It was my understanding that there will still be roaming charges but that they will be lower and capped; however, I haven't yet read everything in detail so could be mistaken.
Anyone have suggestions on prepaid sim card/network that one can use when in Rome?
I will have my BB8820 for emails for work back home but would like to get sim account for my first gen unlocked iPhone that would include local calls and data/internet access (trying to avoid carrying my MB with me this trip).
I've been through this thread a couple of times, but I'm still lost. Please excuse me, as I just don't get this stuff.
I have an iPhone and my wife and I will be in Scotland next month. Last year on a trip to NZ, we turned off the data roaming and had no issues. Well, other than we couldn't access the internet and use Google maps, which would have been helpful on our trip. So this time, I'd like to be able to do that and from what I can tell I need to "unlock" my iPhone.
1) So how do I do this? I've investigated enough to know that there are all sorts of folks on the internet to do this and that they all charge a small amount of money. That's fine with me, if that's the way I should go. Any advice there? Am I wrong, or is this a murky subject?
2) When I get back to the US, can I make my phone work the way it used to on AT&T?
3) What am I missing or what else should I be thinking about?
I also realize I have to get a UK SIM card, but I think I can figure that out. My concerns are more on the unlocking process. And, again, I apologize for not being able to decipher the earlier posts....
You are not going to be happy with the iPhone results. If you pay someone to do it. It might be unlocked and it MIGHT accept a UK sim, but NOT ALL SIMs. When you return you may find the phone will not work as it once did. It might, but that is not some peoples experience. Also when you unlock (if you actually are able to) you will loose AT&T support for the phone as well. So if you have a problem, you may be SOL. YMMV!!!
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There is an incredible amount of information out there on unlocking iphones. There are essentially two ways for an AT&T locked phone - software and hardware. Software basically requires that you have a phone manufactured before Sept 2008. You have to jailbreak and then unlock with a program called yellowsn0w. The hardware method is to buy a gevey plus2 sim (ebay), which is a piggyback SIM. Software seems preferable. Both methods are easily reversible (revert to stock firmware or stop using the gevey). It's possible you'll hurt the iphone, but extremely unlikely.
iclarified.com is a reliable source of info. So is howardforums.com. Google is your friend.
I learned all this when I was thinking of getting an iphone.
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There is an incredible amount of information out there on unlocking iphones. There are essentially two ways for an AT&T locked phone - software and hardware. Software basically requires that you have a phone manufactured before Sept 2008. You have to jailbreak and then unlock with a program called yellowsn0w. The hardware method is to buy a gevey plus2 sim (ebay), which is a piggyback SIM. Software seems preferable. Both methods are easily reversible (revert to stock firmware or stop using the gevey). It's possible you'll hurt the iphone, but extremely unlikely.
iclarified.com is a reliable source of info. So is howardforums.com. Google is your friend.
I learned all this when I was thinking of getting an iphone.
Thanks for the sources to turn to. (Google was actually more of an enemy than a friend for me on this as there was soooo much info out there I couldn't really figure out where to start.) I must admit some trepidation to doing this (as per EasternTraveler's post above), so glad to know where to turn to for this...
I bought my phone about a month after the 3G model came out last summer, so I should be okay with a software solution.
So this time, I'd like to be able to do that and from what I can tell I need to "unlock" my iPhone.
1) So how do I do this? I've investigated enough to know that there are all sorts of folks on the internet to do this and that they all charge a small amount of money. That's fine with me, if that's the way I should go. Any advice there? Am I wrong, or is this a murky subject?
2) When I get back to the US, can I make my phone work the way it used to on AT&T?
Everything you need to know about unlocking is summarized/explained by these various sites, including reliable third party to unlock for a fee.
Using first two sites to guide me, I unlocked both my wife/my first gen iPhone, we both use/upgraded to 2.2.1 version, travel overseas (asia) and swapped multiple prepaid and post paid sim cards without ever a problem.
When you return home, ATT will still work but obviously don't tell them you've hacked the phone. And of course, once unlocked/hacked, no more apple warranty!
At home we both use TMO and they actually support the phone - call their tech service once you've unlocked phone for set-up settings, etc.
Use the software unlock solution with pwnage and stay away from hardware solutions (gevey plus2 sim, etc.)...POV.
When you return home, ATT will still work but obviously don't tell them you've hacked the phone. And of course, once unlocked/hacked, no more apple warranty!
