HOW TO: Hack the iPhone to work anywhere in the world -- 10 step guide with pics

The 8GB iPhone dropped to $US399 ($AU483) overnight, so what are you waiting for? Here's the 10 step complete guide on how to hack it to work in Australia.

WARNING: APC makes no guarantee that the instructions below will not damage your iPhone. The procedure described below is an unauthorised modification to the normal operation of the iPhone, so any damage that occurs is your responsibility.

With the price of the 8GB iPhone dropping to $US399 ($AU483) overnight , how can anyone resist the temptation of buying one and hacking it to work in Australia?
Here's the step-by-step on how to get it working on any 2G mobile network in the world -- including Optus, Telstra, Vodafone or Virgin Mobile in Australia. (The iPhone cannot be made to work on Three because it is a purely 3G network and the iPhone is 2G only.)
This tutorial uses the TurboSIM method and assumes you are on a Mac.
There are various other approaches floating around other than what is described in this tutorial, but this is a compliation of the easy methods that worked for me.
If you've got questions ask them in the comments and I'll try my best to respond.

Step 1: buy an iPhone

Sounds obvious, but of course, Apple doesn't make it easy for anyone outside the US to get one.
If you know someone in the US, you're set -- anyone can walk into an Apple Store and buy an iPhone with no requirement to sign up to a service contract.

You can also buy online via Apple.com as long as you have a US delivery address and phone number you can use on the order form.
You don't have to sign up for an AT&T contract at the time of buying the phone at the Applestore -- that's supposed to be done via iTunes when you get home, which you obviously won't do if you're using the hack outlined below.
There are also many iPhones being sold on eBay, but be sure to buy from a seller who has a long feedback rating for expensive electronics items -- don't get sucked into buying a brick (literally) from someone who has 3,000 positive feedback entries for low value items like matchbooks.
If you're really, really desperate to get your hands on the iPhone and don't trust any of the methods outlined above, I'll just point out two totally separate, unrelated facts, one fact for you and one fact for your wife: Apple has stores in Hawaii and flights to Hawaii can be found for as little as $900. Do not speak of these two facts in the same sentence in a domestic situation, however.

Buying an iPhone is the easy part. Just choose between a 4 or 8GB model.

Step 2: buy a TurboSIM

To be honest, at the moment this is by far the most difficult part. TurboSIMs, manufactured by a tiny company in the Czech Republic, are in short supply.
You can either wait for Australian distributor Votech to get their store back on-line or you can try buying one off eBay. Unfortunately the eBay prices are highly inflated.

Finding a TurboSIM is the hardest part of this procedure.

Step 3: download these free tools

Download and install the following software.

• Apple Developer Tools (Xcode) - to get this, you'll need to sign up for a free Apple Developer Connection (ADC) membership
• The iPhone Firmware that matches the version you have on your iPhone. Links are 1.0 , 1.01 and 1.02. Once the file is downloaded change the extension to .zip and expand it. iActivator needs it in order to be able to activate your iPhone.
• iActivator - this is the the best program to use to accomplish both activation and "jailbreaking" -- the removal of the iPhone's file system protections, so you can actually make changes to the files on the phone.
• MacPorts

Step 4: download some more software for the TurboSIM

Download the following software and keep handy. You'll need it to get the TurboSIM working.

• ssh-sftp-installer.zip
• turbo-cable-utils-iPhone-0.7.0-rev1.tar.gz
• Applesaft

Step 5 - Activate your iPhone

Activate your iPhone using iActivator. Plug your phone into your Mac and quit iTunes when it opens.
In iActivator click 'Perform Jailbreak' and follow the onscreen instructions.
Once your phone has been jailbroken you'll need to click 'Put PEM File' and click 'Generate Activation'. This generates a .plist file which you'll need for activation.
Lastly, click 'Activate iPhone' and point it to the .plist file you've just created.
In my experience, iActivator will return an error when clicking 'Activate iPhone'. Don't panic, just quit iActivator and try again. It should work by the third or fourth try.

iActivator - Just follow the onscreen instructions.

