How to activate Factory Unlocked iPhone 3GS

Hello Folks,
My friend got me an iPhone 3GS from Hong Kong (Model MC131ZP/A); and I am in India. This is the chain of events and the final problem.
1. When I first opened the iPhone I could see the home screen and use my SIM in India. Though there was no app for Camera or Compass etc on the home screen.
2. First time iPhone connected to iTunes and it told me that the OS must be updated. I went ahead.
3. I updated the OS to 3.1.2 (05.11.07).
4. After that it is not able to recognize the same SIM telling me that Invalid SIM.
5. I check the Serial Number of my phone on Apple Support site and it says that iPhone is not even activated.
6. I have tried contacting Apple support via mails etc. but no response at all.
I am not able to understand how it worked in the first place. Did the seller in HK unlock it using some kind of software? He should not if it is an Factory Unlocked phone. Are all the MC131ZP factory unlocked?
Can someone please help me on how to activate the phone or what is going wrong here?
Thanks in advance.

pavanraj wrote:
iphone 3gs loaded with latest os 4.0
If the iPhone had the 4.0 Beta loaded on it, the iPhone needs to be registered with a developer for the iPhone to even function. If it's not registered and the beta is installed then it is a brick. Regardless of if it is registered or not, as Tamara said the iPhone 4.0 Beta has no support. The Beta is a beta and is for developers who are developing apps. That way they can release apps as soon as the OS 4.0 is released sometime this summer. You should get an error message saying something along the lines of this phone is not registered with a developer, if the iPhone is not registered.
pavanraj wrote:
I want to activate it without at&t sim as its factory unloacked.
If it is unlocked by the carrier then you just need to plug it into iTunes with a SIM card from a compatible carrier. If you get a message saying that the SIM is not from an authorized carrier, well then the iPhone is not unlocked, sorry.
If the iPhone is not unlocked you are really out of luck. While there are ways to hack an iPhone to unlock it, there are no methods for the 4.0 Beta to unlock the iPhone, and even if there is a way to hack it to unlock the iPhone 3GS on the 4.0 OS, it won't come for a long time.

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How to activate factory unlocked iphone 3gs with os 4.0

i have bought a factory unlocked iphone 3gs loaded with latest os 4.0 in usa for $850 , but i am unable to activate it over itunes.
I want to activate it without at&t sim as its factory unloacked.
Can anybody give me the process or any reference links on how to activate it.
Thanks in advance,
Pavan Raj.

pavanraj wrote:
iphone 3gs loaded with latest os 4.0
If the iPhone had the 4.0 Beta loaded on it, the iPhone needs to be registered with a developer for the iPhone to even function. If it's not registered and the beta is installed then it is a brick. Regardless of if it is registered or not, as Tamara said the iPhone 4.0 Beta has no support. The Beta is a beta and is for developers who are developing apps. That way they can release apps as soon as the OS 4.0 is released sometime this summer. You should get an error message saying something along the lines of this phone is not registered with a developer, if the iPhone is not registered.
pavanraj wrote:
I want to activate it without at&t sim as its factory unloacked.
If it is unlocked by the carrier then you just need to plug it into iTunes with a SIM card from a compatible carrier. If you get a message saying that the SIM is not from an authorized carrier, well then the iPhone is not unlocked, sorry.
If the iPhone is not unlocked you are really out of luck. While there are ways to hack an iPhone to unlock it, there are no methods for the 4.0 Beta to unlock the iPhone, and even if there is a way to hack it to unlock the iPhone 3GS on the 4.0 OS, it won't come for a long time.

Okay i just recently asked a question.about my factory unlocked iphone 3gs asking how to activate it but..

i probably shouldnt say this but,okay i just recently asked a question.about my factory unlocked iphone 3gs asking how to activate it. so i got too excited of aving it and couldnt wait for my tmobile sim card to come one more day. so i "hactivated" it (i know this voids all warrenty) and i jailbroke it just so i could use it as an ipod.it worked and i was syched.
BUTTT.... it asked me if i wanted to update the software to 5.1 and i was like " oh yes id love to" and it started downloading it and it was inrecovery mode the whole time .
when the download finished. i hit restore so i can put the software on the phone but the itunes had an error and the phone went glitchy and it does a rebooting loop. it shows the apple symbol with the slash through it for about 5 seconds and shuts off for a little bit (about another 5 seconds) and it starts up then loops the process. ive managed to turn the phone off but if i start it up it loops...what should i do? any help :/
Also it does not show up in my itunes because it is turning off to fast to detect.

