I canceled the AT&T service for my iPhone as planned and the iPhone seems to work just fine as a wifi-only device. Excellent!
I reset the iPhone, synced, etc. and it still works without service. No guarantees that it will continue to work, but for now it looks like I’ve got the video iPod and iPhone test device I was hoping for.
Per AT&T’s terms of service: If you cancel your AT&T service within 30 days you do not have to pay an early termination fee; and if you cancel within 3 days you get a refund of your activation fee.
FLAWLESS VICTORY!
Fantastic News!
Very interesting to know. I like my AT&T though – so far so good after the activation.
Great news!!! Keep us posted… hope it keeps working.
now you have a $600 semi useless 8gb ipod and wifi only web browser. this is to be filed under truly useless.
What’s the point of having a phone that doesn’t make calls? An iPod with wifi?
Seriously, why didn’t this jus work the other way around …Â it should’ve worked right out of box with everything but phone, and if you want the phone activated, then you go online.
Would’ve saved lots of sanity this past weekend.
Can you still make calls on it? The reason I ask is I wonder if they still have your service active through the end of the billing cycle.
[…] jednak wykazali siÄ™ iÅ›cie polskim sprytem, na blogu alexking.org podany jest banalny przepis jak uzyskać dziaÅ‚ajÄ…cego iphona bez umowy z firmÄ… AT&T […]
It says “No Service” in the corner, as shown in the photo.
[…] to AlexKing, the iPhone works without AT&T’s service, though without the phone and web features. No thanks, I wouldn’t pay $500 for a widescreen […]
My bad for not clicking through on the image. Very cool that it still works. Congrats on your new dev tool.
[…] en el blog de AlexKing que es uno de los afortunados que compro su iPhone , que fue a cancelar el servicio de telefeno de […]
This makes sense if you’re a mobile developer who wants to develop apps for iPhone.
Another thing you can do is trick the activation process into letting you sign up for GoPhone instead, so you only have to pay for the minutes you use instead of getting a service commitment.
How do u do that because my phone is on my exs plan and everytime he gets mad he
Suspends my line and yeah it works great if u have wifi and there’s apps u can text and call even though it’s turned off but if ur not in a wifi area ur screwed
[…] O Alex King αγόÏ?ασε το iPhone, το Îκανε activate με την AT&T, και αμÎσως μετά ακÏ?Ï?ωσε τη σÏ?νδεση του! Αν το κάνετε μÎσα σε 3 μÎÏ?ες, δε χÏ?εώνεστε καν activation fee, και το iPhone φαίνεται να συνεχίζει να λειτουÏ?γεί κανονικότατα! […]
To the AT&T Customer Service guy who writes:
“What’s the point of having a phone that doesn’t make calls? An iPod with wifi?”
Um, ever heard of Skype?
Interesting.
That’s encouraging anyway – that means when people get the next iPhone (or whatever), the existing one won’t die just because you’ve stopped its service.
[…] Alex King played guinea pig for all those wondering about: […]
I’m glad you are happy of your accomplishment.
My opinion says your are a weirdo. I still want the phone to work. Hello?
I don’t want a $650 iPod with only 8 GB of storage space.
[…] blogroller Alex King is reporting that his iPhone continues to function as an iPod and wireless device despite having cancelled his AT&T phone plan. This is good news […]
Hey!! Congratulations, I have been covering posts like yours on my blog and people are coming with strange and interesting results. So,now we have iPod and internet functionalities without service, soon the phone service will be up as Hissomnia is working on that too 🙂
What happens if you now connect your iPhone to iTunes? Does it give you the option to go back on AT&T?
I am because I activated on the $59.99 plan, then I heard about the (unadvertised) $49 prepaid option. As I don’t use many minutes, I would like to cancel the current plan and switch to prepaid.
[…] King – iPhone without phone service Very cool and no apparent strings […]
[…] Anyways, plus d’information ici : https://alexking.org/blog/2007/07/02/iphone-without-service […]
[…] If you pop in an inactive SIM, you can still use the WiFi for email and web, and according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, it syncs with iTunes without much problems. Johnny Appleseed, leaves a comment in one of our posts, and guides us through the process of activating and canceling the service. Alex King seems to have done this. […]
[…] If you pop in an inactive SIM, you can still use the WiFi for email and web, and according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, it syncs with iTunes without much problems. Johnny Appleseed, leaves a comment in one of our posts, and guides us through the process of activating and canceling the service. Alex King seems to have done this. […]
What happens if you put in another provider’s SIM card now? Will it now work on another network?
I’m desperately waiting to find out how to get an iPhone to work on Rogers up here in Canada. I think Apple has forgotten about us.
Thanks
[…] If you pop in an inactive SIM, you can still use the WiFi for email and web, and according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, it syncs with iTunes without much problems. Johnny Appleseed, leaves a comment in one of our posts, and guides us through the process of activating and canceling the service. Alex King seems to have done this. […]
[…] Alex King made his iPhone work without AT&T’s service. No guarantees that it will continue to work, […]
[…] Scheinbar funktioniert der Webbrowser und der Widescreen-iPod auch ohne Vertrag mit AT&T. Ein Blogger berichtet, es könnten – abgesehen vom Telefonieren – alle Features des iPhones auch ohne AT&T […]
That’s fantastic! Have any idea how an international sim card would work? I’m living in Australia and hoping to use it as a GSM phone here. As long as the iCal synchronisation and WiFi works, I’d be happy.
[…] könnte man das iPhone ohne größere Probleme vertragsfrei erwerben – in den USA natürlich. Alex King hat’s vorgemacht. Anscheinend kauft man das iPhone ganz normal, aktiviert es in iTunes und […]
What about battery comsumption searching phone signal spot? I reportedly heard that GSM phones are made to be possible to call 911 even without sim card. If this is true, the iPhone would search signal spot continuously so that battery drains faster.
I hope this is not true, so I can get one, which is just perfect substitution for my Newton.
