Original iPhone On AT&T Pay As You Go

[ouimetnick]

So alot of you know I want my iPhone on pre-paid with out any hacking. The Spaz has a thread on the magic sim card, so I updated my Original iPhone to iPhone OS 3.1, and now I can stick any AT&T sim card in, inactivated, deactivated, active... makes no difference. So I activated a Sim card on AT&T Go Phone pay as you go and stuck it into my iPhone, then connected it to iTunes and it worked. It seems as the Sim card are dating, not married, as when I go to 3.0 it says lets activate your iPhone, and I can't bypass that screen with out using my other key sim that has been used to bypass that screen. So I'm on pre-paid, and I don't get Edge even though the E shows on the status bar, I also don't get VVM. I just hope this cool thing stays when 3.1 GM final come out, but until then I'm using my Original iPhone on pre-paid. I will be using my KRZR K1 if this cool feature changes in the 3.1 final version. I think it will, because it will because it is easy for devs to re-activate their iPhones after upgrading. But maybe Apple now realizes some people want their iPhone to use as an iPod touch and added this feature so you could borrow your friends sim.

I'm just happy this works right now. I do have WiFi, so Edge is not a concern. I'm glad I don't have internet on the cellular network because that would run down my account.

Just felt like sharing.

 

[Tallest Skil]

They'll find you and make you pay a data plan. I'm glad you have a backup.

 

[TheSpaz]

They'll find you and make you pay a data plan. I'm glad you have a backup.

No they won't. I know this for a fact. My girlfriend is using AT&T on her original iPhone without an official iPhone plan. She even has a WIX block on it.

Plus, you can't easily add a data plan to a go-phone account without having a monthly bill set-up. If he's just refilling it with cards, then they can't do anything about it (except maybe end his account, but I think they'd rather have some money instead of no money at all).

 

[ouimetnick]

First off, the internet doesn't even work on the cellular network. Second, The unlimited data plan is no longer available, so how world they make me add a plan. Also I'm on GoPhone Pay As You Go, NOT GoPhone Pick Your Plan.

 

[TheSpaz]

First off, the internet doesn't even work on the cellular network. Second, The unlimited data plan is no longer available, so how world they make me add a plan. Also I'm on GoPhone Pay As You Go, NOT GoPhone Pick Your Plan.

You are correct. They won't do anything.

 

[hexonxonx]

Enjoy it. I've been using a GoPhone sim in my 2G iPhone for over a year now. I even called AT&T once to ask if I could get the plan converted to a iPhone Pick A Plan like they used to offer and she said no since they no longer offered it. I told her ok, that I was going to continue using the sim in my iPhone and she said that was fine since it is a GoPhone sim.

If AT&T did ever add on a data plan to people doing this, we would have heard something about it from someone by now after two years of having the iPhone.

 

[ouimetnick]

Photos

I got some screen shots from my iPhone. I sure hope Apple keeps it this way for Original iPhone users. I can even bypass the connect to iTunes screen with a no longer activated sim card, even though it was never used with the iPhone. I have a feeling this is only for betas to make it easier for developers to use the iPhone as a tool for development. But we will see in the final or GM seed of 3.1.

 

[ouimetnick]

One last set of photos

I have bad reception, but it is the iPhone's fault as I have great reception on my KRZR. The signal changes fast, but sometimes I have 5 or 4 bars and then the next second I have 1 bar as shown. Notice the E. It says I have Edge, but even with 5 bars, I get no Edge. So Why is says that, I don't know

 

[SpaceKitty]

Yes, 3.0 and 3.1 make it very easy to use a GoPhone sim in it. The iPhone activates after a restore with the sim. It's just expensive to use anything that requires data since AT&T took away the $20 GoPhone data plan early this year.

 

[ouimetnick]

Yes, 3.0 and 3.1 make it very easy to use a GoPhone sim in it. The iPhone activates after a restore with the sim. It's just expensive to use anything that requires data since AT&T took away the $20 GoPhone data plan early this year.

Maybe this is a beta only feature. I stuck in my grandfather's pre-paid sim when I upgraded to 3.0 and it would work, I had to activate with a two year commitment, but I canceled in 2 days. When I did this, it says lets activate your iPhone, then it shows the pre-paid phone number, then it says authenticating with AT&t for 5 seconds, then it says It was unable to process your request or something like that. Same goes for 3.1. So i think this may only be in the betas to save developers time. So all they need to do is stick in a non activated AT&T sim card and then they are good to go. In 3.1 Beta 3, all it says is accessing the iTunes Store, then my iPhone appears in iTunes and is unbricked.I hope Apple adds this to 3.1, so people like me who want to use it as an iPod touch can.