Step 6 - install some apps on your iPhone

Once your phone is Jailbroken and activated you need to install the SSH and SFTP features so you can transfer some other software onto the iPhone.
On your Mac, open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.
Type cd followed by a space, then drag the unarchived ssh-sftp-installer folder onto your Terminal window and hit enter. (It will paste the complete path for that file into the Terminal window.)

Install SSH and SFTP

Next type ./installer.sh followed by a space, then type any password -- this will become the password for ssh and sftp on the iPhone itself. Hit enter and restart your iPhone as prompted by the onscreen instructions.
(Credit to Shaun Inman for devising the original steps described in this part of the tutorial. See his instructions here.)

Step 7 - connect to the iPhone using SFTP

To install the TurboSIM applications you'll need to SFTP to your iPhone.
To do this grab a copy of the excellent FTP app Transmit from Panic.
When creating the FTP connection in Transmit, you'll want to enter 'root' as the username and the password you specified above. Also, make sure you select SFTP -- the default mode of Transmit is FTP, which will not work.

SFTP using Transmit. Remember to select SFTP from the drop down menu.

You'll also need to determine the IP address of your iPhone. To do this tap on 'Settings', 'WiFi' and click on the arrow next to the name of the network you are connected to.

Select WiFi from the Settings menu

Click the arrow to find your IP details

Finally, your IP address. Enter this information in the address field of Transmit

The next screen should show you your IP address. It's also important to remember to keep the phone from going to sleep in this step, otherwise the SFTP connection will reset (you could just set the 'Auto-Lock' settings under 'Settings', 'General' to 'Never'.

Step 8 - install the TurboSIM applications on the iPhone.

You're nearly there.
Now, you need to copy the Turbo Utils and Apple Saft across to your iPhone.
Copy the unzipped turbo-cable-utils-iPhone folder to the iPhone's /bin directory.

Copy the Turbo utils across to the /bin folder on your iPhone

Now select all the files you have just copied and go to the 'File' menu and select 'Get Info'. Make sure you tick 'execute' for all rows.

Make the files executable by selecting the files, clicking get info, and ticking the 'execute' boxes

Now, copy Applesaft to the /private/var/root directory on the iPhone.

Copy AppleSaft to your home folder on the iPhone

You now need to Disable CommCenter on your iPhone.

To do this open /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist on your iPhone and select 'Edit with Transmit' from the 'File' menu (or right click).

Edit the text file using transmit.

Add <key>Disabled</key><true/> just above the text </dict> on the second last line (last line being </plist>) and save the file.

Now, you'll need to restart your iPhone (to do this just hold down the sleep button until the red slider appears on the screen. Slide the slider across and the phone will shutdown. Once the phone has shut down press the sleep button to restart it.

Step 9: cut up your SIM cards (gulp)

It's now time to cut up your own local SIM card and the AT&T SIM card that came with the iPhone, so they both fit the TurboSIM nicely.
The good news here is that it's more scary than it sounds: the plastic you're cutting off is 'dead plastic' -- and won't affect the functionality of your SIM card in other phones, even if you use it without the TurboSIM in the future.
Of course, since you're about to cut up your SIM card, we'll just refer you again to that red disclaimer at the top of the article about us taking absolutely no responsibility for you being a little overenthusiastic with the kitchen scissors.
Insert the AT&T+TurboSIM combination very gently into the iPhone. I used a little bit of scotch tape to secure the two SIM cards together. If you need to apply too much force then you haven't fitted the card to the tray properly. Also, it's OK to trim the back of the SIM card so it fits more snuggly.
OK... once you've fitted your TurboSIM + AT&T card open Terminal again and type the following:
ssh root@'your ip address' (replace 'your ip address' with the IP address you figured out above by looking at the iPhone's WiFi settings) and press Enter. Now type in your password when prompted. The password is the one you set for SSH/SFTP earlier.

SSH to your iPhone to run the turbo-app command

Now enter the following command: turbo-info and press EnterYou should see a summary and OK.
Next, enter the following command:
turbo-app /private/var/root/applesaft.trb
You should see a reply with OK (it can take 30 seconds or so)

Now, re-enable CommCenter on your iPhone by deleting the <key>Disabled</key><true/> you added previously. Save the file, and restart your iPhone again.
If everything has gone to plan you should have a new menu under 'Settings', 'Phone' that's called SIM Applications. Click in here and select AppleSaft, and then hit 'Set' and 'Accept'. OK - the hard part is over.