[…] If you pop in an inactive SIM, you can still use the WiFi for email and web, and according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, it syncs with iTunes without much problems. Johnny Appleseed, leaves a comment in one of our posts, and guides us through the process of activating and canceling the service. Alex King seems to have done this. […]
So, what if you change your mind and now you want service with AT&T, do you have to buy another iPhone or will it allow you to activate it again?
Soo, you just turn the iPhone to it’s “Airplane” mode where the phone is off but the rest of the device functions. No battery drain from the GSM radio.
This is brilliant! Bravo!
My wife and I bought two iPhones on Friday night and it’s FOUR days later and AT&T STILL can’t activate them. I feel like such a sucker.
This is the WORST user experience I’ve had. Shame on Apple for partnering with AT&T–a company dead last in customer service.
All I really wanted was a WiFi browser device and a widescreen media player. I couldn’t care less about the phone feature. You’ve presented a great hack. I’m going to try it. Thank you!
[…] : Alex King claims to have cancelled A&T service without losing a penny and is now using the iPhone both as […]
[…] heeft al laten weten dat de oplossing werkt. Alex gebruikte daarbij overigens een andere truc: hij activeerde de iPhone, zei meteen daarna het contract op en hoefde dus ook geen prepaid-kaart aan te schaffen. De regel […]
I read second-hand on a forum that apple may check the activation status during software updates. And, everything you see on the internet is true.
two good questions that haven’t been answered:
What happens when you put in a SIM from another network?
What happens if you do want to run the activation again and re-join AT&T?
also, putting it into airplane mode will work, but it will disable WiFi and bluetooth as well as GSM signal search.
so you paid $600 for a widescreen, 8GB wifi iPod? Granted the hack is nice, but still could get a 80GB iPod for much less than that. The new iPod functions are nice, but definately not worth giving up the phone for. Love my iPhone
While waiting for my iPhone fix I found one of these, NOKIA 770 $129. @ Buy.com. If all you want is a small internet tablet, with wifi, email, etc plus the ability to add apps and it has a memory card slot and works exceptionally well with OS X.
[…] King is someone I respect and occasionally read, and he recently canceled his iPhone plan in line with TUAW’s instructions so that he could use his iPhone as the world’s coolest […]
The iPhone uses GPS for google maps and such. Does this rely on the phone working on a service plan, or would GPS and google maps work with this hack so long as you were online via wifi? It seems that you would lose that functionality, am I wrong?
A “video iPod and iPhone test device”? Are you like rich or something? You fucking glutton.
No, umbrella, it doesn’t have a GPS. You have to input your location manually into a Google Maps application.
If you can make this thing work with Skype you will make MANY new friends-for-life.
Lester: Chances are that you don’t know who Alex is. He’s a Web developer. He’s a Mac fanatic. If there ever were a person who had a reason to buy an iPhone to test against, and not have it to actually use, it’s Alex.
I’m aware that, at this point, upwards of 90% of the traffic to this page has to be coming from people who’ve never read another word that Alex has read. Without the context of knowing who he is, it seems a bit, well, jarring. But for someone who could really stand to have the platform available to him for testing for his livelihood, it’s no more an extravagant purchase than buying a second computer that he won’t use nearly as much for a test platform.
[Alex: I really think that you need to revise the post a bit to give some context for who you are. Gotta put those context clues out there for people, rather than hoping that they’ll click and think. ;)]
[…] let me get away from the bending over I’m having to do for AT&T to use the iPhone (like here and here and […]
I currently have ATT can i use the method of starting an account and then cancel it so the iphone is activated and can be used as wifi and ipod and then insert my old sim card from my phone now to use my current service on the iphone?
To David Vogler: wouldn’t a sony psp have satisfied your needs? why waste the money on an iphone?
@Eric
No, it won’t work. The iPhone is still simlocked …
[…] Simply cancel the subscription within 3 days. […]
[…] Alex King megszüntette az iPhone-nal kapott telefonelÅ‘fizetését, és most van egy 8 gigás érintÅ‘képernyÅ‘s iPodja 650 dollárért: alexking.org: The iPhone Works Without AT&T Service: […]
[…] has also be accomplished by canceling AT&T service in the first few days after activation.DVD Jon Activates […]
Fantastic idea! Can the PDA function still work?
I would gladly have paid $500-$600 for a palmtop computer running OS X. This is the more than an iPod, it’s the most innovative PDA ever designed. Some people just don’t like cell phones. Stop giving this guy shit for using the “widescreen iPod with touch controls” and “breakthrough Internet device” features. If he doesn’t like cell phones, he doesn’t like cell phones. This device does so many other things, if he feels that the price is right, that’s his prerogative. Personally, I think $600 for such a tiny laptop is fairly cheap.
[…] has also be accomplished by cancelling the AT&T service in the first few days after […]
Yes — this is good news. I don’t want the crappy phone portion as it is only basic anyways. It is everything else I want, so this is good news indeed. My day-to-day cell phone on my original provider works fine as ‘just a phone’. Kudos, Alex!
Request from DownUnder,
Skype, PLEASE !
tick, tock, tick……………………..
All right… For all of you out there who think many of these iPhone hacks are unnecessary. Here’s my two-and-a-half cents.
There is a point to ‘un-bricking’ this phone. I’ll offer one straightforward example. Let’s say you, for instance, lose your job tomorrow and were forced to choose between rent and your contract. You already paid for a phone that works as an iPod, camera, contact list, WIFI enabled browser, etc. Unless specifically crippled by doing so, the only thing that stops working after cancellation is your ability to use the phone.
Does this mean that AT&T gets to effectively take your now slightly less useful portable computer away from you until such time that you pay protection to them again? What gets lost in all of these threads is the simple fact that “it’s your $600 bucks!â€?
Strangely, people at AT&T and Apple are fond of trying to pretend that you only bought a phone and that you have little or no interest in any of the remaining features. But the fact is, even after cancellation, this expensive piece of equipment that still functions 90% as well as it did when you were able to pay the thousands of dollars a year for the 10% of extra service that EDGE and the phone functions provide.
