It looks like the battle’s officially over between iPhoneSIMfree and the numerous unique groups of open source hackers trying to software SIM unlock the iPhone. As we’ve been following in our previous post on the topic, earlier this afternoon iUnlock, the first free, open source iPhone SIM unlock app, was released to the underground just 74 days after the iPhone’s release. Developed by the iPhone Dev Team, it’s not (yet) for the faint of heart and it takes a little longer to do its magic than iPhoneSIMfree’s method, but it works.

iphone Software

To pull this off you’ll need iUnlock + nor + the .fls file, which is available in ZIPs all over. We’ve got the app here, but this package doesn’t include all of the files necessary. Good list of links here, or try here, here, here, here, and here.

For the how-to, just hit up one of those guides down below. Naturally, we offer zero guarantees that any of this will work. (Read: don’t whine to us if your iPhone gets bricked.) Big ups to the iphone.unlock crew, Draken, and, of course, the iPhone Dev Team. Let us know in comments if this free iphone unlock way works for you.

Update: We’ve confirmed the hack! Yes, it’s fully restore-resistant, too, which is great news. We’ll get you all the juicy proof in a few, but we have indeed managed to software unlock an iPhone with iUnlock. Also, HaRRo says the app should be out “very soon” to make this easier on the noobs.

Update 2: Depending on activation method, YouTube might not be working after the unlock — ours isn’t. This is, of course, expected behavior. There’s a Windows script here that should hopefully fix you up (again, we don’t make any guarantees), but Mac users will have to look elsewhere. Also, alongside the Mac GUI iUnlock app in the works, the iPhone Dev Team is prepping a Windows version, a simple bash script and an iPhone app — and eventually an all-in-one app that can do everything from the Jailbreak to the unlock.

Update 3: We’ve posted our terminal output from using the hack after the break. Go ahead. Nerd out. Also, the graphical version isn’t out quiet yet, but we’ve got the first image of it above. Check it out.

Update 5: Ok, the graphical unlock app still isn’t yet out, but we’ve tested an early build, and it definitely works! Check it out here.

Read - Official unlock guide
Read - Unofficial unlock guide

Terminal session for iUnlock

-sh-3.2# cd /usr/bin
-sh-3.2# chmod +x iUnlock
-sh-3.2# chmod +x minicom
-sh-3.2# launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist
-sh-3.2# iUnlock ICE03.14.08_G.fls nor
iUnlock v42.PROPER — Copyright 2007 The dev team


Credits: Daeken, Darkmen, guest184, gray, iZsh, pytey, roxfan, Sam, uns, Zappaz, Zf

* Leet Hax not for commercial uses
Punishment: Monkeys coming out of your ass Bruce Almighty style.

Sending Begin Secpack command
Sending Erase command
Waiting For Erase Completion…
Sending Write command
00%
05%
10%
15%
.
.
.
95%
Sending End Secpack command
Validating the write command
FW are equal!
Completed.
Enjoy!

-sh-3.2# pwd
/usr/bin
-sh-3.2# bbupdater -v
Resetting target…
pinging the baseband…
issuing +xgendata…
firmware: DEV_ICE_MODEM_03.14.08_G
eep version: EEP_VERSION:207
eep revision: EEP_REVISION:7
bootloader: BOOTLOADER_VERSION:3.9_M3S2
Done

-sh-3.2# minicom
“”, line 2331, terminal ‘hpansi’: exit_am_mode but no enter_am_mode
“”, line 2385, terminal ‘iris-ansi’: save_cursor but no restore_cursor
“”, line 2403, terminal ‘iris-ansi-ap’: save_cursor but no restore_cursor
“”, line 4359, terminal ‘vi603′: enter_insert_mode but no exit_insert_mode
“”, line 8138, terminal ‘dg+ccc’: set_color_pair but no initialize_pair
“”, line 8508, terminal ‘d430c-dg-ccc’: set_color_pair but no initialize_pair
“”, line 9587, terminal ‘hp+color’: set_color_pair but no initialize_pair
“”, line 9595, terminal ‘hp2397a’: set_color_pair but no initialize_pair


Welcome to minicom 2.2

OPTIONS:
Compiled on Jul 21 2007, 05:09:51.
Port /dev/tty.baseband

Press CTRL-A Z for help on special keys

AT S7=45 S0=0 L1 V1 X4 &c1 E1 Q0
OK
AT
OK
AT+CLCK=”PN”,0,”00000000″
OK
AT+CLCK=”PN”,2
+CLCK: 0

OK

launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist

=END=

Put in the SIM and voila!

