No sim. What do I need to activate? Hacktivate? 3G/4.0.1 non-JB

[0blivious]

So my iPhone 3G (in use as iPod) was Spirit JB on 3.1.3. Cydia wouldn't open anymore, so I decided it was time to finally update it to 4.0.1.

I'm stuck on the Emergency Call/Connect to iTunes screen. I have no compatible simcards. Heard redsn0w could get by this, but I've had no luck. Blackra1n is too outdated to hacktivate.

Anything I can do without a sim?

Short of a software solution, will all of these below work?

<>borrow a friend's AT&T simcard
<>buy PhoneBook simcard from RadioShack
<>buy a $20 bubble-gum phone from Wal-Mart and yank the AT&T simcard

[Sycophantom]

I'm not 100% sure on this because I'm currently in the same situation - but I think you can just use an unactivated AT&T SIM Card (available on Amazon for $5) to activate the phone. I considered using a friend's SIM, but didn't know if they would be charged some sort of activation fee.

The phonebook SIM will definitely work, but I'm not sure about the pre-paid SIM.

[deepeshmd]

I'm in the same situation too. After upgrading to 4.0.1, the iPhone 3GS just boots to Emergency Calls screen, or the Connect to iTunes screen. Can't get any further. Did a Restore in DFU mode, and Recovery mode. Both did not help.

I tried RecBoot, which did not help, and the iRecovery, which did not detect the phone itself (BTW I Installed libusb and VC++ too).

Any suggestions to get the phone working. I dont care about the data in it. I dont want the phone to be a Brick.

[Sycophantom]

I just activated and Jailbroke my 3GS; if you're willing to spend $5 on an unactivated AT&T SIM (or a Phonebook SIM from Radioshack) - you can activate the phone and get past the Emergency Call screen.

[deepeshmd]

I've ordered a sim from amazon as you have specified. If you could help us with the steps, it would be great of you.

[Stonetz]

just put it in and turn it on dont you?

[deepeshmd]

I thought if we had to get it in DFU mode, and/or restore it using iTunes.
So I guess, I just have to put the new SIM, and activate it using iTunes.
Sorry for being dumb, I have been trying to get this phone out of the recovery mode for the past 1 week. Just that I did not want to take chances

[0blivious]

I was just trying to be lazy this morning...

...anyways, I went and bought a cheap flip-phone for $30 so I could yank the sim. Didn't bother activating it.

You stick it in, connect to iTunes and you're done.

My 3G is now activated (until the next restore I presume).

I have also successfully in the past used my friends iPhone simcard to activate mine. It didn't affect her acct that we're aware of, but I can't be 100% sure there. Not sure why it would as I think it's just communicating with iTunes to allow your phone to turn back on.

I would have gone a cheaper route but I intended to make this a spare phone someday anyways. The free airtime that came with the cheap phone I bought will allow me to finally do that. If nothing else I'll always have an AT&T sim to activate this phone with.

I thought if we had to get it in DFU mode, and/or restore it using iTunes.
So I guess, I just have to put the new SIM, and activate it using iTunes.
Sorry for being dumb, I have been trying to get this phone out of the recovery mode for the past 1 week. Just that I did not want to take chances

I'm not positive, but perhaps you can use RECBOOT to kick your phone back out of that mode you're stuck in.

Download here: RECBOOT DOWNLOAD

[alexrz619]

F*** Me, but Anytime I put it an AT&T sim card it says the sim card is not supported. is there a version of itunes you guys are using?

[iYeow]

So my iPhone 3G (in use as iPod) was Spirit JB on 3.1.3. Cydia wouldn't open anymore, so I decided it was time to finally update it to 4.0.1.

I'm stuck on the Emergency Call/Connect to iTunes screen. I have no compatible simcards. Heard redsn0w could get by this, but I've had no luck. Blackra1n is too outdated to hacktivate.

Anything I can do without a sim?

Short of a software solution, will all of these below work?

<>borrow a friend's AT&T simcard
<>buy PhoneBook simcard from RadioShack
<>buy a $20 bubble-gum phone from Wal-Mart and yank the AT&T simcard

For a 3G, you can run Redsn0w 0.9.5b5, it should hactivate, jailbreak for you. Remember to point it to 4.0, not 4.0.1 when running Redsn0w.