Obviously, Apple knows full well that many, if not most, of the features compelling people to plunk down $600 have ZERO to do with AT&T or EDGE, or cellular capabilities. The reason for locking the multimedia features (music, video, WIFI, etc) out on the console before activation is very simple… It’s all about greed and a back room deal with AT&T. Also, deliberately restricting you from unlocking this or any phone has been ruled illegal in our courts and these people should be called on it – maybe even sued to release unlock codes to everyone who currently owns one.
So, why hack it? Well, morals aside, mostly because much of OS X is an open source derivative and additionally, because our courts have specifically ruled that it is perfectly legal for me to request that my phone be unlocked. These shady jerks should have done the right thing in the first place and the fact that they didn’t is very telling about the culture governing these bastards. Many believe that the letter ‘i’ if placed in front of a noun somehow exempts them from doing what the rest of the industry has been forced to do by law. If it were a phone – this wouldn’t be a topic. You would have an unlocked phone by now.
Lastly, the only thing stopping this phone from being a sixth generation iPod is likely one line of code in iTunes and zero morals on behalf of AT&T and now Apple. It needs to be corrected, will likely be corrected by a lawsuit and in the meantime will be corrected by the hundreds if not thousands of eager individuals who feel compelled to assist in the matter until such time that the laws get enforced. Exempting yourself just because “it’s an iPhone�, simply isn’t enough reason to for most people to sit by and wait for some hiccup on the AT&T network to lock them out of their hard earned money. I think by now the secret is out, AT&T is more like an elevator or a yo-yo than a phone provider. Since Friday my phone has gone off-line several times and I haven’t once heard anyone talk about giving me a refund or what would happen if this service disappears for a prolonged period… Does it brick or not? Nobody at Apple seems to know. I very politely asked several reps at our local AT&T and Apple stores and every one of the people acted as though none of my questions were relevant and most acted almost vexed – something I simply don’t understand. Why is it unfair to ask what happens to my $600 when I can’t pay AT&T? Simple and straightforward I thought… Nope. Everyone gave me a different answer because nobody really knows… *wow*
So why wait for my phone to brick when I can’t pay them?
People, regardless of the insults and comments inferring that most iPhone enthusiasts need to, “get a life� these hacks are coming and in the end they will likely only be a temporary service so as to assist Apple and AT&T in doing the right thing. You know, like before they get sued into doing it.
I’m also frankly very tired of being sold items that have strings attached. This is becoming more and more and more common as computer companies look for increasingly creative ways to separate me from my money. A line needs to be drawn in the sand with companies who deliberately install processors that tell me what I can and can’t run on MY computer. Mine… My money had no strings attached – why does my computer… Any computer no matter what its form factor.
Sorry for the rant… Enough said…
Many thanks to DVD John and others out there for helping our friend Greedy Steve follow the law.
-Joe King
[…] any form of subscription whatsoever, by using DVD Jon’s method. The other option is to subscribe and then cancel within 2 days, allowing for a refund so basically you nealry don’t l…. Third, an iPhone restore image is in the wild now. Nearly immediately it was found out that there […]
[…] The iPhone Works Without AT&T Service | alexking.org Alex dared to try and comes out swinging. (tags: iphone) […]
[…] all the hacking tips posted online, I’m mighty tempted to pick up an iPhone and use it solely as a mobile wi-fi Web […]
[…] It’s apparently possible to use the iPhone without an AT&T contract, as long as you activate it first, then cancel the contract within three days. Yeah, it’s a […]
Well, congratulations on the great work. It looks like you’ve done a good job !
Apple who attacks Microsoft on issues like privacy, security, etc will now have to be in defense mode. I’ve also heard that the iPhone’s sound isn’t as good as the iPod. Well, if it is true, Apple is sure in a bit trouble and it’s R&D team willl be working 24×7 to sport out the matter.
Lets see if u can find more of such exploits for iPhone.
Isn’t activating and then deactivating AT&T service the same thing as using an inactive SIM card in the iPhone?
[…] post on Alex King’s blog re getting the phone and then cancelling the (two year!) contract with […]
Why are people here how refering to this as a hack ? He cancelled his contract and that’s it, right?
Anyone worried that future firmware upgrade will render this planless phones useless ?
[…] In case you’re wondering how I found Alex’s website (besides the fact that I spend an unhealthy amount of time on the internet), he recently wrote an interesting article about how he managed to get a functioning iPhone without paying the AT&T service. The solution is simple, and I wonder if Apple may try to discourage this by disabling this “feature” later, though if they did, I think it would backfire on them. Anyway, you can find that article here. […]
My iPhone is similarly working without an AT&T contract, though in my case it is because I’m in limbo: an “old AT&T” customer who is waiting to activate under a new family plan. Unfortunately, though I can use the iPhone as an iPod, it insists on trying to communicate via EDGE for network communications (even though it connects fine to my wifi network). Power cycling, popping the sim, do no good.
Hey, I tried this trick, tho now AT&T wants me to pre-pay minutes! Did you have to do this before deactivating? I was sent to an AT&T page asking to buy minutes before I can use the features… HELP!?
Nevermind! =D Wow, that was easy. AT&T swore to me up and down that ZERO charges would occur on my card.
And to those who don’t see the value of an iPhone-less iPod, get the thing in your hands. It’s amazing. I’m not getting rid of my 30GB iPod mind you, for the car, but having a web-enabled handheld, awesome.
The PSP failed at having the web at your hands, and so has every other mobile phone I’ve owned (Samsung SCH-i730…yuck).
For $500 (4gb), having your select favorite albums, podcast, pics, webpages, camera, etc in your pocket is well worth the admission (and free activation). =D
[…] hard-core thumb-touch typer like myself… Another somewhat confusing thing I’ve noticed, some folks are actually cancelling the service contract with intent to use their iPhone solely as a […]
Well, it’s nice to know we do not have a useless device after being disconnected as most phones are anyhow after a few years of use.
