I have a question... I'm currently a ATT customer and was wondering if I buy an iPhone and unlock it, do I not need to extend my contract. Furthermore, will the visual voicemail work?

After going through all of this, does the resulting iPhone still have access to the Google maps feature?

Damn you, Jesus.

And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Your Star Wars-iPhone images are the greatest things ever on this site.

Keep posting about AT&T, iPhone and Apple as long as there's a Star Wars image along with it.

Seriously - I love it - keep up the good work, get a raise, have some kids who will keep up the good work once you are drooling in the old folk's home...

i love you guys. it's like.....i really love you guys. and i'm gonna wait just like you guys said cuz i'm dumb. really

beta of the gui auto version is out:
[www.freeiphoneunlock.com]

quite simple, and a typical consumer can do it easily if they can use ibrickr

new version is said to only take 2-5 minutes instead of 20.

@=opportunityfanboy: This question has been asked a lot. Will AT&T know if you unlock the iPhone and use it with your trusty AT&T SIM? Will they know you have the iPhone without an "iPhone" contract? I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your other question.

chances are visual voicemail wont work unless you sign up for one of their iphone plans. But, no, ATT wont know if you unlocked it and used it on your current, non-iphone, plan. If you unlock it and use your current sim, you will not need to extend your contract but you will not have the data plan\visual voicemail unless you add it later.

You will want to have a unlimited data plan at least if you dont switch over but through At&t they are usually around 45 dollars and iphone data plans are 20 dollars. So it really up to you oppfanboy. If you want visual voice mail right now you will need att service as they are the only ones that offer it. They had to restructure the system just for the iPhone

@robotstephe:

Greatest thing ever? Wow either you are easily amused or you are insulting gizmodo's creativity.

Seriously, how many times can one person be amused at AT&T being compared to the evil empire? Honestly the first dozen or so times it was clever, now it just seems tired and repetitive.

I expect better from the gizmodo staff than to keep going to well over and over and over like this.

another more Q for a FAQ: Can one easily re-lock it after unlocking it?

So if I'm Verizon, don't I just start selling iPhones with the unlock already installed? It's 100% legal right? Sorry AT&T... ;-P

Ok i have a really strange question...

i talked to a friend yesterday who is in the USA right now and told him to buy me one so my question is...does he just go and buys the thing like any other product or does he have to do this contract thingy and if so can someone explain to me how this contract works...i mean do i completely own the device after paying 399$ ?

(i really dunno a thing about contracts because over here all the phones we buy are unlocked).

@Niam:
Come on now, the Star wars theme is great, I get a kick out of all the captions.

Keep at it giz!

Please please Help my iPhone is stock on the connect to itunes screen been for 10 minutes tried to install the installer app reboot just takes it back to the same error

@Serantos:

It was great the first few times but it's like that comic who uses the same joke over and over and over and then it goes from being funny to just sad.

Oh come on!! It's written all over Obi's face that he wants to blurt out a TFSU!!!

@Bllo: Your friend can just goto an Apple Store and pay $399+tax for the 8gb model. No contract is necessary. You'll need to follow steps to use your non-ATT SIM with it, but his out of pocket costs should only be a little over $399.

Kinda off topic, but, howcome no one has looked into swapping out the hard drive on the iphone for a bigger drive? I'd be interested in that more than free ringtones. Just wondering..

or unlocking the iphone...

I mean, interested in a larger drive more than unlocking the iphone... sorry for the posts.

If I'm a T-Mobile customer when i buy this phone will i need an ATT SIM card to activate this phone? And I'm guessing only the WIFI will work and not the mobile web right?

@grem28:

No one's looked into it, because the iPhone doesn't have a hard drive.

Someone explain the advantage(s) of unlocking the iphone. If you currently own one, you are in a two-year agreement. If you don't own one, you will use another GSM carrier which won't have the same data plan and will probably cost you more money. You will also not be able to recieve visual voicemail. Am I wrong?

Thanks HYPNOTIK_JELLO :)

There is a question that just came on my mind !!

Do i need an AT&T SIM to unlock my phone ?!

if so does that mean i have to tell my friend over in the US to buy one O_o ??

@Bllo: The iphone comes with an unprovisioned ATT SIM.

@je-c: T-Mobile has a $19.99 all-you-can-eat unlimited data plan. They also have cheaper rate plans, so if you're in an area with good T-Mobile coverage (like myself), it might be worth it.

