Can I unlock my iPhone?

Dec 1, 2010 - 10 Comments

can i unlock my iphone Whether or not you can unlock your iPhone depends on several things, including what iPhone you have and what version of iOS your phone is running. We have received many questions and comments asking if someone can unlock their particular iPhone and we hope this post will help to answer those enquiries.

We will go through each device and show you the criteria that must be met to see if you can unlock your iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, or iPhone 3G.

Can I unlock my iPhone 4?

You can unlock the iPhone 4 only if it is running older firmware and iOS versions:

  • iPhone 4 with iOS 4.0.2 or lower – YES you can unlock easily using ultrasn0w after you jailbreak the device
  • iPhone 4 with iOS 4.1 – NO, not yet
  • Phone 4 with iOS 4.2.1 – NO, not yet

The ability to unlock the iPhone 4 with newer firmware is currently being worked on by the iPhone Dev Team. We will update you when there is a working unlock for iPhone 4 with firmware from iOS 4.1 or 4.2.1.

Can I unlock my iPhone 3GS?

All models of iPhone 3GS can be unlocked regardless of the firmware version, however there are caveats with newer iOS versions:

  • iPhone 3GS with iOS 4.0.2 or lower – YES, jailbreak first and then use ultrasn0w
  • iPhone 3GS with iOS 4.1 – YES, see note below
  • iPhone 3GS with iOS 4.2 – YES, see note below

Note: An iPhone 3Gs running iOS 4.1 or iOS 4.2 or later can be unlocked but it involves an irreversible process that will void your warranty and possibly prevent you from further iPhone iOS updates. Essentially this requires you to place iPad firmware onto your iPhone, and this can not be undone. If you are comfortable with this, learn how to unlock iPhone 3GS running iOS 4.2.1 with ultrasn0w

Can I unlock my iPhone 3G?

All versions of iPhone 3G with iOS 4.2.1 or lower can be unlocked, but later versions require a more complex unlock like the iPhone 3GS

  • iPhone 3G with iOS 4.0.2 or lower – YES, jailbreak first and then use ultrasn0w
  • iPhone 3G with iOS 4.1 – YES, see note below
  • iPhone 3G with iOS 4.2 – YES, see note below

Note: Unlocking iPhone 3G with iOS 4.2 or iOS 4.1 requires you to perform an irreversible firmware upgrade that will void your warranty with Apple and it may prevent you from upgrading to future versions of iOS beyond 4.2.1. If you understand and accept this risk you can follow how to unlock iPhone 3G running iOS 4.2.1 with ultrasn0w

If you aren’t sure, you can learn whether or not a Jailbreak or Unlock is needed to achieve your desired results. Note that a jailbreak is necessary before an unlock can be installed.

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Posted by: Manish Patel in iPhone

10 Comments

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  1. bishop says:

    hi, i have updated and jailbreak my 3gs for 5.0.1, modem firmware 06.15.00 using snowbreezen0w and it works great but have a problem with carrier. i installed ultrans0w but still cannot recognize my sim. the same sim when i used 4.3.3 and it was working. please can you help me unlock it to be use in Ghana i just traveled there

  2. Jennifer says:

    If you have the iphone4 on 5.0 and are struggling like i was for over a month, connect your iphone4 to H2O. Works GREAT, FAST, TRUSTABLE, and NO jailbreak or unlock is needed just go and get it connected!! Stop waiting the unlock for 5.0 is going to take long to get!! Anddd, its only 60$ a month for unlimited everything i have over a month with the company already. Anyway thats the only hope for this iphone on 5.0 sadly

  3. Devin says:

    I have an Iphone 4 on 4.3.1 with baseband 04.10.01 and have jailbroken it and attempted to unlock using Sydia on the phone but i still have no service.
    is this firmware or baseband unlockable or can i downgrade or change the baseband or anything to unlock it?

    Could it be because I have a South African sim card working on Vodacom but on sms roaming using At&t here in the states?

    PLEASE HELP!

  4. […] on T-Mobile. If you are interested in jumping to a different carrier, you might want to read “can I unlock my iPhone?” and then learn how to jailbreak and unlock iOS 4.2.1 with redsn0w and […]

  5. Siva Balan says:

    How about iPhone 2G? Some people like me still carry that around and would like to JB and unlock it if possible. Any suggestions?

  6. The Skeptic says:

    You seem to obsessed with jail breaking and unlocking lately! I’d love to see your thoughts on … useful apps (e.g my new favourite task manager – Things on OS X and iOS), helpful utilities (e.g Tinkertool and Tinkertool System for OS X), great networking tools (e.g IPSecuritas, which has to the most useful VPN connection tool around).

    How about a pure user review on Office 2011 (low quality software masquerading as a professional product IMO)……

    • Manish says:

      Thank you for the feedback.

      We try to cover the release of new iOS versions followed by the accompanying jailbreak and unlocks. We get a lot of questions about these things.

      We always welcome ideas for articles, you can submit them to osxdailycom@gmail.com. You have mentioned some software I have not heard of and I will look into them.

      Manish

  7. Parakeet says:

    Nice, this is much needed

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