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How to know if iPhone can be unlocked?

GFLPraxis

GFLPraxis

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 17, 2004
7,152
460
I've been tasked with finding a replacement to a family member's broken iPhone that I can unlock to T-Mobile.

I found a guy on Craigslist with a "perfect condition" iPhone 3G. He said he got it two months ago.

Is there a way to determine if it has the un-unlockable 05.12.01 firmware without taking it home and jailbreaking it first?

Thanks!
 
GFLPraxis

GFLPraxis

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 17, 2004
7,152
460
No, the first iPhone I got was on 05.12.01, and I couldn't unlock :( Luckily, I got it through a refurb outlet so I'm returning it.

Is 05.11.07 not unlockable as well? Or does blacksn0w cover it?
 
R

Reppindaburghh

macrumors newbie
May 3, 2010
20
0
All 3G's are unlockable. Only ones that are questionable are 3GS. If you can get a 3G it is guarenteed to be unlockable.
 
GFLPraxis

GFLPraxis

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 17, 2004
7,152
460
Reppindaburghh said:
All 3G's are unlockable. Only ones that are questionable are 3GS. If you can get a 3G it is guarenteed to be unlockable.
Click to expand...

This is not true. I'm holding in my hand right now an 8 GB, refurbished iPhone 3G from NewEgg with the 05.12.01 firmware that cannot be unlocked. >_<

I jailbroke it though.
 
ulbador

ulbador

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2010
1,554
0
-aggie- said:
Baloney. If you're on 5.12.01 then you can't currently unlock (due to going to 3.1.3). Do some reading on here before you post, okay?
Click to expand...

You CAN unlock on a 3g 5.12.01, but only if you if are one of the lucky ones with the right bootloader (5.08). Then you can just use FuzzyBand to downgrade to an unlockable baseband


http://www.jailbreakmatrix.com/
 
ulbador

ulbador

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2010
1,554
0
Applejuiced said:
Very very slim chances if the iphone 3G has the very first bootloader and bought when it first came out a few years ago.
Click to expand...

Right. About the easiest way to test this is to just download FuzzyBand via Cydia and run it. If it works, more power to you. But Applejuiced is right, pretty slim chance
 
Applejuiced

Applejuiced

macrumors Westmere
Apr 16, 2008
40,672
6,533
At the iPhone hacks section.
ulbador said:
Right. About the easiest way to test this is to just download FuzzyBand via Cydia and run it. If it works, more power to you. But Applejuiced is right, pretty slim chance
Click to expand...

Yes, definetelly worth a try though.
An iphone 3G with the bootloader (5.08) will always be able to downgrade its baseband to 04.26.08 with fuzzyband and then unlock it with Ultrasnow. Its like having a carrier unlock :D
 
L

LivingLarge

macrumors member
Apr 20, 2010
75
1
Earlier today, I successfully Unlocked a 3G 3.1.3, 5.12.01.

I have the 5.08 bootloader, which was/is the key factor. First of all i ran Spirit jailbreak and the ran Fuzzyband as previously mentioned and downgraded the baseband to 4.26.08, then used Ultrasn0w for the unlock.

Worked like a charm :D I almost forgot how nice it was to have a j/b'n and unlocked phone.
 
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