iPhone in India - Breaking, Activating and Unlocking
A 16 GB iPhone just made its way to my home today all the way from an US store. Even though I had “experienced” iPhone by reading about it and by seeing tons of videos on YouTube, using it live was a totally different experience.
iPhone is an amazing, astounding, remarkable, wonderful, incredible, marvelous product from Apple!
The sad fact is that I can use this phone only for the next 20 days after which my brother would take ownership! (He is the actual owner of this phone)
Sadder is the fact that I have to return using my HTC Touch. Believe me, HTC Touch UI is nothing compared to iPhone; same goes for the user experience.
Using iPhone in India
We all know that iPhone is available only in a few select countries and its also bound/locked to a particular carrier in that country. And if you are not lucky to be in that country, the only way to use an iPhone is by “hacking” it.
I spent almost 3-4 hours by going through the various forums to find the safest way of hacking the iPhone.
As you read more and more into these forums, rather than being informed, you end up in a confused state. You really can’t decide as to what method to use to hack your 500$ iPhone.
I am in no way an iPhone hacking expert but this is what I understood by going through tons of articles and forum posts. (Disclaimer: The information might not be 100% accurate)
First thing is to understand some of the terminologies associated with hacking the iPhone.
Jailbreak - It is the method used to set the iPhone OS file system in read/write mode. You can install third party applications only on a “jailbroken” iPhone.
Activate - Before you can use any of iPhone features, you must activate iPhone by signing up for a service plan with the iPhone service carrier in your area and registering iPhone with the network.
Unlock - A procedure used to make the iPhone work with any GSM Carrier and involves hacking the baseband on iPhone.
If you are planning to use iPhone in India you need to do all of the above. For some legal users of iPhone hacking might only involve “Jailbreak” which allows them to install third party applications.
Tools to hack iPhone
After going through the various forums, I narrowed down onto two tools to hack the iPhone (on Windows)
There is one set of users who have had success with ZiPhone and there is one set which believes that iPlus is the safest way of hacking iPhone.
The way ZiPhone breaks iPhone is different from the way iPlus does; ZiPhone permanently downgrades the bootloader from version 4.6 to 3.9 whereas iPlus downgrades it to a fake blank 3.9 bootloader. With iPlus you have an option to go back to 4.6 bootloader which is probably required to shield against future firmware updates from Apple.
Many believe that iPlus2.0b is the safest way to hack iPhone; however note that there is one issue found with using Fake Blank Bootloader. More details on this post. The issue is more of a warning and might occur only if you try to downgrade to 1.0.0 or 1.1.1 firmware.
ZiPhone has a very nice user interface and it almost tempted me to use it rather than iPlus. (Note: ZiPhone is probably an ideal tool to break iPod Touch)
However the inability to restore back 4.6 bootloader prompted me to use iPlus2.0b with the international payload. Though iPlus2.0b is command line driven, it did its work of breaking, activating and unlocking the iPhone with zero trouble.
The iPhone is currently activated on Airtel network and it should also work with the following service providers:
- Spice
- Vodafone
- CellOne
For using iPlus2.0, I followed the instructions given on this post:
Also note that I skipped the loading of 1.1.4 firmware; You can skip this after confirming that you have 1.1.4 version of the firmware on your iPhone. To confirm the firmware version, you need to type in this code: *3001#12345#*
Also if you are not comfortable with this command line interface, the same developers of iPlus have come up with iLiberty+.
This UI wrapper for iPlus was released a week back and I thought it might be risky to try out a new untested tool. However I do like the concept of iLiberty+ where they have tried to design it as an extensible tool; users can download and place the payloads of their choice and select the same from the “Advanced” tab.
Here are some useful links and read these before trying to hack your iPhone.
- How to activate, jailbreak and unlock 1.1.4 firmware with iPlus (3.9 / 4.6 bootloader)
- How to Jailbreak/Activate/Unlock the iPhone using iLiberty+ (Windows)
- How to Jailbreak/Activate/Unlock the iPhone using iLiberty+ (Mac)
- Cautions Against Using ZiPhone
- iNDependence Jail-Break/Unlock for Mac
- Upgrading from 3.9FB Bootloader back to 4.6 Original
Disclaimer: This post is just my experience of breaking iPhone using iPlus2.0, if you bricked your iPhone using iPlus2.0 or ZiPhone I am not liable 
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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
wow, you did quite a research. I am sure this would have come handy to many ppl. have added to my fav. will refer this to my friends who intend to get an iphone. Thanks.
Glad that you liked the post Rishil
Venu,
I heard unlocked iPhones are sold in National Market for around 25K, also there are shops in brigade road who will get your phone unlocked for just Rs.100-200 !
