UNLOCK 'In-Contract/Out of Contract' iPhones (3G, 3GS, 4, 4S) without Restoring!!!

[thazsar]

This info is derived from a thread started a few days ago...

One of MMI's very own Moderators tipped us off on an eBay seller that is providing a Certified UNLOCK for ANY & ALL iPhones (3G, 3GS, 4, 4S)...regardless if they are 'In-Contract" or "Out of Contract.'

You can also get an unlock from Jailbreak Developer @chronic!

BTW, unlocking your device increases it's resale value; so if your planning to upgrade to the newest iPhone, then this will help fund it!!!

A few people were involved in the collaboration of this tutorial:

-A Moderator
-NewdestinyX (the written portion)
-thazsar (the chronological pictures)

***I've edited some of NewDestinyXs info to match with the photos (identified by italics)

[I]-FIRST, purchase an unlock from:
- eBay seller: seller:unlock_fusion (copy & paste the whole name)
- @chronic
- or any other reputable unlock service

From NewdestinyX:

This has ONLY been tested for GSM AT&T phones. NOT Verizon (CDMA). (although @chronic claims to be able to do Verizon phones)

***ONLY AT&T GSM-only phones.***

UPDATE REPORT!!
Well good NEWS!! For any of you who've recently used the eBay unlock service for your IN CONTRACT iPhone 4S's.. and WANT TO KEEP your ABSINTHE jailbreak..

NO NEED TO RESTORE through iTunes after you receive the UNLOCK message received from the company.


-If you'd like to confirm your device is unlocked PRIOR to the steps below, you can check your IMEI status on this website: Free iPhone IMEI checker - iphoneox.com


-Simply add the REPO: repo.bingner.com to Cydia's SOURCES.


-Then install the package called SAM. *It will also add other files required by the developer*


-Once installed it will ask you to RELOAD SPRINGBOARD -- do so.. you'll have no choice...


Assuming you've gotten your confirmation email from an eBAY unlock service or AT&T themselves -- next, they tell you to RESTORE in iTUNES - but DO NOT RESTORE in iTunes..

-Simply open SAM from your Springboard on your iPhone


-Select Utilities


-Then click on DE-ACTIVATE iPhone (clear push)


*Do not hit ANY OTHER BUTTONS.. SAM will give you a confirmation message.


-Then simply open iTunes -- and plug in your phone to your computer -- iTunes will access the AppleStore and you'll see the message:
CONGRATULATIONS - YOUR PHONE IS NOW UNLOCKED!


Your jailbreak will be fully intact AND iTunes will auto-reactivate your phone!
*This will be an invisible process to you; No screen messages and nothing on your phone will tell you that you were 'deactivated' for any time period.*

This is the ONLY method you can use to KEEP YOUR ABSINTHE jailbreak of an iPhone 4S... redsn0w jail breakers can also use this method to avoid Restoring your iDevice.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and give us thanx if it helped you out!!!

[piston597]

You might wanna clarify unlock only works for gsm iPhones, regardless if you have a 4s cdma/gsm model, it only works if you have it locked to a gsm provider.

[mindblown]

great TUT man!!!!

[xclusiveiphone]

This might be a scam, my phone showed unlock to locked in matters of hours after using this method on iphoneox.com.

[NewdestinyX]

Good work, Thaszar!!! Nice tutorial. I will send people here.

Remind them it only works for GSM AT&T phones. NOT Verizon (cdma) and not, I think for the combo phone CDMA/GSM even if your carrier is AT&T.. ??

ONLY AT&T GSM-only phones.

[piston597]

Good work, Thaszar!!! Nice tutorial. I will send people here.

Remind them it only works for GSM AT&T phones. NOT Verizon (cdma) or the combo phone CDMA/GSM even if your carrier is AT&T.

ONLY AT&T GSM-only phones.

I think the combo phone works if it is locked to AT&T. Aren't all iPhone 4S combo phones? As long as its locked to AT&T it should be fine.

[NewdestinyX]

This might be a scam, my phone showed unlock to locked in matters of hours after using this method on iphoneox.com.

It is not a scam. iphoneox.com has a very bad reputation of not reporting correctly. I have owned and sold TWO factory unlocked phones that said LOCKED in iphoneox.com. Their service sucks for checking.

For what it's worth MY recently unlocked phone with the $9 guy on eBay still say UNLOCKED at iphoneox.com. But that means nothing to me. A friend's TMobile microSIM that I put in my phone tonight -proved it to me.. LOL!! As I was able to call with it.. LOL!!

So get your unlocks everyone. This is NOT a scam..

I think the combo phone works if it is locked to AT&T. Aren't all iPhone 4S combo phones? As long as its locked to AT&T it should be fine.

I hope you're right, Piston. And now I'm having a hard time remembering if 4S are combo phones.. What good would that do - if it's locked to AT&T? Why would you ever need the CDMA side? I guess for when it's out of contract?

Will the iPhone 5 also be a combo?

[blkcadi]

You might wanna clarify unlock only works for gsm iPhones, regardless if you have a 4s cdma/gsm model, it only works if you have it locked to a gsm provider.

Correct, thanks for pointing that out.

[piston597]

It just makes it easier to produce the phone, rather than two different phones they make one with both chips. But they activate either gsm or cdma not both. So even though it has both capabilities inside it you can't take advantage from it. When I say as long as it's locked to AT&T I mean based on the reports, only AT&T locked iPhones (4,4s etc) are capable of being unlocked in the US. So when they unlock it they only make it so you can use other sim, NOT CDMA providers. I think when verizon/sprint unlock it you can use SIM cards but ONLY international ones, not US based ones.

