Will Jailbreaking My iPhone Work?

August 3, 2010 6:45 PM

If I jailbreak my iPhone 3G can I use it with another carrier besides AT&T and if so, who. Will it work the same, will all the apps work? Background: I bought the phone from Apple after AT&T told me service at home was available. But it wasn't, they finally admitted it, and said they'd authorize a return to Apple for a refund. But I never got around to sending it back. I needed a phone ASAP so bought a Blackberry on Sprint. But I miss the bells and whistles of the iPhone apps. Is it worth jailbraking and trying to use it? I'm not very clever with gadgets and lose patience. Now that jailbreak is legal I wonder if I should try to make it work. If so, what carrier?
posted by NorthCoastCafe to technology (11 answers total)

The iphone and at&t use GSM; sprint uses CDMA. Phones are not compatible between the two. Sorry.
posted by wayland at 6:57 PM on August 3, 2010

You need to carrier unlock it. Your only choices are AT&T or T-Mobile.
posted by wongcorgi at 6:59 PM on August 3, 2010

I use T-Mobile with my jailbroken iPhone (it's an earlier model, but I doubt that would make a difference). If T-Mobile serves your area, you can use them, in all likelihood.
posted by amtho at 6:59 PM on August 3, 2010

Also, it's worth noting that unlocking an iPhone to use with a different carrier is not the same as jailbreaking. Jailbreaking basically breaks the OS of the phone so you can do more than Apple intended you to; for instance, a lot of apps only work on jailbroken iPhones, because they require circumventing the OS in ways that aren't normally feasible. (Disclaimer: this is what I've read on jailbreaking and heard from friends who use it; I don't personally have a jailbroken iPhone.)
posted by runaway ballista at 6:59 PM on August 3, 2010

And if you use it on T-Mobile, you won't be able to get 3G data coverage, only the slower EDGE service. That's because they use a different frequency than AT&T.
posted by zsazsa at 7:00 PM on August 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh, but T-Mobile also uses GSM. So it should be possible. There seem to be a lot of guides for this: for example. Google around for "unlock iphone 3g".
posted by wayland at 7:00 PM on August 3, 2010

Yep, I recently jailbroke a 3G and then unlocked it for Tmobile. You can use it without a problem on tmobile, just only edge speeds, no 3G.
posted by jourman2 at 7:45 PM on August 3, 2010

Unless you have a regional GSM carrier, you will be on T-Mobile. Fortunately, T-Mobile has plans (the "Even More Plus" plans with no annual contract) that let you bring your own phone in return for being a bit cheaper, since you're not getting a phone from them. Here's a CNET article talking about that.

As zsazsa noted, you will be on the slower EDGE data network, rather than the faster 3G data network, because ATT and TMO use different radios for their respective 3G data networks. Both carriers EDGE networks are the same in terms of radios, though. In terms of speed, 3G is like your old DSL modem in your house, and EDGE is like ISDN (about 2-3 times faster than dial-up). From a practical point of view, loading web pages may feel slow, but getting email probably won't feel much different.

While TMO doesn't officially support the iPhone, their customer service people know about it, and can help you with configuring the network settings to get it to work on their network. One of the TMO call center guys helped me when I was trying to get my wife's iPhone up and running on TMO.

Note that, if ATT isn't in your area, TMO may not be, either, as TMO typically has a somewhat more limited coverage map. I would check that TMO works in your home before you make the jump.

If all else fails, you can get an Android phone from Sprint, like the HTC EVO 4G. "It's just like the iPhone."
posted by chengjih at 7:47 PM on August 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

It is also incompatible with Verizon, which like Sprint uses CDMA-2000.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:57 PM on August 3, 2010

BTW, if you don't have AT&T wireless coverage at home, but have an internet connection, AT&T may be able to give you a microcell at home.
posted by zsazsa at 9:32 PM on August 3, 2010

You could convert the old iphone into an Ipod touch which would get you access to the apps in the short term, then wait for Sprint's ipod touch case that will allow it to connect to their ev-do network.
posted by tallus at 10:57 AM on August 4, 2010