using tools like iASign and iActivator, and with the same limitations: namely no Visual Voicemail or YouTube video (at least not without a hack) and your minutes and data are charged per the plan associated with the SIM. Also the phone number seems to go MIA in iTunes, which lists it as "N/A".
The unlock adds a new option to Settings. See the picture at the top of this post. Ryan says you'll be able to use this to select your preferred network and avoid roaming. A new EDGE network settings appears in General > Network, allowing you to enter your carrier's access point name and username/password.
Is this method restore and upgrade resistant, as the iPhoneSIMFree guys claim? Ryan factory-restored his iPhone with the 1.0.2 firmware and the unlock stuck around.
The iPhoneSIMFree site is pretty light on details. They write that they intend to launch the unlock as a commercial product for both individual and bulk purchase sales.
Bottom line: is this for realsies? Ryan and Engadget says absolutely yes. They are standing by their tests.
Unlock the iPhone
Yeah, you heard it right! The best guide ever, just buy an iPhone from AAPL or ATT and sit there in the store and unlock it - the simplest it can ever get! You need WiFi btb!!No Mac or PC required! Unlock the iPhone straight out of the box! Save the money from investing in Unlocking software and use it wisely
1. Slide for Emergency calls, dial *#307# press call, now use the back button on the top of your screen to remove *#307# , now enter 0 , press call, press answer, press hold, press decline. Now you get to the contact list.
2. Push contacts and add a new contact and type in “prefs://11? as web-address and “http://jailbreakme.com” as an additional URL.
4. When you tap “prefs://11? you can now select your preferred WiFi gateway. I recommend an open WiFi network
5. Now press the home button and move the slider to the dial-pad. Repeat step 1 till you can access contacts.
6. Now you can go back to the contact list by Dialing 0, push call, then answer, then contacts, then hit the “http://jailbreakme.com” web address you typed in.
7. Scroll down to the bottom, click “Install AppSnapp”. Safari will exit and you’ll return to your springboard. Wait for the phone to reboot. Your phone is now jailbroken and Installer.app is ready to be explored (If it refuses to install, try installing it till you see the downloading thingy on the screen! It took more than 6 attempts on one of my friend’s iPhone!)
Well, at this stage, your iPhone should be activated partially - Cingular should work just fine! All the other networks should do a little tweaking to use your iPhone as a phone!
Unlock your iPhone :
Launch Installer.app and then click on “Sources” - > “Edit” - > “Add” - > Type i.unlock.no after http:// - > “Ok” -> Now anySIM 1.1.1 should show under “Unlocking Tools” - > Click on it and install it! You can now see anySIM icon on the Homescreen. Click on it and follow the instructions! Vodafone, T-mobile, 3 and what not, everyone can join the bandwagon now!!
iPhone features
The Apple iPhone features an innovative multi-touch display that allows for easy navigation of the phone's features. The phones features include a web browser (connecting through the phone's EDGE connection), a range of different widgets, and also an advanced music player that is very similar to Apple's iPod range of devices. the phone also integrates Yahoo Mail and Google maps as well asaccess to weather forecasts and a calender. The Apple iPhone, called "revolutionary" by Steve Jobs, also comes with a 2-megapixel camera and support for wide-screen video playback. The iPhone also boasts desktop-class email, web browsing, and searching.
The Apple iPhone was released on the Cingular network in June 2007. Once more information about Apple iPhone unlocking becomes available, we will update this page with iPhone unlocking solutions.
Apple will actively work against any SIM unlocks of the iPhone
Apple will actively work against any SIM unlocks of the iPhone, says Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs made the comments during a Q&A session that took place after yesterday's press event in London announcing availability details of the iPhone in the UK. When asked by a journalist whether unlocking was a concern for the company, Jobs said, "It's a constant cat and mouse game," according to ComputerWorld's account of the discussion. "We try to stay ahead. People will try to break in, and it's our job to stop them breaking in."
The break-ins that Jobs spoke of have been flying fast and furious in the last month or so. One of the first full SIM unlocks involved using a Turbo SIM card, a somewhat complex process for the average consumer. Then teenager George Holtz published a way to hardware unlock his iPhone with some soldering iron-fu and released instructions for other adventurous unlockers. But none of this was "big" news to the world until the first (commercial) software unlock of the iPhone was announced by iPhoneSIMfree. This sent waves through the iPhone community to push for a free unlock from the iPhone Dev Team, which was achieved just this week with the release of iUnlock, followed by the GUI app to go along with it, anySIM. This app began to appear in the third-party iPhone software update app, Installer, which enabled many iPhone users to install the unlock and experiment with ease.
Hacking is okay... sometimes
Apple's stance on stopping hackers is different depending on the hack. When it came to hacking the Apple TV and introducing the first set of native iPhone applications—something that cannot be done the "legit" way because of Apple's lack of a formal SDK for developers—Apple took a neutral stance. Apple's Greg Joswiak said last week that Apple wouldn't stop anyone from writing the apps or actively work against them, but the company would also not make an effort not to break the hacks when releasing its own software updates. After all, the hacks are not officially supported.
But when it comes to SIM unlocking the iPhone, the game changes drastically. Although Apple has less to lose by customers unlocking the device than AT&T, the company is bound by its contract to AT&T to do what it can to ensure that customers use the designated carrier. And Apple does have something to lose—the company is widely known to be getting a cut of subscription fees from AT&T for each person that buys and uses an iPhone. While it's unclear exactly how much Apple gets per customer, analyst estimates amount to millions of dollars per year in subscription fees going directly to Apple.
Apple's contractual obligations aside, consumers in the US are legally allowed to unlock their mobile handsets after the US Register of Copyrights approved an exemption to the DMCA late last year, noting that "The underlying activity sought to be performed by the owner of the handset is to allow the handset to do what it was manufactured to do—lawfully connect to any carrier." But don't tell that to Apple and AT&T—unless the government bars them from locking out the unlocks, there's virtually nothing stopping them from making sure that the unlocks mysteriously stop working.
A very expensive brick
But we have reason to believe that Apple may go much further than just "breaking" the SIM unlocks that have been released so far. One move that the cat (or is Apple the mouse?) could make in this game would be to permanently and irreparably brick unlocked iPhones when they run this month's pending software update. It would serve as a warning shot to potential unlockers in the future—even if crafty hackers manage to rewrite their unlock apps to get around the changes made in the update, they could always be at risk of suddenly owning a shiny $400 chunk of metal and plastic.
We believe this is a significant possibility, so here's a word for those who have unlocked their iPhones: be extremely careful when the software update lands; let others be the guinea pigs before you run it. A software restore of the iPhone likely won't save you, either, as the radio baseband firmware used to identify the SIM card will still remain unlocked (as it stands now, those who have run unlocks can still do a software restore and have an unlocked iPhone). And if Apple writes its update to make changes to the radio baseband firmware based on what it was expecting, the iPhone will not react well.
Welcome to your new iBrick Extreme: the new paperweight from Apple.
The Great Idiot's Guide to taking an iPhone from box to unlock
The Great Idiot's Guide to taking an iPhone from box to unlock. This guide requires a search engine and a brain. If you lack either, please turn away now.
Step 1. Take phone out of box
Step 1b. If you plan to use a SIM card from a provider other than AT&T, change your SIM card now.
