iphone 3g activates itself??!!

[dcdunk]

I just received my iphone 3g that i bought from ebay today. I put my sim card into the phone and it gave me a message that said,"Activating, may take up to 10 minutes." Than all of a sudden the phone started working. It wasn't unlocked jailbroken or hacked at all.

Anyone know what happened?

thanks

 

[SpaceKitty]

Was it an AT&T sim? If so, it will activate any 3G or 3GS iPhone.

 

[Applejuiced]

Any valid AT&T simcard will activate it.

 

[dcdunk]

than whats the point of unlocking a 3g iphone?

 

[SpaceKitty]

than whats the point of unlocking a 3g iphone?

To use with T-Mobile...

 

[dcdunk]

is that the only reason?

 

[SpaceKitty]

is that the only reason?

Yes.

 

[Night Spring]

is that the only reason?

Or to use with other non-US carriers. What other reason did you think there was for unlocking?

 

[Jealy]

Are there only 2 US carriers?

 

[SpaceKitty]

Are there only 2 US carriers?

The only two GSM carriers that work with the iPhone.

 

[dhlizard]

There are also a few small regional carriers that also use GSM (Like Cincinnati Bell) but the big 2 are indeed AT&T and T-Mobile.

 

[dcdunk]

Or to use with other non-US carriers. What other reason did you think there was for unlocking?

i had the first iphone prior to the 3g and unlocking that one was a must, so i just wasn't familiar with how the 3g worked regarding to activation

 

[SpaceKitty]

i had the first iphone prior to the 3g and unlocking that one was a must, so i just wasn't familiar with how the 3g worked regarding to activation

Yes, unlocking the original iPhone is still a must for any AT&T sim that is not an official iPhone sim on an iPhone plan.

3G and 3GS phones changed all of that. They accept any AT&T sim with unlocking.