Just to clearify this. I have read just about everything online about how to crack this annoying SIM lock. I still haven’t found any solutions out there. This is a very important thing for me to find out, as I live in Norway, and it is going to be a while till the iPhone get’s here. I have already gone ahead and got myself one from the US. Problem is, like most people, I don’t want to sign up for a very expensive AT&T subs., have to cancel it, and use a lot of time on this. (I tried calling AT&T about a subs. and it took 1-2 hours to even get through to them – emails were never answered) Anyways, so my question to you all is this: If one is to activate the iphone via iTunes, get an AT&T subs, then cancel it after a couple days, is it possible to use a SIM card from another company? Ref to this story: http://cultofmac.com/?p=949
Has anyone tried this out yet?
DVD Jon has figured out a way to use the other functions on the iphone, other than the phone itself. I am not sure by changing/ modifying the iphones programming is a good idea, due to a lot of functions that might get screwed up during the process. And also because Jon is a smart dude, he knows what he is doing! 🙂
If any of you do have any really good tips for a “iphone virgin” like myself, please email me: dwm@chello.no – the tip that leeds me to sucess with a free SIM usage will be rewarded generously. Danny
[…] If you pop in an inactive SIM, you can still use the WiFi for email and web, and according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, it syncs with iTunes without much problems. Johnny Appleseed, leaves a comment in one of our posts, and guides us through the process of activating and canceling the service. Alex King seems to have done this. […]
Probably the IPhone is branded to the ATT network like all the other phones they sell. You should be able to obtain the subsidy unlock code, but they likely have a policy that you must have had service for at least 30 days. Before too long, there may be after market companies that will sell an unlock service. If you still want to ba able to use the phone but don’t want to lock into a contract, cancel service within 30 days under the buyer’s remorse clause, purchase a new simcard and do an activation for ATT prepaid/gophone service.
[…] https://alexking.org/blog/2007/07/02/iphone-without-service […]
I advise against using the ATT Go Phone service. I signed up right after the iPhone went on sale. I could call out, but no one could call in. They kept saying the network would be up tomorrow. It took 3 weeks to sort out. No refund coming! Funds deposited into a Go Phone account are not refundable.
Go Phone customers are treated like absolute crap. When I had a regular contract with ATT, they treated me like a person. Now I’m garbage. You can bet I’m switching to another company next month.
Fantastic!
Exactly what I want – an iphone without the phone. Nobody in their right mind would want to hook up an iphone to ATT network when you can get much faster and cheaper internet from Sprint.
But many of us soon-to-be-former Palm owners would love to have an all-in-one ipod device that holds music, calendar, photos, etc. plus works on free WiFi.
So yes, I’ll gladly take an iphone and junk the ATT phone service!
What if I activate with AT&T, then immediately cancel… then what if I later SELL the (half-working) phone?
Can the new owner plug in their iPhone to their computer and somehow access MY iTunes account and credit card info with the SIM? Or does it work like an iPod where it erases everything when plugged into a new computer?
I assume the PDA/WiFi/etc functions require the SIM.
[…] your activation, you may cancel your contract without penalty within 30 days. Alex King has posted in his blog that he cancelled his contract and the iPhone still works as widescreen iPod […]
[…] And he wouldn’t have to pay AT&T another red cent. Which is precisely what some folks have wanted all […]
I had planned to activate and then cancel service within three days. I discovered that since I did the process at the public library, at&t couldn’t take my credit card info. Now I have what I wanted to begin with–a fully activated iphone without the phone.
I bought an iphone off a friend, It is still in AT&T Network, I don’t know when it will be cancelled but I would really want to use it in my own AT&T account later on. Someone mentioned something about not being able to use a different sim card BECAUSE the Iphone has SIMLOCK.
When I look under SIM PIN, I click “Change Pin” it says to enter my ‘3-DIGIT PIN’ to lock SIM..Does that mean the original owner DIDN’T Lock his SIM? Is there any way to find out my PIN? How can the PIN?
Never mind, I messed up, I don’t even know my own phone number, now its Locked Sim – And I can’t enter a PUK code because I Don’t know my FUCKING number great. Is there anything I can do beside throwing this shit down the sewer?
Help. I already have a go phone and my son has ordered an iphone for me. My account has unlimited media net and text msg. Do I still have to activate with a contract acct and cancel or can I just insert my sim card and go? I am a novice at all of this and need some expert tech help. Thanks in advance for your help. bulldog lady
Does the Maps application work solely on wi-fi, or does the phone have to be activated with the network service?
How about an update? Have you updated the iPhone (I noticed a software update after I activated my iPhone) since you cancelled the service? Have you update to iTune 7.4 and still have everything work fine? Does mail still work without service, you never mentioned that app?
[…] have gotten a good number of e-mails and comments recently asking if my iPhone still works without AT&T service, or if it’s been turned into a […]
[…] It’s almost identical to iPhone, even interface. But who needs 600dollar fancy phone if you are going to use it for calling? And do you want to know what’s the best? It costs half less And whats even better? It […]
bulldog lady again. well I got my iphone and during activation iwent ahead and selected a plan like i was going to get the 2 yr contract. of course the next step was a credit check which I failed. it gave me the option then to select prepaid which i took. I love this device. even prepaid it is just the greatest little gadget i have ever owned.
Looking at the terms of contract; it looks like one agrees to return any handsets purchased with the policy. How did you avoid returning the handset?
Hi , Does anyone know if AT&T customers who still have the old AT&T plans, prior to the AT&T/Cingular migration can use the unlocked IPHones that are being sold on ebay. I would love to get one, but I am not migrating over and losing all of my minutes (which is what AT&T is telling me that I have to do). They want add a data plan without me migrating over either. Please someone Help! I really like the Iphones
Well, I just tried to activate using fake ss#, got a message saying that my activation was in process and to check my email. Email said “additional information needed, call AT&T at….” Seems AT&T is now wise to this. Any advice on what I should do now?
I was wondering if anyone using their iPhone without a service contract (but still blocked) has updated to the new 1.1.1 software? I want to make sure that I’m still able to use my iPhone without service even after the update. Thanks.