Step 2. Place phone into dock
Step 3. Connect Dock To Computer, one with iTunes 7.4.1 installed
Step 3b. Hold down Home + Power on the phone until the phone goes into restore mode (30 seconds or so), then iTunes will ask you to restore the phone and update it to 1.02
Step 4. Download lockdownd from anyone of the numerous sources which has it out there on the internet. We are not linking to it for copyright reasons
Step 5. Get lockdownd onto phone, into the folder /usr/libexec/ This means if you are using a mac, you need iNdependence http://iphone.fiveforty.net/wiki/index.php/INdependence to jailbreak, activate, and install ssh and SCP lockdownd over to the phone, or use iFuntastic for an easy to use file manager that lets you explore the entire filesystem. if you are using a pc, you can go use iBrickr from http://iphone.fiveforty.net/wiki/index.php/IBrickr. Use the batch file from Step 2 of http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5273 to activate on Windows after jailbreaking with iBrickr.
Step 6. Reboot phone by holding home and power button for 3 seconds, then sliding to power off. Then hold power button for 3 seconds to slide on.
Step 7. Now use iTunes to update that phone to 1.02 if you did not earlier, and then go back and do Steps 5 and 6 again
Step 8. With that update done, go to Settings -> WiFi and join your wireless network. If you don't have a wireless network then give up and go to hell.
Step 8b. This is a good time to shut off your auto-lock as it will kill your SSH connection. Go to Settings > General > Autolock and set it to Never.
Step 9. Go visit http://iphone.nullriver.com/beta/ and install the apptapp installer.
Step 10. With the apptapp installer in your phone, use it to install the packages Community Sources, then BSD SubSystem, then OpenSSH, IN THAT ORDER
Step 11. Find out the IP address of your phone on wifi. This is most easily accomplished by going to General -> Wifi -> Click on Arrow next to network signal strength
Step 12. Open SSH Shell to phone. On Mac OS open Terminal and type ssh root@ and hit enter. If you are on windows go download http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html and use PUTTY to connect to your phone. The username is root and password will be dottie. When you connect it will take up to 30 seconds for the first connection to happen. THIS IS NORMAL, JUST WAIT. Leave this window open
iPhone Unlock FAQs
Q: Hi, if the “Phone” part of the Iphone will be unlocked, so it can be used with a different carrier... I’m with Rogers in Canada; before I open up the Iphone box I got out of sheer excitement, I want to make sure it will work with Rogers. Thanks for letting me know. --- Frank
A: At present, our iPhone unlocking software doesn't support activating the phone. But the iPhone SIM card unlock software is under developping and will be released a little later. Please bookmark our site and come back to check it.
Q: Hello, I downloaded your program and tried to unlock my phone but I get the following:
Check iTunes version (3.70.0.54) Failed
The phone is new. My computer is an HP 6000 series, running Windows Vista.
I really don't need another phone account at this time all I want this device to do is playback music and use the browser sometimes.
When I purchased it I had no idea that as it is, without AT&T it is pretty much worthless.
Any ideas on how to proceed?
A: Sorry for the inconvenience. Please activate your iPhone with iTunes 7.3.0.54 version. After hacking, you can update your iTunes to the latest version if you like.
Q: Hi, when i tried to unlock it by pressing the unlock iphone button it would say unlocking falied. What could this mean and do I go about it fix it so the phone could be unlocked? Email me back As soon as possible. Thanks. ---Luca
A: Just download iTunes 7.3.0.54 to unlock the iPhone. Our software does NOT work on other iTunes versions.
Apple has warned owners of its new iPhone that they could cause "irreparable" damage to the device if they try to make it work on an unauthorised
Apple has warned owners of its new iPhone that they could cause "irreparable" damage to the device if they try to make it work on an unauthorised network.
A statement issued by the company said that installing one of the widely available 'unlocking' programs would "likely" result in the phone becoming "permanently inoperable" when future software updates were released.
The next iPhone software update was due out later this week, Apple said, adding that any "permanent inability" to use the device as a result of installing unlocking software was not covered under warranty.
Since the phone was released, a number of hackers have come forward claiming to have unlocked it, and internet companies have begun selling software which allows the device to be used on networks other than Apple's chosen carriers, which include AT&T in America and O2 in the UK.
For as little £25, and in some cases free of charge, owners can buy a piece of software which, once installed, allows them to insert their existing Sim into the iPhone and avoid signing a minimum 18-month contract costing £35 a month.
The unlock means that UK residents not content to wait until the device's official launch on November 9 can buy the iPhone from an Apple store in America and begin using it here beforehand.
Apple stressed that it was not setting out deliberately to counteract the effects of such programs with its updates but at a recent event in London, the company's chief executive, Steve Jobs, suggested he was not concerned about the impact of unlocking programs.
The firm was in a "game of cat and mouse" with the hackers, he said.
One unlocking service, iPhoneSIMfree.com, has said that it cannot guarantee its software is 'update resistant'.
Another - iPhone Unlock UK - warned owners to refuse updates until it had confirmed that they were compatible with its service.
"There have been many 'scare stories' regarding the impending iphone firmware update, and that it will break unlocked phones," iPhone Unlock UK said on its website. "We strongly believe that it will work without any modifications due to the nature of our update."
Philip W Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president for worldwide product marketing, said it was unfortunate that some unlocking programs had caused damage to the iPhone software, but stressed that Apple could not responsible for any such consequences.
A hacker group this week released a free, open-source unlock for the Apple iPhone
A hacker group this week released a free, open-source unlock for the Apple iPhone, just a day after a commercial company started selling something similar for as much as £49 through a network of online resellers.
The iPhone Dev Team, a dozen programmers who began their attempts to break the iPhone's reliance on AT&T in early July, have posted their hack on download servers.
According to several sites, including Gizmodo and Engadget, the iPhone Dev Team unlock exploits the same iPhone bug as the for-money iPhoneSIMFree hack to do its magic. The two groups, however, came up with their solutions independently.
But the process isn't for the faint of heart. "This unlock is not for everybody!" the iPhone Dev Team warned. The procedure involves several separate programs – some of which must be obtained elsewhere on the internet – and requires that iPhone owners execute commands from a shell screen on the Mac or PC.
Even so, reports have been posted to the team's site from users in more than 40 countries that the unlock hack works, and after a swap of the iPhone's included SIM card with one from another cellular service provider, that they've been able to access more than 90 different carriers. The iPhone's distinctive Visual Voicemail, which lets users select voice-mail messages rather than listen to them in the order they were received, is missing after an unlock; that feature relies on AT&T's back end. Some users have also reported that the iPhone's connection to YouTube no longer works after the hack is applied.
The iPhone Dev Team is already working on a one-click tool sporting a graphical interface that will unlock an iPhone, but it had not been released as of this morning. "A new version of the GUI tool is almost complete," the group said on its site.
It's likely, however, that any unlock will be undone by the next iPhone update, which Apple has said will be issued sometime this month to give the device new capabilities, such as Wi-Fi downloading from iTunes. The iPhoneSIMFree group, for example, has hammered the caveat into potential buyers' heads: "We cannot offer any guarantee should Apple choose to relock the phone after a future update," it stated in an FAQ.
Resellers of the iPhoneSIMFree hack have repeated the no-guarantee mantra.
Apple has repeatedly refused to comment on the various iPhone unlock hacks – paid versions or free ones.
free unlock solution for Apple's iPhone
It's been a whole nine days since our last iPhone story. We're sure you suffered withdrawal too...
Breaking the drought at the dregs of the week however is popular free iPhone locking tool 'anySIM' since its code is now being immediately released after developers decided to make it open source.