 

[SpaceKitty]

Maybe this is a beta only feature. I stuck in my grandfather's pre-paid sim when I upgraded to 3.0 and it would work, I had to activate with a two year commitment, but I canceled in 2 days. When I did this, it says lets activate your iPhone, then it shows the pre-paid phone number, then it says authenticating with AT&t for 5 seconds, then it says It was unable to process your request or something like that. Same goes for 3.1. So i think this may only be in the betas to save developers time. So all they need to do is stick in a non activated AT&T sim card and then they are good to go. In 3.1 Beta 3, all it says is accessing the iTunes Store, then my iPhone appears in iTunes and is unbricked.I hope Apple adds this to 3.1, so people like me who want to use it as an iPod touch can.

I'm not running a beta in my 1st generation, just 3.0 as it was released back in June.

 

[creon]

Interesting. I'm interested to see how long you can go before they catch on, but i dont see how they would.

Congrats on the find.

 

[aethelbert]

This isn't really anything new. It also works just as well on the 3G and 3GS models as well.

 

[SpaceKitty]

Interesting. I'm interested to see how long you can go before they catch on, but i dont see how they would.

Congrats on the find.

It's likely because it's a GoPhone pay as you sim. They don't really care what phone you use the sim in since it's a pay as you go sim.

I told the AT&T rep that I was using an iPhone with my pay as you go sim and she said that was fine. I had called up asking if I could switch to a Pick Your Plan like AT&T used to offer with the original iPhone. They stopped offering that plan early this year.

 

[chstr]

They'll find you and make you pay a data plan. I'm glad you have a backup.

no they wont. only if he was using a non-iphone data plan. he's fine

 

[TheSpaz]

Interesting. I'm interested to see how long you can go before they catch on, but i dont see how they would.

Congrats on the find.

Not to be a jerk or anything, but he did not find this. I found it, but nobody believed me. Typical.

 

[SpaceKitty]

Not to be a jerk or anything, but he did not find this. I found it, but nobody believed me. Typical.

You weren't the first. Way back with the first iPhone two years ago, I was using a GoPhone sim in it. I had to unlock the phone to do it but I did it and I wasn't the first back then either. I had three iPhones back then.

 

[ouimetnick]

Yeah. The Spaz told me about this. Also the iPhone 3G/3GS is different. You can put in any AT&T sim and be good to go. On the Original iPhone, if you stuck in any AT&T sim card, it would go into lock down mode and would need to be connected to iTunes. And If you were not on an iPhone plan, it would make you add one before unbricking.

 

[TheSpaz]

Yeah. The Spaz told me about this. Also the iPhone 3G/3GS is different. You can put in any AT&T sim and be good to go. On the Original iPhone, if you stuck in any AT&T sim card, it would go into lock down mode and would need to be connected to iTunes. And If you were not on an iPhone plan, it would make you add one before unbricking.

That's 100% true. I've owned a first generation iPhone long enough to know that after restoring, it needed to be jailbroken in order to even use it as an iPod.... otherwise, I would even be able get out of the "Connect to iTunes" screen

 

[SpaceKitty]

The week before 3.0 officially came out and 3.0 was leaked, I was messing with my 3G because I knew I was gonna buy the 3GS the next week. I got out my old Samsung GoPhone and activated it. I put the sim in my 3G after I installed 3.0 to see what would happen and it worked. That's when I noticed the iPhone activated and didn't need to be unlocked after a restore.

Again AT&T doesn't care if you use a GoPhone sim in the iPhone.

 

[ouimetnick]

The week before 3.0 officially came out and 3.0 was leaked, I was messing with my 3G because I knew I was gonna buy the 3GS the next week. I got out my old Samsung GoPhone and activated it. I put the sim in my 3G after I installed 3.0 to see what would happen and it worked. That's when I noticed the iPhone activated and didn't need to be unlocked after a restore.

Again AT&T doesn't care if you use a GoPhone sim in the iPhone.

I know, that because your iPhone treats Sim cards with respect. Original iPhones must marry with, so it must be connected to iTunes first to authenticate.

 

[dx846]

i know you guys get this a lot, but...

how do you get the service working on the original iphone with a pay as you go sim? I have unlocked and jailbroken the iphone and when I put in my sim, it searches for a while, then says no service. From what i understand from atandt, the gophone sim is married to the go phone that it was activated on, for 180 days, unless you call and give them a new imei number; however, as we know, one cannot use the iphone imei number for a payg account. does this mean that I need to buy a new sim and, if so, how do i activate it without an imei number? From reading this, and many other threads, it seams that it is possible to still use the phone and sms functions on the iphone with a payg acct, but I guess i am missing something...

Thanks.

Original iphone, running 3.0 (7A341).

