Below is a full technical analysis of the changes in iPhone activation/un-bricking, both with first-generation iPhone units, as well as iPhone 3G.
Similar to iPhone 3G, first-generation iPhone owners get a nice benefit from upgrading to iPhone OS 2.0. Now, any iPhone in the United States can use any AT&T SIM card… even if it’s on a plan that Apple previously barred from use with iPhone.
That means you can now insert a GoPhone prepaid SIM card into any iPhone or iPhone 3G without iTunes phoning home. It also means that GoPhone pay-as-you-go can now be used on any iPhone without requiring a jailbreak or other hack.
That dramatically lowers the cost of iPhone ownership for users. Starting at $20/month for flat-rate unlimited data, GoPhone allows iPhone owners to use the device primarily as a data phone, as well as a backup prepaid phone. This is an excellent option for users still on a contract with another carrier, but want to start using iPhone today.
We did notice minor nuances between the two iPhone models when swapping different SIM cards. iPhone 3G accepts any AT&T SIM instantly. However, first-generation iPhone units demand to be connected to iTunes. After connecting however, iPhone instantly accepts and registers the SIM. We don’t know as of yet why the two iPhone models exhibit slightly different activation procedures.
We suspect that the old build target (the old iPhone) still demands a PrivateActivation.pem file. iTunes now generates that on-the-fly. iPhone 3G, having a newer build target, doesn’t have that dependency.
One thing remains clear: As Apple has dropped its revenue-sharing model, the company has changed its activation process to that of a standard phone. The iTunes “bricking” on iPhone and iPhone 3G is now no different from the “bricking” that is exhibited on an iPod touch. The only information that we can find now transferred, is iTunes Store data, as well as potentially the mobile number. No account-specific information is required for iPhone to be activated.
Finally, some were questioning iPhone 3G’s functionality with a GoPhone SIM. As we previously reported, everything works fine. At the top of this article is a photo of an iPhone 3G after placing a call on prepaid, complete with balance remaining notification. No jailbreaks or hacks were attempted prior to inserting the prepaid SIM.
Update: After more testing, we’ve found that Apple has updated their servers during our reporting. iTunes will now block Pay As You Go SIM cards, but still accepts Pick Your Plan prepaid SIM cards. It is important to note that this does not apply to iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3G still accepts all SIM cards from AT&T.
To summarize, we’ve created a the following table:
First Generation iPhone with 2.0 Software
GoPhone Pay As You Go: Requires Jailbreak (PwnageTool will be updated soon to support this)
GoPhone Pick Your Plan: Works
Regular Account: Works
iPhone 3G
GoPhone Pay As You Go: Works
GoPhone Pick Your Plan: Works
Regular Account: WorksÂ
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I just swapped SIMs in my first-gen iPhone with v2 software with another working AT&T SIM and upon syncing it with iTunes it says that I need to set up a new account with ATT and reactivate. I don’t think what you guys are saying is true.
Bob, re-read the article. You didn’t read it well the first time, apparently.
As we said quite clearly, first-gen iPhones with 2.0 software will say that you need to connect to iTunes, upon inserting a new SIM card. However, when you connect to iTunes, the phone will accept the AT&T SIM, regardless of what plan it has (even if it’s one that Apple has said will not work with iPhone).
are you sure this works with ANY at&t sim? I am using an old sim card from when at&t was at&t before cingular.
O.K. so Im trying this now on my 1st gen iPhone with my current AT&T sim. Now when I plug it into iTunes, it still makes me go through the activation progress. Is this going to give me an iPhone plan in the end (which I dont want to happen) or will just activate the phone with my current sim without changing any contract.
not working for me either. i have a first generation iphone, freshly upgraded to 2.0, and a blank at&t SIM that i just activated on PAYG plan. when i put the SIM in the iphone and run itunes, i get “current account cannot be used with the iphone”
Tried putting my sons goPhone sim into my old original iPhone, and got that same activation message to convert the existing phone to an iPhone account. I tried to do it, but it said it could not and gave a phone number to call instead. No Love Here!
Thanks for the feedback, we’ll start isolating the situation further. All of our AT&T accounts have worked on iPhone. The only account that ran into the error described… was an inactive SIM.
We’ll be testing a broader range of GoPhone accounts over the next 24 hours and see if we can pin down what’s causing this.
Does anyone have both the 3g iphone and the htc touch or mogul? Any reviews or comparisons now that they all have built-in GPS?
