100% iPhone hack

[lavrishevo]

Quote...

"According to the usual suspects, you can now 100% unlock your iPhone using what they call a Turbo SIM card. Supposedly those who have tested it claim that it enables full calling, SMS and GPRS data capabilities with any network. Best of all, this hack doesn't require any other expensive hardware, since it only requires you to modify a $80 blank SIM via your own iPhone.

Also, since this hack doesn't depend on any previously used cards, your previous card version is irrelevant. That means that it doesn't matter if your last SIM was a V1, V2, or V3. It should work equally well with any of them.

Despite not being a software-only hack, it is relatively inexpensive, and fairly simple. So far nobody other than the developers of the hack have tested it out for themselves, but Gizmodo says that they'll test it out asap, and we'll keep you posted with the results."

We shall see....

 

[D1G1T4L]

Looks like we will see 1.0.2 update soon.

 

[lavrishevo]

This is also very interesting.

http://iphone.simbunch.com/turbosim.php

 

[mkrishnan]

I'm pretty sure it has been independently confirmed, so it seems quite legitimate. Just not a "final" solution -- the hackers are still trying to make this work without requiring any hardware a typical end user would not have.

It's hard to say where Apple will go with this... when you look at OS X, Apple has not been overly aggressive in stopping the OSx86 project or similar attempts to make OS X run hacked on non-Apple hardware (even though it is explicitly against their SLA, in a way that appears to have some credibility). They have made no attempt to stop iTunes from running in Linux via WINE. In contrast, they are very aggressive in acting against hacks of Fairplay. With the iPhone, only AT&T is really harmed -- the hacks don't do anything like letting you subvert Fairplay (and are also explicitly legal according to DMCA exemptions, although nothing requires Apple to cooperate).

It'll be interesting to see if Apple tries actively to stomp this out or not.

 

[PowerFullMac]

I hope they dont try and stop us unlocking, if they do it will be just like the PSP scene (with a ongoing war between hackers and Apple)

 

[The General]

This is great an all ... but ... the only carrier I would ever want is AT&T.

Guess I don't need to unlock.

 

[GFLPraxis]

This is great an all ... but ... the only carrier I would ever want is AT&T.

Guess I don't need to unlock.

In the northwest US Cingular has the single worst coverage of any provider. Plenty of dead zones where you can't even receive calls.

 

[thestaton]

In the northwest US Cingular has the single worst coverage of any provider. Plenty of dead zones where you can't even receive calls.

so wait if you unlock the phone then you can use any carriers signals? what's the benefit of unlocking it?

 

[Sweetfeld28]

I don't understand how they can state that it will work on any network. It won't work on any network. But it will work on any GSM network.


This then means that the only other carrier it could be used on would be T-Mobile. Which i wouldn't do anyway, here in the MidWest they have the worst reception.

 

[mkrishnan]

This then means that the only other carrier it could be used on would be T-Mobile. Which i wouldn't do anyway, here in the MidWest they have the worst reception.

There's a whole wide world out there outside the US.

 

[craigc_]

Looks like we will see 1.0.2 update soon.

An update will not do anything. The iPhone will the see the SIM as an AT&T SIM while the actual carrier will see their SIM. Update cannot reverse this, hence why people are calling this 100% unlock.

 

[PowerFullMac]

So basicly... Apple cant do crap about this?

 

[kdarling]

So basicly... Apple cant do crap about this?

Just temporarily, it seems.

Basically when the phone queries the SIM combo the first two times, the piggyback SIM takes over and says "hi I'm set to at&t", and the iPhone software is happy. After that, the real carrier id is always returned and off you go.

So Apple could change the number of times it checks to make sure it's set to at&t, but the piggyback SIM programmers could also change their code. And so on and so on.

Unknown if overseas phones will have this check at all.

 

[groove-agent]

Does this hack get around having to have a data plan?

 

[mpw]

...With the iPhone, only AT&T is really harmed...

Apart from the fact that Apple are taking a cut in usage revenue.

 

[mkrishnan]

Apart from the fact that Apple are taking a cut in usage revenue.

I guess... it's nonetheless legal to do...hopefully the hackers can make fighting back difficult enough that Apple won't bother.

Seriously, though, I doubt the unlocked iPhone market will exactly explode in the US... I'd be surprised if even 5% of buyers are willing to go a route like that. I would... but I'm not sure most people would. The average person isn't a forum trolling digerati....

 

[aerospace]

if it works i would buy an iphone period.

i paid $11 for a year of service with tmobile. $100 gets you gold service and 1000 minutes than you use a $10 refill(11 with tax) to extend contract 1 year(no i dont talk on my phone often )

 

[jt2ga65]

So... Does this allow you to use different SIMs in other countries? That seems like the real benefit to this option. I mean, it does not allow you to use Sprint of Verison, so no real use in the US. Having the option to make cheap calls while traveling in Europe and Asia would be nice.

-jt2

 

[kdarling]

Does this hack get around having to have a data plan?

You'd still need a data plan, if you wanted to use cell data. (But you still wouldn't get visual voice mail, since that interface is AT&T specific for now.)

It's a way to use the SIM you have paid for from another carrier. Previously only an AT&T sim would work, and only on an AT&T network.

So yes, you can use SIMs from, and in, other countries.