Permanent Unlock

So I went ahead and purchased an off-contract iPhone 5

As we told you earlier, AT&T wasn't budging on their upgrades this time around. If you are in the middle of a current contract, AT&T wants to charge a $250 early upgrade fee, a $36 activation fee, and the price of the actual subsidized iPhone — in my case the $199 16GB version.

After doing the math, that totals over $500 for a new iPhone 5 with a two year contract, which is ridiculous. Why pay that much only to be locked into a contract for an additional two years? Instead, I decided to take this approach, and purchased an off contract iPhone 5...

Parts vendor offering new permanent unlock service for AT&T iPhones

Apple N Berry is an online parts vendor that also deals in iPhone unlock solutions. We actually point to the store quite often when mentioning GEVEY Ultra products — they usually have them.

But now it's offering something much different than interposers. The vendor has just launched a new IMEI unlock service that, it promises, will permanently unlock all AT&T iPhone models...

Unofficial factory unlock service for iPhone CutYourSim is back

CutYourSim, the unofficial official service that offers permanent factory unlocks for a variety of devices, has started proposing factory unlocks for the iPhone 4S and other models.

The company gained in popularity last year when it was one of the first to offer that type of service, until Apple cracked down on them and similar services that had been flourishing all over the net, forcing them to stop their activity.

But it looks like CutYourSim figured out how to get around those restrictions, as the company announced this morning that it is now taking orders for official and permanent unlock solutions for iPhones...

Permanent Unlock CutYourSim Discontinues Service

Last week we told you about a new unlock service called CutYourSim that offered a remote, permanent unlock for the iPhone. Instead of the classic method of jailbreaking and installing UltraSn0w, CutYourSim claimed to permanently unlock your iPhone's baseband remotely for any GSM carrier.

For $169.99, the folks at CutYourSim would be able to unlock your iPhone's baseband and keep it unlocked forever. Sounds like a dream come true, right?

The dream didn't last long. CutYourSim has already announced that it is discontinuing its unlock service...

Early Adopters of CutYourSim Permanent Unlock Report Success

Earlier this week, we reported on a new method for permanently unlocking the iPhone 4 without the need to jailbreak. Although the service costs a fairly expensive price of $169.99, several users were ready to shell out that amount if they could get some proof as to whether this service was legit or not.

Thanks to some early adopters' recent feedback, the service seems to be legit and works quite nicely...

How A Permanent iPhone Unlock Works

Yesterday we told you about CutYourSIM, a website that offers permanent unlock for iPhone for the hefty price of $170. A lot of people have been speculating on how this service actually works. The most discussed potential way CutYourSIM works was that somehow, Apple's database of unlocked iPhones had been hacked into, allowing hackers to add any iPhone to the list.

This is not how services like CutYourSIM work. We actually wrote about the way an official iPhone unlock works last year, but I guess it's time to refresh everybody's memory...

Rebel SIM Provides Another iPhone Unlock Solution

With the iPhone Dev Team's inability to find a usable baseband exploit for the iPhone 4 and release a stable unlock for basebands 2.10.04, 3.10.01, and the newer 4.10.01, several alternate iPhone 4 unlock solutions have sprouted.

The first option was the Gevey SIM Interposer. Similar to a Turbo SIM, the Gevey SIM Interposer worked by adding a EEPROM chip to your SIM card. You would then call 112 from the Emergency Dialer screen. Once the call connected you would hang up then toggle Airport mode on and off. When the network connection resumed, your iPhone 4 would be unlocked.

This method would provide a "tethered" unlock, meaning that after you reboot your iPhone, you would need to repeat the unlock process. While the legality of the unlock solution was questionable at first, Dev Team member, MuscleNerd, confirmed the unlock method was illegal.

CutYourSim & Others Offering Permanent iPhone Unlock Service, No Jailbreak Required

Tired of waiting tirelessly for a version of UltraSn0w to come out that supports your updated baseband?

Is your iPhone 4 more like an iPod touch because you can't use it to make traditional phone calls?

Ladies and gents, your worries might be over, that is if you have $169.99 lying around. CutYourSim.com is now offering permanent iPhone unlocks, no jailbreaking required.

You can even update your baseband, and your iPhone will remain unlocked; what's more, is that it can be unlocked remotely.

Just how is this being accomplished, and better yet, is it even legit?