iPhone Iphone unlock overseas will it work? sim issue

[NICU420YEM]

So I'm going to Israel this summer and was wondering if I just order an Israel sim card and put in my iphone after using ziphone or another program would it work? Do those sim cards act the same as US ones? Just curious because I don't want to have to use a different cell phone all summer

 

[Moi un Mouton]

It will work in an unlocked iPhone with a SIM for a GPRS/Edge network

 

[asherman13]

So I'm going to Israel this summer and was wondering if I just order an Israel sim card and put in my iphone after using ziphone or another program would it work? Do those sim cards act the same as US ones? Just curious because I don't want to have to use a different cell phone all summer

Wow, I'm doing the exact same thing. Literally.

Here's what my plan is so far:

I'm staffing a program, so I'll be getting an Israeli cell phone (probably IsraelPhones with a Cellcom SIM card; that's what we got when I was over there for 9 months 2006-2007). I plan on taking out the SIM card and using it in my soon-to-be unlocked, and Hebrew-capable iPhone. I hesitated doing this because I like my iPhone clean and unsullied with hacks, but I figured this would be okay if I can figure out how to do it right and keep it as original looking (software-wise, meaning sans Installer.app, etc.) as possible.

I just finished using PwnageTool.app (better than ZiPhone, or so everything I've read says) to build a custom IPSW after using iBuilder on my roommate's PC to make a custom .bundle that contains the required stuff from Hebrew4iPhone (I don't know how good your Hebrew is; my conversational Hebrew is decent, but reading-wise, especially with technical terms and slang...לא כל כך). I then put the .bundle into the right folder within Package Contents of PwnageTool.app, then I made the custom IPSW set to unlock (but not activate, since I figured I'd just do it in iTunes again since I activated it with AT&T in the first place) the phone, and I set it to install only the .bundle I made and NOT install stuff like Installer.app, etc. I haven't "pwned" my iPhone yet, since I'm not sure if doing this will make me lose all my saved (and backed up) stuff on my iPhone, like text messages, voicemail, notes, etc. Once I figure out if PwnageTool.app will let me keep that stuff when I do the custom restore (through iTunes, so I'm pretty sure it will work, but not positive), then I'm going to go through with it. Also, I want to make sure Visual Voicemail will still work when I'm using AT&T.

That way, I'll have an iPhone that can be upgraded to 2.0 when I get back from Israel, and when I'm in Israel I'll be able to use my Israeli SIM card in my iPhone, send/receive text messages in Hebrew (really nice when dealing with Egged bus schedules via text messages), view Hebrew websites, and finally be able to go back to having Hebrew song titles, artist info, etc. and maybe even lyrics now on my Israeli music in iTunes, and be able to view the Hebrew in the iPod part of my iPhone!

Let me know if you need any help, advice, etc. I'm happy to help!

 

[asherman13]

Just an update...

I made a custom IPSW, pwned my iPhone, and then restored with the custom IPSW and it worked! I have Hebrew, etc. all on my iPhone. And it's unlocked!

Let me know if you need any help; I'm going to hold onto the custom IPSW for a little while....

 

[squirrelbrand]

Asherman13 - Question

,שלום

I believe I already know the answer...but...I am going to ha'eretz in July and have a question:

if i just buy a Cellcom chip and put it in my unlocked iPhone...will i have data access? Basically, I want to avoid the stupid ATT roaming charges. I presume I will have my 3G iPhone before I leave, so anything special with that? I mean, same question as above...and...is there any reason to believe the 3G network roaming will be cheaper than EDGE?

,תודה רבה

 

[zenshopper]

Can i use an unlocked iphone 5 in israel?

I am new to this- can i use this in israel simply by buying a sim card there? how do i do that?
Apple iPhone 5 (Latest Model) - 16GB - White & Silver (Factory Unlocked) - AT&T