Posting on its forum, the team explained: "You may know anySIM, the most popular and free unlock solution for Apple's iPhone. Because of the public request and to archive a constant code quality, we now opensourced (sic) it! The source will go online at firday (sic), the 7th of December (sic). Anybody is welcome to contribute patchs (sic) to the software on the proper way. You will be able to submit potential changes to the tree via svn by than. We are looking forward to your contribution! Feel free to join IRC as well at irc.osx86.hu"
Yep, the team clearly encounters more trouble from linguistics than Cupertino's best efforts at security code, but it is hard to deny the logic in their decision. After all, anySIM hacks for v1.0.2 and v.1.1.1 flew out the door but after v1.1.2 tightened the screws once more development has clearly stalled.
Given that all of us at TR are advocates of freedom of choice (three of us - myself included - use unlocked iPhones as our primary handsets) we're firmly behind this decision. This comes more in spirit than actual assistance however, since we can't hack for toffee…
iPhonesimfree unlock was on sale in the UK
Things have really gone crazy in the iPhone unlock arena - only days after the news that the iPhonesimfree unlock was on sale in the UK, a free online guide has been published.
A collaborative effort by a whole host of hacker types, known as the iPhone Dev Team, this new guide gives you a step by step guide to freeing an iPhone from AT&T's 2-year shackles.
Some consumers who do want an unlocked holy handset, but fear the fairly in-depth tech knowledge required in order to DIY the hack themselves may chose to pay out the £40 to the iPhonesimfree crowd.
What will be interesting is to see if Apple respond to this massively significant news. They recently very quickly issued a second iTunes update after a work-around of the first version, which enabled official ringtones on the iPhone, was posted online.
Industry insiders and Mac watchers speculate that Apple could issue updates that would render the current software unlocks useless (and indeed this is in the small print from iPhonesimfree) but chose not to in order to encourage hardware sales. Watch this space...
Unlock iPhone software - Why are people paying money to have their iphones unlocked when you van get it unlocked for free!
It looks like the battle’s officially over between iPhoneSIMfree and the numerous unique groups of open source hackers trying to software SIM unlock the iPhone. Earlier this month iUnlock, the first free, open source iPhone SIM unlock app, was released to the underground just 74 days after the iPhone’s release. Developed by the iPhone Dev Team, it’s not (yet) for the faint of heart and it takes a little longer to do its magic than iPhoneSIMfree’s method, but it works.
To pull this off you’ll need iUnlock + nor + the .fls file, which is available in ZIPs all over. We’ve got the app here, but this package doesn’t include all of the files necessary. Good list of links here, or try here, here, here, here, and here.
For the how-to, just hit up one of those guides down below. Naturally, we offer zero guarantees that any of this will work. (Read: don’t whine to us if your iPhone gets bricked.) Big ups to the iphone.unlock crew, Draken, and, of course, the iPhone Dev Team. Let us know in comments if this technique works for you.
Update: We’ve confirmed the hack! Yes, it’s fully restore-resistant, too, which is great news. We’ll get you all the juicy proof in a few, but we have indeed managed to software unlock an iPhone with iUnlock. Also, HaRRo says the app should be out “very soon” to make this easier on the noobs.
Update 2: Depending on activation method, YouTube might not be working after the unlock — ours isn’t. This is, of course, expected behavior. There’s a Windows script here that should hopefully fix you up (again, we don’t make any guarantees), but Mac users will have to look elsewhere. Also, alongside the Mac GUI iUnlock app in the works, the iPhone Dev Team is prepping a Windows version, a simple bash script and an iPhone app — and eventually an all-in-one app that can do everything from the Jailbreak to the unlock.
Update 3: We’ve posted our terminal output from using the hack after the break. Go ahead. Nerd out. Also, the graphical version isn’t out quiet yet, but we’ve got the first image of it above. Check it out.
Update 5: Ok, the graphical unlock app still isn’t yet out, but we’ve tested an early build, and it definitely works! Check it out here.
No one ever doubted that the iPhone would be unlocked
No one ever doubted that the iPhone would be unlocked. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to crack the armor that heretofore has kept iPhone users from popping in a SIM card other than the iPhone-specific one that AT&T Wireless supplies with every new iPhone.
It seems that the team of someones at iPhoneSimFree.com are the first to successfully pull off this feat. The group says it has unlocked the phone, and will be releasing its software for sale starting next week.
Unlocking the iPhone dramatically widens the phone's appeal. For one, it means that you won't be tied to AT&T Wireless' services and network; you can use whatever local GSM network operates best for your needs--and potentially save money while doing so. Once it's been unlocked, you can take the phone with you anywhere, and pop in the SIM card of choice. For me, that would mean sticking with T-Mobile, where I already have a family plan and a service I don't want to change. For others, that may mean inserting a SIM purchased locally while traveling in Italy.
While we haven't tried this unlock yet ourselves, technology blog Engadget has given it a try, and found that the unlock works as advertised. Notably, Engadget says that at the moment, the hack appears "restore-resistant"--meaning you won't have to re-hack your phone after you apply an iPhone update. This is key to the success of any iPhone unlock process; Apple appears well on its way towards having multiple iPhone updates over time, and each software update so far has managed to undo any existing hacks on the iPhone.
I'll be interested to see what the response will be from Apple and AT&T Wireless. Considering you still have to buy the iPhone with a two-year AT&T Wireless contract, I'm not clear on how much of an advantage the iPhone unlock will be to the average consumer. You'll still have to pay to get out of your AT&T contract--which in turn will raise your overall cost-of-ownership on the iPhone.
Another consideration--if you plan to use the iPhone's Internet access over the cellular network--you'll want to pay for an unlimited data plan. The iPhone's Safari browser delivers the real, graphical Internet--which translates into lots of megabytes of data being transferred via the network. If you don't have unlimited data access, I'd shudder to think about the overage charges.
Addendum: More iPhone unlocks are surfacing now. One is from Rochester Institute of Technology-bound teenager from New Jersey came up with this solution, as documented on his blog.
Engadget claims to have an iPhone that was successfully unlocked
The iPhone unlocking game heated up considerable over the weekend with no less than three people/groups claiming to have unlocked the coveted Apple device. The first and most impressive iPhone unlock comes from a New Jersey teenager and involves soldering, but most definitely works.
Shortly after that came word from Engadget that the somewhat questionable outfit iPhone Sim Free had succeeded with a software only SIM unlock (Engadget claims to have an iPhone that was successfully unlocked).
Engadget has also reported that iphoneunlocking.com has a software SIM unlock solution, though personally I think this one is a scam. For one thing iphoneunlocking.com consists of a thrown together Wordpress blog that looks like it took about thirty seconds to set up. But most tellingly the group has failed to release their software when they said they would.
The group claims: “The sale of unlocking codes is on hold after the company received a telephone call from a Menlo Park, California, law firm at approximately 2:54 a.m. this morning (GMT).”
The idea that a lawyer would be so concerned about the software as to call at three A.M. is doubtful. Couple this with the fact that there is very little legal ground for suing over unlocking software and there's some good reasons to doubt iphoneunlocking.
The DMCA doesn’t cover unlocking phones, in fact it explicitly okays the practice which means AT&T would have little legal ground to stand on and the company is probably aware of that.
Among the exemptions added to the DMCA last year is one that covers: “Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network.”
What about the iPhone Sim Free hack? Engadget is pretty adamant that it works, the iPhone Sim Free folks unlocked one of their iPhones, which led Engadget to throw some bold tags around this statement: “Again: we can confirm with 100% certainty that iPhoneSIMfree.com’s software solution completely SIM unlocks the iPhone, is restore-resistant, and should make the iPhone fully functional for users outside of the US.”