[NewdestinyX]

It just makes it easier to produce the phone, rather than two different phones they make one with both chips. But they activate either gsm or cdma not both. So even though it has both capabilities inside it you can't take advantage from it. When I say as long as it's locked to AT&T I mean based on the reports, only AT&T locked iPhones (4,4s etc) are capable of being unlocked in the US. So when they unlock it they only make it so you can use other sim, NOT CDMA providers. I think when verizon/sprint unlock it you can use SIM cards but ONLY international ones, not US based ones.

Ah.. That's beginning to make sense. Thanks! Since Verizon will be using more LTE frequencies than AT&T that will allow LTE overseas - it seems to me the most versatile iPhone5 to own would be a CDMA unlocked phone. But I didn't know if Verizon 'unlocked' their phones at any price. You're saying they DO? But then they won't work in Europe?

[thazsar]

I'll fix the post! Thanx!

[piston597]

Ah.. That's beginning to make sense. Thanks! Since Verizon will be using more LTE frequencies than AT&T that will allow LTE overseas - it seems to me the most versatile iPhone5 to own would be a CDMA unlocked phone. But I didn't know if Verizon 'unlocked' their phones at any price. You're saying they DO? But then they won't work in Europe?

I read in some places Verizon will unlock it, but it only unlocks the GSM side or something so that it will only work on Verizon and internationally on sim cards NOT AT&T OR TMOBILE in the US. The new iPhone 5 I believe is not a combo phone however. As far as I can tell you can get either an AT&T LTE phone, Verizon/Sprint LTE phone and a second GSM worldwide phone. I don't really know much of how all this will affect the iPhone 5.

[NewdestinyX]

I read in some places Verizon will unlock it, but it only unlocks the GSM side or something so that it will only work on Verizon and internationally on sim cards NOT AT&T OR TMOBILE in the US. The new iPhone 5 I believe is not a combo phone however. As far as I can tell you can get either an AT&T LTE phone, Verizon/Sprint LTE phone and a second GSM worldwide phone. I don't really know much of how all this will affect the iPhone 5.

Sounds pretty complicated. It Friggin' AT&T would only get LTE in my city - I would be SET.. I'd get an unlocked one for my Travel in Spain (don't care about LTE over there) and simply keep my AT&T sim for over here. It would make it so much easier. I just want a way to get prepaid when I'm overseas 3-4 times a year AND have LTE in States. Verizon is the only company with LTE in Philadelphia, PA, USA right now.

[xclusiveiphone]

http://v4f.biz/ is showing my phone is locked. I really need a tmobile sim to test this.

[NewdestinyX]

Free iPhone IMEI Checker with SIMLock Status - V4f.Biz is showing my phone is locked. I really need a tmobile sim to test this.

Did you purchase the unlock from the $9 place on eBay and get an email back from them that your unlock was complete? If so then you're good.

They DO say on their homepage that they can unlock 99.5% of GSM AT&T phones. Maybe you fell into the 0.5% hole there. In which case they promise refunds.

Now I just went to the website you list above and put in my IMEI and it shows UNLOCKED - BUT it say ACTIVATED: NO. You see -- that's incorrect. I'm fully activated and using my phone now to make calls and do everything. So these sites are just not all that dependable.

Did you ever see the CONGRATULATIONS message in iTunes? That's 100%proof positive of an unlock if you get that message. APPLE is the one that carries UNLOCK lists. And you could never get iTUNES to congratulate you if you were actually unlocked.

[xclusiveiphone]

Did you purchase the unlock from the $9 place on eBay and get an email back from them that your unlock was complete? If so then you're good.

They DO say on their homepage that they can unlock 99.5% of GSM AT&T phones. Maybe you fell into the 0.5% hole there. In which case they promise refunds.

Yes, I did exactly what was on this tutorial and got the success email/itunes message. Only problem is now I'm getting locked sim status. I wonder if I go to a tmobile store they will allow me to use their sim to test.

BTW newdestinyx, do you have a 4s or 4. Mine is a 4s. I did this to my friend's 4s as well as mine with the same results.

[thazsar]

Yes, I did exactly what was on this tutorial and got the success email/itunes message. Only problem is now I'm getting locked sim status. I wonder if I go to a tmobile store they will allow me to use their sim to test.

If iTunes says you're unlocked, I'm pretty sure you're unlocked!!!

[NewdestinyX]

Yes, I did exactly what was on this tutorial and got the success email/itunes message. Only problem is now I'm getting locked sim status. I wonder if I go to a tmobile store they will allow me to use their sim to test.

BTW newdestinyx, do you have a 4s or 4. Mine is a 4s. I did this to my friend's 4s as well as mine with the same results.

I've done two 4S now. Each with same results. And each of the websites you've mentioned for IMEI check have shown both my 4S now to be unlocked but have had weird other data that was NOT accurate.

Just go get a prepaid sim somewhere tomorrow - GoPhone from Radio Shack.. something like that. AS LONG as it's GSM.. But that will cost $.. You can try TMobile.. That would tell you for sure.

If APPLE's iTunes tells you you're unlocked - then you're unlocked dude.. :-)

[blkcadi]

If APPLE's iTunes tells you you're unlocked - then you're unlocked dude.. :-)

Yup, 100%

[xclusiveiphone]

If iTunes says you're unlocked, I'm pretty sure you're unlocked!!!

Just because iTunes tells you that it's unlocked does not mean that it's unlocked. I went to Tmobile store today to test one of their sim and guess what? It says sim not valid. 100% sure now this is a scam. The websites that I mentions are all true because the data are straight from apple server, if it says your not unlock then your locked. I knew the price tag was too good to be true. Also the fact that the seller does not respond to dozens of my emails really pisses me off.