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Why unlocking a 3G iPhone might not be impossible

Posted June 15, 2008 6:31 AM by Cedric Bosch
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Like many so many other iPhone fanatics, I sold my 8GB iPhone two weeks ago, in hopes of buying a 3G iPhone an unlocking it. Unfortunately, Apple has gone to great measures to prevent us from doing just that, leaving many iPhone fans out of luck. First of all, purchasing a 3G iPhone will require you to sign up for an AT&T contract, in store. There is a small loophole, though- customers who don’t activate their iPhone within 30 days will be subject to a penalty. What this means is that in-store activation will not be required. Some people have suggested canceling the AT&T contract and unlocking the iPhone, while facing the $175 termination fee. However, according to a recently published article, AT&T will require you to return your iPhone before canceling the contract. The only viable option may be to look outside the box- or outside our country, in this case. Certain reports indicate that countries like Australia have laws preventing companies from binding a cell phone to a contract. Thus, it may be possible to purchase an iPhone from Australia, have it shipped to the U.S., and unlock it here. Even though it seems unlikely Apple would allow such a loophole to exist, it is even less likely that they forfeit the sale of iPhones in an entire continent, simply to prevent the unlocking of their product. If this works out, we predict a massive increase in the sale of Australian iPhones.

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  1. well i live in australia. and been wanting the iphone eversince it was released. now i think that apple will sell the 3g iphone in austrlia casue the announced they would at the confrence. and dont think they’ll go back on their word. it is true that australia does have law on which u stated. and yeh u could probaly jsut ship them to america, and just unlock them the only. another possibility is that they have found a way to stop people unlocking the iphone, like change the hardware inside. you never know. but yeh i, gonna buy a 16gb ihone mayb white if it looks good.

    Posted by Tony on June 15, 2008 7:58 AM

  2. In the UK, O2 will be selling a PAYG version for just under £300. This would be the option to go for over here I guess. Although the actual O2 packages are pretty good. So maybe its time to bite the bullet and change provider.

    Posted by Nuno on June 15, 2008 9:24 AM

  3. SOOOOO what!!!!!! AT&T is the only GSM carrier with HPDSA so why the hell is everyone so hellbent on unlocking...FOR WHAT!!!! to use a 3g iphone on t-mobiles crappy NON 3G network!!! WTH!!

    Posted by so what on June 15, 2008 9:26 AM

  4. I am hellbent on unlocking because I live in Montana.  AT&T does not exist here. Therefor my only choice is to use a GSM system built in Montana that only serves Montana.  I will hack,crack and unlock like no other so I can enjoy the same technology as the rest of the free world.

    Posted by T on June 15, 2008 10:34 AM

  5. iPhone in Australia is not going to be cheap

    Source:
    http://apcmag.com/images/apc/news/iphonewootdj2.jpg

    Posted by JohnDoe on June 15, 2008 10:38 AM

  6. User So What, you are a naive little twit. America isn’t the only country in the world you know. Some people want to unlock the phone who live in other countries. There’s no doubt about it though...unlocking will be a lot trickier than the last go around.

    Posted by Shea Cardinalli on June 15, 2008 11:09 AM

  7. Nuno, I’m just wandering what your source is?
    in Europe the prices are over 500 euros!

    Posted by Source on June 15, 2008 11:31 AM

  8. No.7 ‘Source’,

    Here are the tariffs for O2 although the ‘pay as you go’ option is not available yet.

    http://www.o2.co.uk/iphone/paymonthly

    Posted by funky on June 15, 2008 12:17 PM

  9. who owns the phone then? i guess at&t? would they pay you back for the phone? sounds like some bs to me!!

    Posted by david on June 15, 2008 1:17 PM

  10. re funky
    I meant source for the price of the iphone on pay as you go!

    Posted by Source on June 15, 2008 2:28 PM

  11. Also not mentioned is the possibility that if you unlock your iPhone Apple may have the power to restrict your “unified push notifications.”

    That will also break the Enterprise Services.

    Posted by from the basement of the science building on June 15, 2008 2:55 PM

  12. RE ‘Source’

    There is no ‘pay as you go’ option yet on 02. If its not on the site, its not available. ‘nuno’ must be guessing but £300 looks about right for the 8gb on PAYG.

    Posted by funky on June 15, 2008 3:03 PM

  13. Not sure where I heard this, but didn’t one of the Italian carriers (they’ll have two competing carriers, apparently) say they’ll be providing iPhones disconnected from the network provider?

    Posted by Sidric The Viking on June 15, 2008 3:41 PM

  14. I think some people in Australia are going to make a lot of money off the iPhone if this works out, I know alot of ppl with T mobile here that have a regular iphone already, they really want the 3g and they will pay a pretty good amount of money over the price to get it for there service.

    Posted by Kris on June 15, 2008 5:10 PM

  15. This phone is crap. It is lock, is crippled with proprietry limitation and can’t do half the thing my 2 year old phone can do.

    Besides,in Australia it will be almost $1000 uad.