If it does indeed survive software updates and even a full restore, this would appear to be the ticket for those looking to drop the AT&T shackles, but for the time being, iPhone Sim Free doesn’t have anything publicly available for testing — in other news, we hear the new Duke Nukem Forever is going to kick ass.
If you’re looking to unlock your iPhone today, you’ll have to grab a soldering iron and give George Holt’s SIM cracking method a try.
unlocked iPhone
These instructions use the command line tool that was later called anySIM, once a GUI was attached to it. I wound up with an unlocked iPhone, but trying to relock it, so I could upgrade to the 1.1.1 firmware, caused my IMEI to go bad, so I had to re-unlock it, to get back to a working state. Still at 1.0.2, I recovered by 1) reflashing the phone with Apple’s firmware and 2) running SimFree, from the folks at IPSF, to fix and then safely unlock it. I have not yet upgraded this iPhone to 1.1.1, as I’m still using it to test applications under 1.0.2 (I’m test them under 1.1.1 on my other iPhone). When I upgrade it, I’ll add a note here, as to whether it was successful or not.
Download the iUnlock_Reloaded.zip from here, here or here. Save it to a directory.
cd to where you just saved the download and unzip it.
in another wiindow, ssh into your iPhone and run: mkdir /unlock
back on your Mac, scp the three files to your iPhone: scp -p iUnlock_reloaded *bin root@youriphoneip:/unlock
on your iPhone, run: cd /unlock
on your iPhone, run: ./iUnlock_reloaded If it worked, and says your iPhone is unlocked, you’re done. If not, read on.
If it says that the flash went ok, but the unlock failed, do this:
put a copy of the 1.0.2 firmware in a directory on your Mac. If you need to download it, get it from here.
rename the extension on the firmware from ipsw to zip
unzip it
run: dd if=009-7698-4.dmg of=ramdisk.dmg bs=512 skip=4 conv=sync
use finder to navigate to the directory where ramdisk.dmg is and double-click it to mount it.
copy the following files to the directory you unziped iUnlock_Reloaded.zip in:
/Volumes/ramdisk/usr/local/bin/bbupdater
/Volumes/ramdisk/usr/local/standalone/firmware/ICE03.14.08_G.eep
/Volumes/ramdisk/usr/local/standalone/firmware/ICE03.14.08_G.fls
copy those three files to your iPhone: scp -p bbupdater ICE* root@youriphoneip:/unlock
on your iPhone, run: cd /unlock
on your iPhone, run: launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist
on your iPhone, run: ./bbupdater -f *.fls -e *.eep
on your iPhone, run: launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist
on your iPhone, run: ./iUnlock_reloadedIt should successfully flash and unlock this time.
The Easiest and Quickest unlock ever released for the iPhone
The Easiest and Quickest unlock ever released for the iPhone running with 1.1.1 Firmware.The unlock process is all done from the iPhone (no computer required). Follow the simple steps and unlock in 10 minutes
1. Purchase your unlock licenses (BUY NOW link on the right)
2. Make sure you enter your IMEI number on the checkout page when making your payment. (15 digit number on the rear of the iPhone starting with 011)
2. Ensure you have a good strong, reliable WiFi connection to the internet.
3. You need to keep your original AT&T Sim card in the iPhone until SimFree.app tells you to remove it.
4. Just follow the simple step-by-step guide to complete the unlock. CLICK HERE to be directed to the guide. Watch the YouTube video (link on the right) before you start which shows the unlock process.
REFUND POLICY - Please read before you purchase
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It is now possible for 1.0.0 or 1.0.2 customers to upgrade to firmware version 1.1.1. It is very important to update with a clean version of 1.1.1.
1. We recommend doing a full restore in iTunes from the disk mode on the iPhone. Follow these instructions
2. Download the 1.1.1 ipsw firmware file from the link on the download page. If the downloaded file has the extension ".zip", please remove it and modify it to end up with the following filename: iPhone1,1_1.0.2_1C28_Restore.ipsw
3. Reboot your iPhone holding the top (power) and home buttons BUT release the top button 10 seconds into it (right after the screen goes dark) and continue to hold the home button until iTunes detects the phone in recovery mode. The iPhone screen will appear to be off, but start iTunes if not started yet .
4. Restore your iPhone by pressing and holding the ‘Shift’ key on windows or ‘option’ key on Mac, then click ‘restore’ to select the 1.1.1 firmware file you downloaded earlier. The restore should go through, MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT UPDATE TO 1.1.2
5. You are now ready to start the jailbreakme process. CLICK HERE to be directed to the 1.1.1 easy process.
How to check your iPhone firmware version
1. with the picture of the World showing on the iPhone. (taken straight out of the box)
2. Slide the keyboard unlock at the bottom of the screen
3. You are now in the Emergency Call Only screen.
4. Type in the following *3001#12345#* then press "CALL"
5. Under versions you will find what firmware is on the iPhone
03.12.06_G is firmware 1.0.0
03.14.08_G is firmware 1.0.1 and 1.02 - Unlock possible now
04.02.04_G is firmware 1.1.1 - Unlock possible now
04.01.13_G is firmware 1.1.1 - Unlock possible now
04.02.13_G is firmware 1.1.2 - UK iPhone unlock to be released
(UK iPhone- Unlock solution to be released, register for information CLICK HERE
A hacker group released a free, open-source unlock for Apple Inc.'s iPhone
A hacker group released a free, open-source unlock for Apple Inc.'s iPhone late Tuesday, just a day after a commercial company started selling something similar for as much as $99 through a network of online resellers.
The iPhone Dev Team, a dozen programmers who began their attempts to break the iPhone's reliance on AT&T in early July, have posted their hack on download servers. According to several sites, including Gizmodo and Engadget, the iPhone Dev Team unlock exploits the same iPhone bug as the for-money iPhoneSIMFree hack to do its magic. The two groups, however, came up with their solutions independently.
But the process isn't for the faint of heart. "This unlock is not for everybody!" the iPhone Dev Team warned. The procedure involves several separate programs -- some of which must be obtained elsewhere on the Internet -- and requires that iPhone owners execute commands from a shell screen on the Mac or PC.
Even so, reports have been posted to the team's site from users in more than 40 countries that the unlock hack works, and after a swap of the iPhone's included SIM card with one from another cellular service provider, that they've been able to access more than 90 different carriers. The iPhone's distinctive Visual Voicemail, which lets users select voice-mail messages rather than listen to them in the order they were received, is missing after an unlock; that feature relies on AT&T's back end. Some users have also reported that the iPhone's connection to YouTube no longer works after the hack is applied.
The iPhone Dev Team is already working on a one-click tool sporting a graphical interface that will unlock an iPhone, but it had not been released as of this morning. "A new version of the GUI tool is almost complete," the group said on its site.
It's likely, however, that any unlock will be undone by the next iPhone update, which Apple has said will be issued sometime this month to give the device new capabilities, such as Wi-Fi downloading from iTunes. The iPhoneSIMFree group, for example, has hammered the caveat into potential buyers' heads: "We cannot offer any guarantee should Apple Inc. choose to re-lock the phone after a future update," it stated in a FAQ.
Resellers of the iPhoneSIMFree hack, who have priced the unlock as low as $45, have repeated the no-guarantee mantra.
