Did you enter epc.tmobile.com under Personal Hotspot? Then it should work, works fine on my end
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T-Mobile on an officially unlocked iPhone 4 Guide
- Thread starter dontwalkhand
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Did you enter epc.tmobile.com under Personal Hotspot? Then it should work, works fine on my end
It should, I don't see why not honestly, as long as you're factory and officially unlocked, these instructions will work great following it word for word.
As for international texting, T-Mobile charges .20 a message to the UK. Incoming messages are free no matter what no matter where you are anyway as long as you have text.
This guide is awesome!
So does this work with T-Mobile's prepaid service, or only their normal plans? Because they've got a $50 unlimited everything plan, which is a pretty good deal (although of course this is all GSM and Edge, and GSM's been cracked, which makes me nervous...)
And dumb question, but why is it sending out one (and only one) text message to England?
So does this work with T-Mobile's prepaid service, or only their normal plans? Because they've got a $50 unlimited everything plan, which is a pretty good deal (although of course this is all GSM and Edge, and GSM's been cracked, which makes me nervous...)
And dumb question, but why is it sending out one (and only one) text message to England?
It should work with T-Mobile's prepaid service just fine, as they use the same APNs I believe for internet service. I wouldn't worry too much about the security of GSM or EDGE, as 99.9% of the time, you'll be fine, and no mobile phone is 100% secure anyways (as with everything wireless). If you must conduct business that shouldn't be spied on, use a $10 prepaid "burn-phone" that's not your primary phone
As for sending out the one text message to the UK, this is because Apple's FaceTime activation servers are in the UK, which I don't get why either, but it is what it is. "Official" carriers have this number backlisted as "free" so that's why you won't notice this number charge you anything if you were on AT&T, Verizon, or probably Sprint. Once FaceTime is activated, it will use Wi-Fi for the rest of communication, which is why it only needed to send one message and not more.
Hope this helps.
It should work with T-Mobile's prepaid service just fine, as they use the same APNs I believe for internet service. I wouldn't worry too much about the security of GSM or EDGE, as 99.9% of the time, you'll be fine, and no mobile phone is 100% secure anyways (as with everything wireless). If you must conduct business that shouldn't be spied on, use a $10 prepaid "burn-phone" that's not your primary phone
As for sending out the one text message to the UK, this is because Apple's FaceTime activation servers are in the UK, which I don't get why either, but it is what it is. "Official" carriers have this number backlisted as "free" so that's why you won't notice this number charge you anything if you were on AT&T, Verizon, or probably Sprint. Once FaceTime is activated, it will use Wi-Fi for the rest of communication, which is why it only needed to send one message and not more.
Hope this helps.
Wow, thanks! How the heck do you know all this! I mean you've taken something that's scary for a lot of us, and made it look sane :lol:
Dang...I'm half tempted to give this a shot in November when the unlocked 4s comes out.
Oh, sorry, I still have some things I'm confused on... like how do you activate international text messaging? Is that a setting on the iPhone?
And maybe you don't know this, but when you buy a $10 microsim from T-Mobile, does that give you the choice to sign up for either prepaid or normal service?
Dang...I mean if I bought an unlocked 4s, it would be pricey, but worst case scenario it would function as a high end iPod touch with a better screen and (I assume) better speaker...
The steps should be the exact same on the unlocked iPhone 4S
. When buying the micro-SIM, you can have them attach it to whatever account you have with T-Mobile, be it post paid or prepaid.International text messaging is something you turn on, which is something you might as well do while you're at the store getting the Micro-SIM.
Even if FaceTime won't activate Tango and Fring would work great with that FF camera
Couldn't you just call T-Mobile and order either with a Free phone and then swap the SIM card or just see if they'll send you the SIM card for an unlocked phone you already have?
I'm a little confused about this. If I were to buy an unlocked iPhone 4s and just turn it on with no SIM card (to use as an iPod Touch) does that disable some of the features like Facetime (using wifi obviously)? Or are the settings you are talking about in the first post only necessary for using the features over the TMobile EDGE data connection?
I ask because I am planing to get an unlocked iPhone next month for international use beginning next year, and don't need a US cell plan now. I was hoping to use the iPhone as an expensive iPod Touch until then. I would be disappointed if things like Facetime, iMessage, etc. don't work via wifi.
Thanks for any tips or knowledge about this.
I ask because I am planing to get an unlocked iPhone next month for international use beginning next year, and don't need a US cell plan now. I was hoping to use the iPhone as an expensive iPod Touch until then. I would be disappointed if things like Facetime, iMessage, etc. don't work via wifi.
Thanks for any tips or knowledge about this.
DO NOT turn on the phone without a SIM card, if you don't follow the steps as I have outlined then FaceTime, iMessage etc will NOT activate properly, and you will be banging your head against the wall in agony...for hours on end.
If you don't plan on using it on T-Mobile, you shouldn't really have ANY issues at all if the country's SIM card you are inserting while overseas, is an "official Apple" iPhone carrier.
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grr... facetime is still not activating on my phone. I have an unlocked iphone 4 still running the last iOS 4. I had facetime working fine on my phone until I had to get it replaced because it broke on me and I was still under the warranty. Now I have to start all over, and have to reactivate facetime on the same number and its not working...
Wow -- that's fascinating. So Facetime on an iPhone won't work without an "official" GSM SIM card or without the quasi-hack you explain for TMobile?
I need to ask about this at the Apple Store. I wonder if a factory unlocked iPhone 4s will have a blank SIM inserted in the slot and whether that would allow activation of these services. Seems to be an odd glitch to not allow Facetime to be activated on an unlocked iPhone/no SIM but allow it on iPads on iPods that have no cell service.