Pavan, are you sure 25k is for the 16GB iPhone ! I have seen many people selling the 8GB ones for around 22K
Anyway getting it from an apple store in US is the most safest and cheapest also i believe (costs you around 500USD==20K INR)
(Its possible that the ones sold in Bangalore are got directly from the factory in Shenzhen)
And regarding unlocking, you don’t even need to go all the way to Brigade, use iPlus its safe and pretty easy
Yes, It should be 8GB ones. Humm iPlus is safe…now you owe me $500 if my iPhone goes for a toss when I try……haha..;-)
Pavan, you dont need to worry about bricking your iPhone, you always have a recovery mode available and you can always download the 1.1.4 firmware and load it back via iTunes.
All you need to take care is not to change the baseband (the gsm modem related part)
ZiPhone for one downgrades the baseband (if you don’t downgrade the baseloader) while breaking iPhone 1.1.4
iPlus installs a fake 3.9 bootloader and keeps the baseband intact and when a new firmware update comes from Apple you can even go back to 4.6 bootloader.
Let me know about your “iPhone bricking” experience..
Hi Venu,
I am using a 1.1.2 iphone for about a month. I am interested in upgrading it to 1.1.4
However, I have done some reading on it and realised that the programs available are causing more issues than relief. Some issues like no signal, SMS not working, google maps not giving the loaction etc are very common on forums.
Just wanted to know if you have tried anything? Recently pwnage has come up and sounds promising.
Any ideas?
Regards,
Rajat
Rajat, the boxed device itself was on 1.1.4 which was broken using iPlus
By the way firmware upgrade on a jailbroken phone is something that I have not researched and if you are doing the upgrade, please do write a short summary on how you did it.
Oh ! Just read a little bit on the above.. I guess all you need to do for a firmware upgrade is to restore to 1.1.4 before using iPlus or Ziphone !
if u use iplus without international payload, will iphone still work in India?
Hi, if I get an UNLOCKED iphone ver 1.1.4 from the US, do I still have to go through the Jailbreak/activate process? Or do I just pop in a GSM Sim and get going?
I just have doubts on hacking iphones. I think there is a law prohibiting the said action.
@ar,
I tried to check on the forums but couldn’t get anything substantial. Try out the phone in India, if it doesnt work, all you need to do is to put the phone in recover mode, load up the 1.1.4 firmware and run iPlus with international payload !
@nikman,
what did you use to unlock the phone in US ? iPlus ? ZiPhone ?
@luz,
I was also checking on the laws and all I read is that its definitely not illegal to hack the iPhone; After you have paid for the phone, you own it and you can do whatever you want and I don’t think the manufacturer will care;
However the device will no longer be covered under the warranty terms and conditions.
@venukb,
not sure, but it was ordered UNLOCKED from a website. So once it lands in India, what are the things that I have to take care of?
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.
Nikman,
Put in the SIM and see if it latches onto the network in India. If it does, well and good.
You might also want to check on the working of WiFi and YouTube. Thes are the other 2 apps which generally are broken in a UNLOCKED phone.
If you are not able to latch on to the GSM network in India, check on what firmware version on the phone.
You can put the device in recover mode and restore the 1.1.4 Firmware (pwsi file) and then jailbreak/activate/unlock using iPlus2.0 or iLiberty
Aha.. congratulations! Definitely an awesome buy..
[...] also install iTunes to manage my iPod and the loaned iPhone [...]
before unlocking an iphone do you need to activate it on AT&t network or the software will do everything
haider,
The software does everything. You don’t need to activate on the AT&T network !
Hey Venu, got the unlocked phone last week and I had to just pop in an airtel sim to get it up and running.
The firmware version is 04.04.05_G. How do I know whether the bootloader on this is permanently downgraded or not? And if it is, any words of advice as to how I can try upgrading it to 4.6?
Youtube, Wifi are working just fine.
Congrats Nikman !
The baseband version seems, regarding the Bootloader, you can install an app called BBInfo.
You should probably be on 3.9Fake Boot loader (if iPlus was used) and you don’t need 4.6 till iPhone comes with the next firmware upgrade.
Also do remember to install Services app or BigbossPref app to turn off the SSH; its one big battery sucker
Awesome! Thanks Venu for the help!
[...] usual I am again showing off my HTC Touch! I miss iPhone [...]
hey venu,
fantastic article man.. really helpful
i’m right now goin to unlock the iphone i bought from US.
Just a question though, I wanted to know after u unlocked it were u able to use all features such as caller ID etc
Also u said in yr last comment about installing services app to turn of bigboss…can u tell me how to do it..
btw thanx again for such a simple post…this should certainly come out as the first result in google for iphoners in india
Prakash,
Very glad that you found the article useful.
Yes after unlocking everything is working fine, no complaint on ANY feature.
One you startup your unlocked iphone, you should see on installer app. Use this to install the Bigboss preferences application, using which you can turn off the SSH service and save battery.
