iPhone 3Gs Setup - Step by Step

[johnboy1845]

I got a T-mobile SIM card and installed it for about 3.5 hours, restarted the phone several times and drove through 3 towns that should have had service. Never got Cellular Data Network to come up. Not to discourage others from trying but I don't know if it is my phone or just my luck.

[thehofoguy]

I got a T-mobile SIM card and installed it for about 3.5 hours, restarted the phone several times and drove through 3 towns that should have had service. Never got Cellular Data Network to come up. Not to discourage others from trying but I don't know if it is my phone or just my luck.

I'm sorry to hear that. Your experience would seem to contradict that the TMO sim swap will work on an officially unlocked 3GS. For whatever reason, it appears the TMO sim swap will only work on the 4/4S iphones, unlocked or not.

As I've indicated to you previously in an earlier post, and in a response to a direct message, you only have two other options that I'm aware of in order to get MMS working. Jailbreak, which you've indicated you are reticent to do, or modify .plist files as discussed here http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...k-no-jailbreak.

I was personally more bothered by the procedure necessary to modify .plist files than I was by jailbreaking. Plus I just read on another thread today that someone who went the .plist modification route is loosing their settings every time they turn their phone off and then back on. If that is true, it makes that a totally unacceptable option in my opinion.

Please keep us posted on which way you go. I wish there was an easier way.

[AZ-Toolman]

I have two iPhones 3GS Jailbroken & one unlocked.
Went to straight talk
Since my phone were ATT, APN settings were blocked.
Used unlockit.co.nz and data worked, internet and messages but wouldn't send pictures mms or receive.
Removed unlockit and installed tether me on Cydia. I didn't have time to figure out SSH and modify APN settings so I paid $4.99 for tether me.
Added the correct APN settings. But I had to remove sim with phone on, shut down, reboot & add SIM.
Pictures in MMS started working.

[thehofoguy]

I have two iPhones 3GS Jailbroken & one unlocked.
Went to straight talk
Since my phone were ATT, APN settings were blocked.
Used unlockit.co.nz and data worked, internet and messages but wouldn't send pictures mms or receive.
Removed unlockit and installed tether me on Cydia. I didn't have time to figure out SSH and modify APN settings so I paid $4.99 for tether me.
Added the correct APN settings. But I had to remove sim with phone on, shut down, reboot & add SIM.
Pictures in MMS started working.

Just wanted to point out to other readers that free sources of most tweaks/apps exist. For example, if you add the sinfuliphonerepo.com (Sources/Edit/Add) in Cydia, then you can install TetherMe for free.

Jailbreaking your iPhone is by far the easiest and most efficient way to deal with the MMS problem. Not to mention the major improvement that you've made to your phone by jailbreaking so that you can add a vast world of additional functionality once you've removed Apple's silly restrictions.

[Jon Boehm]

For what its worth I have a 3GS 5.0.1 jailbroken and unlocked with UltraSnow. Sim Swap works fine for me. Before I installed a Cydia DataMonitor I could even reboot and MMS continued to work. After the DataMonitor install I have to redo the sim swap of each reboot/respring. A bit of a pain but not too bad. Installing the profile from unlockit preserves the data after reboot/respring but MMS still need to be tweaked.

THE KEY is to follow the instruction very exactly. I start by disabling WiFi and creating or reusing a Note with the config setting to copy to the clipboard. Put in the TMobile SIM. Go to the menue. SWAP YOUR ST SIM IN NOW. Don't change any settings yet. Switch to your note. Wait until you the carrier text switches from Searching to Home 3G and expected number of bars. This can take a bit and a couple of icon fluctuation before it all settles out. Change apps to Settings. You should still be in Cellular Data. Give it moment often things change before your eyes. Now you can start copying from your Note and Pasting in the settings. Finish up and follow the directions exactly. Works for me and I've done it on 2 different 3GS phones

[noritaarf]

Humm, with my 3GS, I sent a email to At&t asking for the unlock. Two days later, I download in iTUnes and bingo..it's unlocked. I insert either a ST SIM or a T-Mo (genuine T-Mo, not ST) and get ALL features working on both SIMS..including MMS! Is not a At&t unlock much simpler than all of these work arounds? Btw, my 3GS is os version 5.0.1 if that matters. Btw, iTunes stores the unlock so in the event I ever need to replace the phone, I can download and I'm good.

Jimxx200, I am a complete noob to iphone and have very little working knowledge of cell phones, so please bear with me... my friend is on ATT and gave me her old iphone3. Who needs to contact ATT, her or me? if she contacts them then it woudl go to her itunes account? but if I contact them I am not the ATT customer for that phone. make sense? thanks in advance for any help.

[efparri]

The unlock status is stored on Apple's servers and is independent of an iTunes account. The process simply uses iTunes as a means to contact the Apple servers. One should restore from the same computer containing the backup for that actual iPhone.