[phase]

I have the sane problem as mentioned above.. however i'm not in america so i cant really get an at&t sim.. is there any thing that those of us locked to at&t but not in the same country able to do to activate the phone?

thanks in advance.

[0blivious]

For a 3G, you can run Redsn0w 0.9.5b5, it should hactivate, jailbreak for you. Remember to point it to 4.0, not 4.0.1 when running Redsn0w.

I tried using red...

...oh, wait a sec. I was pointing it to 4.0.1 which it didn't recognize.

All's well now anyways. Thanks for the heads up on that though. Details are critical.

[hummerhaed]

mine did that to, so i just sent my phone back to apple and 4 days later they sent me a barnd new iphone back

[Sycophantom]

Hmmm - I'm not sure if this helps - but my phone is a 16 GB 3GS running iOS 4.0. I bought it off of Craigslist, and it wasn't previously jailbroken.

Basically, I just ordered the SIM off of Amazon and put it into the phone. Then, I plugged it into my laptop running iTunes, and it activated as soon as my computer recognized it.

It's not very complicated; there's a video you can find here: How to activate your iPhone without service, just an AT&T SIM | Video « Wonder How To
.

It's really simple. If you don't have access to an AT&T SIM Card, Radioshack is supposed to carry Phonebook SIMs which also work; I guess this helps if you're buying an iPhone off of eBay, and don't necessarily know what carrier it's locked to. I checked some local Radioshacks and couldn't find the SIMs - but I'm sure they carry them somewhere!

[mike80189]

I had an old att sim laying on my table , never thought it would work because it seems like I tried that before, I popped it in, connected to itunes and presto, worked like a charm.
Thanks a bunch for the info

[dear_vvr]

I have the sane problem as mentioned above.. however i'm not in america so i cant really get an at&t sim.. is there any thing that those of us locked to at&t but not in the same country able to do to activate the phone?

thanks in advance.

Hi,
I am also having the same problem. Could you please let me know, if you get any solution?

Thanks in advance

[rebelsimcard]

So my iPhone 3G (in use as iPod) was Spirit JB on 3.1.3. Cydia wouldn't open anymore, so I decided it was time to finally update it to 4.0.1.

I'm stuck on the Emergency Call/Connect to iTunes screen. I have no compatible simcards. Heard redsn0w could get by this, but I've had no luck. Blackra1n is too outdated to hacktivate.

Anything I can do without a sim?

Short of a software solution, will all of these below work?

<>borrow a friend's AT&T simcard
<>buy PhoneBook simcard from RadioShack
<>buy a $20 bubble-gum phone from Wal-Mart and yank the AT&T simcard

This covered in an blog post here but here is a summary


The way Apple products work when it comes to firmware updates on itunes is a bit tricky. If you are using a Sim Free iphone 2G 3G or 3G then this does not apply to you, but if you are using a locked iphone 2G 3G 3GS iphone 4 or ipad then we will show you how you can easily by pass the Apple products Activation Checks after firmware updates on itunes.

What to do when the inevitable happens & your iphone or ipad software crashes and you need to restore the firmware via itunes.

What all of you will have experience at some time or another is the iphone or ipad will crash and then you need to connect this to itunes to restore the firmware on the device.

Itunes will flash the iphone or ipad with either your choice of custom firmware if you keep hold of Shift while pressing restore or it will download the latest from Apple which you want to avoid as this will update the baseband software also and the chances are that unlock software will not be available for some time for that Baseband firmware.

Either way once you have updated the firmware then its nessasry to Activate the phone with a network simcard from the same provider its locked on to. This way its possible to get past the screen where it says connect to itunes and can then access the other features of the Device.

Is possible to Obtain Cards that can act as itunes activate card and often have a back up phone book option in them also you can use Rebel Sim I Cut or No Cut with Firmware here to use with any network simcard and then insert in iphone 2G/3GS to get past the Activation screen on the phone.






Rebel Simcard

[Gau]

I have the sane problem as mentioned above.. however i'm not in america so i cant really get an at&t sim.. is there any thing that those of us locked to at&t but not in the same country able to do to activate the phone?

thanks in advance.

Am in the same situation...any developments on this?

[TitusVorenus]

ditto

Am in the same situation...any developments on this?