Discussion of hacked phones is prohibited on these forums. Sorry, you'll need to go elsewhere to get support for a j'broke iPhone.

How do I get a factory unlocked iPhone 3GS out of (connect to iTunes) mode?

How do I get a factory unlocked iPhone 3GS out of recovery (connect to itunes) mode?
Once the iPhone 3GS is in DFU mode and plugged into iTunes, the restore and update process begins. The restores process are as followed:
Extracting software > Preparing iPhone for restore (blank screen) > Preparing iPhone software for restore > Restoring iPhone software > Verifying iPhone restore > Restoring iPhone firmware > The iPhone cannot be restored. An unknown error occurred (1).
I clicked on the more information tab and was taken to a website with some troubleshooting. I did what they suggested (based on the error #) and still no luck. I’ve tried to restore and update about 10 times now but the same message keeps coming up at the end. What should I do now?
P.S: I have the latest version of iTunes (11), my windows is up to date etc ...

CDiiva wrote:
The iPhone cannot be restored. An unknown error occurred (1).
This Error message is indicative of a Hardware issue. The device may need Service.

How do I activate factory unlocked iphone 5 for first time

How do I activate factory unlocked iphone 5 for first time?Should i connect to itunes?Or should I put the sim first and then ON the device?Pls help me

Yes.
Insert the SIM card and power the iPhone on to find out. Nothing bad can happen if you can't and if you can't for some reason, connect the iPhone to iTunes.

I bought an factory unlocked iphone 3gs at the apple store today and just ordered a sim card activation kit and a 30 dollar minute card for it. the sim will work in the unlocked iphone am i correct?

i bought an factory unlocked iphone 3gs at the apple store today and just ordered a sim card activation kit and a 30 dollar minute card for it. the sim will work in the unlocked iphone am i correct? and i can use messaging on it right?

If T-Mobile in the US, while your phone will activate/work, you won't have FaceTime, MMS or 3G. T-Mobile, in the US, is not a supported iPhone carrier, thus all features of the iPhone may not be available. T-Mobile's 3G network, in the US, is not compatible with the iPhone.

Will Apple cover my factory unlocked iphone 3GS anywhere in the world?

Hello,
I'm planning on buying a factory unlocked iphone 3GS directly from the Apple Store in Hong Kong.
Will Apple cover my iphone with the warranty worldwide or only in Hong Kong?
Thank you.

What I meant to say is that technically, hardware-wise, almost all iphones 3GS are the same (I believe the models in mainland China don't have GPS?).
It's no WiFi in China. GPS used to be illegal in Egypt, but they changed the law recently.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I suppose that the carrier lock is a software lock, which can be removed (we've all heard about it), but gets reversed once you update to a new OS version.
Carriers can ask Apple to unlock particular phones. The next time the iPhone is restored via iTunes, new firmware will be downloaded from Apple and will display a message saying it has been unlocked. It will stay unlocked if updated. Unofficial unlocks (which can not be done on current iPhones) will re-lock if the iPhone is updated.
I know it is the way it is, but I believe most of you would agree that if you buy a telephone, you shouldn't be forced to go with one carrier or another. That is why when I pay for an unlocked phone, I pay much more, go get the freedom (without hacks) to choose the carrier I want (where in contrast I pay much less for calls and internet than with the exclusive iphone carrier).
It would be much easier for Apple if all iPhones were unlocked, and the same in all countries, but the carriers make a fortune from their exorbitant roaming charges, so where the country's laws allow, insist that Apple not make any unlocked iPhones available in their countries.
By the way, MMS is not something most people use. There are some statistics on the internet about the ratio of SMS to MMS and it was something like 10 to 1.
All the 3G and 3GS iPhones are capable of MMS, but the carriers have to support it.

How can i factory unlock iphone 4

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ONLY the carrier to which it is locked can unlock it. No one else.
Contact that carrier and see if they offer this service and if you qualify.

Can i use/ activate factory unlocked iPhone 5S in india without SIM

Hello,
I am planning to buy iPhone 5S. I am a blackberry 9900 users
Can i use/ activate factory unlocked iPhone 5S in india without SIM (Purchasing in India).
I need time some time to transfer data from BlackBerry to iPhone 5S.
Thanks.

