Restored iphone 3g works WITHOUT JB or Unlock!!?

[giannibigler]

Hello, I searched the forum but didn't find any other posts like this.

My son recently CRASHED his iphone 3G by plugging it into his XBOX 360 to charge it. (That, by itself, is a whole different conversation).

It was using 3.1.2 and after a few failed attempts to "-option-restore-" it in DFU mode I finally gave in and let itunes do a factory restore to version 4.0.2. My first priority was just getting the thing to work again and then worry about the JB afterward.

So, with his SIM card in, I restored. After it rebooted, the device page on itunes went blank for a moment and when I looked down at the phone it said, "iPhone Activated". Needless to say, I was skeptical, but upon further review, it was recognized in iTunes and I was able to set it up as a new device (I could have also backed it up from a saved backup). It did NOT take me to the ATT account activation screen. I just synced it one more time and it backed it up as a new device.

It now has iOS4, works perfectly and I did NOT jailbreak or unlock it. Obviously I am happy about this turn of events but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Although I have a legit iphone4 with the proper ATT data plan on my OWN phone, his had to be JB'd and unlocked in the past to get the SIM card to work.

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone else has had this happen to them???

Thanks in advance for you polite replies.

[mindblown]

what kind of sim card was in the phone?

[giannibigler]

A standard, ATT issued 3G sim. About 2 1/2 years old.

[mindblown]

Hmm so u are talking about activating?
Because having an AT&T sim card regardless of it being an active sim or unactive, the phone will still get activated once u sync with iTunes because AT&T is an official carrier for the iPhone...

[iamubiquitous]

What carrier is your (Son's) phone using(jb'd & U'lk'd)? I mean, if he's on att, yes, his phone wouldn't need an unlock any longer,(att being the official carrier.), would it? Now, if he is say, Tmob, and you put in the sim does it still work? That, my friend, would be a true mystery....

[iPhoenix3g]

Sounds like a normal activation to me ...

[giannibigler]

Hmm so u are talking about activating?
Because having an AT&T sim card regardless of it being an active sim or unactive, the phone will still get activated once u sync with iTunes because AT&T is an official carrier for the iPhone...

Thanks for your reply. I understand what you're saying about the Att activation thing. But in the past iTunes would always go to a new activation screen where it would require me to choose a rate plan, etc. And this time it didn't do that. I just thought that was kinda odd. So basically what you are saying is I can buy any older iPhone, put my active ATT sim card in and it will work?

In addition to my other reply, I was always under the assumption that you had to JB/Unlock in order to bypass ATT's requirement to get a data plan?--Because iTunes wouldn't activate the phone until I chose a rate plan, etc.

[nebo1ss]

Thanks for your reply. I understand what you're saying about the Att activation thing. But in the past iTunes would always go to a new activation screen where it would require me to choose a rate plan, etc. And this time it didn't do that. I just thought that was kinda odd. So basically what you are saying is I can buy any older iPhone, put my active ATT sim card in and it will work?

In addition to my other reply, I was always under the assumption that you had to JB/Unlock in order to bypass ATT's requirement to get a data plan?--Because iTunes wouldn't activate the phone until I chose a rate plan, etc.

The process you describe which requires selecting a plan, last four digs of social, etc only happens when you purchase a new phone and it happens once only. Subsequent restores or activation only requires an ATT SIM to be in the phone.