Following up on the iPhone 1.1.1 jailbreak, iPhone SIMfree--they are the commercial unlock folks--have announced a 1.1.1 upgrade and a 1.1.1 unlock solution. Moreover, they believe their unlock solution will restore and repair iBricks: "This now means that SimFree v1.6 release, is now capable of completely restoring/repairing software unlocked "bricked" iPhone". TUAW has not had the opportunity to try this out ourselves, so for now we're just passing along the link to the iPSF site. Let us know in the comments if you were able to unbrick and/or update to 1.1.1.

iPhoneSIMFree is available from various vendors around the world and costs about US$60-$100.

Update: TUAW Reader Matthew Fliegle writes: I am on AT&T, and I installed the IPSF 2.6 using WiNstaller (on 1.0.2 with 4.01bb). It took about five minutes with no error messages. Then I restarted the phone and a error popped up saying invalid sim. I connected it to iTunes and clicked update. That took another 5 to 10 minutes, and then it made me reactivate it with AT&T. The only thing bad is that it made me renew my contract for another 2 years, but I called AT&T and they said I shouldn't have had to renew it and they were putting it under review.

The iPhone Dev Team has released a simple-to-use GUI tool that allows you to unlock your iPhone for use with any SIM. The tool, which is based on their previous command-line work, provides one-touch speedy unlocking. This is a big improvement on the first generation release. It no longer requires you to use special files or to dump nor data.

You can download your copy from the DevTeam website, as a PXL package or, soon, from Installer.app. "Wheat" is the guy responsible for those amazing graphics.

Find out more at the #iphone channel at irc.osx86.hu. Remember, this is early software and unstable. If risk isn't your thing, you'll probably want to wait a few days or weeks for things to stabilize.

Update: After reports of failed unlocks, Sam has updated the version to fix a timing issue. Current version is now 1.0.1, which solves the timing issue.

Update 2: I know of a youtube hack and have heard third-hand of a Visual Voicemail hack. Will post when I have details.

Well that's it. Engadget revealed that iPhoneSIMfree's unlocking solution is up and running today, and they're now on sale (in fact, our Weblogs, Inc. brethren are giving them away as we speak). Hype, prices, and sketchy profiteering aside, what's done seems to be done. If you want your iPhone unlocked, have at it.

Why aren't the Mac faithful more excited? Europeans are definitely interested-- we've already heard from a few of them, including reader Callum, who really want to use their iPhones. But from my general sense of the population, iPhone owners, especially Cult of Mac folks, aren't jumping at the chance. Gadgetheads like Engadget love it, but you TUAWers, despite the AT&T hate (which I share, and I'm not even an AT&T customer yet), aren't that into an unlock. As Engadget says, the iPhone hackers aren't going to bother to reverse engineer iPhoneSIMfree's solution. The whole community seems to be saying, "meh."

Part of the problem is the warranty, I'd expect-- that's why I'm not going to unlock my iPhone when I eventually pick it up. And the other part is the fact that I'm sticking with Apple, even if they price drop in another few months and require me to be with AT&T. I want my iPhone to do everything it can, and if this unlock breaks anything, or won't vibe with the Visual Voicemail, or who knows what else, then iPhoneSIMfree can keep their $100 offer.

But enough about what I want-- let's ask you, TUAWers. What do you think of the unlock?



Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Very late last night, I chatted with Ryan Block of Engadget. At that time, he was happily engaged in making calls on his iPhone using a T-Mobile SIM. Today Engadget announces a full iPhone software-only unlock. According to Ryan, this unlock comes courtesy of iPhone SIM Free.com. I haven't personally tried out the unlock but Ryan writes that he can confirm "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".

So what does this mean? It means that the iPhone just went International. You can use any SIM on the iPhone using tools like iASign and iActivator, and with the same limitations: namely no Visual Voicemail or YouTube video (at least not without a hack) and your minutes and data are charged per the plan associated with the SIM. Also the phone number seems to go MIA in iTunes, which lists it as "N/A".

The unlock adds a new option to Settings. See the picture at the top of this post. Ryan says you'll be able to use this to select your preferred network and avoid roaming. A new EDGE network settings appears in General > Network, allowing you to enter your carrier's access point name and username/password.

Is this method restore and upgrade resistant, as the iPhoneSIMFree guys claim? Ryan factory-restored his iPhone with the 1.0.2 firmware and the unlock stuck around.

The iPhoneSIMFree site is pretty light on details. They write that they intend to launch the unlock as a commercial product for both individual and bulk purchase sales.

Bottom line: is this for realsies? Ryan and Engadget says absolutely yes. They are standing by their tests.

If you've been wanting to activate your iPhone without iTunes so you can use a non-iPhone AT&T/Cingular SIM, or you just want to use your iPhone as an iPhonePod, I have some good news for you. The guys over at ModMyiPhone have introduced a program that doesn't require you to work from the command line.

Not everyone loves the command line. It's a basic fact. And, for those of you who have been waiting for a real application that avoids using Terminal commands, point your web browser at this page. iActivator wraps a GUI around iPhone activation, and makes it simple to use the jailbreak, iASign and iPhoneInterface tools.

For those of you still worried about turning your iPhone into an iBrick, keep in mind that this is still early software. You may want to wait a few weeks for the software (and the hacking tools that underlie the application) to gain stability. Also, be aware that the public link seems to be down. You may have to sign up for a (free) account before being allowed to download the members-only version. A final note: it's unclear whether this is a Universal binary solution or (as I'm guessing) Intel-only.

Thanks Kyle

Were you planning on buying an iPhone, bringing it home and immediately swapping out the SIM card? AT&T says no. Their recently posted iPhone FAQ states that your iPhone must be activated (i.e. through iTunes, with a credit card and a two year calling plan) before the phone can be used. You can't just swap out your current SIM card and start right away. Apple's Q&A adds (rather unhelpfully) that you "should use the SIM card that came preinstalled in the iPhone", giving no hint as to whether a SIM swap is possible.

As I posted yesterday, activating the iPhone restarts the 2-year calling plan clock, regardless of whether you're an existing customer or not.

Thanks, Ryan Valle.

Update via David Pogue: "Can I use a SIM card from another phone? The iPhone comes with an installed SIM card, the tiny circuit board that stores your account information and phone number. Apple says that you should be able to replace it with any recent AT&T card, once you activate it in iTunes. No other company's SIM card works in the iPhone."

Over at iPhone Matters, Tanner Godarzi asks whether you'll be able to buy an iPhone without a new contract, speculating that stores with extra inventory may allow just that. I think that's pretty unlikely. The commercials clearly state "Use requires a minimum new 2-year activation plan". Godarzi also suggests that you might be able to add an iPhone to an existing AT&T contract, which sounds at least a bit more realistic to me.

Contract details, specifically the complete lack of them, continue to keep many possible customers away from making their purchasing decisions. How many people do you know who have said "I might get an iPhone--if it turns out I can afford it"? With rumors of $70 per month data plans, it could be a very expensive choice.