If you've successfully installed AppleSaft you should have a new menu in the Phone settings called SIM Applications

Select AppleSaft

Now that you've got AppleSaft on just hit set (with your AT&T Sim card installed)

Hit Accept, insert your regular SIM and start enjoying your new iPhone!

Now, insert your local SIM into the iPhone, and if everything has gone smoothly, and you've inserted the SIM properly you should be able to start using your iPhone.
Step 10
Enjoy using your iPhone outside the US. I've been using mine for the past few days and apart from the lack of visual voicemail the iPhone has been superb. It's the best phone I've ever used by miles.

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How To Jailbreak Any iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad

So, you've heard about jailbreaking, and it sounds intriguing. And dangerous. (But mostly just intriguing.) Here's how to hack your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad—yes, iPad—into an unrestricted, freshly empowered mega-machine.

Jailbreaking: The What and the Why

In buying an iProduct, you're accepting that its fate will be dictated by Apple. They control what kind of apps you install on your device, which of the hardware functions you can exploit to their full potential, and which carrier you can use your iPhone with. They've loosened up on at least one of those fronts in the last year or so, expanding the types of apps available in the App Store, but many—screw that, most—of the same restrictions still apply. Want to install an app that Apple hasn't explicitly approved? Sorry. Want to use an app over 3G that's been designated for Wi-Fi? Nope. Want to tether your phone? Run applications in the background? Change your device theme? Install system-wide gestures? No. Such. Luck.
Enter jailbreaking. In technical terms, to jailbreak is to enable a device to run code, meaning programs or system modifications, that hasn't been sanctioned by Apple. Its roots reach back to a time when there were no apps for iPhone OS, and a clever group of hackers zeroed in on some exploits gave people their first way to install apps on their devices, by way of an underground App Store called Installer. It used to be that you could hack your device simply by visiting a webpage. That was two years ago. Since then, the iPhone and iPod Touch have been given a legit App Store, Apple has closed one security hole after another, and jailbreaking has become alternately more and less difficult, depending which device and software version you have.
But just last week, a Windows and Mac tool called Spirit was released to the world. It's simple, relatively safe, and finally, works on all devices. Every iPod Touch can now be jailbroken to run custom apps. Every iPhone, too. Even the brand new iPad can be hacked. Theming, data tethering, multitasking, console emulation, secret settings, and yes, you filthy thief, even pirated apps: With jailbreak, your iThing is truly yours.
Here's how to jailbreak (or in the case of phones, unlocked) any iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad, using the new Spirit tool. But first, a disclaimer:
When you jailbreak or unlock a device, you're changing some fundamental aspects of the system software—you know, real low-level stuff. The tools are generally good, and if you follow directions carefully, you should be fine. But if something goes wrong—and there is more than one way this can happen—you can suffer data loss, or even brick your phone. Even worse, Apple claims that jailbreaking voids your warranty. You can restore your device to remove evidence that it ever happened, but if the device goes down while jailbroken, you could well be stuck. In addition, jailbreaking does not jibe with the DMCA, and breaks relate license agreements.
To the point: Follow this guide at your own peril, know that there's risk and be careful. Consult elsewhere if you're nervous, or worry that I've missed something.

How To Jailbreak

The Spirit tool has made the jailbreak fairly simple, but there's still room for error. Step by step:

Full size

What You Need:
• Spirit Jailbreak Tool (Windows and Mac)
• iTunes 9.x (Latest confirmed working version: 9.1.1)
• iPod cable
• An iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch that a.) Isn't currently jailbroken (obvious, but just in case), b.) is working, i.e. not stuck in a startup loop, or displaying that "Connect to iTunes" screen and c.) is running a device software version 3.1.3 or lower (or in the case of the iPad, version 3.2) 1. Plug your device in, so that it's recognized by iTunes
2. Back up your device to your iTunes library, and sync it. Having the backup handy will allow to you restore your settings in case you need to wipe your device later; syncing everything—including photos, which some users report losing during the jailbreak process—ensures that all the media on your device will remain untouched, or at least restorable.
3. Open the Spirit Jailbreak tool. It will open in a small window, and should display a message like "iPad (3.2) Connected." If not, disconnect and reconnect your device, and open the tool again.
4. Click "Jailbreak"
5. During the jailbreak routine, don't interfere with the device. It's probably better to leave your computer alone as well, to avoid a crash at a critical moment. First, you should see a screen on the device that says "Restore Complete." The device will restart, display a spinning pinwheel icon, and open up a colorful screen like this, with a progress bar:

Spirit should be done doing its thing in under 30 seconds. Your device should then boot up to your homescreen, as it was before—same background, same apps, same settings. Now you're jailbroken. But there's one more thing:
6. When you restart your device, you'll see a new icon on your homescreen, called Cydia. Open it up. This is your new App Store. Don't worry, the regular App Store still works. Now you've just got another one.

Cydia will look a bit different on the iPad and iPhone or iPod Touch, but will contain most of the same software.
The first thing you need to do, though, is click the button that says, "Make my life easier, thanks!"
This will back up your device activation profile (called an SHSH blob) to remote servers, which ensures that you won't lose the ability to jailbreak if you accidentally upgrade your device device software in the future. More on that later.
Regarding Unlocking
Traditionally, unlocking (opening your phone to use with different carriers) and jailbreaking have fallen to the same tools. Since unlocking has become more difficult with later firmwares, the tools have grown apart. Spirit doesn't unlock. If you want to unlock, though, there may be hope.
If you haven't upgraded your iPhone to firmware 3.1.3, or can downgrade to an earlier build, you can use the Pwnage Tool, located here. The process is self-guided and quite similar to using Spirit. Unlocking is a comparatively narrow concern, and can get much more complicated, so I'll leave it at that. More info here.
Anyway, that's it! It's time to explore Cydia.

What to Download

Now that you're jailbroken, it's time to start downloading apps. Here are a handful of must-tries to get you started:

• Backgrounder: Lets you run apps in the background, full stop. Perhaps my top reason to jailbreak, period. The latest version lets you set apps to run in the background with a huge variety of gestures.
• Activator: Speaking of gestures, this provides a framework for all kinds of gestures across jailbroken apps. (iPad and iPhone)
• Kirikae: A task switcher to be used with Backgrounder. (Think alt+tab) (iPhone)
• SBSettings: This opens up a whole slew of settings, accessible at any time via a pop-down system tray. Adjust brightness, toggle Wi-Fi, whatever. (iPad and iPhone)
• Cycorder: Lets you take full-motion video with your pre-3GS iPhone. (iPhone)
• MyWy: Lets you share your 3G connection with other devices over Wi-Fi. It's paid software, but a trial is available. (iPhone and iPad 3G)
• Winterboard: Lets you change themes, and install a lot of interesting modifications to your device's homescreen, including folders, different icon arrangements, widgets and more.
• iRealSMS: Lets you send text messages without opening the SMS app. (iPhone)
• VoIPOver3G: Tricks apps into thinking they're connected over Wi-Fi, even if they're connected to 3G. (iPhone, iPad 3G)

• Intelliscreen: Puts all kinds of useful information on your lock screen, from weather to email to calendar events. Another paid app, but one that will be worth it to a lot of people. (iPhone)
• Console emulators: Do your own searching on this one; there's one for virtually ever console released pre-2000, and many have different approaches to controls, and acquiring games. Some, like those by ZOTDD, actually let you search for and download ROMs from within the app. (iPhone and iPad)
• Veency: A VNC server. No, not a client—a server. Control your iPhone from your computer. (iPhone)
• Illicit goods: They're there, but I won't tell you how to find them. Pay for your apps! Trying before you buy is only a conscionable excuse if it's actually true.
Some general observations: Right now, a lot of apps haven't been updated for the iPad, so it's worth doing a little Googling to see how they handle the subtle changes in the new OS. That said, most apps do work, although if you experiment enough, you'll eventually get burned and have to restore your OS and start over, losing whatever tweaks you've made in the jailbreak process.

