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Confused about 3GS Unlock/Activate/Baseband

D

Dominus

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 28, 2008
12
0
I just jailbroke my iPhone 3GS with 3.1.2 firmware BUT it has the correct iBoot-359.3

It all went well but there is no cellphone service. I'm on AT&T, so I don't need to unlock. I seem to see conflicting instructions on the proper way to use Pwnage Tool. 3.1.4 to get my phone working.

Do I have to start over?

Do I check or uncheck Activate?

Do I want to update baseband or not?

Also, I read it's bad to restore the phone from a backup, because it causes fast battery drainage. True?

If I did everything right, how do I get the cellphone service working again?
 
You must use expert mode and uncheck the "Activate" checkbox. That checkbox should really be labeled "Hacktivate," because it is the checkbox for those who can't "Activate" their phones through iTunes. If you did not do that, you must redo your jailbreak using a new .ipsw.

You should probably keep the 4.28.06 baseband if possible, but be aware that you will have to install ultrasn0w (the unlock tool) on your phone to get your carrier to show up in the status bar. This is because 3.1 changed the way it expects to hear the carrier string reported by the baseband. Ultrasn0w fixes this problem. Don't worry, you can unlock and still use AT&T without any problems.

If at all possible, you should avoid restoring from a backup. In my experience backups cause all sorts of problems, including the battery drainage one. Best to play it safe and set up as new, IMO. You could always give it a try and see how it works for you, though.
 
Thank you for your kindness and patience answering questions you've probably been asked before!
 
oh and follow-up question: Is it true that the missing AT&T logo is purely cosmetic or should I go ahead with ultrasn0w?
 
Dominus said:
oh and follow-up question: Is it true that the missing AT&T logo is purely cosmetic or should I go ahead with ultrasn0w?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is true that it is only cosmetic. Be aware, though, that if you live or travel near the Canadian or Mexican borders you will not be able to tell if you are roaming. You could incur significant charges if you aren't careful. That's the way in which the issue could be more than cosmetic.
 
Strangely enough, I ran Pwnage correctly this time *and* I have my AT&T logo.

That is a very important tip regarding Canada/Mexico roaming!
 
thelatinist said:
I know. My mother lives in northern Vermont, near the Canadian border. I'm always worried I'm going to pick up a Rogers signal while I'm up there and open my bill to find huge roaming charges.
Click to expand...

Can't you just turn roaming off in settings? I always thought that was what that setting was for. :confused:
 
Night Spring said:
Can't you just turn roaming off in settings? I always thought that was what that setting was for. :confused:
Click to expand...

For data roaming, yes. But that setting does not affect voice calls. If I don't know I'm on a Canadian tower, I could incur huge roaming charges for voice calls without knowing it. I'm also not at all sure that the data roaming setting works if your phone doesn't recognize what network you are on...
 
thelatinist said:
For data roaming, yes. But that setting does not affect voice calls. If I don't know I'm on a Canadian tower, I could incur huge roaming charges for voice calls without knowing it.
Click to expand...

Huh. That's a huge oversight, to not include a setting that would turn off voice roaming as well as data!

I'm also not at all sure that the data roaming setting works if your phone doesn't recognize what network you are on...
Click to expand...

I thought the phone does know what network it is on, it's just that the carrier info isn't displayed correctly? I may be totally wrong, but that was the impression I got from the explanation of the bug I've seen somewhere.
 
Night Spring said:
I thought the phone does know what network it is on, it's just that the carrier info isn't displayed correctly? .
Click to expand...

Isn't the phone programmed to lock onto the strongest signal ? And if the phone may know (it obviously does as it will report it's ECID for roaming costs) but if you don't know, you could get slammed on your statement.
 
iPhone-power said:
Isn't the phone programmed to lock onto the strongest signal ? And if the phone may know (it obviously does as it will report it's ECID for roaming costs) but if you don't know, you could get slammed on your statement.
Click to expand...

Well, yes, that's what thelatinist pointed out with regard to voice calls. But he also voiced a concern that the data roaming settings wouldn't work because the phone doesn't "know" which network it is on, and I was pointing out that the phone should know, it's just the user who doesn't.
 
Night Spring said:
Well, yes, that's what thelatinist pointed out with regard to voice calls. But he also voiced a concern that the data roaming settings wouldn't work because the phone doesn't "know" which network it is on, and I was pointing out that the phone should know, it's just the user who doesn't.
Click to expand...

Not only does it not display in the statusbar, it also doesn't display in Settings>General>About (it says "Unknown"). How can I be sure that it is reported properly to whatever process handles the data roaming setting?
 
thelatinist said:
Not only does it not display in the statusbar, it also doesn't display in Settings>General>About (it says "Unknown"). How can I be sure that it is reported properly to whatever process handles the data roaming setting?
Click to expand...

Mmmm, good point! Hopefully someone knowledgable about the workings of carrier network settings will see this thread and shed some light on this issue!
 
Because I've been in both Canada and Mexico and watched the carrier to jump to those other carriers. I wouldn't even realized this was a problem if not recalling and article about the cellphone bill shock that early adopters of the iPhone received traveling to China.
 
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