How to Unlock iPhone

How to Unlock iPhone

If you are not familiar with the concept of an unlocked phone, it might be a good idea to first read our article on locked and unlocked phones. The iPhone is initially "locked" to AT&T, but there are ways to bypass this restriction. In fact, the exclusivity deal with AT&T is one of the most common iPhone complaints.

Before we proceed, we should note that any modification of your Apple iPhone is at your own risk and we cannot be held responsible for any damage that may result from following the instructions below. If you are not comfortable with cell phone modification, it may be better to buy a predam iPhone, which is an iPhone that has already been unlocked. There are inherent risks there as well, so be sure to buy from a reputable seller.

iPhone 1.1.1 Without a Computer

Understanding how to unlock iPhone depends on the firmware version that you have. This guide will only work if you have an iPhone with firmware 1.1.1. To check this, have a look at digits 4 and 5 in the iPhone serial number. These two digits represent the week of manufacture and iPhone v1.1.1 started shipping part way through week 39.

To unlock iPhone 1.1.1 without a computer, you'll still need access to a WiFi network in order to get the appropriate installation files. From there, just follow these steps.

1. Insert a SIM card with PIN turned off
2. Turn on the iPhone
3. Slide for emergency and dial *#301# (note the "star" in the beginning)
4. This causes the phone to call itself
5. Answer the call and tap Hold
6. Decline the second incoming call
7. Enter two new contacts, both with just a URL. Don't forget to save.
   1. The first is prefs: (note the colon at the end)
   2. The second is jailbreakme.com
8. Tap on the prefs: contact. This opens up the settings so that you can connect to a Wi-Fi network. Also ensure that Auto-Lock is on Never (found in General Settings).
9. Press home button
10. Slide for emergency and dial 0
11. Answer, hold, and decline just as before
12. Tap on Contacts, then jailbreakme.com
13. Safari will launch with the web page. Read the text and install AppSnapp
14. The iPhone will return to the activation screen, but after a minute, it will restart.
15. Upon starting again, the phone should display "Slide to Unlock"
16. Open Installer and install update if prompted
17. Select sources, then Edit, then Add
18. Add http://i.unblock.no
19. Tap Done and Refresh
20. Find Install at the bottom and scroll to the Unlocking Tools where you will find AnySIM. Install that.
21. Press home. Launch AnySIM and follow the instructions.
22. This process takes up to 10 minutes, so be patient.

iPhone 1.1.2 With StealthSIM

Surprisingly, the above-described method is one of the simplest ways to unlock your iPhone. For many novices and even intermediate users, the process can sound quite complex and that's why developers are working on easier ways to unlock the iPhone. If you want to know how to unlock iPhone without having to deal with such a complicated process, look no further than StealthSIM.

The key difference is that StealthSIM is a physical product and it costs money. It is available from iPhone The Solution.

Full instructions, which are easier than the above method, can be found here. A 17-minute instructional movie has also been posted on Google Video.

More Unlocking Methods

No one said that figuring out how to unlock iPhone would be easy. As time goes on, the Apple enthusiast community will surely develop even more seamless ways to get the iPhone working on just about any GSM provider. To keep up with the latest, be sure to follow these unlocking guides.