Un-Jailbreaking

If you've decided the jailbreak lifestyle isn't for you, or managed to screw up your device software enough that you want to switch back, it's easy. (Also, if Apple will be handling your device for any reason, you should probably un-jailbreak it. Warranties!)

All you need is your device's latest firmware file, helpfully linked here.
Oh, and make sure you've backed up—you're going to lose everything.
(This guide only applies to software versions 3.1.3 for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and 3.2 for the iPad. These are the latest versions at the time of posting, and newer software could break compatibility.)
1. Plug your device in, and open iTunes
2. Shift-click (Windows) or Option-click the "Restore" button in your iTunes device summary page. Navigate to the firmware you've downloaded, and restore.
3. Once this is done, iTunes will ask you if you want to set up your device as a new device, or from a previously stored backup. If your goal is to return to a life before jailbreak, you're probably going to want to restore.
And that's it!

FAQ

What are the Downsides?
As mentioned before, there is a real risk of bricking your device, or losing data. But beyond that, there are stability issues with some jailbreak apps, and using apps like Backgrounder can seriously diminish your battery life. Also, flaunting your new found ability to tether your phone by running, say, torrents through your 3G connection is a good way to get in trouble with your carrier.
What about future software upgrades?
Apple's software updates almost always break jailbreak. When they come out, hold off on upgrading until the jailbreak community develops a hack, or an upgrade path. Upgrading to new software versions after a jailbreak often means installing a patched version of the update, specifically for jailbreakers.
Why did I click that "Make My Life Easier" button?
If Apple does thwart jailbreak in its next software update (likely), and you accidentally upgrade, you could be locked out of jailbreaking forever. Seriously! Why? Because as of late, Apple has been cracking down on jailbreakers by forcing their devices to authenticate with official servers every time they're upgraded or downgraded.
What this prevents, specifically, is restoring to older versions of the iPhone/iPad software, which contain the security holes necessary for jailbreaking. By keeping users from downgrading, Apple essentially locks them out of jailbreaking once they've upgraded to an un-jailbreakable OS.
The button you pressed in Cydia remotely saves what's called an SHSH blob, which is the "Go!" signal passed from Apple's servers to your specific device. In the event of a later downgrade, iTunes can be spoofed into thinking that Apple has approving the device's software change, when in fact it's just the Cydia store's servers giving the green light. The downgrade process is something we won't have to worry about until Apple issues another update, after which I'll update this guide. Until then, you can get a rough idea of how this whole thing by reading Saurik's (the guy behind Cydia) blog post on how it works.
Will It Work With OS 4.0?
Surprisingly, yes! OS 4.0 builds seem to respond well to jailbreaking with the Spirit tool. That said, this software is already fairly precarious, so I'm not sure I would risk it. Update: Turns out I was wrong. The Spirit jailbreak tool doesn't yet work on 4.0. They're working on it.
I've never owned and iProduct, and just bought an iPad. Should I do this?
Maybe! Kyle put together a helpful guide for iPadders earlier this week.
In the Event of Emergency, Who Can Help?
Google. But no, seriously, Google. Another great resource is the ModMyi forums, where just about any question you can have has probably already been asked, and answered.

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How To Unlock an iPhone A step-by-step guide to unlocking the iPhone's SIM card and making it available to other cell carriers' networks

If you're one of the million people who've purchased an iPhone since the end of June, you probably signed up with Apple's exclusive carrier in the U.S., AT&T, when you activated your phone. That means your iPhone identifies itself to AT&T's network using an AT&T SIM card, a smart card that's located in a small tray between your iPhone's sleep/wake button and its recessed headphone jack.
But what if you're planning a trip to Europe and rather than paying AT&T to use the networks of its European partners, you want to take advantage of the favorable rates and local phone numbers offered by replacing your AT&T SIM card with a pre-paid European card? Or what if you'd prefer to use T-Mobile as your cellular provider, rather than AT&T?
In the past month several groups have announced that they've found a way to "unlock" the iPhone, allowing it to use a SIM card from any provider. (Keep in mind that this is only half the story: the iPhone uses the GSM radio band for its communications, meaning that it'll only work with providers that use the GSM network. In the U.S., that means T-Mobile and AT&T.)
In August, a group of hackers demonstrated a method for unlocking SIM cards and sold its software to resellers, who in turn began selling it to the public for as much as $100 last week.
But another group has came up with its own hack that, with the help of some free, open-source software, lets you unlock your iPhone in about an hour, free of charge. Below, I'll show you how it works - and it does work, because I've used this technique to unlock my own phone. (One important caveat: Certain AT&T-only features, such as Visual Voicemail, will not work when you're connected to other cellular networks.)
Before we get started, you'll want to disable the iTunes helper application that may get in the way of the installation. Make sure iTunes is not running, then open OS X's Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder of the Applications folder. Search for or scroll down to iTunes Helper, select it, and then click on the Quit Process button in the top left of the screen. You'll also need your iPhone, your data cable, and a Wi-Fi connection to the Internet.
(If you haven't already activated your iPhone with AT&T-and aren't planning to-you need to conduct a fake activation. To do this, you'll need to follow the excellent instructions at ModMyiPhone and download and install a program called iNdependence.)

