Full Version: iphone de-bricking?

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#1]
12 Mar 15:08
To: ALL

If an iPhone has been locked, at a firmware/whatever level, is it dead, or is there a way to unlock it?

From: PNCOOL [#2]
12 Mar 18:32
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#1] 12 Mar 18:40

No, you can force a re-flash. A Mate of mine has done it with a couple of them before. I wouldn't know how though.

From: johngti_mk-ii [#3]
12 Mar 18:43
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#1] 12 Mar 18:48

I believe he just needs to connect it iTunes and to a full restore. He's going to lose all of the stuff he's put on it though.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#4]
12 Mar 18:48
To: PNCOOL [#2] 16 Mar 12:11

Sorry, probably used the wrong word with "unlock"; a re-flash or factory reset or whatever is fine.

So is re-flash the appropriate terminology for resetting from any state?
(I don't know what the various levels of locked-ness are.)

From: Kriv [#5]
12 Mar 22:58
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#1] 13 Mar 0:16

If you're debricking, might be a good time to jailbreak it.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#6]
15 Mar 17:01
To: johngti_mk-ii [#3] 15 Mar 17:33

Will that re-flash the firmware, as pncool suggested?

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#7]
15 Mar 17:07
To: ALL

Currently the phone can turn on and apps work, with no data on it, and a message saying "No Service".

So, I'm guessing it just needs a new sim card, and to be jailbroken (as described here?) and it'll then be all usable and stuff?

From: johngti_mk-ii [#8]
15 Mar 17:34
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#6] 15 Mar 17:43

Its apparently the way to fix it after jailbreaking goes wrong so I'd say that it probably flashes everything (no, me)

From: Matt [#9]
15 Mar 17:36
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#7] 15 Mar 17:43

Do you want to be able to install non-appstore applications on it? If you don't, then there is no need to jailbreak it.

If the phone was purchased with a contract on O2, and that contract has run for at least 12 months you can have the phone unlocked free of charge by downloading this update. Once it's updated you simply insert another SIM card of your choosing.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#10]
15 Mar 17:54
To: Matt [#9] 15 Mar 19:37

Hmm, I thought jailbreaking was needed before unlocking. Dunno whether they'd want to jailbreak regardless or not.

The phone's not mine; someone I know found it and it wasn't claimed, but it appears to have been reported lost to O2/Apple and locked at whatever level that would be.

So yeah, dunno if that O2 thing will work given that, or if they've tried that already; they think they've done all they can and haven't been able to get it working, but I haven't asked them explicitly what they've actually done yet.

(My impression is they don't realise a new sim will be required, but again I haven't had a chance to ask them yet.)

From: ANT_THOMAS [#11]
15 Mar 18:12
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#10] 15 Mar 18:14

If it's been reported as lost to O2 and/or Apple then it should be blacklisted from at least all UK operators. It's pretty much pointless as a phone now. Might be good to use it as an iPod though.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#12]
15 Mar 18:15
To: ANT_THOMAS [#11] 15 Mar 18:16

Even factory reset with a fresh SIM?

That sucks. :/

From: ANT_THOMAS [#13]
15 Mar 18:16
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#12] 15 Mar 18:18

Yeah, the IMEI gets blocked at the operator end.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#14]
15 Mar 18:29
To: ANT_THOMAS [#13] 15 Mar 18:51

Hmmm. The third result for "iphone imei" implies it can be changed, but I can't get to it through the stupid work proxy. :(

I guess that there's no way for a normal person to verify the status on an IMEI? (since this page says "Full access to the GSMA IMEI db is restricted to GSMA full members ONLY.")

From: Daniel Herman (HERMAND) [#15]
15 Mar 18:46
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#14] 15 Mar 18:48

You're getting into the realms of illegality right now, by the way. You can't just change the IMEI for laughs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Equipment_Identity

Either sell it openly with the issue or phone O2 and run the risk of them asking for it back. Remember that whoever lost it may have had it insured, so the phone now belongs to them.

From: Hugh et al le J (KOSWIX) [#16]
15 Mar 18:46
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#14] 15 Mar 18:48

I'd guess so, seeing as it's a system [the banning of IMEAs, not the IMEA's themselves] that's meant to deter people nicking phones - once they're reported, they're blocked.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#17]
15 Mar 18:48
To: ANT_THOMAS [#11] 15 Mar 18:51

How confident are you about the "UK only" aspect of that?

I've found an Australian IMEA status checkup which reports the number as unblocked, but don't know if that means it's ok in UK also or not.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#18]
15 Mar 18:50
To: Daniel Herman (HERMAND) [#15] 15 Mar 19:45

Meh, not going to change anything myself; I just want to present potential options.

From: ANT_THOMAS [#19]
15 Mar 18:53
To: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#17] 15 Mar 18:58

I'm not confident of anything. I'm fairly sure it'll be at least the UK since it'd be stupid just to block it on the original operator. It may well span across the EU too, possibly across the GSM regions also.

From: Peter (BOUGHTONP) [#20]
15 Mar 19:01
To: ANT_THOMAS [#19] 15 Mar 19:06

Based on the International part, I'd expect it to be everyone everywhere, but I've seen something that suggests the UK ones will be Europe-wide (all operators).

Haven't been able to find a European status check though. :(

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