Yes. it's Factory unlocked iPhone 5S gold.
Problem is...
i have one sim (big for for BB9900). And iPhone 5S uses smaller...
Vodafone India will give me free nano sim, i will take 4-5 hours to work that SIM....
My biggest concern is Address Book (Phone book), Password Keeper (password manager), Task Jot (GTD app)
I need to manually enter all this data in iPhone 5S, there is no standard converter or transfer tool...
existing ones freak out and miss lot of data....
i will first enter all data and get a nano sim. this will take more than 2 weeks...
so i thought if iPhone 5S can be switched on then i can enter data in free time.

Can a factory unlocked iphone 3gs become locked after the 5.1.1software update

can a factory unlocked iphone become locked after software update

my phone is 3gs purchased from apple online store(unlocked), i used it with vodafone in ireland for 10 months, but on my holidays i tried sim card in dubai didn't work, tried also different sim cards in sudan and again didn't work, i brought the phone back to ireland and asked apple support, advised me to restore the phone but i failed to activate the phonesaying the sim is incompatible!!!!!!!!!!!
can u help me please

My uncle sent me a factory unlocked iphone 3gs from US and sent it to me to India. but when i inserted a sim ,it said that my simcard is not combatible. is there any chance to solve this problem. the phone was bought from a apple reseller.

it worked in US with a sprint sim card. i am very sure that it wasnt jailbroken. then how this happened. plz explain me what i should do

A: There is no such thing as an unlocked iPhone 3Gs in the United States. ALL iPhone 3Gs's sold in the US are locked to AT&T. AT&T will NOT unlock iPhones, therefore it is not legitimately unlocked.
B: Sprint is a CDMA network as others have mentioned. They do NOT use SIM cards. The iPhone 3Gs will NEVER work on Sprint. Ever. It's not physically possible.
Either your Uncle misunderstood or he was mislead. Send it back and tell him to get his money back. Buy an iPhone in India from a supported carrier.

Cannot activate factory unlocked iPhone 4S: SIM not valid

Hello Apple,
I have a problem with my Iphone: I purchased a factory unlocked iPhone 4S in a The Source Store in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. I´m from Brazil but now I am living in Israel and the fact that the phone is factory unlocked was necessary for me to use it in both countries ( Brazil and Israel). After my trip to Canada, I arrived to Brazil and inserted my micro-sim into the new iPhone. It showed the "Activate iPhone" screen BUT it won’t activate. It says "SIM not valid" and "Only compatible SIM cards from a supported carrier may be used to activate iPhone. Please insert the SIM card that came with your iPhone or visit a supported carrier´s store to receive a replacement SIM card”.
Now I am living in Israel and the same situation continues: I inserted one Israelian micro-sim into the Iphone and it showed the "Activate iPhone" screen BUT it won’t activate. It says "SIM not valid" and "Only compatible SIM cards from a supported carrier may be used to activate iPhone. Please insert the SIM card that came with your iPhone or visit a supported carrier´s store to receive a replacement SIM card”.
In Israel we don’t have Apple Stores and i can´t have access to one, so now i have an iPhone 4S i cant not eve use as an iPod, leaving it totally useless.
I will greatly appreciate any help!!
Apple Support Team: If you need the IMEI or Serial Number please ask me.
Thanks in advanced,
Bernard

The Source in Canada was formally know as Radio Shack and they do sell iPhones.. Only for Bell and Virgin Canada.
http://www.thesource.ca/estore/category.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&categ ory=iphones&sort=1&pagenum=1
What does it say on your receipt?
As Bell and Virgin do not unlock iPhones you will need to sell that phone to someone in Canada and get an unlocked phone directly from Apple.

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hey can anyone tell me how can i start factory unlocking iphones ?

iGibbz wrote:
ok thanks ... i guess i'll have to contact the providers
We'ren't you already told that twice???

How to identify Factory Unlocked iPhone 4 ?

Hello I would like to know how I can identify a factory Unlocked iPhone 4 without taking it out of the box, is there some special serial number to differentiate a Factory Unlocked iPhone 4 from others that are not ?