[…] blakespot wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI was wondering if anyone using their iPhone without a service contract (but still blocked) has updated to the new 1.1.1 software? I want to make sure that I’m still able to use my iPhone without service even after the update. Thanks. […]
[…] GS3 wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt[…] blakespot wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI was wondering if anyone using their iPhone without a service contract […]
if you wanted a touch screen ipod and and wfi i would of got the ipod touch.
Get a clue. Do a LITTLE research before commenting stuff like, “why no just buy an iPod Touch..?” or “this is to be filed under truly useless.”. The iPhone has more differences than WIDESCREEN. It has a CAMERA, a SPEAKER, and BLUETOOTH also. And of course if you should ever decide you would like to use it ass a phone, it keeps that option open for you. For anyone with a brain, those tools are definitely worth the extra hundred dollars u pay for an iPhone of the same GB storage space.
And by the way, Joe King I just read your post. Great comment, very insightful, very useful.
I don’t mean to keep reposting but I wanted to give you all an update. I just called a local Apple store and asked what becomes of the iPhone in the event that a contract is cancelled for any reason. The customer service rep explained that some features MIGHT not work because the iPhone would then enter an “unregistered” state. Of course MIGHT being the key word, i asked her to talk to someone who knows FOR SURE what will happen. She left and came back and said everything SHOULD work fine. This time I asked her to speak to her manager or whoever can give me a DEFINITE answer instead of MIGHT and SHOULD. She returned on the line after talking to somebody, and explained that an “unregistered” iPhone WILL still function in all areas other than placing calls, and of course there will be no EDGE service. Just thought that “definite” answer may be useful to some of those who want an iPhone less the actual phone. I’ve got an iPod touch but am REALLY missing a camera and a speaker. Today I will be going into the Apple store to exchange my iPod touch for an iPhone. I’ll let you all know how my “unregistered” iPhone works.
I want to thank you folks for the posts. I already have a phone from work, but I wouldn’t mind getting an iPhone without service just for wi-fi and possibly other features if I can get one cheap enough. I heard that there is a new version iPhone coming out with EVDO, so maybe that will drive the price of the older iPhones down to the point that I can afford one.
I will also look at The Unofficial Apple Weblog
http://www.tuaw.com/
[…] durchaus in anderen Mobiltelefonen von AT&T verwenden: So hat ein anderer Iphone-Fan seinen Iphone-Tarif nämlich mittlerweile gekündigt. Sogar dann stehen die erwähnten Funktionen zur […]
[…] The iPhone Works Without AT&T Service | alexking.org # […]
Well, I just tried to activate using fake ss#, got a message saying that my activation was in process and to check my email. Email said “additional information needed, call AT&T at….†Seems AT&T is now wise to this. Any advice on what I should do now?
[…] hoe hoog in google wrote an interesting post today on Comment on The iPhone Works Without AT&T Service by hoe hoog in googleHere’s a quick excerptWell, I just tried to activate using fake ss#, got a message saying that my activation was in process and to check my email. Email said “additional information needed, call AT&T at….†Seems AT&T is now wise to this. … […]
this is retarded. If you people wanted a PDA with large storage capacity (4gb) wifi and bluetooth you should have all bought a palm lifedrive. But demand for that type of device was not sufficient that they had to discontinue that model.
So now, all of your arguments for having an iPhone with out the use of a phone, basically comes down to you wanting a palm lifedrive, just for a few hundred dollars more.
I dont understand why anyone would buy ANY apple products… except the wanna be, oh I am cool I buy apple cause M$ sux… get real…
I think some people are missing the point here. Being able to activate without AT&T means that with a SIM Unlock then you can use a different network and are not locked to AT&T. For example I moved to Belgium, so I want to use an iPhone with Proximus. This works, but only if you can activate the phone first. Then you jailbreak it and use a SIM unlock app or SIM adapter, then voila, fully functional iPhone for people who do not want AT&T service.
why didn’t you just get an ipod touch you halfwit?
sheesh.
but pretty cool that it worked!
oh, and i just noticed this lovely thing
-I dont understand why anyone would buy ANY apple products… except the wanna be, oh I am cool I buy apple cause M$ sux… get real…-
excuse me Joe, but you are obviously a geek who is stuck with windows 98 because you can’t figure out the pretty and EASY to use apple products.
Dear foolish namecaller, try checking the iPhone release date, this post date and the iPod touch release date.
iPhone does work with other carriers. All you have to do is jailbreak it then unlock it. Plus you get some cool apps. You can get the program that does that at:
modmyifone.com
A not happy AT&T guy told me AT&T will add fees on if I cancel but don’t show I returned the Iphone. Anyone know if I should take the threat seriously?
A more receptive Apple person said his supervisor said the phone would stop working once the SIM indicated the phone service was cancelled. Should I fear that.
I’m considering returning my Touch to make the switch but don’t want to pay the restocking fee (from Target) and then find out the Iphone/AT&T cancel causes me more headaches.
[…] : Alex King claims to have cancelled A&T service without losing a penny and is now using the iPhone both as […]
your dumb you can get an ipod touch its the same thing but more memory and $200 cheaper.
Hmm, you’re calling me “dumb” yet apparently you can’t read the comment 4 above yours or correctly spell “you’re” or “it’s”…
The ipod touch is the same thing without the phone…much cheaper and no contract needed..it finds the wi-fi signal and you go from there just like a Sony PSP or a laptop..look on craigslist and you can get an 8gb itouch for around $150-$200..cheaper then buying brand new
I’m with Dan Hausle, it’s been quite some time since this thread was started, so I’m wondering if AT&T has closed any of these lovely loopholes? I’m intending to buy soon (waiting to see if the G3 and GPS rumors come true) and use on T-Mobile (which I’ve had excellent (and relatively cheap) service with for years.
Can’t hardly wait! I hope AT&T hasn’t gotten mean!
As of today, the information provided in this post is still accurate.
If I buy a friend of mine’s old iPhone(First Gen), will it be able to sync and get updates on MY iTunes without a contract and SIM card? Thanks.
[…] about the 2.0 software. I’ve been using the iPhone as a test device for the last year, without any phone service.1 The iPhone with phone service is definitely more […]
I think its good to know that, because people with iPod touch’s know how it feels to want to take pictures and email them without using a computer or paying a big monthly bill.
