Unlock iPhone & Use Any SIM Card

Unlock iPhone SIM port and be free to use any carrier in the world. SIM port unlock is a process that allows your iPhone to accept any SIM card from any carrier.

When an iPhone is able to only work on one carrier like AT&T, it is said that the iPhone is locked to AT&T.

There are two ways to unlock iPhone sim port. The first method is an authorised method and it is done by the factory, therefore it is called factory unlock.

The other method is unauthorized, and it is not supported by Apple. It is an iPhone hack that installs a modified firmware to unlock the SIM port of your iPhone.

Whichever method you use, you will be able to save lots of money specially if you travel a lot, and use roaming for your International calls. You will be able to use pre-paid or local sim cards wherever you travel, and use local phone number, and make local phone calls.

Unlocked iPhones are usually more expensive than locked ones. Therefore, expect to pay full price for an unlocked iPhone. Moreover, unlocking a phone is completely legal. In fact, in many countries in the world, it is illegal to sell locked phones.

The Authorized iPhone Unlock:

The authorised, or factory authorised unlock is the best way to get an unlocked iPhone. It is authorised or signed by Apple.

It was almost impossible to find factory authorised unlocked iPhones in the US in the past. The contractual agreement between Apple and AT&T prevented Apple from selling unlocked iPhones at that time. Therefore, the iPhone was always locked to AT&T, until the iPhone 4S came out, and became a world phone, more carriers started to sell iPhones.

With the new world iPhone 4S, it is very easy to get your iPhone unlocked from Apple.

The iPhone 4S has dual antennas that allow it to switch between GSM and CDMA networks as needed. Therefore, with the release of the iPhone 4S, the whole iPhone line can be purchased with SIM unlocked from Apple.

You should expect to pay the full price for an unlocked iPhone. The iPhone 4S unlocked starts at $650, the 8GB iPhone 4 unlocked costs $550, while the iPhone 3GS unlocked cost $370.

Unlocked phones are very common around the world. Carriers don't require a contract to sell you an iPhone. You simply buy the iPhone unlocked, and purchase any pre-paid sim card from any GSM carrier. Other carriers just unlock it for you upon request for a fee or for free.

Some of the countries that sell unlocked iPhones are New Zealand, Australia , Hong Kong, China, Russia, Italy, and many others. Click here to see the complete list of carriers and their available services around the world.

Sprint in the US is now following the same process and can unlock iPhone sim port for you if your account is in good standing.

Advantages of Factory Unlocked iPhones:

The iPhone unlock from the factory is permanent, which means that any software update from Apple through iTunes will not re-lock or remove your unlock.

When you unlock iPhone sim port from the factory, you are free to select your carrier. You can easily switch carriers by simply replacing your sim card. You are not bound by a contract, or a monthly service plan while keeping your iPhone software up to date.

Because the authorised unlock is done by the factory, your iPhone is still under warranty. You can always go to the Apple store for any problem or issue with your unlocked iPhone.

The Unauthorized iPhone Unlock:

The other way to unlock iPhone SIM port is an unofficial way which is not authorized by Apple and is not technically supported by any carrier.

To get your iPhone unlocked with this method, you have to jailbreak your iPhone first. The jailbreak and unlock usually happen by using one software that does both. In the process of jailbreaking, you will be asked if you want to unlock too.

This method of unlocking iPhones has two categories, A free iPhone unlock method which is done by a free software, and a paid method which is done by either a software or using a SIM card like Gevey.

The Free iPhone Unlock:

This software unlock is very tricky, but once done successfully, you will get exactly the same features and results you would get from the paid method or even the authorised method. It just involves some research.

First you have to know what iPhone you have, iPhone 2G , 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S.

Then you have to know which iPhone software you have installed on your iPhone. Finally and the most important one is your baseband version.

All this information can be found from Setting --> General --> About.

Apple updates the iOS regularly. Therefore, you have to make sure that an iPhone unlock is available for the baseband you have.

This is where you need to research and find out if there is a free unlock available or not.

Once you have verified that you meet the requirements to unlock your iPhone.

Then, download the correct unlock software read the instruction for the procedure which should be simple after that.

You will find that the process is not fluid, and changes with every iPhone release, iOS update, and baseband version.

Disadvantages of the Free iPhone Unlock:

Every time you do an iPhone restore or you install a new software update, you remove the existing unlock. This means that you have to run the iPhone unlock software again whenever you update your iPhone. It could becomes very frustrating.

The unlock will not usually be available immediately after any new iPhone software update. Sometimes it may take a couple days, or sometimes months, so you have to be patient.

The general rule is that when a new iOS update comes out through iTunes, you should always wait. Never update an unlocked iPhone or do an iPhone restore as this will lock your phone back, and you might wait a long time for a new free iPhone unlock. This wait means you will be out of date for sometime, and not having the latest iOS which means less features.

The Paid Method of iPhone Unlocking:

There is another unauthorized method of unlocking your iPhone. It is still software driven, but it is developed by private companies.

These companies give all kind of guarantees, and benefits when you use their software to unlock iPhone.

The prices range from $20 to $50. You would basically download a software that walks you through the unlock process.

What you are buying is the benefits package those companies promise to provide. For example, some companies provide 24/7 technical support, free upgrade and unlocking for life.

iphoneunlocking.com is one of the paid services but there are so many out there on the internet.

Gevey is another cheap method of unlocking your iPhone 4 without jailbreaking. The Gevey package comes with SIM tray, and a chip that you just plug in your SIM port in your iPhone 4.

The nice thing about Gevey is that the process is so easy and quick. There is no software installation, and there is no jailbreaking required. It is done by inserting a SIM card and dialing some numbers.

Watch the video below to see Gevey in action. Gevey cost about $8 from Amazon.

Unlock iPhone 4S With Gevey Ultra S:

The Gevey sim hardware unlock solution has been one of the easiest available for the iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S. It is a little sim hardware that fits right on your sim card opening. It comes with a custom SIM tray that allows you to install a hardware chip below your sim card. Then by turning on and off your airplane mode, you activate the hardware unlock. Then you restart your iPhone 4S.

If you are looking to unlock iPhone 4S, Gevey SIM unlock is the most robust iPhone unlock solution. You must be aware though, that Apple could deactivate or block the Gevey unlock with a software upgrade. But of course, you shouldn't update your software when using such a hardware hack unless a new Gevey release is out.

The Gevey SIM unlock cost less than $50 and requires no jailbreak. It only works on GSM iPhone 4S, so CDMA iPhone is not supported. That s right, you don't need to jailbreak your iPhone in order to unlock your iPhone 4S with the Gevey SIM unlock. Visit the Gevey website for more details.

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