Apple has repeatedly refused to comment on the various iPhone unlock hacks -- paid versions or free ones.
UPDATE: One of the three methods described below ran into a legal roadblock on Saturday. See iPhone Unlock Hits Legal Hang-Up.
With uncanny serendipity, three teams trying to unlock Apple's (AAPL) iPhone so that it can work with carriers other than AT&T (T) have reached their goal within days of each other.
First out of the block was George Hotz, a 17-year-old student from New Jersey who posted a 10-step technique on his website Thursday that requires cracking open the iPhone and doing some tricky soldering.
His accomplishment was quickly overshadowed by a team from iPhoneSIMfree.com, which developed a software-only technique that does the same thing without having to void the iPhone's warranty by opening it up. The group demonstrated its procedure today to Engadget's Ryan Block, who vouches for its authenticity on the blog and in a video. (Note the "T-Mobile" in the upper left hand corner of his iPhone screen, pictured above.)
Now Infoworld is reporting that a third team, based in Belfast but drawing on the resources of programmers around world, has accomplished the same thing -- a software-only hack that will allow iPhone owners to run the device on any GSM-based SIM card. According to John McLaughlin, founder of Uniquephones, the software will be available for download tomorrow afternoon at www.iphoneunlocking.com for $25 to $50.
The iPhoneSimFree team says per unit and bulk licenses for its software will be available next week; no price has been set. Hotz says he has no plans to sell his hardware solution, although he has offered his iPhone, modified and autographed, for sale on eBay.
Neither Apple nor AT&T has commented on these developments, which came just shy of two months from the day the iPhone went on sale. AT&T may take comfort in the fact that most users won't bother trying to get around their 2-year service contract. Apple, for its part, could undo all these hacks with its next iPhone software upgrade.
Apple iPhone Unlocked - How To Unlock iPhone
Apple iPhone Unlocked - How To Unlock iPhone ? - iPhone Unlocking Software
Apple iPhone Unlocked - How To Unlock iPhone ? - iPhone Unlocking Software
Are you one of them like me or my friends?
- Want an IPhone but don't want to stay with AT&T's contract?
- Holding on an IPhone but want to switch network operator due to cheaper rate?
iPhone Unlocked is the only way for you to make this happen!! And the software is here!!
They are few iphone Unlocked software around the corner, but which is the one provides u the best value?
You can choose the automate or step by step guide options below!
iPhone unlocked: AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity
CNN News - Code to unlock iPhone cracked Story Highlights
# Software developed enabling Apple's iPhone to be used on any phone network
# Device can currently only be used on AT&T network in the U.S.
# Anonymous developers plan to start selling program soon
Check out the NEWS here!! http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/09/01/apple.iphone/index.html
Ge t your iPhone Unlocked software here
IPhone Unlocked - Software to Unlock your Iphone!
IPhone Unloced Package - FREE Download music, movies, games, software iPhoneSIMFree's software-only unlocking hack is finally available through four online retailers around the globe; they are Wireless Imports in the US, iPhone Worldwide Unlock in Australia, 1 digital phone in Germany (have temporarily suspending preorders), and iPhone 4 arab in Saudi Arabia.
As of now based on information available the US online retailer is selling individual unlocks for $99 while the Aussie retailer was offering the unlock for half the cost at $50. The retailers are claiming to have received a very good response already.
But now you can get this at only 49.95!
NOT ONLY THAT!! you will be getting the bonus below!
1. Download music, movies, games, software & more! Super fast unlimited downloads 24/7. No additional fees per download.
2. Listen to your favorite music or watch your favorite movie on your iPhone. Free music & movie players are included...
3. YOU CAN UNLOCK UP TO 5 PHONES WITH EACH PURCHASE.
CLICK HERE TO IPhone unlocked
iPhone Unlocked - How to Unlock iPhone
Tips to Downgrade your iPhone from v1.1.1 to v1.0.2 Here's one method to downgrade your iPhone to v1.0.2. Guaranteed to work with iTunes 7.3.2.
Confirmed working with a locked iPhone that had been upgraded to 1.1.1. Downgrade using these instructions was successful. Phone is activated and all apps and 3rd-party software is working.
1. Install iTunes 7.3.2, which you can download from the links below.
2. Download the 1.0.2 iPhone restore file if you don't have it already.
3. Shift + Click Restore (Windows) or Option + Click Restore (Mac), then point to the file below (use .dmg file in download file).
4. Use AppTap Installer you will be back to normal with EDGE and Wi-Fi support.
iPhone firmware 1.1.3 breaks unlocks
This continuing cat and mouse game reminds me of radar detectors. I recall when radar detectors first came out, and something akin to an arms race broke out between authorities and lead-footed civilians to stay one step ahead of each other. I'm fairly certain that's a race that won't end until modern transportation takes some strange turn. So it is with the iPhone unlock strategies, and according to iPhone Dev Team vet Nate True the 1.1.3 firmware update will once again break unlocks and third-party applications. The full post offers some fairly convincing reasons to believe that they've got the real scoop. I'm buying it.
Want to put a happy spin on this? Just be thankful that Apple doesn't allow the iPhone-hacking geniuses much idle time, lest some of them find other ways of showing their talent.
iPhone unlocking
Over the last few days, iPhone unlocking has seen a couple of sharp turns. First iPhoneSimFree promised to deliver a commercial solution to unlock your iPhone. Then they hesitated and decided to become a wholesale only company, further delaying their release. Ultimately, they missed the train and the hacking community stepped in (Free iPhone unlock supposedly pending (Updated x2)), and released a free hack: iUnlock by the iPhone Dev Team (no association with Apple).
Since vendor lock-in is never a good thing for the customer, the release of this software is great news. And as fans of the free market may be aware, cell phone unlocking is legal. But does it work? Playing With Wire decided to find out. We picked up a 4GB Apple iPhone, headed out on the internet and soon found a great unlocking tutorial at modmyiPhone. The guide is Mac specific, but we also stumbled across unlock.no which appears to offer a guide for Windows users - we didn’t try it though.
The Unlock Process
The process is a little bit lengthy but everything is done using simple graphical tools. For starters, you need to make sure your iPhone is entirely up to date. iTunes does this for you after you trigger the ‘recovery mode’ of your iPhone, by pressing Sleep and Home for 25 seconds.
The iPhone in recovery mode.
Once you’re in recovery mode you can just connect the iPhone to your computer and iTunes will offer you the option of restoring the phone. Prepare yourself for the first of a couple of lengthy downloads - for us iTunes downloaded 96 MB of software updates (we used iTunes 7.4.0 and iPhone Firmware 1.0.2 for this article). When it’s all done, iTunes will tell you so and you can close down the application.
So now we had an updated but not yet activated iPhone. The Mac application “iNdependence” makes activation a breeze, but this is where the second lengthy download comes into the picture as you have to download the firmware a second time. We did run into a minor snag: when we followed the instructions on the page we couldn’t get the activation to work on our first attempt. Disconnecting the phone, restarting iNdependence and then reconnecting the phone took care of it though - iNdependence unlocked the phone without complaint. Voila, now we had an iPhone that was basically like Apple’s latest iPod, the iTouch: it could play music and video, but it couldn’t make phone calls.