I think this is good to know. Especially since Apple released the new iPhones at $199 and $299, yet the iPod touch has not been lowered in cost. So it’s possible for one to purchase a 16gb iPhone and use it as an iPod touch for $100 less than the current 16gb iPod touch.
Slainte!
So are you able to use your edge service without being on a plan? is it jsut using a normal ipod touch?
How do you get around adding lines to your account, then canceling those lines and keeping the phone. I have tried and tried in the past few hours to get them to cancel the phones lines that I just signed up for (yesterday).. and still keep the iPhone. But they said they cannot and will not cancel the phone line if I do not return the phone unless I wait 60 days.
I have been using my 1st gen iphone as a wifi video ipod for several weeks. Here is why: when the new iphone 3G came out I was immensely disappointed. I like all the cool bundled features (ipod, You tube, etc) but I also want a cell phone with all the things that most phones can do – like cut/copy and paste! Or forward a sms! I used the iphone for a year then instead of purchasing new 3G, opted instead to purchase LG Shine (beautiful phone). I can use the iphone on wifi for emails and YouTube and internet. I also am excited about the Mobile Me syncing. I am having difficulty however syncing items to/from the iphone. Not sure if this is due to no sim card or because there are problems in general. If anyone knows let me know. In short, I can swap the sim card back and forth between phones.
I ran into some difficulty when I needed to upgrade to 2.0 (as I said before, I did not want to buy the 3G mainly because the original iphone seems sleeker, and better built. Beautiful piece of gadgetry – whereas I feel the new 3G is plasticky and cheap feeling). Because I had jailbreaked my iphone, I needed to do a full restore and then upgrade. I needed a sim card to reactivate the iphone. The kicker is, I simply placed an old inactive sim card and now I have a fully restored iphone running 2.0.
Sorry for rambling, but I can see why someone would want to take out the sim card. I can use it as a pocket mac if this mobile me sync can get answered – I would also have a great pda.
How do I unlock a iphone first gen and how can I get it on Verizon instead of just trying to use it as an ipod?
Natalie –
Prior to the 2.0 upgrade, there is a program out there by Ziphone (www.ziphone.org) which can jailbreak and unlock. There are others, but I found Ziphone the easiest. If you have already upgraded or purchased the new iphone 3G ziphone may not work. As of last week the developer had not released the hack for 2.0 – not sure if he will.
I hear however that there are hackers out there who have figured out 2.0 and have updates to their jailbreaking hacks. I;m sure the good folks on this forum can help or simply do a Google search.
I am not too familiar with Verizon, but once you unlock the phone any service using a sim card is available to you. Good Luck.
digirati99:
What exactly is a sim card? And thanks for the help!!
Kevin, you said “I’ll let you all know how my “unregistered†iPhone works.” .. So, how does it work??
I understand exactly why someone would want an iphone without AT&T service…I have great phone service with sprint but desire a wi-fi enabled, note taking, full browser, with camera device that I carry in my pocket and sync with my desktop.
If apple made an ipod touch with a camera, I would buy it.
digiratti99,
Are you saying that you were able to upgrade your first-gen iPhone to 2.0 without an active att account?
I’m asking because my friend just got a new 3G and he gave me his first-gen. I don’t have att and plan on using it just as an iPod touch w/ a camera. As of now it works fine apart from the phone and edge service obviously. Unfortunately, my friend didn’t upgrade to the new 2.0 software before activating his 3G. Now from what I have read on the Internet, upgrading now could render my first -gen unusable.
If anyone knows of a way to upgrade a deactivated first-gen iPhone to 2.0 without reactivating, it would be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone know if the new 3g iphone works without ATT service as well?
Here’s what I’m thinking…buy an iPhone, cancel the AT&T service, then for $60 a year I can have a Skype number and with a program like IM+ Skype, I’ll be able to use my Skype number on my iPhone. That means anywhere I can get a wifi signal, I can use my iPhone to make calls through Skype for $60 a year instead of $69.99 a month. Do you guys know if this will work?
So, if I upgrade my original iphone to the 3g model, I can or cannot use my old phone as an ipod?
Kevin, where are you with that info you spoke of. Really, I just want an iphone because of all the features and am very interested by what I’ve been reading. Alex, this has been talked about but I just want to make sure. Can I go tomorrow and buy the new 3G, then cancel within a few days and keep my iphone. Then I can unlock it and put a t-mobile sim in it and use it. 100%–all features ??? This seems too good to be true. I did call an Apple store and they said that you can unlock it but that you wouldn’t be able to get upgrades and it would void the iphone warranty. What information can you offer me, before I spend the $500 deposit AT&T wants because of my crappy credit? Are they going to make me return my iphone if I cancel or refuse to give me my $$$ back. Thanks!!
With the iPhone 3G AT&T/Apple introduced discounts for contract agreements. If you buy the iPhone 3G at full price my original info should apply.
Thanks. If I decide to get the iphone and do this; I’ll post again with update.
I’d like to knw if it is possible to buy the iphone without an ATT call plan for $199. I am in India n the price here is almost 4 times as compared to $199 in US. My friend in US is gonna get tat phone for me. So it would be of great help if someone helps me out with this regards. And will that phone work in India later. What is the fee for activation, supposing the phone needs to be bought only with a call plan from ATT n will that amount be refunded if deactivated within few days?
Well of course it works. When apple built the phone the added a blue tooth device like much newer laptops have that recieve the basic wi-fi frequencies. And they also built in mp3. At&t or any phone company cannot just deactivate other services they dont provide. They only can charge u if you are connecting to the internet through one of there towers in which this case you are not. And the phone companies have no right to remove any software bc that would violate international copy right laws. The only thing they can do is not provide you with service to there towers allowing the use if there privatly owned number and internect connection the broadcast pretty much globally. So yes ur iphone will continue to work until it breaks or just plain out dies. but u just wont get internet everywhere there isnt a hotspot or be capable of making phone calls
I want to use the iphone as part of my existing family plan but I do not want the 30.00 per month data internet plan. If I buy a phone on ebay can’t I just put my SIM card in and be good to go?
