How to identify a Factory Unlocked iphone?

[Magnus]

Sir Magnus

Are you saying there is a service in etisalat that offer to unlock the iphone?,
coz my iphone is lock becasue the update that ive that was 2.2.1 MF 2.30.03..even the yellowsnow of the Dev-team dont work, Now i update it again because the DEV-team is releasing the ultraSnow that can unlock any Version of baseband of iphone 3g only.

No, I don't believe Etisalat offers any sort of unlocking service.

[mudy1]

Ok guys, now etisalat cannot unlock your iphone. and if you mean factory unlocked, that is done only in THE FACTORY. so you cannot factory unlock your iphone, you JAILBREAK it.

now i have a very important question: does any one here knows the difference between the jailbreaked iphone and the factory unlocked one???? i wanna buy an iphone but all of the sudden every iphone here in dubai is factory unlocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i mean come on, where are the jailbreaked ones that were in the market before???!!!!!!

if someone could the difference between these two devices i would really appreciate it if he could help me here.

but for now, i'll try to investigate and find the difference. if i find it, i'll let you know guys.


Cheers

[fangpyre]

The problem with a locked phone is that you might mistakenly update it when the unlock isn't ready yet.
For example, 2.2.1 was never unlocked.
About a month ago there was a way to get it working (though not really an unlock).
So anybody that updated to 2.2.1 couldn't use the phone until recently.

Also, you will find that you have less problems with an unlocked phone.
Other than that, about the same.

[mudy1]

The thing is.. i want to identify which is which before i buy it.
so i don't wanna buy one device and find out that it's not factory unlocked, that it's a normal device that needs to be jailbreaked. that's why i'm asking if someone can tell us the difference between both types, like difference in serial number or some code. maybe something different in the software that cannot be changed or something. for example when you used to buy nokia mobiles 4 or 5 years later, you must check it is made in hungary or finland, and not made by nokia because the device would be rubbish.

any little advice would be much appreciated.

[gierran]

The thing is.. i want to identify which is which before i buy it.
so i don't wanna buy one device and find out that it's not factory unlocked, that it's a normal device that needs to be jailbreaked. that's why i'm asking if someone can tell us the difference between both types, like difference in serial number or some code. maybe something different in the software that cannot be changed or something. for example when you used to buy nokia mobiles 4 or 5 years later, you must check it is made in hungary or finland, and not made by nokia because the device would be rubbish.

any little advice would be much appreciated.

Sorry mudy, I'm not sure there is anyway to check. Apple used to have a list of unlocked model numbers, but they seem to have replaces that webpage now. I can only suggest you google the model number from the back of the box to check reports online. Or buy it from a reputable dealer on the understanding that it is factory unlocked, and you can return it if it turns out not to be.

[mudy1]

I think this might solve the problem:

https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do

in which case if you are buying a factory unlocked iphone it should show some information about the device. but if it is not factory unlocked it will show you : "We're sorry, the serial number provided is invalid. Please try again."


can any one check if it is true???

[fangpyre]

How about taking a print put with you?
Also, if works without Cydia, Icey, or Installer, it should be ok.

[onurtaco]

Apple has the right to lock their phones to certain carriers with respect to the carrier's request. Of coarse, they make certain agreements and gain something extra out of it(I wouldn't see any other reason why they would lock it if they don't get anything in return in the first place)

First of all, the definitions of a factory unlocked iphone, locked iphone, jailbroken iphone.

Factory Unlocked iPhone:
iPhone can be used with any carrier

Locked iPhone:
iPhone can't be used with any carrier, has to be used with the carrier that it the phone is locked to.

Jailbroken iphone:
A couple of operations are applied on the iphone so you will be able to download 3rd party software on the phone which apple regularly forbids.


The key idea here is the following:
To be able to unlock the phone you have to install ultrasnow, to install ultrasn0w, you need to install Cydia. Installing Cydia is an option given to you while Jailbreaking.

Hence, the way to differentiate between a phone which is unlocked or not is by testing it with a different SIM card before you buy it. If it works with the different SIM card, browse the phone to see whether Cydia and ultrasnow has been installed on the phone already. If it works and Cydia,Ultrasn0w aren't installed, it means that the phone is factory unlocked.

So becarefull, you may find factory unlocked phones WITH Cydia, just because they wanted to install 3rd party software. It is a bit complicated if you haven't spent sometime with the lovely iphone trying to find the pros and cons, but I did my best to explain as clear as possible.