Change iPhone IMEI to unlock (please read before telling me it is not permitted)?

[MPH140]

Hi guys,

Well I was on holiday in Spain and my factory unlocked iPhone was stolen. As I bought it there, the Spanish network had no way of blocking it. However, because of this, my insurance company still paid out and bought another from the US as they are cheaper there. However, I have realised that it had a baseband that cannot yet be unlocked via Ultrasn0w . Would it be possible to swap the IMEI of the American phone for that of the Spanish one in order to get it unlocked via iTunes. As the stolen one is in Spain and I am now in the UK again, there hopefully should not be an issue with two iPhones with the same IMEI being connected at the same time to a network as they are in different countries, or would there? If possible, I would like to change the IMEI back to make everything legit, but then I would assume the next time it will sync, Apple will re-lock it as it is not on their database of unlocked phones.

Thanks!

[jwil736]

First of all, insurance should have bought you another factory unlocked or at least reimbursed you for the price of one. With this being said, you either took an insurance check and bought a factory locked to pocket some cash or you let your insurance punk you with a locked one. Either way bad move. It can be done however it is highly illegal and you have to be a super hacker to do it.

[MPH140]

Hey hold up. I am not a scammer/conman whatever you want to call it. They had no iPhones left in stock and nor did Apple here when I got back frmo Spain.

[baskie]

Worst "it's not nicked, honest" attempt EVER!

[MPH140]

Wanna see the receipts then?!!

[baskie]

You can put them up if you want, but I still won't believe the cock and bull story above.

[Simon]

Doesn't matter regardless. There is no way you can change the IMEI.

[MPH140]

You can put them up if you want, but I still won't believe the cock and bull story above.

Nice - accusing people of things without any proof.

[baskie]

It's an Internet forum. Get over it.

[Orby]

Both of you chill out.

OP: Take it up with your insurance company--assuming you were fully insured, they owe you an unlocked iPhone or a check to cover a new one. You'll probably have to wait for Apple to send you one from China, but them's the brakes.

Even if you could change the IMEI (which is illegal in the United States and most of the EU, and isn't really possible even with all our jailbreaking tools), all the Wildcard Unlocks (the way Apple unlocks 4S phones) are signed to IMEI along with CHIPID and NORID, two hardware-unique, hardware-burned numbers. Those numbers aren't being changed without taking apart the phone and putting in new chips.