This is where the Unlock application comes into play. To actually get it onto the phone, you need SSH installed though. Just like the guide says, the AppTapp application allows you to install third party software on your iPhone. We ran into trouble here though: when we ran AppTapp we got an indefinite progress bar. We waited a good 15 minutes for the application to finish, but it never did. What’s worse, our iPhone locked up in ‘recovery mode’ and could no longer be started. We realized that we had left iNdependence running from the previous step, and perhaps this application conflicted with the AppTapp installer. Regardless of the reason, the iPhone was dead at this point.
iPhone native application developers
iPhone native application developers, take heart: Apple doesn't hate you. And now you have a whole new device to play with.
Updated 3:15 PM: Apple says "software updates will most likely break" native apps as they go forwards.
Updated 1:15 PM: I just got a call from Joswiak who wanted to make clear: "not hate" doesn't mean "like" or "support." I think I made that clear further down, but they said that some people may not be reading all the way down this piece. So to summarize: Apple will neither forbid nor support native code on the iPhone/Touch. They will not design software updates specifically to break native apps, but if the updates happen to break native apps or your native apps turn your iPhone into a rutabaga, don't go crying to Apple, 'cause it ain't their problem. Capiche?
Original post: A couple of PC Magazine folks met with Apple marketing honcho Greg Joswiak yesterday to talk about the new iPods, and thrillingly, he had some answers to interesting questions.
First of all, the iPod Touch and iPhone use the same software platform - they're both running OS X on basically the same hardware, Joswiak said. My interpretation: They're the same platform the way a Mac Mini and Power Mac are the same platform. What Greg didn't say, but I surmise, is that means apps for the iPhone will likely work on the iPod Touch.
More after the jump, including Joswiak's perspective on native iPhone apps.
The iPod Touch does not have Bluetooth. Any images on the Internet that may have implied that it did were errors, Joswiak said. Also, there are no games coming for the iPod Touch right now.
I asked him about independent, native software development for the iPhone. He said Apple doesn't oppose native application development, which was new to me. Rather, Apple takes a neutral stance - they're not going to stop anyone from writing apps, and they're not going to maliciously design software updates to break the native apps, but they're not going to care if their software updates accidentally break the native apps either. He very carefully left the door open to a further change in this policy, too, saying that Apple is always re-examining its perspective on these sorts of things.
I pointed out that Apple delivers regular software updates to Macs, and that they don't break third-party software. He responded that Apple has a lot more experience with the Mac platform than they do with the iPhone platform. Also, the Mac platform being a PC, he said that consumer expectations absolutely demand third party software be available - though he looked a little wistful at that moment, as if wondering how peaceful the world would be if Apple actually controlled all the software on the Mac platform. Then he came back to reality.
I'm finding all of this very exciting, and very encouraging. Dozens of native apps are already available for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform - let's call it the "Mac Micro." Apple's moving slowly, but I think the direction is clear: this is a next-generation handheld PC platform, and by this time next year, we'll all be able to treat it as one.
removing the SIM from the iphone
Recently I bought off eBay a (locked) iPhone. It was nice and shiny, and I was urging to use it. So, dispite the various warnings I saw on the net regarding the free iphone unlocking method, I rushed and used a free unlock available on the net, specifically anySIM because I didn’t want to buy a license to use iPhoneSimFree, which they charge you for a license. Bad move. I will share with you my story with free unlocks, and a how-to de-brick your phone.
My phone was running firmware 1.0.2 (I never updated to 1.1.1). During the unlock, something went wrong. The phone’s IMEI turned to 004999010640000. I googled it, and i turned out that this was the “lockdown” IMEI, meaning that my phone was bricked. I thought it was wise to restore back to my original firmware in order to restore the state of my phone and make it report the original IMEI. No luck.
I tried removing the SIM from the phone, and restarting. When the phone booted without the SIM, the IMEI was reported the same as the one on the phone. At this point, I tried unlocking with anySIM once more, but without any success. When the phone booted with a SIM card (non-AT&T) it showed the “lockdown” IMEI.
So, the last resort was to try the SimFree unlock. I visited Free Our iPhones, which is a iPSF reseller, and bought a license using my REAL IMEI (the one on the back of the phone). It was Sunday, so I had to wait until Monday to see if that was going to fix and unlock my iPhone. Surprisingly (and thankfully) within 30 minutes I got an email from them saying that my license has been activated and I could use SimFree to unlock my iPhone.
I added their Sources into my Installer, and I downloaded SimFree to my iPhone directly. After removing the SIM, I double-checked the IMEI and runned the SimFree program. The unlocker went through various stages, and voila! “Unlock successful”! I closed the phone and inserted my SIM and the phone registered successfully to my carrier. I was able to make and receive calls and SMS. My iPhone was liberated!
iPhone-unlocking app went on sale for a cool $99
The Web was alight yesterday with reports that an iPhone-unlocking app went on sale for a cool $99. Folks, do yourselves a favor and keep your wallet stowed—and here's why.
First, some background: as you probably know, a bevy of hackers have recently come out with various methods and software for unlocking an iPhone (which lets you use it with any SIM card, not just AT&T's). Naturally, it was only a matter of time before someone got the bright idea of making a little cash in the bargain. So it wasn't much of a surprise yesterday when news broke that an iPhone-unlocking app (no soldering required) from iPhoneSIMfree.com had popped up on the Web for $99.
Now, I don't think there's anything philosophically wrong with unlocking your iPhone—hey, it's the wave of the future, whether the major U.S. carriers like it or not. But paying $100 for this particular iPhone hack is just plain dumb, for a couple of reasons.
Number one: While the software has been proven to work by the likes of Engadget Mobile, there's no guarantee that Apple's next iPhone update (which will probably enable the upcoming Wi-Fi iTunes music store) won't render the unlocking app useless—and if that happens, "you will be charged to unlock [your iPhone] again" (or so says the fine print on the vendor's Web site). Apple's been known in the past to break third-party iTunes plug-ins through software updates (especially the ones that circumvent its DRM schemes), and I wouldn't be surprised if Jobs & Co. disabled iPhone unlocking apps in the same way—and then you'd be out a C-note.
Number two: As we speak, competing hackers are busy reverse-engineering the iPhoneSIMfree.com software, with the intention of distributing their own unlocking apps on the Web for free. So if you wait a few weeks (or even days), you'll probably be able to download a perfectly good iPhone-unlocking app without paying a dime.
Beyond the issue of whether you should pay to get your iPhone unlocked, don't forget that doing so will void your warranty, and if you fry your phone in the process, the cool kids at the Apple Genius Bar probably won't have much sympathy for your plight. Oh, and the legal implications are murky, too.
So, anyone out there throwing caution to the wind and buying the iPhoneSIMFree app anyway?
new Apple iPhone
So you’ve bought the new Apple iPhone, only to realize that it is locked onto the Cingular network, and you have a different wireless provider. Well all is not lost thanks to some of the great products that are offered at GSMLiberty.net. Since 2004 they have been helping customers break free of unnecessary regulations handed down by the cell phone companies. They supply data cables, firmware and flash upgrades and a wide assortment of unlocked phones, codes and hardware. GSMLiberty’s products will generally ship the same day they are ordered, and with their money back guarantee, you can shop with confidence. They are eager to take your questions, and have assembled a FAQ that cover the majority of the basic topics regarding unlocked cell phones.
If you are concerned about altering your phone, you should understand that the phone company has no say in the matter as it is just as legal to unlock your cell phone as it is to give it away, lose it or break it.
Now you can purchase that new phone you’ve always wanted, whatever your network. The freedom of choice is what GSMLiberty is all about, so for the best value on an unlocked mobile phone, head to GSMLiberty.net.