From http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/11/iunlock-released-the-first-free-open-source-iphone-sim-unlock/

Posted on September 12th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: iPhone Software, Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

iPhone Themes

So after quite a few delays resulting in many doubting the authenticity of the hack which resulted in numerous videos to prove that it was for real, the software-only unlocking hack from iPhoneSIMFree is finally available for individual iPhone users via four online retailers across the globe.

The launch was preceded by an exclusive video by Ryan Block of Engadget to demonstrate the unlock process from the start to the finish to further confirm the authenticity of the software-only unlocking method. Read all about it after the jump.

iPhoneSIMFree’s software-only unlocking hack is finally available through four online retailers around the globe; they are Wireless Imports in the US, iPhone Worldwide Unlock in Australia, 1 digital phone in Germany (have temporarily suspending preorders), and iPhone 4 arab in Saudi Arabia.

As of now based on information available the US online retailer is selling individual unlocks for $99 while the Aussie retailer was offering the unlock for half the cost at $50. The retailers are claiming to have received a very good response already.

The unlock might be a good option for those who are in countries where the iPhone is not expected to be launched until sometime next year but for others like US here are some points you might want to think about:

• Unlocking the iPhone may result in losing the warranty.
• So far we know that the only feature that will not work with the unlocked iPhone will be the Visual voicemail feature.
• There is no guarantee that you iPhone will remain unlocked with the next firmware update. If an update is required, they will offer it for free IF they are able to provide it in the first place.

So if you don’t care about any of these concerns then go right ahead and order the unlocking software or maybe even try out your luck with Engadget’s SIM unlock give-away.

On a side note, as expected we also had the iPhone hacking community confirming that they will not be reverse engineering the unlocking solution.

In case you would like to watch the SIM unlocking process from start to finish download the video in wide VGA from these links courtesy Engadget (MP4 format or AVI format)

Update: Gizmodo was reporting some problem with the unlock but iPhoneSIMFree were quick to react in providing a fix for the problem, click here to read about how the unlock is working for others.

Posted on September 11th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

iPod Video Converter

Despite confirmation from reputable sources like CNN and Engadget, there were still people unsure of whether iPhoneSIMFree actually worked. The reason? The lack of video proof of the unlock process. Well, here it is, the first, exclusive video proof of the process of unlocking iphone . Hit the jump to see our notes about the process, the iPhoneSIMFree team, and where the iPhone unlocking path goes from here.

First of all, the reason for the weeks of delay in getting video proof is because the IPSF team was busy not with the unlocking process—that was done weeks ago—but the business end. Because they’re planning on selling to resellers for THEM to make businesses of, they had to finalize the database and all the backend stuff to manage licenses, etc. All very boring, and all stuff you guys don’t want to hear about. Point is, they didn’t delay this on purpose because they couldn’t get the unlock working. Also, we’re the first site to get permission to show the video unlock process. CNN and Engadget were not allowed to show video of the unlock process.

So sites who doubt that the IPSF team is real can finally relax. They’re real. They’re delivering.

The process is simple. The retailer you buy the unlock from will load the unlock software directly onto your phone, which will check to see if your IMEI is “allowed” to be unlocked. If it is, the software will unlock the phone—a process which took us approximately 2 or 3 minutes, as you can see in the video. The level of complexity is pretty much as low as you can get. Anyone will be able to do this.