I actually bought a 4GB iphone, unlocked it last night for T-Mobile using the iphone dev team's free unlock method, and I'm giving it to my gf for her birthday tonight. I'll be sticking with my trusty Nokia E90 for a little while longer...

@hypnotik_jello: Well, I say "go for it" then. I'm curious to see how well it works on T-Mobile.

Thanks Again Hypnotik :)

Alright. I am on the verge of buying an iPhone. I have been a fanboy for years now, but being locked into a t-mo contract and being in law school makes funds a little tight.

If a go to the store and buy an iPhone, will this new unlock app be a one stop shop? I have read that for many unlocks you need jailbreak and some sort of activator to get around the deatth star. I guess I am wondering what all will be invovled. Perhaps I am jumping the gun and this will be revealed in the new walkthrough the Giz is putting out. HYPNOTIK what did you do for your gf? Also, I am guessing with another post on Giz that there is no guarantee this will work after teh next iPhone update....

What is a Lowly1L to do?

@hypnotik_jello:

You should write up a review detailing your experience with an unlocked iPhone using T-mobile for the rest of us.

Up to it?

I'm going to be unlocking a fresh iPhone for a friend today. I'm happy to share my experiences as well.

@hypnotik_jello: @hypnotik_jello: Does this unlocked iPhone have access to the google maps features still?

@zan:

Good man. Thanks.

Will this be an unlock for T-Mobile?

i have att now and my contract is up in march. obviosuly i don't want to sign another 2 yr contract. can i use my current ATT sim and then just add a data plan? i've been looking around for data plans on the ATT site, anyone know what data plans are good thru ATT?

other then not signing the 2 yr contract, what am i gaining by using the unlock? i know i will be able to swap european cards in/out but its not like i am traveling to europe enough to justify that advantage.

what am i losing. i seem to have heard different takes on youtube - will i not be able to watch youtube videos or will i? any other disadvantages, besides 'no visual vm'?

@raj: Yes. It does. Only visual voice mail does not work.

what about utube and everything else, is the only crippled part visual voicemail, can anyone confirm this? i want to buy one tonight.

@iSmote: i got my iphone running on T-mobile today too, need to figure out EDGE settings and youtube still.. any hints>?

@iSmote: Yup, this is going to be an unlock for a T-Mobile SIM.

@jefdiesel: You can get the EDGE settings from T-Mobile directly, or here: Ross Barkman's GPRS Info. You'll want to use either the T-Mobile (Internet) or T-Mobile (VPN) settings. You shouldn't need to worry about the DNS, email or proxy columns.

I'm running mine unlocked on T-Mob now. Voice stuff works great, WiFi stuff - safari, weather, stocks, maps, etc - works great. I haven't yet tried the YouTube patch, so no YouTube for me.

I have the $5.99/mo TZones plan which gives me unlimited Internet over EDGE on every other unlocked phone I've ever tried. It's not "supposed" to, but it's one of those TMob quirky "we look the other way " things. Anyway, you can't set a proxy server on iPhone yet (that I know of) so I haven't gotten that working. I've read it works if you have the $19.99 Internet, Sidekick, or BlackBerry plan.

Anyway, I've posted a video of the unlock process:

[www.threebase.com]

Cheers,
nk

Oh, edit the the above post ... I used the commercial unlock method. So, you know, feel free to call me a sucker. It was super easy, though.

YouTube works for me! i m on T-Mobile! it is rocking! Sweet jesus!

@nk126: Interesting to hear about the t-zones quirk; as far as I know, t-zones works over plain WAP and won't provide the connection that you'll need for the web apps on the iPhone. Since most mobile phone web apps are built for WAP, that might explain how you've been able to make it work.

I do know that t-zones alone is not enough to allow a Bluetooth-enabled phone to share its internet with a laptop (functioning as a modem)...

@zan: T-Zones definitely allows access to the full Net (not just WAP sites or mobile-optimized apps) if you set the proxy server. Recently folks have reported the service failing them - as in T-Mobile finally starting to close this loophole - but mine is still good. Using a "real" phone browser like Opera or one of the Nokia S60, SE Netfront or UIQ, or WinMob phones, I can get to regular websites. I can also send and receive email using a mobile email client, and not just via a WAP site like TZones. Only limitations are with the browser itself, like Flash movies not playing, etc ... but not at all having to do with the TZones thing.

