Using iTunes To Unlock iPhone
Izvor: KiWi
If you purchase an iPhone directly from a carrier, a bricks and mortar outlet or an on-line store, it will be SIM locked so that it can only be used on one specific network. By offering consumers the ability to get their hands on the latest iPhone models for a fraction of the price Apple charge for unlocked handsets, networks are able to recover their losses and even make some sizable profits over the duration of the agreement. When it comes to the Apple iPhone, in order to entice their potential customers to sign up for lengthy contracts with them, the big cellular providers virtually give them away! If that wasn't enough, to make these deals seem even more appealing, Apple have agreed to work with the networks to keep the retail price of a factory unlocked iPhone very high. It has been known for networks to offer the latest iPhone models at up to 5 times less expensive that the exact same model, but in an IMEI unlocked state.
But say you wanted to use your iPhone on a different network as you have moved to a new area and your original carrier’s coverage is bad? The good news is there options available to unlock your iPhone so it can be used on any GSM network, anywhere in the world.
You used to be able to choose between to different types of unlock. A software unlock could be applied to a jailbroken iPhone. But is you don't want to jailbreak your phone, then the official factory unlock is the solution for you. The software unlock is now useless as it only works on jailbroken iPhone 4 & 4s running iOS 5.1.1. If you want to software unlock an iPhone you need to be aware that the software can only be installed on a device that has previously been jailbroken - a hacking process that enables the installation of software that has not been approved for sale in the App store. Once an iPhone has been jailbroken a software unlock can be applied. This software fools the iPhones operating system into thinking it has been unlocked by jamming certain parts of the iOS.
About 3 or 4 years ago it was possible to unlock the older models of iPhone (pre-iPhone 5) by installing unauthorized third party software. Software installation was a bit of an issue as obviously Apple would not approve unlocking software for sale in its App store. The way round this was to jailbreak the iPhone. The purpose of an iPhone jailbreak is to enable software that Apple doesn't want you to use to be installed on your phone. It's kind of a way of hacking into the phone. It is a pretty dangerous activity that not only enables the installation of software, but also offers hackers the ability to access your phone without you knowing. Since the release of iOS 5.1.1 way back in July 2011, the software unlock has no longer worked.
The best unlocking method available in our opinion, is the permanent IMEI unlock. If you were to compare a factory unlocked iPhone purchased from the Apple store with an IMEI unlocked handset, it would be impossible to tell them apart. You would have though Apple themselves would offer this options to its customers wishing to unlock, but sadly that is not the case. Apple have never offered a factory unlocking service and are highly unlikely to in the future. Until now it has only been possible to request a factory unlock from the network your iPhone is locked to. They are under no obligation to act upon your request though. As expected, most of them refuse to comply with unlocking requests.
Some changes have taken place recently in the IMEI unlocking industry. It is now possible to have a 3rd party company provide a factory unlock for iPhones, identical to the service offered by the main network carriers. And once unlocked using these third party provider, your iPhone will operate just as if it had been purchased as factory unlocked form Apple, substantially increasing its resale value. It is important to note that, although these unlocks are provided by third parties, they do not void the phone's warranty, again increasing the retail value of the handset.
If you are interested in learning more about how to unlock an iPhone, if your iPhone can be unlocked, or where to get it unlocked, make sure you contact us with all your questions or enquires at iUnlox.
