iPhone 4S, 4 and 3GS can reportedly be unlocked without the need for any jailbreak
A bug has apparently been discovered in iOS 5 that allows a way to carrier unlock the AT&T version of the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS without the need to jailbreak or alter any hardware. The unlock will of course only allow you to use your iPhone on the T-Mobile network with Edge data speeds in the US however this is still a popular avenue for many iPhone users. If you want to try it, you will need a T-Mobile MicroSIM card or cut one down to the same size as a MicroSIM and follow the steps below:-
- Insert original carrier AT&T SIM cardDial 611 for AT&T customer service hotline and drop the call
- Turn on Airplane Mode
- Take out AT&T SIM card
- Insert T-Mobile SIM card
- Make sure WiFi is off ( also tap on ‘Forget this Network” to make sure it doesn’t connect automatically later)
- Switch off Airplane Mode and iPhone will search for network. This is followed by the Apple splash screen appearing.
- Activation Required will be displayed on the screen
- EDGE network will activate automatically – notice the ‘E’ on the top left corner of the screen
- Wait for about 20-30 seconds and turn off the phone
- Turn on iPhone and the same Activation Required screen will be displayed
- When you see one signal bar, tap on Use Cellular Connection
- Eject SIM card
- Activation Required screen will be displayed the second time
- Insert SIM card
- Unlocked!
We haven’t tested the unlock ourselves but a lot of others have and claim that it is definitely a working unlock solution for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. Unfortunately it will not survive a reboot of your iPhone; if you do that, you will need to repeat the steps above. If you give this a try, let us know if you have any success!
Source: 9to5Mac, @Chronic, Danielscalab.com
UK editor at iMore, mobile technology lover and air conditioning design engineer.
There are 31 comments. Add yours.
Brilliant!!!!
Brilliant as in you've unlocked yours?
Any word if this might work for Aussie iPhones? Need to unlock from "3 Mobile" to work with "Optus"
Also, don't forget to tap your head and rub your belly while you're at it
ไม่น่าเชื่อ
ไม่น่าเชื่อ
i would like to know if it also works with 5.0
this is crap
musclenerd
"If you are successful at temporarily gaining network access, you'll lose it as soon as TMSI is refreshed (happens often)"
Now that someone has figured that out, looks like 5.1 will have another line in the change log.
Who's the moron who lives in his parents' basement who had enough time on his hands to figure this one out?
Fuck off, this guy is the shit, you are the moron
Fuck off, this guy is the shit, you are the moron
Will it stay unlocked after power off or need to repet this steps again?
You even read the article?
I would like to know if Georgia has tried this? Rene? Phil? LOL!!!
Of course they haven't.
Seriously. Why crawl on edge! phone almost useless at that point
Interesting way to drag people to read this post. I don't think that it would work
Apple is the only company that makes it so darn difficult to unlock its phones. Maybe because they want people to buy their ridiculously over price unlocked iPhones. Why can't they make it BlackBerry and Android just buy the code and the phone is unlocked. Simple.
How did someone discover this???
I wonder if this would work to allow Sprint / Verizon phones work on ATT?
No because the iPhone on Verizon does not have a sim card well iPhone 4 that is
The 4S does. Shouldn't post without reading. Karl mentioned Sprint, which the 4S is on. The 4 isn't on Sprint.
Actually, the 4 is on Sprint too... The current (Sprint) iPhone 4 8GB.
Why in the world would you want a phone not pre-programmed for AT&T to run on AT&T?
I heard if you follow a rainbow there is a pot of gold! Although I'm writing this, I haven't tried it or know of anyone first hand who has. If you give it a try, let us know if you have any success! F$&?!
Does anybody read @Musclenerd's twitter posts?
"Today was example of Apple echo chamber..all blogs repeating same "unlock" story without verifying 1st hand (so as not to be scooped?)
10 hours ago"
This has been posted for 12 hours without any confirmation. And you consider your site the number iPhone iPod iPad blog? And you call this journalism? How pathetic! FYI, it does not work.
Just tried it with a 3GS. Doesn't work. Bummers.
TRY IT AND THEN PUBLISH ..ITS ALL FAKE...
Thanks for another excellent post. The place else may just anybody get that kind of information in such an ideal approach of writing? I've a presentation next week, and I am at the search for such information.