Set Me Free.

August 7, 2008 9:07 AM

I want to unlock my Blackberry Curve. Any free solutions? How do sellers come up with these unlock codes anyway?

I have unlocked phones before by paying a website ~$20 for a code. I know there is free software you can download that will provide unlock codes, but I don't know how reliable these are and I haven't been able to find one that unlocks Blackberrys.

Is there software out there that can do this? If not, how can I find out the unlock codes myself? Are there any tutorials out there? I haven't been able to find anything on Google aside from people selling the codes.

posted by PFL to technology (7 comments total)

If you're moving to a new carrier, I suspect that they will be more than happy to help. You may have to ask a few people.
posted by cmiller at 9:12 AM on August 7, 2008

I should add that the nerd in me is really interested in the DIY aspect of it more than anything else.
posted by PFL at 9:26 AM on August 7, 2008

That last time I looked into this for a gsm phone, I found that the software for this stuff is really expensive. What these unlockers do is pay a few grand for the software and sell you a code at a time to make up for the expense and eventually make a profit. The software, IIRC, are third-party hacks that have compromised whatever challenge response system these phones have built-in. Sounds like some hackers are getting very wealthy from this stuff. I imagine the free stuff thats out there is stuff that has been leaked or compromised by a third-party.

Its not cost effective for you to buy a tool to generate codes just for one phone.
posted by damn dirty ape at 10:38 AM on August 7, 2008

You can often just call your carrier and ask for the unlock code. As far as I know, both AT&T and T-Mobile will do this. Others may as well, and it certainly doesn't hurt to ask. I guess if they ask you why you want it, you could just say you're going to be travelling all over the WORLD! and want to be able to use pay as you go SIM cards in the other countries.
posted by !Jim at 11:59 AM on August 7, 2008

Yeah, seconding what !Jim said, your carrier may give you the unlock code for free. I've done it with T-mobile multiple times (here are the instructions I used), and within a day or two they send me the code. It's really easy.
posted by stilly at 12:19 PM on August 7, 2008

There's nothing DIY that appeals to me here. There's no clever hack to perform. Your phone has a unique number that you have to enter. The manufacturer set it, and sells a lookup table for lots of money.
posted by cmiller at 12:26 PM on August 7, 2008

I unlocked my T-Mobile Curve for free in less than 24 hours. I called T-Mob, told them I was traveling to Europe in a week, and needed to be able to use my phone. They emailed the unlock code and the unlock instructions in less than a day.
posted by Salient at 3:18 PM on August 9, 2008