    Posted by Mike on June 15, 2008 5:44 PM

  16. I’m not going to get one until I can use it freely on whatever service I want. I’ve been with T-Mobile for many years. I get great service, a great price, and great customer service. Why should I switch providers for a specific phone ? If they want the phone in as many hands as possible, they should allow it to be sold by any carrier.

    Posted by TimP on June 15, 2008 6:41 PM

  17. what shirtless dimwit thought he could buy a subsidized phone and then “cancel”
    the plan? Another example of the dumbing down of American youth. Back to the loading dock, Bubba.

    Posted by camel jockey on June 15, 2008 6:49 PM

  18. If Apple made the iphone that is not possible to jailbreak don’t sell anyphone, what is the dump that will buy the iphone 3G? I don’t think that the Apple are so stupid that don’t have made a slot for sim! if is true, sell immediatley the action’s Apple. The first generation had sell so mouch because was possible unlocked! think that!

    Posted by marco on June 15, 2008 10:56 PM

  19. I cant believe that you guys (the US) only get charged $175 to cancel your contract?

    In Australia, if I sign up on a 24 month contract at $69/month and then bail out, say 4 months into it - I’m forced to pay the remaining months of the contract in full. Ie 20 x $69 = $1380.

    Posted by Sean on June 15, 2008 10:56 PM

  20. As far as I am aware, Australian law actually does not allow a phone to be locked at all! I can vouch for this from my own experience when I bought a phone outright 2 years ago and the carrier was obliged to provide an unlocking code to me straight away.

    Posted by Tony on June 15, 2008 11:33 PM

  21. How to get and iPhone 3G almost for free ?!
    http://www.iphone-3g-mobile.com/APPLE-IPHONE/HOW-TO-UNLOCK-APPLE-IPHONE-3G-EASILY-AND-FOR-FREE

    Posted by fred on June 15, 2008 11:46 PM

  22. Try romainan online shops… They are selling unlocked iPhones as we speak with 1.1.2 software, I guess, but u can upgrade… wink (and yes, they are with no contract to any carrier)
    I hope u have someone in romania, because they do not ship outside. One more thing - I think u have to understand romanian to purchase something…

    Posted by su3180 on June 16, 2008 5:02 AM

  23. whether the 3G iphone will work in INDIA which can be purchased in UK and whether all features with work in aircel network.

    Posted by suresh on June 16, 2008 12:45 PM

  24. While AT&T stipulates that you have to return your iphone if you break the contract, this is only within the first 30 days. Once you are passed the first month, you keep.

    I believe that we are being given less of a choice this time around, as opposed to the first time the iPhone was offered. Then you could at least purchase a month to month contract for the same price as a two year contract. Now, they won’t even let you do that. If you buy a 3G iPhone, you have to purchase a two year contract. AT&T, has also loosened up on their credit policies for qualifying for the two year contract.

    I think as a user, we should have a choice. Apple announced the price or $199.00, and said that included subsidy from AT&T. They have also made the sign-up for the 3G Iphone easier, on iTunes. But that doesn’t mean you can excape the hold of the wicked clutches of the largest tele-communication company in the world. What happened? We broke those guys up over 20 years ago, in very expensive anti-trust suit, and now they are back as strong, if not stronger than ever.!

    Posted by David B. Alford on June 16, 2008 3:43 PM

  25. To all the American bashers. Sorry we decide to spend most of our money on educating those that make it to college instead of overspending on idiots who don’t value education. Yes, that makes the avg American dumber, but at least we don’t have a welfare system that makes unemployment an acceptable career. Or mandatory vacations to lower unemployment. The EU likes to think they’re smarter than the rest of the world, but they all come to the US for our numerous world renowned colleges. I can’t name one college in the EU, but I’m sure you know at least 3 from the US. Have fun trying to pull the collective sticks out your bums.

    Posted by american on June 16, 2008 9:45 PM

  26. hii i’m a big fan of 3giphone… jus want to ask if i buy my 3giphone from usa.. will it work in india?

    Posted by archit chopra on June 26, 2008 3:29 PM

  27. wouldnt everyone benifit more if we all boycotted the phone forcing apple to unlock it for everyone to use?!!? easier said than done tho i guess!

    Posted by James on June 28, 2008 7:16 PM

  28. Mr. 25(american) wow what a statement “i cant name one college in the EU” man that makes u stupid then. Oxford, Cambridge, well respected universities, they are in the EU.  Just goes to show that when the americans are tryin to be smart they still come out stupid. lol man ur an idiot.  Isnt the person who can name colleges from around the world more educated? Man ur arrogance is showing you up there you sound like a fool!

    Posted by anonymous on June 28, 2008 7:30 PM

  29. Sorbonne, Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Heidelberg, Imperial College, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Charles, Utrecht, Karolinska, Munich....the list in endless. This is a forum about the iphone, not about Americans who can’t name world renowned universities here in the EU.......so, getting back to the iphone, it will be available unlocked here in France, as they are legaly bound to provide an unlocked version here. The original iphone was officially available here unlocked for 649 Euros, but apparently, it was not all that unlocked, as Spanish sims failed to work in them. So we’ll wait to see how much the official unlocked French 3g iphone will be!....and how unlocked it will be!

    Posted by Mr EU on July 1, 2008 5:41 PM

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