At present, there is no one solution which can completely unlock iPhone
At present, there is no one solution which can completely unlock iPhone. But hackers are moving toward making Apple's iPhone work with carriers other than AT&T.
The following iPhone unlocking way listed below is all FREE.
1)DVD Jon's solution for Windows
His Phone Activation Software allows the iPhone to be used for media playback and Web access via Wi-Fi without paying for the two-year service plan, although voice calling is not possible under the hack. His method does work but a little bit too complicated. You need to install several programs named PhoneActivationServerV1.0, UltraEdit, MS .NET Framework and you have to modify hexadecimal values.
More details: http://nanocr.eu/2007/07/03/iphone-without-att/
2)Unlock iPhone with one-click (Mac, Win)
It's been three weeks since the iPhone launch, but the iPhone unlock software can also NOT support unlocking iPhone for using other phone services. Why mention the program here? The software listed at DVD to iPhone site can activate iPhone easily, only one click is enough. Download and run, click 'Unlock iPhone' button, that is it. your iPhone will become a widescreeen iPod and Wi-Fi enabled device. At present, only Windows version is available. But, the Mac version and the SIM-card unlocking, iPhone GSM network unlocking function are under developed.
More details: http://www.dvdtoiphone.net/unlock-iphone.html
3)Put old Cingular SIM in your iPhone and made it work (Intel Mac)
his procedure does NOT unlock the iPhone after doing this, it still remains carrier dependent. But you can now use any existing AT&T or Cingular pre-paid account (mine is from a contract that ran out) or any virtual operator's SIM card that uses the AT&T and Cingular network. This also works for corporate accounts.
This method is for those who live in the United States and can get access onto the AT&T network. Please send all inquiries about service to AT&T. I don't work for AT&T, so I can't answer account questions (I'm getting tons of them).
AT&T iphone
I ended up being forced to reboot after doing iEraser due to some issues, and I lost Wi-Fi. Unfortunately I did not have a terminal application on the phone. I tried to restore the phone with iTunes and iTunes has bricked the phone and now it’s stuck in recovery mode and iTunes fails to restore it. This has happened before, and I managed to fix the problem, but my time right now is extremely limited, so right now I am putting the project on hold.
I just went out to the Apple store and bought another iPhone and switched over to AT&T because I just got fed up with the entire process. At this point it looked like I can either have an iPhone that works as a phone right now, or I can spend tons more time playing with it trying to unlock it when I have a fulltime school schedule as well as a fulltime work schedule while meanwhile carrying around two phones with me.
I definitely am keeping the old phone and will be working on resurrecting it. It’s just not going to be my #1 priority.
The reception from AT&T/Cingular is exceptional of course, however I do have the regret and bad taste in my mouth of leaving T-Mobile for them that I had years ago when I left T-Mobile so I could get a Treo 650 without paying $700. I also see they don’t have 24/7 customer service. I hate the whole “exclusive” game, but what can ya do, comes as no surprise as just one more caveat of capitalism.
This entry was posted on Sunday, September
Following the news that iPhoneSIMFree has begun distribution of a commercial application to unlock the iPhone for use with non-AT&T GSM carriers
Following the news that iPhoneSIMFree has begun distribution of a commercial application to unlock the iPhone for use with non-AT&T GSM carriers, an unofficial group called the iPhone Dev Team has unveiled alternate software for free. The iUnlock tool is not as user-friendly as iPhoneSIMFree's software and it requires that an iPhone already be "jailbroken" and has ssh installed. It also requires the use of the Unix command line and SFTP to install and run the commands, which may be intimidating to some users (though a beta version of a GUI tool is in development). Details are a little scarce at this point, but the software's capabilities have been confirmed by Gizmodo and several individual users (though there are some reports of YouTube functionality being lost after unlocking). Tutorials are available from Free iPhone Unlock, iPhone.Unock.no, and Hackintosh. All tutorials still appear to be in early stages and it isn't clear of all details and potential problems are described in them. A free unlocking solution could very well be AT&T's worst nightmare with regards to the iPhone. While many users in the US might hesitate to purchase a software solution like iPhoneSIMFree for $100, a free solution is significantly more tempting (and possibly more difficult for AT&T to protect through a lawsuit - particularly as unlocking a mobile phone appears to be protected by an exemption in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act). As with iPhoneSIMFree, which appears to exploit the same mechanism for unlocking an iPhone as iUnlock, there is no guarantee that even after an iPhone is successfully unlocked, a future Apple update may not re-lock the iPhone.
iPhone today disputed the company's claim that their hacks can damage the device
The programmers who wrote free software that unlocks Apple Inc.'s iPhone today disputed the company's claim that their hacks can damage the device, and they promised to battle any attempt by Apple to "brick" modified phones.
In a message posted to the iPhone forum on the Hackint0sh Web site, someone claiming to represent the iPhone Dev Team said the group would answer the firmware update expected this week with a tool of its own that would return any unlocked phone to a factory-fresh condition. That will prevent the iPhone from being "bricked," or incapacitated, when the update is applied.
"We will provide you with a tool in the next week which will be able to recover your 'nck' counter and 'seczones' and even enable you to restore your phone to a factory-like state if you are really [determined] to update your phone," said someone identified as "sam." [Ed. note: punctuation added and grammar corrected.]
He also said the iPhone Dev Team takes exception with Apple's contention that modifications can break the device. "[Apple speaks] of 'damage' done to the firmware and 'unauthorized access' to our own property," the message said. [But] Apple [has] now announced [that] the next firmware update, [which] we may expect later this week, will possibly break the handsets of all of us free users in the world intentionally," the message said. It went on to say of Apple's claims, "we know better" and said the unlocking software "is not causing 'damage' as they want to make us belive [sic]."
The iPhone Dev Team is responsible for creating anySIM, a free open-source utility that lets users make and receive calls on networks other than that of AT&T, currently the only authorized carrier for the iPhone. The anySIM software is one of several unlocking hacks now in circulation.
The hackers' manifesto is just the latest in what Apple CEO Steve Jobs called a "cat-and-mouse game" between his company and those who want to make unauthorized changes to the iPhone. In London a week ago to tout the smart phone's Nov. 9 launch in the U.K., Jobs implicitly promised that Apple would counter attempts to unlock the iPhone.
"People will try to break in, and it's our job to stop them breaking in," he said then.
Yesterday, Apple issued a statement of its own, saying that any modification to an iPhone automatically voids its warranty. It also warned customers against unlocking their phones. "Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs ... will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed," the company said.
A firmware update, the third since the iPhone went on sale in late June, will be released through iTunes this week. Apple is expected to add new features to the phone, including the ability to purchase music over a Wi-Fi connection.
The iPhone Dev Team spokesman advised users who had already unlocked their phones to not apply the update, saying they should instead wait while others, presumably including the iPhone Dev Team's own programmers, analyze it. Elsewhere in the message, the spokesman claimed that about 500,000 copies of the free unlocking tool had been downloaded. If true, it would mean that almost half of the iPhones sold so far have been unlocked. Apple announced only two weeks ago that it had just sold its 1 millionth iPhone.
Unlocking the iPhone: The GSM SIM and Activation
Daniel Eran Dilger
Interested in getting the iPhone to work in ways Apple never intended? Here’s a look at what’s involved in making the iPhone a mobile service-free iPod, and conversely, using it with other service providers, both here in the US and internationally.
En Espa?ol:
Liberando el iPhone, un art?culo de RoughlyDrafted
Traducci?n: Oscar Reixa
I wrote an extensive initial overview of the iPhone for AppleInsider, which presented that the iPhone is designed to work only after activation through iTunes, which involves setting up a mobile service plan through AT&T.
