Advice for iPhone user moving to China

[superstudlyhunk]

Hello, newbie here with a situation at hand.. and am looking for any helpful advice!

I have an unbricked, 1.1.2v iPhone with a few-month old AT&T contract, but am suddenly moving to China in a week. All I want to do is to be able to use my phone there with a Chinese SimCard without losing all my previously stored data.

So, any recommendations on how to accomplish this? Do I need to pay that huge penalty if i'm moving out of the country? Also, thoughts on when to cancel the contract.. before I leave the country or after I get there?

Thanks so much!

 

[imacdaddy]

I have an unbricked, 1.1.2v iPhone with a few-month old AT&T contract, but am suddenly moving to China in a week.

What do you you mean you have an unbricked iPhone? Jailbroken? Unlocked?

In order for your iphone to work internationally, you need to jailbreak and then unlock it. Then you need to install iWorld from the installer.app and select the country, in your case China. The sim card from there should work.

 

[superstudlyhunk]

It's a regular iphone.. i haven't done anything to it yet. Does it matter when I should jailbreak and unlock it, right now or wait until I get to China? also can i jailbreak it even after I cancel my AT&T contract?? thanks!

What do you you mean you have an unbricked iPhone? Jailbroken? Unlocked?

In order for your iphone to work internationally, you need to jailbreak and then unlock it. Then you need to install iWorld from the installer.app and select the country, in your case China. The sim card from there should work.

 

[englishgraham]

how about you just stay here with your iphone and not go to china ? just a thought

 

[odaiwai]

If it has the 4.6 bootloader you are S.O.L. and will not be able to unlock it.

Don't worry. Pass through Hong Kong on your way and you'll be able to pick up an unlocked one no problem.

Just about every independent phone shop (i.e., not affiliated with a Cell Network) has them for sale.

 

[superstudlyhunk]

cancelling at&t contract

Thanks for the responses!

...but if i cancel my AT&T contract now, will I still be able to jailbreak it later in China without service? and what about all the stored data on my phone (contacts, notes, pictures, etc).. is that erased when I void the contract or will it still be on the phone when I turn it on again in China?

 

[odaiwai]

Actually, I was a little bit wrong earlier on: if you have a 4.6 bootloader, you can crack that with a TurboSim solution. You'll basically need to pass through Hong Kong on your way to China (although it can probably be done elsewhere) and get a superpowered sim card to fool your iPhone into thinking it's on AT&T.

As for your contacts, bookmarks, etc. All that stuff is synced to your Mac, so if you do stuff to your iPhone which blanks it, all you have to do is sync again.

Pictures are stored on your iPhone - just import the lot into iPhoto before travelling.

 

[spriter]

Thanks for the responses!

...but if i cancel my AT&T contract now, will I still be able to jailbreak it later in China without service? and what about all the stored data on my phone (contacts, notes, pictures, etc).. is that erased when I void the contract or will it still be on the phone when I turn it on again in China?

Sync it with iTunes and that'll keep a backup. As well as syncing to your Mac. Then you can restore it or re-sync.

Where are you going in China? I'd try to find a way to get out of any contract you're in and buy one there.

If you're going to or passing through Beijing, head to Zhōngguāncūn (中关村) which is a well-known electronics district...take the Line 2 subway to Xīzhímén (西直门), transfer to Line 13 and get off at Wǔdàokǒu (五道口). From there it's a 10min/15RMB taxi to Zhōngguāncūn. The taxi driver will know if you just say it or point to a camera, MP3 or other electronic device. Head inside the main mall, ignore the mass of people who flock to you and go up the escalator. There are many sellers there who you can bargain with and play against each other to get the price down. Pre-unlocked phones are around 300-500RMB more so better to check the firmware etc and DIY.

Outside of Beijing, they can be difficult to find IME, especially non-fakes. Shanghai is possible, I'd think, although I never looked there (I bought in Zhōngguāncūn).