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6:11 pm
October 15, 2008
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I'm new to the whole iPhone thing so hopefully someone out there can help. I'm considering getting one but I have some questions.
You can buy an unlocked iPhone from the Apple Store but when I asked at a network dealer store (I think it was Telus), they told me once they put their SIM into it, the phone gets locked to their network. Is that possible? Are they saying the SIM/network somehow magically locks the unlocked phone down to their network? Or are they just simply saying that the Telus SIM makes it tied to their network but I should still be able to take their SIM out and put another network's SIM in without issue?
Next question - can the iPhone OS 4.1 be jail-broken? I was told it's not possible and that lots of websites say they can do it but they don't work. Has anyone out there successfully jail-broken a iPhone running 4.1?
Thanks for all your help.
12:15 pm
March 10, 2010
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You've been a little misinformed by Telus. It is the activation process that determines whether a phone will be unlocked or locked. If you buy from the Apple store, they will activate the phone using their software, and it will be unlocked. If you buy from telus, they will activate the phone through their telus software, and the phone will be locked to telus from that point onward.
As for the 4.1 jailbreak, the first one was released last week. BUT, you need to be aware that "Jailbreak" and "Unlock" are two different things. There is currently NO unlock for OS 4.1. Also, because your baseband will be upgraded by apple during the 4.1 upgrade, there is a chance that your phone may never be unlocked ever. Experts are suggesting people wait for the next version of Pwnage tool before upgrading to 4.1.
5:08 pm
October 15, 2008
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Ooohh... very interesting. So no matter what, if I want an unlocked iPhone I have to buy it from the Apple store. Then I should be able to use any SIM in it that I want.
I was under the impression (at least for previous versions of the iOS) that once you jail-broke them, the unlock was a simple app after that. I was thinking it would be the same way for the OS4. Obviously not then. Is that correct?
What do you mean by "baseband"?
5:11 am
March 10, 2010
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You are confusing things a little bit by talking about buying a brand new iPhone. If we are specifically talking about a brand new phone, then as of today, you can only get an unlocked phone from Apple. The current operating system 4.1 (and the previous 4.02) have been jailbroken, but no unlock is available. Buying an unlocked phone from Apple means that you will get no carrier subsidy and will have to pay full pop, starting at about $600 for an iPhone 4.
That said, there are a million pre-loved phones ou there that will work great on Speakout. But, the same rules apply. If you want to use it on Speakout, you will either need to find a locked Rogers phone, or a phone from another carrier that has not been upgraded higher than system 4.01, as you will not be able to unlock anything at 4.0.2 or higher. Also, you will want to avoid the 3G model, as the majority of that model will not work with the Speakout Data Plan. iPhone 2G, 3GS and 4G all work with no issues.
As to what the term "baseband" means...
Consider to an iphone as a computer with a GSM modem attached to it. In order for us to "Jailbreak" it, we must hack in to the computer's operating system. Now, in order to unlock the phone, we must hack in to the GSM Modem's operating system or "firmaware". We call this the "Baseband".
Jailbreaking and unlocking is kind of a cat and mouse game between Apple and the Dev Team. Some models, like the iPhone 2G had what is called a "Hardware exploit", which will never be able to be closed, and are essentially unlocked for life. Subsequent models rely on "Software exploits". These are essentially weak spots in Apples code that allows the Dev Team access and a way to jailbreak or unlock. With each software update, the exploit is closed and a new on must be found. There is also a risk that a new exploit just doesn't exist, the phone will be forever locked to its original carrier.
Anyway, its all pretty complicated stuff, and with so many different models of iPhones and different operating systems and basebands, there really is never a completely generic answer that you can give when it comes to this stuff. As for my advice on what to do? I would recommend finding a used 3GS model that is locked to Rogers. With all the improvements of OS4, it really eliminates the need for a jailbreak, and with a Rogers phone, you would have no need for an unlock if you are planning to use it with speakout. For a mint condition 16 GB model you should expect to pay between $300-$350.