In our case, the IPSF guys loaded the unlock application onto the phones via SSH. This is not how it will be done in the final version (you’ll get yours loaded by the reseller), but it was quicker this way. Once loaded, the steps were exactly the same as the reseller final version (which they also sent to us, and works perfectly). Once run, a disclaimer comes up, you hit OK, and hit the unlock Apple image. It unlocks the phone, going through the process and displaying what the current activity is (as shown in the video). After unlocking, it cleans up, and you’re done.

When we went through the unlock, we started with a T-Mobile SIM, which caused the iPhone to complain about a non-valid SIM. After the unlock was done, the error message was gone and it was able to connect properly to the T-Mobile network. Some of my babbling on camera is incoherent because I was on the phone with the IPSF guys while doing this, but I left the video intact (save for the last part where I cut to making a call) because I wanted to leave no doubts. And that red circle on the call app is the voicemail notification, which doesn’t work correctly on T-Mobile (no visual voicemail).

The unlock itself is safe from restores, but requires that your phone is jailbreaked already, since you have to load a program onto the phone. And the app, since it runs directly on the phone, is stable. There should be almost zero chance to brick your phone, and most errors—if there are errors—can be fixed by restoring the phone and trying again.

That’s what the final version of the software looks like.

IPSF definitely knows and built off of the iPhone Dev Team’s work, insofar as none of this would be possible without the jailbreak. But as far as the actual unlock process, that’s all theirs.

Where does this whole thing leave you? iPhone SIM Free is sending out this software to resellers and third-party unlockers starting today, which means you can get yours unlocked very, very soon. As for the iPhone Dev Team, we’re still waiting on their free implementation.

One last thing. Five lucky Gizmodo readers are getting a free unlock courtesy of the iPhoneSIMFree team. Check back next week for details.

From http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/apple/iphone-software-unlock-confirmed-on-video-297651.php

Posted on September 10th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

DVD to iPhone Video Converter

Last night we had the opportunity to experience in person just how easy it is to hack and modify an Apple iPhone to work on networks other than AT&T in the United States.

The whole process took 20 minutes to complete - we will walk you through the process we saw from the undisclosed location hidden in the back streets of somewhere. I was blind folded during transportation to the location, I swear!!

First of all, let me say I am quite aware there are already three methods of iPhone unlocking, iphone hacking, modifying or however you would like to put it. The first to surface was the soldering trick but this seems a little impractical for most consumers. The second was software modding the iPhone and paying a fee to do so but it seems AT&T has already shut that down or is in the process of doing so. The third which surfaced recently is similar to what we are going to show here but a little different – it involved modding your SIM with a special module adapter but we are unsure of all the details on the procedure of that mod… until now.

The first step is getting hold of an actual iPhone and for people trying to sell these outside of the USA, it can be quite challenging but they are around – that is for sure, we saw a few last night in a test lab. The second step is modding the iPhone firmware and software to trick it into later using an entirely different non-AT&T SIM card. There are 16 steps in total and they can be found here and here – we saw this being done last night and that process only took around five minutes, if you have done it before and know what you are doing. Once these steps were completed, it was time to mod a non-AT&T sim card.

Using our sources Super SIM module adapter, it was able to trick the iPhone into thinking that any SIM card is a proper and true AT&T SIM. Many people have talked about these types of devices but nobody has actually seen them and exactly how they work.

The above shot is the key photo out of all of these – from left we have the back side of an AT&T SIM, in the middle is the Super SIM (dual) adapter with the important controller which tricks the iPhone and emulates your SIM to be an AT&T issued SIM card. And on the right is the front side of an AT&T SIM card with the ICCID removed to protect our source.

The makers of the Super SIM developed a simple SIM cutting tool since your SIM card will need to be modded to work in the SIM module adapter as you see in the photo further above. The SIM card ready to be chopped is mine but since we already had many cut (like the one you can see below the cutting tool), mine did not go through the torture but it just may if I end up buying an iPhone. The end result of cutting is that small cut up SIM you can see with the gold connectors showing but this is only if you want to use two SIM cards with the iPhone (since it allows for easy switching between SIM cards).