The previous article, “How AT&T Picked Up the iPhone” examined the history of AT&T and mobile networks in the US. Both provide some useful background for this article.
[AppleInsider | Apple’s iPhone: an initial (but in-depth) review]
[How AT&T Picked Up the iPhone: A Brief History of Mobiles]
GSM SIMs, Activation, and Locking
A lot of people are interested in using the iPhone in different ways than Apple intended:
• Some want to use it as an iPod and web browser without a mobile account.
• Some want to use it as a full iPhone, but using a different mobile carrier.
• Some want to access its internals to install other software or unlock features.
Things are always more complex than they might seem. In the US and some other markets, there are rival networks using incompatible technologies. The two biggest contenders worldwide are Qualcomm’s CDMA2000 network family, and the GSM family of networks. The iPhone is a GSM phone.
Global System for Mobiles’ Subscriber Identity Module.
GSM uses a SIM smart card to identify a subscriber. It can usually be put into any phone handset to associate it with that user’s telephone account. This makes it easy for users to pick any phone and immediately being using it. In the US, AMPS (aka ‘TDMA’) and CDMA mobile phones had to be manually configured by the provider.
A GSM SIM card stores a IMSI or International Mobile Subscriber Identity. That number includes three codes:
• MCC or Mobile Country Code
• MNC or Mobile Network Code, identifying the service provider
• MSIN or Mobile Subscriber Identification Number, identifying the specific user
In addition to accepting a SIM, a GSM phone itself stores a IMEI or International Mobile Equipment Identity. This number is globally unique to the mobile phone, just like a computer’s network MAC address. This number is intended to be completely independent from the subscriber’s IMSI, meaning that in theory nothing ties a phone to a specific user’s account.
If a GSM phone is stolen, the network can ban the IMEI serial number of the stolen phone, making it worthless as a phone even if a different SIM card is put into it. If the SIM was not in the phone when it was stolen, the subscriber could continue to use it with other phones because the banned phone IMEI is not tied to the SIM.
Service Provider Subsidy Locks.
The history of mobiles in the US makes the market very different from Europe, where GSM has become more standardized. In some European countries, subsidizing phone prices and tying the phone to a specific provider is illegal. In the US, that practice is commonplace.
US mobile providers give customers a deeply discounted phone after they sign an extended contract, and enforce the contract by locking the phone hardware to only work with their own network. After a certain period, most mobile providers will unlock the phone from their network, and phones may also be unlocked by third parties who have access to the codes to do this.
This vendor lock exists to tie the heavily subsidized phone to the mobile provider who offered the rebate incentive.
However, the iPhone isn’t tied to AT&T for the same reason, because AT&T doesn’t provide iPhone subscribers with an upfront rebate as an incentive to sign a contract.
[Apple’s Secret iPhone Application Business Model]
[More Absurd iPhone Myths: iSuppli, Subsidies, and Pricing]
How the iPhone is Different.
Instead, it’s the iPhone itself that acts as the incentive to sign an AT&T contract. AT&T then pays Apple a portion of its service fee revenue over the term of the user’s contract for providing it with exclusive access to a desirable phone. Apple then offers the user continuous software upgrades to their iPhone.
Rather than simply locking the phone to the network, the iPhone ties the hardware provider to the service provider and invites the user to join in. That changes the mobile business model dramatically.
Unlike the iPhone, other mobiles are designed to work with many providers, but are artificially locked to one network as a way to enforce a service contract. The iPhone only needs to work with AT&T, so it’s not locked in the same way, and can’t be unlocked in the same way. Of course, that doesn’t mean it can’t be unlocked at all.
Using the iPhone without a Service Plan.
Before being activated, the iPhone can’t be used to do anything beyond placing an emergency phone call. It can only be used as a music player, organizer, and WiFi web browser after being activated from iTunes, and activation involves selecting a service plan.
Kent Pribbernow reported on his iPhone blog that a user can activate a iPhone, then add a second phone to the same FamilyTalk plan as a replacement to the first iPhone already on the account.
That will activate the second iPhone and while removing the phone service of the first iPhone, leaving it an activated, functional unit without any mobile service plan, but still functioning over WiFi.
Jon Lech Johansen, also known as DVD John, set up an automated way to spoof iTunes into thinking that it is talking to Apple’s activation servers while setting up an iPhone. This similarly results in an iPhone that is “activated” and functional as an iPod and WiFi browser, but left without any associated mobile service plan.
The Revocation Brick Risk.
There’s apparently no way for AT&T to revoke the activation of an iPhone, but it is possible that AT&T could revoke the IMEI of iPhones over its mobile network. The iPhone could brick itself after discovering that its IMEI had been banned. This mechanism is already used to kill a black market for stolen GSM phones.
It is also certainly possible that Apple could update iTunes to deactivate iPhones that have been activated but removed from a service plan. This potential for either of these happening makes trying to use the iPhone in this manner a potentially risky gamble, as the iPhone must be connected to iTunes in order to sync its library.
It appears Apple plans to earn a significant portion of its profits on the iPhone from its revenue sharing plan with AT&T. That gives both partners a motive for preventing people from using the iPhone without service. At the same time, it may not be worthwhile to engineer and deploy systems to deactivate iPhones that have been activated and then removed from service.
Using the iPhone with a Different Carrier.
While removing phone service from the iPhone appears to be rather simple, trying to use it with another service provider is more complicated. That’s because the iPhone isn’t just a GSM mobile phone with a standard SIM card. It’s really a handheld computer incorporating a SIM-enabled phone.
When activated, the iPhone checks for a special AT&T SIM card, then signs its boot software image with it. The iPhone refuses to accept SIM cards from other GSM phones, whether pulled from other phones sold by AT&T or obtained from other GSM service providers.
It appears that a iPhone SIM can be removed and used to activate nearly any other GSM phone however. That means the iPhone knows how to verify that the SIM it uses was genuinely designed for the iPhone. That security mechanism is very different from typical phone vendor subsidy locks, which lock the phone, not the SIM.
A typical locked GSM phone will only work with one network provider, but will accept any SIM associated with that network. The iPhone is more than just locked to a network, it’s locked to a special AT&T SIM.
A Tougher Nut To Crack.
Other GSM phones can be unlocked by simply clearing the locking code from the phone’s baseband processor. In order to use the iPhone with other GSM networks, one would have to unlock the system image and defeat its unique security system.
Every time the iPhone gets updated, this would have to be redone, and the security mechanisms used on the iPhone would likely get more complex with each software update.
So far, it has only been local accounts on the iPhone that have been deciphered, which are relatively quite easy to find and don’t really provide any useful access to anything.
Other Carrier and Regional Compatibility Barriers.
No matter what level of unlocking is ever accomplished on the iPhone, it will simply never work on Sprint or Verizon’s CDMA2000 network, because it lacks the radio hardware to do so. Since Apple has signed an exclusive contract with AT&T until 2012, this situation won’t change in upcoming models of the iPhone either.
Future models of the iPhone will be needed for international markets. Because 3G service is widely available in Europe and Japan, it appears that a 3G iPhone would be needed to compete in those markets. That doesn’t mean that those 3G iPhones will work in the US however.
The following article looks at what’s involved in delivering the iPhone in other markets and how Apple will need to change its strategy to target the more sophisticated networks available outside the US.
What do you think? I really like to hear from readers. Comment in the Forum or email me with your ideas.
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