iPhone Need Advice re "Unexpected JB+Locked" eBay iPhone 3GS

[beegie]

I"M STILL HERE... & Latest Update from Seller

Hi people, I'm still here, had to do a major long snooze to recoup the brain cells to continue this saga. I'm just getting started again late tonight/Sunday, so please give time for the coffee to kick in & I'll be back.

I'll be answering BL4zD's "supa fine detailed" post tonight but it'll take me awhile to type it up.

Update From Seller:

Finally got a reply from the ebay Seller via ebay's Resolution Center. Can I post his reply here but w/o his name, etc. (is that allowed?). I don't like to pick on people who can't help it, but his reply is almost illegible & nearly incomprehensible (he can't read/write/spell/comprehend American written English very well).

The gist is that he's now blaming me for "playing games" & saying he's "losing money" & that he "doesn't have time" to be messing with "game-playing"! Pffff! (Hey buddy, I did not CREATE the problem, you did by not being upfront re the JB & the not-unlocked-BY-carrier, etc.)

Here's just part of his response (if it is not allowed for me to post it here, please let me know &/or mods remove the below indented info).

I added the bold for emphasis.

"my friend as you see i don't have too much time wasting whit this.
thi sphone i buy and i never used. please feel free to send me back in the same condition you buy and we refund the full amount of your payment.
our policies are clear and unfortunly for us, we relished the item whit less details than we post in the original ad.​

So he now says his ORIGINAL ad DID say it was JB. That's not true either. I SAW his original ad & wrote TO him RE that ORIGINAL ad (which I would NOT have done if it had clearly said it was JB, as I bypassed ALL ebay ads that truthfully advertised their iphone 3Gs's as JB). He had written back at that time that THAT original sale had Ended (the phone did not sell, but only that the sale had ran out of time/ended without it selling). It was THEN that he offered to RE-LIST it so I could buy it. So he did re-list it, & I then took Screenshots of every single part of the ad, & I did buy it at that time.

what i can tell you is this phone was buying at the store and unlocked in this time and th original buyer never come to pickup, after that you can do whatever you want , you know about iPhones life and i don't have idea, the only thing i know is i offers something new NEVER USED AND YOU ACUSE ME TO LIE YOU.​

Let me stop right there. In one of his prior replies last week to the ebay Resolution Center, he wrote that:

WE OPEN AND CONECT UNDER YOUR REQUEST TO DO IT TO VERYFY THEY HAVE, AND ALSO I LET YOU KNOW IN THE EMAIL YOU SEND ME THEY HAVE BLACK RAIN.​

ALL OF THAT paragraph is a big fat lie, and I said so in my reply to the ebay Resolution Center last week (I NEVER asked him to "open & connect" the phone. All I asked in my VERY FIRST PRE-sale ebay-msg to the guy was, "Which iOS is on the phone?" Period. Over & Out. (I NEVER told him WHICH iOS I was looking for.) He wrote back one sentence, "I don't know, I'll go check." Before I could even reply to that, he wrote back a second time, one very short sentence, "It's 3.1." Great. So I bought it.

Fast Forward to after I got the phone & saw it had a JB app on it, still had his name in the Settings, & obviously was not unlocked BY AT&T (I figured that's what the jailbreak app was for). So I submitted a complaint. His FIRST reply to that was the above, ie, "ALSO I LET YOU KNOW IN THE EMAIL YOU SEND ME THEY HAVE BLACK RAIN." Total Lie! I have all the emails pre- & post-sale & in NONE of his few emails did he EVER mention "blackra1n." So in my ebay complaint, I wrote that THAT sentence right there was a "blatant FALSEHOOD" & that ebay themselves can check all the messages between us in my ebay account folders, & they can see that he NEVER wrote anything about "jailbroken" nor "blackra1n." I guess that's what he's now upset about & is mad at me for saying he wrote a "blatant FALSEHOOD." Well, ummm, either he has me mixed up with some other customer, or he has a bad memory, or he's just flat out lying to CYA (cover his, not mine).

Back to his current reply from earlier today, note the bold parts especially:

"i don't really have to time to waste i pay tho shone $750 plus something to unlocked, IM LOOSEING A LOT OF MONEY AND I DONT HAVE TIME TO KNOW ALL YOU ASK ME IF YOU LIKE KEEP IT AND DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IF YOU DONT SEND US BACK AND THAT IT. IM SORRY BUT MY TIME IS LIMITED TO PLAY GAMES"​

Huh? Is he saying he PAID $750 for the phone, which his ad says came straight from an AT&T Wireless Store; & that he then paid either AT&T or somebody else to unlock it thereafter?

Did 3GS iphones REALLY ever cost $750 brand new from an AT&T Store? I don't know, they could have.

But the main point is, Is he saying he paid "PLUS SOMETHING TO UNLOCKED"? Paid to whom? And if he paid somebody to unlock it, then what is the purpose of the BLACKRA1N app being put on the phone?

As for the "games," I'm the one who FIRST used that term when replying to HIS msgs at ebay Resolution last week. Instead of him replying to specifics of my original complaint, all he did was re-post all of our PRE-sale msgs without his adding any "solution" to them. So I wrote that merely RE-posting our PRE-sale emails was a total waste of time since I had copies of all of them myself & ebay obviously would have copies of them as well, but if that's how the ebay Resolution "game" has to be played out, then so be it, & I then proceeded to reply to each one of those replies of his in detail (all of which he ignored for four days until his reply of today).