If you only want to use a single SIM inside your iPhone, the makers also have a single style and cheaper Super SIM adapter which does not require the use of the cutting tool; it can be done manually with scissors. You can see the single Super SIM module adapter in the shot below sitting in the middle. Once your SIM card has been modded, all we had to do was insert the Super SIM module adapter into the iPhone and we were off and racing! Below is a shot to prove it - connected to a non-AT&T network outside of the USA. I even called the phone to make sure it was legit (I hope we blurred out my number enough!) and sure enough it worked without a hitch. We even tested to calling to other phones and sending SMS messages both ways, also without any issues. The only part of the iPhone that did not work was the YouTube function but the makers are working on a fix right now before this solution hits the market.

The maker of the Super SIM expects to start selling the iPhone along with the Super SIM to phone stores locally and around the world soon. They will not modify the iPhone in any way but will provide instructions on how to software mod the iPhone and also mod your SIM card to fit and work with their module adapter. Our source told us that stores will be responsible for providing this service to the consumer and the service fee will probably be included in the price of the Super SIM adapters and will all be done in the store at point of sale – behind closed doors, of course. The phone will be sold without any warranty.

From http://www.tweaktown.com/news/8133/iphone_easy_hack_with_super_sim_module/index.html

Posted on September 7th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Unlock iPhone | 1 Comment »

While we love to hear about your attempts at hacking your iPhones, we also love to hear that all your digits are still intact! That’s why we’d like all enterprising iPhone modders to pay attention to what happened to Hackint0sh forum member Pipas, during what appears to be an attempt to unlock the handset using the hardware method.

“We were so happy, all the iphone software part was done, so we started opening the iphone. The antenna cover was a bit tricky but eventually it came off. Then we started to open the metal cover (after taking out the 3 screws) and PUFF, up it went in smoke, I think my collegue must have touched something. It literally went up in black smoke. I was so hot that when I tried to pick it up I burnt my fingers. So, this is for shure the most difficult part of the whole process”

Current thinking is that it was a shorted circuit across the iPhone’s Li-Ion battery pack which, since it’s not meant to be user-replaceable, probably lacks the shielding that such units designed for us mortals to touch would have.

The key thing to remember is that even though your iPhone may be switched off, the iphone battery still contains a charge and there’s still a current going through the electronics inside. These guys were lucky to get away with burnt fingers - we’d like all of our readers to keep all of their faculties!

Posted on September 5th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: AT&T iPhone, iPhone Battery, Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

Australians are thumbing their noses at Apple’s 2008 launch date for the iPhone, importing the device from the US and hacking it to work on local networks.

The hacks, unveiled just over a month ago and extensively documented online, break the locks that were intended to restrict iPhone use to the AT&T network in the United States.

According to one member of a group of Australians who have been collaborating on a hack, there are at least 30 or 40 people in Australia who are running the Apple phones using local SIM cards issued by carriers such as Telstra and Optus.

“The genie’s definitely out of the bottle,” said the man, who did not wish to be named. “We’re getting reports of people using them all over the place.”

Alex Voevodin, general manager of Votech, the exclusive Australian reseller of TurboSIM, a $149 tool that is essential in conducting one of the iPhone unlocking methods, said he had to shut down his online store late last month after being inundated with orders.

He said over 1500 orders were received in four days, many of which remained unfulfilled as Voevodin waited on a new TurboSIM shipment from the manufacturer, Bladox, which is expected to arrive early next week.

Voevodin said he sold less than 100 units a year before the TurboSIM iPhone unlocking was unveiled.

“I’m getting hundreds of emails a day from people who want to be on the TurboSIM waiting list,” he said.

And not all of the iPhone hackers are motivated by the desire to be among the first in Australia to own the device. Australian eBay users began listing unlocked iPhones on eBay last week, one of which sold yesterday for $1700.

In the US, the iPhone comes in two models which retail for $US499 and $US599.

Using TurboSIM to unlock the device is just one of several methods - a similar tool, Super SIM, has been used by the loosely knit group of Australian hackers to achieve the same result.