It ain't supposed to work that way. But it does for many people. You can search a site like HowardForums to read more about it ...

As for the iPhone, everyone I've talked to or read posts from is going on the theory that it's b/c there's no user setting on the iPhone for a Web proxy server address. Makes sense - the TZones loophole works only if that proxy is set.

I live in PR and we have ATT but currently the iphone is not available. If I buy a phone in the US and unlock it, will it work with one of the ATT PDA unlimited plans?

I have at&t already and was interested in just getting the iphone without signing up for another 2 year contract. Will I be able to use the sim card i already have and still use itunes to download or I still have to use one of those faux activation programs before I can use it as a regular phone. I already have the unlimited data plan wit at&t.

i have pretty much most of the unlock sets, but does anyone know how i can fix the ssh connection error? every time i try to connect to the iphone the ssh client says "connection timed out". anyone?

@hypnotik_jello:

"T-Mobile has a $19.99 all-you-can-eat unlimited data plan. They also have cheaper rate plans, "

First, to add the iPhone plan is only $19.99, so no difference there.

Second, T-Mobile is more expensive than AT&T. On T-Mobile for $40 and $60 you only get 300 and 600 minutes respectively. On AT&T for the same prices you get 450 and 900 minutes respectively. Not to mention you get to use all of the iPhone's features.

Somebody remind why you would choose T-Mobile?? I guess it's worth getting a lot less value to jump on the AT&T Deathstar bandwagon.

Haha...why would I choose t-mobile? Well, my entire family (5 lines) get unlimited text messaging for $10 a month. How much is that with AT&T? $20/line? We also get 2000 minutes for like $99/mo. Plus there's that t-mobile web trick to get internet for $6/mo. Seems to be like we're saving a lot compared to the death star, though I definitely agree that t-mo's coverage is nowhere near as good as AT&T's.

@AKHEDAIRY: Dude, I'm with you ... if only I could make this work on the iPhone "Plus there's that t-mobile web trick to get internet for $6/mo. "

I am hearing a lot of people ask about why you would want to unlock the iPhone. My perspective, if everyone can have the iPhone then maybe AT&T will feel pressure to lower the price or offer better packages. Either way, I just love to tweak with things so I am now going to buy a refurb/clearance model and start to play!

I recently purchased the new Blackberry 8830 World Edition mobile phone from Sprint. As you may already know, this phone comes with the capability of connecting to the GSM network in addition to Sprint's CDMA network. The Blackberry comes with a SIM-card, which is a first to Sprint's collection of cellphones. I was wondering if I were to purchase the iPhone, and obviously unlock it, will I be able to insert my Blackberry's SIM card on the iPhone and have it work?

I'm having issues with EDGE and Youtube as well. I already tried the Youtube hack method(consisting of replacing 3 files using ibrickr) already and that didn't work.Although i used files from the internet([windows-mobiles.com]) and not from another activated iphone, so that could be the reason why its not working. EDGE, on the other hand, I have no idea how to get it working with T-mobile. Obviously everything works nicely with wifi turned on, but even with the $19.99 tmo internet plan, i couldn't get anything internet related to work. Anyone try this out?

Oh in case anyone was wondering, unlocking the phone wasn't terribly difficult, although i ran into a few roadblocks which turned out to be because the stupid iphone locked and lost its wifi connection even though i set it to never lock.

update: Figured out both issues. Quite simple actually. Once connected to the Tmo network, you simply need to change the EDGE settings which consists of APN, username, and password. APN is wap.voicestream.com. Username and password are both guest. For some reason you need to do that first before doing the youtube trick, youtube wont work otherwise because it trys to find an EDGE connection first, even if you're connected through wifi (dont know why)

Does anyone know if this unlock will allow me to use my preexisting at&t sim card in the new iphone and get all the features without signing for a two year contract?

EDGE Settings for T-Mobile/iPhone: wap.voicestream.com

Settings>General>Network>EDGE

Works like a charm!

@robotstephe: Hey Robot Stephe! I can't believe I read that comment from your earlier today and didn't realize who you were! I'm getting old.

@iSmote: I attempted to unlock a fresh, new iPhone today but was unable to do so. I got it past activation and ran through the unock process, but it kept getting errors when I sent the first AT command. (Even though the follow-up command would still return a "0", presumably meaning, "unlocked".)

The phone would no longer complain about a non-ATT SIM being inserted, but wouldn't find a T-Mobile signal, either. We eventually fi