Install AppTapp

Apple doesn't support the installation of third-party applications on the iPhone, but the enterprising developers at NullRiver have created a program called AppTapp that will let you install including chat clients, games, and other pieces of software - including those that are needed to unlock your iPhone. (For more detailed instructions on using AppTapp,
Download and install AppTapp. Once you run the program, the first thing it will do is ask what version of the firmware you're running. If you've just updated your iPhone, you probably have Firmware 1.0.2-select that and click on Continue.

Assuming all goes well, you should get a screen that begins with the words: "Congratulations! You have successfully installed AppTapp Installer onto your iPhone." You should then find a new application on the iPhone's home screen called Installer.
The next instructions will require downloading some applications from the Internet to your iPhone-so make sure your iPhone is connected to a WiFi network. Launch the Installer program, and you'll see a long list of various applications that you can install. Scroll down, then select and install-in order-Community Sources, BSD Subsystem and OpenSSH.

Perform the GSM Unlock

First, download and install Unlock.app, lockdownd, and Cyberduck.
Then go to the iPhone's General settings and set Auto-Lock to Never. Next, you'll need to get your iPhone's IP address on your local network. To do this, go to Settings: Wi-Fi and click on the blue arrow next to the network that you're connected too. Write down the IP address, as you'll need it for later.
Now, open Cyberduck and click on the Open Connection button in the top left of the window. In the connection window, type the IP address that you just noted. Make sure that SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) is selected, and that you are using Port 22. For the username, type root, with the password of dottie.
Once connected, navigate from /private/var/root to the main directory by choosing the / item. Next, navigate to /usr/libexec and drag the file named lockdownd (the one you downloaded earlier) into it. It will ask if you want to overwrite the existing file-click on Continue to do so.
Now, in Cyberduck, drag the Unlock file from the Mac's desktop into the /Applications folder at the top of the main window. Once that's done, turn off your iPhone and remove the SIM card, then turn your iPhone back on and choose the application on your iPhone called Unlock.
Assuming everything went smoothly, there should be a white screen that says "All files found. Ready to go. Press Start." Once you press start, it will take about 20 minutes for all the files to install.
The progress messages will appear at the top of the screen as it progress-once you see "Completed" then you're finished. Insert a new SIM card of your choosing into your iPhone. Congratulations, you've just unlocked your iPhone!
(If you're planning on using a T-Mobile SIM card in your iPhone, you'll want to modify the iPhone's settings. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the ModMyiPhone tutorial to make sure the settings you enter conform to your T-Mobile data plan.)

The aftermath

One Macworld editor tried this approach - minus the faux-activation step - on his iPhone and was able to insert a T-Mobile SIM card from a co-worker and get the iPhone up and running on the T-Mobile network, as if it were her phone.
(To swap SIM cards in your iPhone, insert an unfolded paper clip into the small hole in the top of the iPhone, next to the headphone jack. This will open the iPhone's SIM card slot, allowing you to remove your AT&T card and replace it with a different one.)
We don't know if future Apple iPhone updates will break this functionality. But if you're about to embark on a European vacation, or if you avoid downloading those iPhone updates, this method will allow you to use the SIM cards of other cellular providers in your iPhone, provided that those providers also use the GSM cellular radio frequencies.

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