Both TurboSIM and Super SIM trick the phone into thinking it is operating on an AT&T SIM card using a technique called SIM cloning.

However, using Super SIM to unlock the iPhone is more complicated than using TurboSIM, and Super SIM does not work with SIM cards bought within the last three or four years.

The Australian hacker said that all the phone functions were working as they should except for two features: visual messaging and the YouTube channel.

The iPhone is currently only sold in the US where it was launched at the end of June. Apple has struck a multi-year deal to give exclusive rights to the carrier AT&T.

From http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/code-crack-opens-the-iphone-floodgates/2007/09/04/1188783213914.html

Posted on September 4th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

iPhonesimfree.com had published an FAQ on 29th August in which they had claimed to be releasing the software-only iPhone unlocking method in 48-72 hours. I have just received a tip from Trash,  that folks at iphonesimfree.com have sent emails announcing the availability of the software-only iPhone hack. The emails subject line is “iPhone unlocking - WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING ORDERS”. More details available after the jump.

As per the email they have started taking only bulk orders with pricing starting at $36 each for 50 licenses to $25 each for 5000 licenses and do not plan to sell the software-only unlocking method to end users. This is what they had to say about selling it to end users:

“Iphonesimfree.com is a wholesale only company. Although we could, we do not and will not sell directly to end users, because we want to work together with our valuable resellers as a team and not interfere in their business.”

I guess it is to cover themselves from the legal hurdles which had delayed the iPhone hack from being released to the public as soon as Engadget first demonstrated the unlocking method to work on T-Mobile. So how will it all work?

“The reseller or his/her customer must install on the iphone our software, available by mail or through direct download from our site.  This is a standard .app file and once installed on the iphone it will show up as a springboard icon on the main screen.The reseller must log into our back office and enter the required data specific to that iphone (his license credit will be substracted). Once done, the reseller or the customer must run the .app, which will communicate via the iphone wifi to our server. If the iphone has been registered, the software will proceed to unlock the iphone.”

So for the end user it would not be as simple as unlocking the iPhone themselves. They would either have to buy a new iPhone, in case, the reseller sells the unlock code only bundled with the iPhone, or buy it from one of those resellers offering the unlock service at a premium.Here is what they have to say regarding guarantees against future updates:
We CANNOT guarantee that this software will work after any future updates for the iphone.  It does currently work on all firmware versions, up to and including, 1.02.resellers an updated version of our software for each firmware update, it is in our interest, but we do NOT guarantee that we will be able to do so.

The delivery date for the unlocking software is September 4th, 2007. Stay tuned at iPhone lover for further updates on this story.Thanks Trash for sending this in!

From iphonehacks.com

Posted on September 3rd, 2007 by admin
Filed under: AT&T iPhone, Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

DVD to iPod/iPhone Video Converter

You can’t actually buy their iphone unlock software yet, but if - like, I confess, me - you enjoy reading the instructions and literature even for gadgets you don’t own then you’ll be wanting to take a browse through iphonesimfree.com’s FAQ. It contains all manner of juicy tidbits, but of course the one iPhone owners are most interested in is lucky number 13:

13. When can I get it?

We are hoping to release in the next 48-72 hours

More details after the cut…

According to the FAQ, the unlock can be performed either before or after activation with AT&T, and has been tested with software versions up to the current 1.0.2 build. There’s no guarantee, of course, that future updates won’t re-lock or generally upset your iPhone. All features, with the exception of Visual Voicemail, are working, and even if you’re forced to restore your iPhone the unlock will still be in place.

Initially you’ll have to Jailbreak your iPhone, but they’re apparently working on a fully automated app for both PC and Mac that will be a one-click pathway to unlock loveliness. Expect it shortly after launch.

Posted on August 29th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

DVD to iPhone Video Converter

Now that the AT&T legal monkeys have set their sights on software unlocking methods, you may be thinking the hardware unlock for iphone is a more tempting one. If that’s the case, then this Flickr gallery documenting the stages of the process might make your own attempt more straightforward; after all, there’s no such thing as too much preparation when the potential outcome is a bricked iPhone!