Hey Jen,
I just read the att wireless service agreement and you can try what you said but if att finds out you have an iphone then you have “agreed” to a $30 data plan. It also states they can raise your plan without notification you.
iPhone Customers
AT&T is Apple’s exclusive carrier partner for iPhone in the United States. An eligible data plan for iPhone is required. This data plan covers data usage in the United States and does not cover international data usage and charges. If AT&T determines that I am using an iPhone on my account without an eligible data plan, AT&T reserves the right to add an eligible data plan to my account and bill me the appropriate monthly fee.
I just got a 1st generation iPhone and I had ot reactivate it to get it to work with the version 2.0 software that was on it. I had to activate it with the whole ‘fail the credit check’ thing to get the pay as you go plan, but then I had to pay $72 bucks up front for the plan and they’ll auto deduct that from my checking each month. Where do I go now? I don’t want to pay this each month.
Thanks for the great info. I still have several questions for the WIze Boys out there.
What is the most economical way to purchase an iphone. Should i just get one “European version” which is unlocked and save myself more headecks or just get new at ATT and pay ETF and keep the phone. Can i still use T-Mobils sim Internet only card and use internet and other apps excluding phone calls.
Thanks
Hey Alex,
Thanks for the great post regarding the iPhone without service. I’ve checked out prices, and it turns out that the newer generation iPhone is actually cheaper than the similiarly memory modelled iPod Touch, with more features. To me, that makes no sense. (Checking on Best Buy prices, the 8gb iPhone costs $199, while the iPod Touch costs $229.) I’d rather pay $299 for a 16gb iPhone and cancel the contract to get an extra camera and bluetooth functionality. I have a work phone, so I don’t need any cellular functionality at all. I’ve always wondered if I can get an iPhone and just not activate it, or cancel the service afterwards. You’ve just answered that question for me!
Thanks again,
Ian
Alex, you seem to be the iphone genius I’ve been looking for. From what I understand, when someone purchases the iphone, at&t “registers” the phone, which activates the data plan. I’m constantly surrounded by wifi and don’t want to pay the $30/month for the data plan. I’ve thought about this a little and wonder if it will work. What if I go back to a corporate at&t store more than 30 days after the date of purchase(i need the cell phone service) and have them unregister the phone? I’ve talked to a few different at&t reps that say they will gladly unregister the phone. I’m wondering if I can then take the new sim card they give me and put it in the “unregistered” iphone. The card is active, my line is still active, so shouldn’t the iphone work? I can tell at&t to block interent so I don’t accidentally get charged. PLEASE let me know what you think. Thanks
i buddy of mine has a iphone and he plans on cancelling his service and go to another company and get a new phone completely. i was gonna buy a ipod touch, and he offered to give me his iphone for free. once the service is cancelled, can i use the iphone as an ipod and not have to have any service. i know its dumb to have an iphone and not use it as a phone, but its saving me the money for a ipod touch.
I acquired an iphone 3g from a friend. I activated it on itunes – i put my old at&t sim card in it and now my att account shows that i have an iphone, but my regular non data plan is still in effect. Is this normal? will att secretly start charging me more? Can I make an itunes store account and get apps? If anyone has these answers please let me know!
does this still work on the newer modles caus every one is saying it doesn.t
and have you heard of skype a free or almost free talking plan that uses wifi
Can I buy an Iphone and only use it as an Ipod touch? Or is that crazy!!
For cancelling the contract, is it true you get charged extra for not returning the “merchandise” (iphone) ? Also does your credit score get affected by this?
Hi.. wonderin if i can buy an iphone without opting for any plan at all.
i wouldnt mind unlocking the device to be used with a differnet service..
if u think this is possible – plsplsplspls lemme know where would one go to buy an iphone without the at&t plan?
Does the GPS still work??
can you still upgrade the 1st gen iphone to 2.1 without any network service? i am only using the iphone as an ipod and for wifi.
do i need to reactivate and get the service from at&t to upgrade it? please help!!!
I bought my 3G iPhone from Greece last month. It has really wonderful features, I enjoy it. You can contact to good person who can help you out. Here is his email ID zoomobileslimited@gmail.com
iPhone without AT&T works like iTouch?
I wanted to know if you can still use the iphone apps without voice service from At&t. I have had my iphone for about six months and I am going to let them turn it off for non payment. I hate At&t but I love my iphone!
Is it possible to get the iphone 3Gs and only pay for the internet. i don’t need a cell phone. but i would like to have the iphone and the internet without paying for the phone service?
I have a cell phone that I am happy with. I am looking at getting an ipod touch to play around with and listen to music on, but i like the additional features like GPS, microphone, and compass on the new iphone. If I could find a cheaper iphone, used or refurbished, would I be able to use it for GPS, wi-fi…etc?
out of curiosity, how do you reset your iphone?
I can’t belive someone hasn’t posted about jailbreaking and unlocking the iphone on this post yet!! If you unlock the iphone, which can be done very easily and for free with QuickPawn you can insert ANY sim card in the phone for ANY carrier and the phone capabilities work as well. If you want to know how just find a youtube video explaining it, search for: Unlock iphone using quickpwn. Really guys, get with the times.
I have not found the details in this or the other blog.
What exaclty did you do when you cancelled the service?
Did you cancel within the first 3 days, 30 days, or after the 30 days?
Obviously, you kept the phone. Did they charge you extra to keep it?
my brother had an iphone and he got a new one, he gave me the old phone. i already have a phone with AT&T and am wondering if it possible to use the iphone with my sim card without having to go through AT&T?
ATT&T cut off my phone service on my iPhone since where I live on the Hopi Reservation has become re-designated as a “Roaming” area, so I am no longer eligible for phone service for my iPhone. I hope I will still be able to continue using other phone features via Wi-Fi, as well as to keep upgrading my software. I have heard rumors that Apples exclusive iPhone contract with AT&T will end next spring: any truth to this? I really like my iPhone…I HATE AT&T!!!