The question remains, in today’s landscape how does one get an iPhone without an AT&T plan? I’d be as thrilled as punch if I could get an iPhone with a $20/month 2G data plan and GoPhone prepay. If this is possible then please set me on the path to fulfillment! Thanks
Travis,
I bought a friends old Iphone 2g after he got a new 3G. I used a free unlock program from the net and in 5 minutes my gophone sim worked. I called and added the $20 data plan. It was real easy. You can look for one on ebay. Granted people are charging an arm and a leg. I paid $300 from a friend. He just wanted enough to get a new 16gb 3g.
I would like to hear more about the old gen iPhone requiring re-activation after swapping in a SIM from another phone.
For example, My wife dropped her Gen 1 4GB iphone and trashed the glass screen. In the mean time, I upgraded my 8GB gen 1 iPhone to 2.0 software. When I put in her iPhone SIM and connected it to iTunes it asked to be “activated” again with AT&T. I didn’t go any further…put my old SIM back in and was ok. If you re-activate will it change the plan you are on?
I just acquired an iPhone from my cousin since she upgraded to the 3g iPhone and would love to do this but I am a bit skeptical due to a couple of the rresponses. Awaiting CP’s testing results.
This article needs to be re-written… it obviously doesn’t work.
Bob, we wouldn’t have written the article if we hadn’t gotten it to work. There is the potential (based on reader reports) that a few AT&T accounts won’t work on the first-generation iPhone.
We stand by the article, and we’ll update when we can get to the bottom of what is causing different experiences.
Hi folks, it looks like Apple has updated their servers to block pay as you go on the original iPhone, even with 2.0 software. We’re still isolating how iTunes detects that the SIM is PAYG vs PYP… you can read more details however in the article update.
So if I read the updated article correct, I can use my currentlly active att sim (not gophone) in my 2.0 1st gen iPhone? The thing is, now when I hook up my phone to iTunes (with my sim) it asks to activate my phone. Now will this just validate the phone to work with my sim, or give me a whole other plan. Could you post a vid because I don’t want to end up paying for something I didn’t want. Thanks
We haven’t tested that scenario. You may want to wait for the 2.0 jailbreak, as adding an iPhone to a standard postpay account may still trigger a 2-year contract reset.
As we said in the update, PwnageTool will be updated soon, and it supports activating any SIM with a first-generation iPhone.
Yeah I was hoping to do the same thing. I have a corporate issued BB on ATT that I can currently take the sim out of and put into my unlocked 1.1.4 2G iphone and all works fine. I was hoping that I could upgrade the iphone to 2.0, then just put the sim in from the BB without having to unlock the iPhone. But I am hesitant as I don’t want to change/add any type of plan or addons to the BB sim.
still no go for me. i called this morning and switched my plan from PAYG to PYP, and i still get the same error that “current account cannot be used with the iphone.â€
Jim, ask to speak with the iPhone GoPhone activation team. They should be able to help you since that’s a supported type of account.
Many don’t know how to connect you there, but there is a team that deals with it.
GoPhone: at $20/month for flat-rate unlimited data. I just moved from Sprint to AT&T and I can’t see this on the AT&T website. Are you saying that if I by the iPhone on Ebay, i can then simply call in and ask to put be on a unlimited data only plan for $20 month to month without contract?? wow! can someone please confirm this is that good? They lowest I saw was $35/month..
Mark
Mark, right now that will work on iPhone 3G and first-gen iPhones that don’t have 2.0 software.
For first-gen iPhones, you need to jailbreak the device. That is not yet possible with 2.0 firmware, but will be soon.
I tried this with my GoPhone SIM card (pick your plan) and a first-gen iPhone running firmware 2.0. It did not work for me. Do I have to have the iPhone data plan activated, or have an iPhone IMEI registered on the account?
I tried this afternoon to get 611 customer service to do that, but they just insisted (and they did call Apple Activation) that it just was not possible. I may need to find a dumber CS rep who’ll just do what I ask without arguing.
You need to be transferred to AT&T’s iPhone GoPhone Activation Department. Any other department (including Apple’s) is not trained on iPhone with GoPhone PYP.
You’ll know you get there when you reach people that actually know about using an iPhone on a GoPhone PYP account… they should acknowledge that they’re the right department, as they’re well aware of how hard it is to be properly connected with them.
Anyone tried using an activated ATT iPhone SIM card with the regular $60 rate plan and downgrade to a GoPhone PAYG plan by using ATT’s Online GoPhone Activation?
Thank god I found your site…I have been ready to pull my hair out the last few hours trying to get some answers from AT&T. Unfortunately the iPhone prepaid activation department was closed when I called just a few minutes ago. At least now I know what to do and I can stop farting around with the idiots at the AT&T stores.