I still think you’d need to be a very, very brave person to try it yourself, but there are undoubtedly people who’ll give it a go. As ever, should you do it - successfully or not! - do let us know in the comments.

Posted on August 28th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

DVD to iPhone Video Converter

It’s high noon, Apple and AT&T — we really hate to break it to you, but the jig is up. Last night the impossible was made possible: right in front of our very eyes we witnessed a full SIM unlock of our iPhone with a small piece of software. It’s all over, guys.

The iPhoneSIMfree.com team called us up to prove their claim that iphone unlock was completed.SIM lock system, and prove it they did. (No, we don’t have a copy of the unlock software, so don’t even ask us, ok?) The six-man team has been working non-stop since launch day, and they’re officially the first to break Apple’s SIM locks on the iPhone with software. It’s done. Seriously. They wouldn’t tell us when and how they would release it to the public, but you can certainly bet that they’ll try to make a buck on their solution (and rightly so). We can hardly believe the iPhone’s finally been cracked. No, scratch that — we just can’t believe it took this long.

Again: we can confirm with 100% certainty that iPhoneSIMfree.com’s software solution completely SIM unlocks the iPhone, is restore-resistant, and should make the iPhone fully functional for users outside of the US.

Notes on the install

• The unlock process took only a couple of minutes. From our end it was totally painless.
• Once you put your new, non AT&T SIM in the device, you have to go through the usual activation process. This can, of course, be done by anyone anywhere with the right tools (like iASign or iActivator)
• We tested with an active T-Mobile SIM — after the hack was finished and we reactivated we immediately got full bars and the T-Mobile carrier info popped up in the top bar.
• Everything is otherwise the same, except the menu system now has a couple more options. The root menu has Carrier settings where you can select your preferred network if you don’t want to roam.
• The General -> Network menu now has an EDGE network settings area where you can input your carrier’s APN and username / password. We put in our T-Mobile info, and were immediately online. (Apparently these hidden menus were added in the 1.0.1 update, they tell us. How convenient!)
• Visual voicemail isn’t in the cards — sorry. That was, of course, to be expected because it’s a special AT&T network-specific feature right now. When you hit the voicemail button you are taken immediately to your carrier’s default voicemail line though, and that works just like it would on any other phone.
• Everything is confirmed as working on a non-AT&T network: SMS send / receive, internet (including Safari, Mail, Google maps, etc.). YouTube doesn’t work out of the box, but that’s to be expected. If you’re not on AT&T you have to manually activate YouTube — here’s the guide on how to do that. (YouTube is the only app you have to activate like this.)
• We know, it’s kind of crazy, but this isn’t a hoax.
• No, sorry, you can’t have our unlocked iPhone.

Restore / upgrade resistance

• The iPhoneSIMfree.com guys claim this method is restore and upgrade resistant. We have no way of knowing whether Apple will be able to disable this SIM unlock with future iPhone software updates, but we can confirm that it is restore-resistant.
• We performed a full restore (v1.0.2) on our iPhone and successfully activated it using an inactive AT&T SIM.
• After fake-activating our iPhone, you merely pop out the AT&T SIM, put in the foreign SIM of your choosing, reactivate, and you’re done. “Boom,” as Steve might say.
• Restoring from an iPhone backup in iTunes worked perfectly despite the lock and foreign SIM. The only thing to notice was the phone number is now listed as “n/a” in iTunes. Big whoop.
• No, seriously. You can’t have our unlocked iPhone.

Video
Before you get in a tizzy claiming it’s a faked video, please note that:

• We show the T-Mobile SIM at the beginning and end.
• The video stream does get cropped toward the end. That’s actually just a crop to make sure the phone number on the second iPhone isn’t shown. No frames of the video stream were removed, it wasn’t a cut.
• Just so you could be extra sure it’s real, we even left in the GSM radio noise.
• Dude, you can unlock your own iPhone soon, ok? You can’t have ours.

Thanks Engadget.

Posted on August 25th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Unlock iPhone | No Comments »