How To: Unlock Any iPhone To Use Any Sim Card (Excluding The Network 3)

3 March, 2008 (20:49) Posted by Oli | Apple, iPhone

First off, I can confirm this works on both 8GB and 16GB iPhones and I have tested this on Orange, o2, T-Mobile and Virgin sim cards (All PAYG).

If you get stuck, feel free to add a comment and I will do my best to help you. Or alternatively, if you are a member on OcUK, start a new thread in the Mac Hardware sub-forum.

Before you start:

If you have just bought your iPhone, switch it off and connect it to your PC or Mac holding down the home button. Click ‘Update’ when iTunes opens, to download and install the latest firmware (Currently 1.1.4).

If your iPhone is already unlocked on a lower firmware, I strongly recommend pressing ‘Restore’ in iTunes so the iPhone is completely wiped and start again. You can upgrade and then do it, but I do not recommended it.

I recommend putting the original sim card in during the process, this is not essential though.

Application you will need:

ZiPhone: Click download ZiPhone towards the top. There is a Windows and Mac OS X version.

Lets get started -

First, install ZiPhone on your PC or Mac.
Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac, switched on.
Next, open ZiPhone:
Then, press one of the following:

‘Do it all!’: Use this option to unlock to any network, jailbreak and activate your iPhone. Use this if you want to use any sim card and install 3rd party apps.

‘Don’t unlock’: Use this option if you want to jailbreak and activate your iPhone, but only want to use an o2 or Tesco sim card.

‘Jailbreak’: Use this option if you have an official o2 iPhone tariff and only want the ability to install 3rd party apps. This can also be performed on an iPod Touch.

‘Refurbish’: Use this option to erase your iPhone so it is in factory state.

Select the option you want to do, then press ‘Start Process’.
Let it do its thing, this will take around 5 minutes. You will see text scrolling up your iPhone screen and iTunes may open.
Once it’s finished, insert your sim card and away you go!

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Comments

Comment from Dez
Time: March 13, 2008, 12:35 am

I read that ziphone changes your bootloader to version 3.9 (instead of 4.6) - and this change cannot be undone.

So although your method may work if may leave you with a problem in the future (if, for example, Apple release an upgrade which checks which bootloader version you have).

What are your thoughts?

Comment from Anonymous
Time: March 13, 2008, 12:35 am

I read that ziphone changes your bootloader to version 3.9 (instead of 4.6) - and this change cannot be undone.

So although your method may work if may leave you with a problem in the future (if, for example, Apple release an upgrade which checks which bootloader version you have).

What are your thoughts?

Comment from Ol!ver/OliOwl
Time: March 13, 2008, 12:39 am

My thoughts on the bootloader are thus:

If being on 3.9 is going to be a problem in the future, what will all those ATT/O2 users do that just happen to have an older iPhone? If they lock us out, they lock them out too. I can’t see that somehow.

Comment from Gerry
Time: March 26, 2008, 10:05 pm

All those ATT/O2 user have the backup of ATT/O2/Apple. Why would you permantly alter a file that may cause problems in the future when you don’t have to. iPlus allows you to do all that ziphone does but writes a fake bootloader so it can be returned to the original state if need be. I would suggest ppl do not permantly change the bootloader to 3.9 permantly. However you could use ziphone to do the jailbreak and activation.

Comment from Oli
Time: March 26, 2008, 10:18 pm

I still don’t understand why 3.9 is such a problem. How do you think everyone with older iPhones that were 3.9 by default are going to get on if it’s such a problem?