Didn’t read all the posts, but I see it as a useful way to have a iphone app tester that isn’t your main phone.
Could it also be jailbroken and then used to test applications that will never get into the app store, like porn?
My daughter is moving to Germany and she’s on my plan with an Iphone. She wants to keep it, I don’t want to continue to pay the monthly fees just so the phone will work with wifi.
I’ve seen the posts that say it’s crazy to use the iphone as an itouch just for wifi but if you already have paid for an Iphone and want to keep the camera function that the Itouch doesn’t have, then it’s not crazy to keep the Iphone and use it as an Itouch.
Why not just buy an Ipod touch????
Perhaps because no such thing existed in July 2007?
Here’s the situation I was in: I bought the iphone when I lived in an area where there was (spotty but adequate) AT&T coverage, and then, three months later, I moved to a new place and started housesitting for a friend who lives in the country. This area has NO AT&T service… but my friend’s house has wireless internet and a landline phone… so, really, I don’t need AT&T’s services (not that I can connect out here anyway; ever since I moved in, the phone’s screen has consistently read NO SERVICE). But it’s nice to be able to connect with the internet and check email on the phone via the wifi, and still be able to use all the web-based apps I downloaded. I listen to a lot of radio on my iphone (AOL radio, Pandora, CBC, MLB At Bat) and I’m glad I can still access all of those apps without paying $80+ a month for service that I can’t even access at home.
Wow. I can’t believe so many of you think that it wouldn’t work as a phone anymore. There is a Skype app that works great for iPhone- and the app and phone service are FREE! It’s all about VoiP.
i was given an iphone from a friend it was jailbroken to work with tmobile worked great…she took her sim out gave it to me and i have not yet put my sim in…howver the screen will not go past the silver apple logo. i put her sim back in and did a full reset and waited the hour….took her sim out tried powering it on and still nothing. any idea what i should do? please email powell124@hotmail.com
sorry… i even tried just putting my sim in..which is tmobile also and nothing else happends….
I suggest doing this stuff all at your own risk. My personal experience was very easy and it worked for me. All the info below I got off of the internet from vsrious places, tried them myself and shared my experience.
For anybody that has an iphone that needs to be reset. This will get likeley get rid of all the daa on your phone. This will work for you Max.
Hold the home button (the big button on the bottom center of the phone). Don’t let go of that button and now hold the top power off button. You are now holding both buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until the apple symbol appears. WHen that happens let go of the top, power off button but make sure that you are still holding the home button. Keep holding for 30 seconds and you should see an image of a usb cable connected to the earth.
You can now attach your phone to itunes, download the newest version and your phone will work with no service. What is better about this than an ipod touch is that you can get the skype app from the app store and you will have a telephone wherever you have wifi internet access. This allows for free calling.
Also, if anybody wants to jailbreak their phone go to balckra1n.com. Notice that it’s blackrain.com with the i replaced as a 1. When you go to the page scroll to the bottom and you will see a picture of the windows symbol on the left or the mac symbol on the right. Whichever computer you have just save, unzip and run the file. Connect your iphone to your computer and click make it rain. It will reset your phone a couple of times. Once it comes back on you will have a black rain icon. Click it and install cydia and rock. They are where you can install jailbroken apps that apple won’t approve.
I reccomend cycorder because it allows phones before the 3gs to take video. There are also a few methods of how to teather your iphone. This allows you to have internet access through your laptop wherever your phone has internet connection. This is great when no wifi is available. You will be amazed how fast the 3g is through your laptop compared to your iphone.
You can have the teatherd phone work as a wireless network or connect the iphone directly to your computer. If you don’t have home wifi you can connect it directly to your computer and you now have free internet at home.
It’s sweet.
Justin, this is exactly what I plan to do with 2G iphone I just purchased from ebay. The only question is can I do the entire reset, update, and blackra1n without SIM card? The plan is to use T-mobile SIM card afterwords.
Thanks!
So tell the whole world about it so ATT will fix the problem, and you will no longer have service.
Thats cool cus u can get an iphone for about $100 and an ipod touch for about $250 so ur better off getting the iphone with camera even if u just want it for a fancy ipod i wish i woud have known that befor i got my ipod
If I cancel the plan in 3 or 30 days do they take the fone bak or do I get to keep it
I’m so glad to hear that it works as an ipod and wifi without the contract. I never wanted an iphone but I want an ipod and don’t feel like paying all that money for an itouch. However, walmart is selling the iphone for $97.00. All I want is the music. It’s like having the itouch…just for $97.00!
[…] set out to upgrade my iPhone software yesterday. After buying the phone, I followed Alex’s instructions for cancelling my AT&T service, so now it’s an iPod Touch with a SIM card slot. […]
i hav an LG CU920 with unlimited text and data , problem is the LG isnt a smartphone and there is several websites i cant open
if i buy an iphone , can i use my sim card out of my LG phone and just use it in my new iphone without at&t knowing i hav iphone
they wont let me upgrade yet , they say my contract isnt available for upgrade yet.
can someone help me with this , keep in mind that i”m completely new to all this iphone stuff.
[…] Alex King posts in his blog that he has done this… though he simply canceled his contract and […]
wouldn’t it be an Ipod touch then
My IPhone does not work where I live so when my contract is up, I plan to switch to Verizon, which does work where I live.
I hope to continue to be able to use my Iphone for Wifi, email and my calendar.
This blog make me hopeful that this will be possible.
Yep, use skype and you still got a phone, I will be giving mine to my kid for a mini iPad! For those of you that didn’t see the benefit in this, your an idiot that can’t think outside the box!
Great news for the grounded teenager
What happens if you want to upgrade your iPhone can you still use your old iPhone to listen to music or play games and stuff on it or nothing will work please help me out
Still no definitive answer as to whether or not the GPS capabilities are still functional. Are they functional or not?
I haven’t paid my Sprint bill for my iPhone in about 6 months. I can still imessage people with iphones and make voip calls over wifi. Obviously it isn’t ideal, it still works. I live on Long Island and there is wifi virtually everywhere. I find myself gettin the wifi password at every establishment I go to.