That's a good point. And theoretically there may be people buying iPhone 4ses as high end iPods.
iOS 5 should really help you out as iOS 5 seemed to have changed the way FaceTime activates.
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Why would one do this? It's a phone. The 64GB iPod touch is the high end iPod. Though they definitely need to solve how hard it is to activate on a fully purchased and mine unlocked iPhone that was billed as unlocked and shackle free from Apple.
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FaceTime on iPhone activates based on your phone number as it allows people to tap on something they already know to FaceTime you. I don't know about you but I don't keep track of what my friend's Apple IDs are, but I do know their #.
They don't come with blank SIMs but rather no SIM. If you boot it up without a SIM card, you get a bag message complaining about the lack of SIM card, and I believe it won't let you activate.
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Why would one do this? It's a phone. The 64GB iPod touch is the high end iPod. Though they definitely need to solve how hard it is to activate on a fully purchased and mine unlocked iPhone that was billed as unlocked and shackle free from Apple.
Well the iPhone is really a better machine than an iPod touch. Better camera, A5 processor, able to run all of iOS5 features like Siri. Not that it is twice as good, but they are not really the same.
And there are situations where using an iPhone without a cell plan come up -- like me where I have no need of cell service now in the US (already have a work phone) but will use it internationally later. I'd like to buy one now and use it as an iPod Touch until then. Also, what about when someone replaces their iPhone 4 or 4S later on -- they might want to keep the old one as an iPT (maybe for a kid for instance) -- will they lose Facetime functionality when the SIM is taken out to be put in the new phone?
And I think the iPods and iPads must set up Facetime via email address (instead of phone #) -- you'd think the iPhone would have both options, not phone number only.
Anyway I really appreciate your experience and advice about it. Makes me rethink my plan of using an unlocked iPhone as an iPod.
Why would one do this? It's a phone. The 64GB iPod touch is the high end iPod. Though they definitely need to solve how hard it is to activate on a fully purchased and mine unlocked iPhone that was billed as unlocked and shackle free from Apple.
Well the iPhone is really a better machine than an iPod touch. Better camera, A5 processor, able to run all of iOS5 features like Siri. Not that it is twice as good, but they are not really the same.
And there are situations where using an iPhone without a cell plan come up -- like me where I have no need of cell service now in the US (already have a work phone) but will use it internationally later. I'd like to buy one now and use it as an iPod Touch until then. Also, what about when someone replaces their iPhone 4 or 4S later on -- they might want to keep the old one as an iPT (maybe for a kid for instance) -- will they lose Facetime functionality when the SIM is taken out to be put in the new phone?
And I think the iPods and iPads must set up Facetime via email address (instead of phone #) -- you'd think the iPhone would have both options, not phone number only.
Anyway I really appreciate your experience and advice about it. Makes me rethink my plan of using an unlocked iPhone as an iPod.
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Right now I'd actually say it's more than twice as good, though that's because we've got an iPhone 5 versus an iPod 4...presumably the iPod 5 will be closer.
But still, comparing the iPhone and iPod 4... the iPhone has:
-double the RAM
-better cameras
-IPS instead of TN screen
-better speaker
-GPS
And presumably the iPod 5 will be similarly worse than the iPhone 5.
So there's no question that aside from price, I'd much sooner use an iPhone as an iPod touch...it's just that they cost $450 more, and the iPod is probably "good enough" by comparison for most of us (particularly given how often I drop these things LOL)!
That's a good point...maybe it has something to do with that, though it would be nice for it to do it the iPod/pad way if need be.
True, Hopefully the day of a true unlocked iPhone will come true, with cross interoperability between networks.
I'm living outside of the US and have been using my iPhone 4 for some time now.. I'm coming to the US for a few months in January and I want to get the T-Mobile $30/mo unlimited plan. What steps should I follow to make sure FaceTime is activated? (it's not a new phone like you described..)
And a question to everyone who's up and running on T-Mobile and iOS 5: how does iMessage perform on the slow EDGE network? Can it be used to send both text and the occasional photo? What about Skype audio call over EGDE?
Thanks!
And a question to everyone who's up and running on T-Mobile and iOS 5: how does iMessage perform on the slow EDGE network? Can it be used to send both text and the occasional photo? What about Skype audio call over EGDE?
Thanks!
You may have to reset the iPhone to get FaceTime to work, but if you can't, I am sure there are other ways, but I am not sure how that works at all, this is a method that I have used that I am sure will work.
As for iMessage, it works plenty fast, faster than normal SMS. Remember, text is just a few bytes worth of data.
Thanks for your reply.. what about Skype calls over EDGE, or YouTube videos?
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In your opinion would this be better than going through the trouble of managing AT&T's 3G Prepaid packages? ($25/mo for 500MB, etc)
Existing SIM + Intl SMS?
How would I turn this on if I already have the SIM?, i.e. I will be trimming my existing T-Mobile prepaid SIM and moving it from a dumb phone into a new, unlocked iPhone.
Thanks for the great guide...
How would I turn this on if I already have the SIM?, i.e. I will be trimming my existing T-Mobile prepaid SIM and moving it from a dumb phone into a new, unlocked iPhone.
Thanks for the great guide...
You'd probably be able to just call 611 and have them enable it.
Are you saying facetime automatically sends some kind of authentication text to the UK to activate facetime? Is that the purpose behind international texting being enabled? Also, what kind of t-mobile data plan do they make you have when you tell them you have an iPhone? I just ordered an unlocked 4S for my girlfriend, and currently she is on a very old $20 a month blackberry data plan.
Now that people are receiving their official unlocked iPhone 4s's, has anyone tried this tutorial with it?