Do share your unlock experience once its done..
hi
I need help. I am a bit confused. I have read all the posts and i am bit confused. What should be used ( i plus or zip phone). My phone will be here within 2 weeks and will ahve latest firmware ( i think 1.4). So pls guide me
Vaibhav,
Use iPlus, its worked for me with no trouble and since its loads a fake bootloader it is easily upgradable to the actual version
You can even use Ziphone and stay on the same bootoloader version, however you need to downgrade the baseband
If you are not comfortable using the command line interface of iPlus, try iLiberty+
Hi venukb
D0 I need to flow what is given in ” How to activate, jailbreak and unlock 1.1.4 firmware with iPlus (3.9 / 4.6 bootloader)” word by word.
After we downgrade the bootloader to 3.9 then is there any need to upgrade it.
Also what is the firmware version in new phones.
Vaibhav,
Yes follow all the steps as in that article. Note that as mentioned in step 1, I did not restore to 1.1.4 (Since my phone firmware was already 1.1.4, I skipped that step)
Also before running iplus -u, ensure that you copy/use the international payload
hi venukb
is there any need to restore the bootloader to 4.6 from 3.9 after unlocking the i phone.
What is the firmware version of latest i phones
Sorry forgot to mention about that in the earlier reply.
you should leave it at 3.9Fake Boot loader and in case new firmware updates come from apple, you might have to upgrade to 4.6.
Until then you don’t need to do anything.
[...] There is also a custom YouTube Application, however I am not sure if the video experience is same as in iPhone. [...]
i was a bit late to c this forum but hey the ziphone did the trick for me it was fast n simple u hve video demonstrations of hw simple it is in youtube jst type in ziphone…n yaa use ziphone3.0 versioin
it was a walk in a park
well i still hvnt used mine in india but using it in uk in t-mobile no prbs
itz perfect i dnt regret getting mine
n yaa u can download the awsum prgram frm http://www.ziphone.org/
njoy life
Hi Venu,
Thanks for such a nice review. I have MTNL network with me. An US brought Iphone unlocked in india will work with MTNL network. i heard that there is some network problem in US brought iphone??
is it so
pl help
rishi
Vinod,
Glad to know that ZiPhone worked for you. Ziphone didn’t believe in installing the Fakeblank bootloader and you have to compromise on baseband version if you use ZiPhone !
Rishi,
I unlocked a phone bought in US itself, and it should work with any GSM network in India.
Hi
I have heard that during unlocking if something goes wrong then the i phone becomes locked and is rendered unusable.
Also if we download something mistakably from apple/itunes then i phone gets locked
Is it true??
No vaibhav, the unlocking is pretty safe. If something does go wrong, you can always put the phone in restore mode and put in the actual firmware to get it back to normal.
The phone becomes unusable if the baseband gets corrupted and with iPlus, they don’t touch the baseband and hence is safer.
@venukb
Is it true if i download something from itunes/apple then it wud lock th phone
Hi,
Currenly i am in US and planning to return in another 2 weeks. I am planning to buy one for myself after reading your article (Thanks ;-)). But i read a blog saying the upgrade in 1.1.4 (i mean apatch added by apple) has made it un-hackble. Any ideas on that ?
Also tell me if i need to activate the At&T sim before leaving. Or i can frame it in this way - Will it make a difference if the iphone is activated or not while hacking it ?
Thnaks in advance
Tarun - I read that that old versions of iPhone are not available and the new iPhone is coming in on July 11th. The new one has 3G and many other goodies. The new one also has 2.0 version of the firmware which is supposedly already broken by iPhone Dev team. If you buy this, the instructions on my post might not be applicable. I will keep you posted on the 2.0 unlock procedure.
Hey venu…!
I am using my 1.1.1 iphone for the last 4 and a half month. Now I am looking to upgrade it to 1.1.4. As iphone 3g in arriving shortly into the market, it will having an advantage of graded with2.0. Pkease tell me, whether 2.0 is compatible with my phone or it is all 1.1.4 which i can upgrade. I have no basic idea of breaking, activating etc procedures. Tell me whether iplus or iliberty or Ziphone is suitable for me. Give me the details of the procedure to follow….!!!
Kushal
Kushal - I am sure you can upgrade to 1.1.4. You need to put the phone on restore mode and upgrade the firmware.
Check iLiberty, the interface is pretty straight forward and should help you to easily upgrade to 1.1.4
2.0 upgrade should also be possible once its available and once the iPhone Dev team comes with a tool for the same.
WinPwn is a new tool which is supposedly better than ZiPhone or iPlus/iLiberty (I haven’t had the opportunity to use it)
iClairified has a very good post on using WinPwn here:
Hi
I am getting Apple new 3G iphone from US…
Just wanted to ask that what i need to to do in order get it work in india….
I have heard that we need to unlock the phone …One is through service pr0vider & one in through software…..
Please let me know is that right or what should i do????
.
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