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iPhone 4 unlock w/ Gevey - many questions

P

privileged2000

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2008
14
0
Hi,

I purchased my iPhone in Japan, canceled service (Softbank), now I am back in the US.

I am iOS 4.2.1, baseband 03.10.01, model MC605J

As of this writing I am confident there is no software unlock for my phone. I want to buy a Gevey Sim, but don't really understand how I could use it.

You put the Gevey Sim -- with your sim -- in the phone, then unlock it.

Could I still do this with my Softbank sim, given that I am no longer in Japan and no longer have service with them?

If not, can anyone think of any way I could use this phone to get service in the US?

Thank you very much!
 
There is a new way of unlocking iPhone's where you pay a company $175, send them your IMEI number and they unlock your iPhone for you. The unlock is permanent no matter how many times you upgrade iOS/baseband too.
 
I saw that, it looks like it came out in within the last day. However I can find a Gevey on ebay for $15, so about $150 cheaper than the IMEI method, which doesn't really seem guaranteed to last*.

So does anyone know if Gevey would work for me with my Softbank SIM card when I already canceled service?

What if I took the Gevey to T-Mobile? I imagine they disapprove and would not want to help me get it working that way, but figure someone out there must have some experience than me and am hoping I could get some more solid info...

*"...Apple can well identify and disable this type of unlocking..."
http://www.iphone4jailbreak.org/iphone-4-imei-unlock.html
 
You put your (foreign) SIM card over the hypersim and put both in your SIM slot. Should work.

Your SoftBank SIM has nothing to do with this.

BTW- not sure what's with the aversion to using the Gevey unlock but pulling it out just puts your phone back to square 1- it's not like it can damage your phone or anything.
 
MacBook Pro, thanks a ton.

The foreign sim in this case would be T-Mobile?

In other words, I need an active T-Mobile SIM before I can unlock?

So I take my iPhone and Gevey into T-Mobile, sign up for service, get T-Mobile SIM, then try to unlock it?
 
This is the instructions in case you didn't read it

Code: 
1: Turn off your iPhone 4, put the carrier’s SIM card and GEVEY unlock SIM together in the GEVEY metal SIM tray, then insert them to the SIM card lot.

2: Turn on your iPhone 4, wait for the “SIM Welcome menu” to pop up, then select “accept”.

3: Now a “no service” message will show up. Ignore it, and wait for the signal bar appears on the top left corner.

4: Dial 112 and hang-up within 2 seconds.

5: Turn on the Airplane mode and then turn off right away. Your iPhone will show SIM Failure and then No SIM Card Installed.

6: When the “No SIM Card Installed” message shows up, turn on the Airplane Mode and turn it off right away again. The SIM Failure message will show and the signal will show up after a few seconds. Your iPhone 4 should now be unlocked

After all the steps above, if there is still no signal, power off your iPhone, switch it back on and repeat all the steps from the very beginning.

Not to discourage your attempt to use gevey sim to unlock your phone, But you have to understand what risk you take. You have to dial emergency # 112, which forward to 911 while you're in the States. Calling 911 without legitimate cause is illegal, and you might face consequences. You might get away with it by end the call before it could connect. But if does get connected, and you get into trouble with the law, or the network, you're on your own. Just remind you that you have to do the whole unlock process wherever you reboot your phone.

In my case, I had no trouble unlock my phone using gevey sim. But I only do it while I'm travelling out of country. Thus, no dialing 911 here for me.
 
I read the directions several times. I am confused in the first sentence --

1: Turn off your iPhone 4, put the carrier’s SIM card [...]

"the carrier's SIM card" has to be active, right? In this case, I need an active T-Mobile SIM card?

So I go to T-Mobile with my locked phone, sign up, get the T-Mobile active SIM card, still cannot use my phone, go home, cut the card, then begin with Gevey step 1?
 
privileged2000 said:
I read the directions several times. I am confused in the first sentence --

1: Turn off your iPhone 4, put the carrier’s SIM card [...]

"the carrier's SIM card" has to be active, right? In this case, I need an active T-Mobile SIM card?

So I go to T-Mobile with my locked phone, sign up, get the T-Mobile active SIM card, still cannot use my phone, go home, cut the card, then begin with Gevey step 1?
Click to expand...

yes. you will need an active SIM to use a phone anyway.
 
privileged2000 said:
MacBook Pro, thanks a ton.

The foreign sim in this case would be T-Mobile?

In other words, I need an active T-Mobile SIM before I can unlock?

So I take my iPhone and Gevey into T-Mobile, sign up for service, get T-Mobile SIM, then try to unlock it?
Click to expand...

What you do is:

1) Waltz into a T-Mobile store
2) Sign up for service, get SIM card (you don't have to tell them you plan on using an unlock card)
3) Activate it in a normal phone first
4) Cut it to microSIM size (if necessary)
5) Put said microSIM on top of the unlock card
6) Insert the 'combo' into the iPhone
7) Wait for it to receive service. Reboot and/or enable/disable airplane mode if necessary
8) Make a call to any number. I use hypersims to unlock my Japanese phones to use in Hong Kong (they operate in the same fashion) and have never needed to call an emergency number to get it working. Any number should do.
9) Set up your APN/MMS settings for internet/MMS if necessary

You should not have to repeat any of the above instructions if you reboot/pull the card out. Obviously the SIM will have to be active (otherwise how will you make calls and such?).

That's all there is to it.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
 
FWIW I got this working. Signed up for service (I used T Mobile), got SIM, cut sim in cutter, cut a bit more off the upper right so it fit nicely over the Gevey. Had some trouble at first but after I got in a good location could call up and dial the emergency number as per Gevey instructions. Now working nicely, very please.

$60/mo unlimited web, 500 min calls, no contract.
 
I think the BEST option for you right now is to sell your phone (eBay perhaps) and buy another unlocked or T-Mobile iphone. That grevy sim sounds like a lot of trouble.
 
Figuring out exactly what to do was a bit of a pain, but it wasn't expensive or hard, and now I have the phone working how I want.

Your advice to sell now makes no sense, other than having written the word "best" in all caps and red, which I really can't argue with.
 
privileged2000 said:
Figuring out exactly what to do was a bit of a pain, but it wasn't expensive or hard, and now I have the phone working how I want.

Your advice to sell now makes no sense, other than having written the word "best" in all caps and red, which I really can't argue with.
Click to expand...
You're quite possibly breaking the law. And you're doing something not smart. His post was pretty good.
 
privileged2000 said:
FWIW I got this working. Signed up for service (I used T Mobile), got SIM, cut sim in cutter, cut a bit more off the upper right so it fit nicely over the Gevey. Had some trouble at first but after I got in a good location could call up and dial the emergency number as per Gevey instructions. Now working nicely, very please.

$60/mo unlimited web, 500 min calls, no contract.
Click to expand...

So the Gevey sim card for $15 on ebay worked?? Send me the link.

I think that there is another type of sim card hack that is simple than Gevey sim card.
 
LapsangSouchong said:
You're quite possibly breaking the law. And you're doing something not smart. His post was pretty good.
Click to expand...

Breaking the law?

If you're talking about the 'call emergency number' bit- that part was unnecessary. Just calling a normal number would have worked fine.
 
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