 

[hexonxonx]

how do you get the service working on the original iphone with a pay as you go sim? I have unlocked and jailbroken the iphone and when I put in my sim, it searches for a while, then says no service. From what i understand from atandt, the gophone sim is married to the go phone that it was activated on, for 180 days, unless you call and give them a new imei number; however, as we know, one cannot use the iphone imei number for a payg account. does this mean that I need to buy a new sim and, if so, how do i activate it without an imei number? From reading this, and many other threads, it seams that it is possible to still use the phone and sms functions on the iphone with a payg acct, but I guess i am missing something...

Thanks.

Original iphone, running 3.0 (7A341).

All I did was take my old GoPhone, activate it using a new sim. It asked for all the numbers such as the IMEI and the sim card number and it activated the GoPhone and service. I then took the sim out and placed it in my 3G iPhone running 3.0. It just works. Lately I've been using the sim in my 2G iPhone running 2.2.1 but that phone has to be unlocked to use that sim because 2.2.1 doesn't allow any AT&T sim like 3.0 does.

 

[ouimetnick]

All I did was take my old GoPhone, activate it using a new sim. It asked for all the numbers such as the IMEI and the sim card number and it activated the GoPhone and service. I then took the sim out and placed it in my 3G iPhone running 3.0. It just works. Lately I've been using the sim in my 2G iPhone running 2.2.1 but that phone has to be unlocked to use that sim because 2.2.1 doesn't allow any AT&T sim like 3.0 does.

Once more, you are wrong. It may change in 3.1 GM, but as of now you are wrong. When you put in any sim card into the iPhone 3G, it will give you signal if its and active AT&T sim chip. This has been true since the 3G was released, even on 2.X firmware. The Original iPhone is different. When you put a different sim in it other than the one it was Originally activated it with, it goes into lock down mode, AKA emergency mode/connect to iTunes screen. When you connect it to your computer, it will make you add the iPhone data plan to your account, or start a new account with AT&T if the sim is new. This has been the same ever since iPhone OS 1.0! It is still the same in 3.0 and 3.0.1! If you stick in a GoPhone sim, it will tell you it can't activate your iPhone at the time. However on the Original iPhone running 3.1 beta 3, you can put any AT&T/Cingular sim card in the Original iPhone, even if the sim card has never been activated, or it has been de-activated, or on GoPhone pick Your Plan or even Pay As You Go and the iPhone will unbrick it self. I think this is handy for developers because they can just pop in their iPhone 3G/3GS's sim card and update/activate their iPhone with out changing plans. I do not think it will be included in the final release of 3.1, but maybe Apple realizes people want to use their Original iPhones as iPod touches or on pre-paid.

In short: The iPhone 3G will allow any sim card in it with out going into emergency mode, however it must be an active AT&T sim for you to get service. The Original iPhone will not allow any sim card in it with out going into lock down mode and getting married by being connected to iTunes to authenticate.
So in 3.0/3.0.1 for the Original iPhone, the activation stays the same as in 2.2.1 and earlier. In 3.1, activation is slightly different.

Hope this helps.

 

[hexonxonx]

Once more, you are wrong. It may change in 3.1 GM, but as of now you are wrong. When you put in any sim card into the iPhone 3G, it will give you signal if its and active AT&T sim chip. This has been true since the 3G was released, even on 2.X firmware. The Original iPhone is different. When you put a different sim in it other than the one it was Originally activated it with, it goes into lock down mode, AKA emergency mode/connect to iTunes screen. When you connect it to your computer, it will make you add the iPhone data plan to your account, or start a new account with AT&T if the sim is new. This has been the same ever since iPhone OS 1.0! It is still the same in 3.0 and 3.0.1! If you stick in a GoPhone sim, it will tell you it can't activate your iPhone at the time. However on the Original iPhone running 3.1 beta 3, you can put any AT&T/Cingular sim card in the Original iPhone, even if the sim card has never been activated, or it has been de-activated, or on GoPhone pick Your Plan or even Pay As You Go and the iPhone will unbrick it self. I think this is handy for developers because they can just pop in their iPhone 3G/3GS's sim card and update/activate their iPhone with out changing plans. I do not think it will be included in the final release of 3.1, but maybe Apple realizes people want to use their Original iPhones as iPod touches or on pre-paid.

In short: The iPhone 3G will allow any sim card in it with out going into emergency mode, however it must be an active AT&T sim for you to get service. The Original iPhone will not allow any sim card in it with out going into lock down mode and getting married by being connected to iTunes to authenticate.
So in 3.0/3.0.1 for the Original iPhone, the activation stays the same as in 2.2.1 and earlier. In 3.1, activation is slightly different.

Hope this helps.

How am I wrong? You just said exactly the same thing that I said. 3.0 and 3.01 so far allow you to use a GoPhone sim in the iPhone.

Under 2.2.1, the phone has to be unlocked to use the sim.

Isn't this the same thing you just said but insisted I was wrong? Stop insisting I am wrong when other people have pointed out the same things.