[jboehm]

I should expand my instructions a bit. I've found, when upgrading to 5.1, that I needed to install UltraSn0w in order for the Cellular Data menu to show up when the TMobile SIM. So install UltraSn0w before you begin.

For what its worth I have a 3GS 5.0.1 jailbroken and unlocked with UltraSnow. Sim Swap works fine for me. Before I installed a Cydia DataMonitor I could even reboot and MMS continued to work. After the DataMonitor install I have to redo the sim swap of each reboot/respring. A bit of a pain but not too bad. Installing the profile from unlockit preserves the data after reboot/respring but MMS still need to be tweaked.

THE KEY is to follow the instruction very exactly. I start by disabling WiFi and creating or reusing a Note with the config setting to copy to the clipboard. Put in the TMobile SIM. Go to the menue. SWAP YOUR ST SIM IN NOW. Don't change any settings yet. Switch to your note. Wait until you the carrier text switches from Searching to Home 3G and expected number of bars. This can take a bit and a couple of icon fluctuation before it all settles out. Change apps to Settings. You should still be in Cellular Data. Give it moment often things change before your eyes. Now you can start copying from your Note and Pasting in the settings. Finish up and follow the directions exactly. Works for me and I've done it on 2 different 3GS phones

[noritaarf]

Okay, so I have my iphone3g AT&T unlocked it via itunes. I installed the StraightTalk sim and can make calls and can get on the internet via 3G. I cannot MMS. I tried Redsn0w but I got to the part where it says hold down power button for 2 second, then hold home button for 10 seconds, the let go of power button and it get on error right there, it says something like "usb communication error" and then the phone is dead in the water. Have to go back on itunes to restore and start all over. I see lots of step by step for all iphons except iphone3g. When I go to settings>general>cellular data, I only have on/off, I cannot change the APN settings. I tried installing cydia but it tells me that iphone3 does not support. Can anyone help me? I am completely lost with tech terminology, so please keep it simple, even as simple as "plug your iphone into your computer" kind of simple ;-) I've been trying to do this for over 4 hours and I am so frustrated and lost.

[Zmk76]

To get data working go to www.unlockit.co.nz from your iPhone browser while on wifi and follow the prompts and then install. That will get data working. If you are on iOS 6 and want mms I think you are screwed, otherwise you can use the tmobile sim swap method that instructions are everywhere for or you can jailbreak and install tetherme.

[cooter55]

To get data working go to www.unlockit.co.nz from your iPhone browser while on wifi and follow the prompts and then install. That will get data working. If you are on iOS 6 and want mms I think you are screwed, otherwise you can use the tmobile sim swap method that instructions are everywhere for or you can jailbreak and install tetherme.

have to agree this would be your best bet.

[noritaarf]

To get data working go to from your iPhone browser while on wifi and follow the prompts and then install. That will get data working. If you are on iOS 6 and want mms I think you are screwed, otherwise you can use the tmobile sim swap method that instructions are everywhere for or you can jailbreak and install tetherme.

I already got the data working w/ unlockit. I have iphone3g with 4.2.1
I have tried to jail break and it is not working. I followed the step by step with Redsn0w and it completely erased the phone and it wouldn't even turn on and then redsnow said it had "a usb communication error". I restored in itunes and tried again, w/ same result. I have googled for another jailbreak for iphone3g and can't find anything.
sorry if I sound stupid, I am frustrated and not getting anywhere. thanks for tying to help me.

[noritaarf]

I already got the data working w/ unlockit. I have iphone3g with 4.2.1
I have tried to jail break and it is not working. I followed the step by step with Redsn0w and it completely erased the phone and it wouldn't even turn on and then redsnow said it had "a usb communication error". I restored in itunes and tried again, w/ same result. I have googled for another jailbreak for iphone3g and can't find anything.
sorry if I sound stupid, I am frustrated and not getting anywhere. thanks for tying to help me.

I tried Green pois0n last night. It gets to the part where you hold down the power button for 2 seconds, and the home button for 10 seconds then just the home button for 15 seconds and it never does what it supposed to do. The video said "If it doesn't go into DFU mode, just keep trying, it eventually will" but I probably tried 50 times. It is doing something because I hear it connect or disconnect, my computer makes that noisethat it makes when it connects. It does it 2 times in the button pushing sequence, but it just doesn't go into DFU.

[Car6on14]

Nori, I am running a 3g, its my first iphone and I did the jailbreak back in feb so trying to remember..., but I am pretty sure I used ultrasn0w to jailbreak, check into that.

[bmccrory]

i have an iphone 3gs through at&t. im tired of them jacking up my bill. i want to use my iphone on straight talk. do i need to get it unlocked from at&t and if so how?