I just spent 45 minutes on the phone with AT&T…people should be aware that if they have an existing PYP number the iPhone GoPhone Activation dept. cannot help you with transferring the number over. I am so pissed off right now I could throw this damn phone out the window.
Moxy, there is an easy fix for that now. Simply download PwnageTool 2.0. It will force first-gen iPhones to accept any SIM, just like an iPhone 3G does with any AT&T SIM.
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Tried ATT 3G iPhone (with 2.0 of course-no jailbroken/no unlock) with ATT SIM from Treo. Mixed results:
- Can make calls
- Can use data. 3G by the way
- CAN’T receive calls. I guess calls are going to the Treo somehow which doesn’t have the SIM anymore but iPhone will never ring.
Any ideas here? Looks like switching ATT SIM cards is not as straightforward even with 3G iPhone. Maybe iTunes will fix it?
Juan, try going to Expert Mode and unchecking the Activate Phone option. We found that fixes the issue… as that option is not needed on iPhone 3G.
Sorry I don’t have the iPhone with me to follow the instructions. I’m posting for someone else. I will get the iPhone if we get past this issue!!!
What do you mean Expert Mode? Is this something to be done on the iPhone or are you referring to Expert Mode within Pwnage? Pwnage is the only place where I see any reference to “Expert Mode”.
Remember we are doing this test on a fresh 3G iPhone without jailbreak or unlock following your article. Can you clarify about the “Expert Mode” please?
Thanks for the help.
Well, today I reached an iPhone GoPhone activations person and…no dice. They simply will not in any way let me activate a first-gen iPhone to use the iPhone bundle on my existing GoPhone account.
So instead, I’ve just hacked the thing and activated the standard unlimited medianet package. Looks to be everything except visual voicemail, so that’s fine. But man, these people are frustrating and obstinate to deal with.
I noticed that once I used the gophone sim in the stock iphone 3g, I lost the ability to use the unlimited media net on other phones. It will work again if I put it back into the iphone. Has anyone experience this as well or is this a fluke?
I wonder if the AT&T pay as you go Sim card works with IPHONE 3G with 2.0.1 firmware for both voice and data. The 2.0.1 firmware just came out a few days ago. I haven’t been able to find any comment on this matter.
Yes, it does work. The update does not interfere with AT&T prepaid accounts.
I just got my IPhone 3G from EBay and a pay as you go sim card is on the way. I don’t have the original IPhone sim card. Can I upgrade the firmware with the active AT&T pay as you go sim card in, which is in contrast to an upgrade with original IPhone 3G sim card? What I read from other forum is that during the upgrade to firmware 2.0.1, the carrier setting will also be updated. That is why I wonder if an upgrade using PAYG sim card can bring negative effect.
Has anyone been using an iPhone 3G with a PAYG account for any decent amount of time? (like a month or 2) The reason I’m asking is that AT&T will clearly see that the IMEI is coming from a 3G phone and they can close the account. I briefly put a PAYG sim in my 3G phone and it worked flawlessly. Even had 3G internet speed. But I’m afraid that if I start using it on a PAYG account that it will be found and locked out. Any comments?
You won’t be locked out of your account. AT&T may tell you that you need to change phones, but it’s completely optional.
The worst case AT&T could ever do, is update their systems to bar access to iPhone 3G devices when on a prepaid account. This is highly unlikely, as AT&T has plans to formally offer iPhone 3G on prepaid in the future.
Has anyone switched a 2G unlocked/jailbroken sim with A 3g jailbroken iphone.. it works but does anyone know what plan at at&t i will be charged for if i continue to use my 3G with the 2G sim….
OK, here it is. I purchased a RazrV3 unlocked and use it overseas for my work. I brought the phone back with me and purchased an ATT sim card on ebay. Can anybody tell me how to activate the thing?
Hi im getting an iphone 3g from a friend and at the moment i have a Pay as you go sim card in a Palm Centro. So after reading all the reviews i think i understand everything except one small detial. When i sync the i phone to i tunes it will ask me to reset it to get sinced to my i tunes music and apps and stuff. affter thats done and all will it reject my sim card.? Thanks. And ny the way great article! (:
Hi im getting an iphone 3g from a friend and at the moment i have a Pay as you go sim card in a Palm Centro. So after reading all the reviews i think i understand everything except one small detial. When i sync the i phone to i tunes it will ask me to reset it to get sinced to my i tunes music and apps and stuff. affter thats done and all will it reject my sim card.? Thanks. And great article btw i could understand very well. (:
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