Take a look at the model number that you can find on the box:
Locked
Germany - T-Mobile
MC603DN/A – 16GB Black
MC605DN/A – 32GB Black
Japan - Softbank
MC603J/A - 16GB Black
MC605J/A - 32GB Black
Spain - Movistar, Orange, Vodafone
MC603Y/A – 16GB Black
MC605Y/A – 32GB Black
United States - AT&T
MC608LL/A - 16GB Black
MC610LL/A - 32GB Black
Apple
MC318LL/A - 16GB Black
MC319LL/A - 32GB Black
Unlocked
Australia
MC603X/A - 16GB Black
MC605X/A - 32GB Black
Canada
MC603C/A - 16GB Black
MC605C/A - 32GB Black
France
MC603FB/A - 16GB Black
MC605FB/A - 32GB Black
Hong Kong
MC605ZP/A - 32GB Black
MC603ZP/A - 16GB Black
Italy
MC603IP/A - 16GB Black
MC605IP/A - 32GB Black
New Zealand
MC603X/A - 16GB Black
MC605X/A - 32GB Black
Singapore
MC603ZA/A - 16GB Black
MC605ZA/A - 32GB Black
Sweden
MC603KS/A – 16GB Black
MC605KS/A – 32GB Black
United Kingdom
MC603B/A - 16GB Black
MC605B/A - 32GB Black

How to identify factory unlocked iPhone 5?

I'm going abroad for a while and wanted to get a factory unlocked iPhone 5S before leaving, but it appears that the factory unlocked iPhones won't be available for a 1-2 months. So I've decided to purchase a used iPhone 5 instead. However, when looking at listings for used iPhones, I noticed that there are numerous descriptions when it comes to "unlocked" iPhones. It seems that there are carrier unlocked phones, meaning the iPhone was once locked to a particular cell phone carrier in the US and was later unlocked by the owner with the assistance of the carrier, or there are iPhones that came unlocked from Apple. I want to buy the later, not the former. However, some people do not disclose whether the phone is "carrier unlocked" or "factory unlocked" in their advertisement, while it seems that others are being purposely deceptive. Is there a way to definitively identify whether an iPhone 5 is factory unlocked, meaning it came unlocked from Apple? Are there particular model numbers that specify a factory unlocked iPhone 5? I called Apple and the reps could not give me this information. It seems that there should be model numbers that specify whether an iPhone 5 came factory unlocked when purchased. Thanks for your help.

Here's the numbers for 4s, when I get a second I'll do the same for the 5;
Phone 4S Part Numbers
Locked
US
AT&T
MC918LL/A - 16GB Black
MC919LL/A - 32GB Black
MD269LL/A - 64GB Black
MC920LL/A - 16GB White
MC921LL/A - 32GB White
MD271LL/A - 64GB White
Sprint
MD377LL/A - 16GB Black
MD379LL/A - 32GB Black
MD381LL/A - 64GB Black
MD378LL/A - 16GB White
MD380LL/A - 32GB White
MD382LL/A - 64GB White
Verizon
MD276LL/A - 16GB Black
MD278LL/A - 32GB Black
MD280LL/A - 64GB Black
MD277LL/A - 16GB White
MD279LL/A - 32GB White
MD281LL/A - 64GB white
Factory Unlocked
UK
MD235B/A - 16GB Black
MD242B/A - 32GB Black
MD258B/A - 64GB Black
MD239B/A - 16GB White
MD245B/A - 32GB White
MD261B/A - 64GB white
AU
MD234X/A - 16GB Black
MD241X/A - 32GB Black
MD257X/A - 64GB Black
MD237X/A - 16GB White
MD244X/A - 32GB White
MD260X/A - 64GB white
France
MD235F/A - 16GB Black
MD242F/A - 32GB Black
MD258F/A - 64GB Black
MD239F/A - 16GB White
MD245F/A - 32GB White
MD261F/A - 64GB white
Canada
MD234C/A - 16GB Black
MD241C/A - 32GB Black
MD257C/A - 64GB Black
MD237C/A - 16GB White
MD244C/A - 32GB White
MD260C/A - 64GB white
Since factory unlocked is now officially sold in the US, Mods, kindly update your matrix
USA Factory Unlocked:
MD234LL/A 16GB Black
MD237LL/A 16GB White
MD241LL/A 32GB Black
MD244LL/A 32GB White
MD257LL/A 64GB Black
MD260LL/A 64GB White
USA AT&T Locked (Carrier authorized unlocked if purchased "device only" or "contract free" from Apple store; paid full price)
MC918LL/A 16GB Black
MC920LL/A 16GB White
MC919LL/A 32GB Black
MC921LL/A 32GB White
MD269LL/A 64GB Black
MD271LL/A 64GB White

How to activate Factory Unlocked iPhone 3GS

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