Just revert to the stock firmware if you want service. There are many reports of people who brought unlocked phones to apple for service and apple didn't care. I wouldn't chance it.
Just revert to the stock firmware if you want service. There are many reports of people who brought unlocked phones to apple for service and apple didn't care. I wouldn't chance it.
Why 'revert' - unlocked iPhone will run perfectly fine with ATT. In fact many people with ATT hack their iPhone so that it can be used when they travel and use third party sim cards.
Yes they are the guys who created the software hack, and since version 3.0 is now no longer beta, these guys will have a hack for it shortly. And after release of 3GS, there will no doubt be a hack for same in due course.
Why 'revert' - unlocked iPhone will run perfectly fine with ATT. In fact many people with ATT hack their iPhone so that it can be used when they travel and use third party sim cards.
By "service" I meant warranty service, not using it as a phone. No reason to revert unless you're bringing it into a store to be fixed.
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By "service" I meant warranty service, not using it as a phone. No reason to revert unless you're bringing it into a store to be fixed.
So it seems like I can bring it back to its original state, although no need to do that unless I need to bring it in for service. (I bought AppleCare for the phone, so I think I'm covered for three years...) That's good to know.
But what happens when I upgrade the OS? Can I do that once I've unlocked it or would I have to "revert" before doing so? Seems like I should put off the OS 3.0 upgrade until after my July trip...
I appreciate the links everyone has offered here. There's so much info out there it's good to have these recommendations...
So it seems like I can bring it back to its original state, although no need to do that unless I need to bring it in for service. (I bought AppleCare for the phone, so I think I'm covered for three years...) That's good to know.
But what happens when I upgrade the OS? Can I do that once I've unlocked it or would I have to "revert" before doing so? Seems like I should put off the OS 3.0 upgrade until after my July trip...
Pls read what I posted earlier - hack for 3.0 isn't out yet and probably won't be for a while.
If you want to use it unlocked now, 2.2.1 is perfectly fine. Upgrading to 3.0 after the hack is released will be easier since you'll have had experience unlocking for 2.2.1
Pls read what I posted earlier - hack for 3.0 isn't out yet and probably won't be for a while.
If you want to use it unlocked now, 2.2.1 is perfectly fine. Upgrading to 3.0 after the hack is released will be easier since you'll have had experience unlocking for 2.2.1
Sorry, what I was trying to say (or ask) was once I unlocked the current version if I later upgraded to 3.0 (which I wouldn't do until after the trip), would that process re-lock the phone? Or would I need to re-lock it before the upgrade?
Regardless, upgrading the OS is something I won't plan on doing for some time and is a smaller issue. I appreciate everyone's advice here on my main goal...
Sorry, what I was trying to say (or ask) was once I unlocked the current version if I later upgraded to 3.0 (which I wouldn't do until after the trip), would that process re-lock the phone? Or would I need to re-lock it before the upgrade?
Regardless, upgrading the OS is something I won't plan on doing for some time and is a smaller issue. I appreciate everyone's advice here on my main goal...
If you unlock now, when the 3.0 hack comes out, you first upgrade to new 3.0 and then "re-unlock".
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iPhone 3.0 Beta - 10 day trip to Europe
Last week I was in Sweden and Netherlands and Germany and took the easy way out and bought a 100 MB International Data Package from AT&T for $120 (cancelled that as soon as I came home.) I used about 90 MB and checked data usage regularly on iPhone - easy enough to check. I used GPS / maps when needed hiking in central Sweden and also walking in Amsterdam and all it worked really great and i checked Earthlink e-mail several times a day and the weather etc. but was real careful not to check G-Mail or download file attachments, etc. unless connected to WiFi.
I could have saved some with a SIMM card on a European wireless system card but would have needed time to buy an unlocked phone which would have cost something so overall it worked well enough for me considering my infrequent and relatively short trips to Europe.
Re calling home from Europe (I THINK this right):
* Called AT&T help Line from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and just had to dial the 10 digit number: (916) 843-4685
* Calling home from from Netherlands - had to dial: 011 (920)499-5555
* Calling home from Sweden - had to dial: 001 (920)499-5555
- so it was trial and error on calling back to the US.
I also signed up for the AT&T Business Global Voice Plan - $5.99 a month - which saved me about $0.30 a minute. The break on that is obviously 20 minutes of talk time.