I don't know what to think about the guy & I suppose it really doesn't matter as he WILL take the phone back. It could be he is truly SINCERE & just can't make heads or tails of things because of the language barrier. He does have an "electronics business" (whether big or small, or done out of his residence, I don't know. I learned a few things about him by googling his name which is an unusual name & not a common name, so it wasn't hard to learn a few things, etc.). But so far he has "lied" twice, post-sale; either "lied" or just doesn't know what he is doing/saying (which is always possible, & I don't like to impute wrong motives to people unnecessarily).

OK, with that out of the way, I will get to work on replying to BL4zD!

~~~

----------

Damn man, you overpaid.
See if you can return it to the seller and get your money back.

C'mon guys, have some mercy on an old lady, lol.

Yes, I can send it back, the Seller is willing to take it back. But I might just keep it (due to BL4zD's informative posts), & it depends on whether AT&T will unlock it. Will keep everyone informed! Live & Learn the hard way!

 

[beegie]

You can use that 3GS that you bought to do what you want to do without serious/dangerous side-effects.

Hi again, BL4zD, thanks & that's great news, & Funny, too (the bold part)!

As far as I know there isn't a factory unlocked version of the 3GS...

Hadn't thought about that, but probably true, as I don't think Apple was offering "Factory Unlocked" phones in the early days.

...so if you have one that looks and feels new...

It does on both counts; hence, part of the reason I changed my mind again & figured it may be better afterall to hold on to this one than taking a chance on yet another one in the vast sea of ebay iphones.

...call ATT and give them your account info. If there is a spot on that web form for the emei use the phone you bought...

Yes, the ATT online form does have a spot to list the IMEI.

...but the name and number is the primary account holder and not the one listed on the device in your hand.

OK, so put our family's prior ATT acount name/number...

...If for some reason they need a number on the device put one of your old SIM cards in and it will populate those sections in the phone even though it won't work as a phone.

Yes, their online form DOES ask for a phone number. But if I call them instead & explain the situation, maybe they would NOT need one(?) They don't open until 7am.

And, Ha, sims is another ongoing saga-of-confusion. I do have the original STANDARD sim, of course, from my "stuck" 3GS. And I already bought the future sims for the T-Mo $30 Plan from Walmart (but they come as Micros, so some Mac guys here last Fall told me to get the Standard T-MO sims for a 3GS from Target & provided the direct webpage link, but when activating the account at T-Mo site, they said you put in the # of the Micro sim but leave the Standard one in the phone itself):

T-MO STANDARD SIM KIT @ TARGET $9.99
http://www.target.com/p/t-mobile-sim-card-starter-kit/-/A-14586517​

OK, so just last week, due to getting the new 3GS from ebay, Mom offered to go get the needed-Standard-sims from Target. We printed out photos of the Target webpage with the Standard sim, etc. She showed them the pictures because at first they said they didn't have them, but their website says that particular store DID have them. So they went in the back room & brought out a bunch of sims & handed her MICRO sims rather than STANDARD sims. She didn't notice the small print that says MICRO, so brought home the wrong kind. Hence, that errand needs to be re-done to get the correct 3GS STANDARD sims. Sigh.

...If you don't have a sim you can fudge it by using your old iPhones number.

True, right this minute I don't have a new Standard sim yet, only the prior one (see above). But I do remember my old phone number!

Actually I was thinking to just CALL AT&T & see if that might work easier than using their online form. I've read elsewhere people have good success by just calling them. Last Fall people here were saying do NOT talk to the Regular Customer Service Reps as they are clueless, but push the directory buttons to get through to the AT&T "TECH DEPT." & talk to THOSE guys instead. So that's my plan, though not sure I need a sim before calling them(?) I got their phone # tonight off the web:

"AT&T Customer Service, Billing & Technical Support":
800.331.0500 . M - Su 7am - 10pm.

AT&T UNLOCK PAGES:

INITIAL SUMMARY INFO:
http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB414532&cv=820#fbid=qevupDV4ouR

MORE DETAILED INFO:
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/?
That page also says: "Business customers should make a request to unlock a business device by calling 800-331-0500."

THE FORM ITSELF:
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/termsAndCondition

After doing the above, can click here to see if AT&T has finished your unlock yet:
https://www.att.com/deviceunlockstatus/client/en_US/​

Your old phone won't ever come out of that loop on its own.

Booo, please don't say that out loud!

If you decide to keep this jail broken phone I'll walk you through installing ssh on it so that if that ever happens again you'll be able to pull your data off it.

That is very nice of you. You have the patience of Job! You also read/write VERY WELL!

FWIW, a "life lesson": The way my original 3GS got "stuck" was I did something I NEVER do, ie, I followed online advice withOUT doing my own research first. I knew I was on "borrowed time" with that phone because it was SO OVERLOADED it would barely work; we're talking severely sluggish. I WAS working toward goals to get the computers re-set up again to back it up, etc., but was under time constraints at the time. I was reading online (not here, though the guy linked BACK to a thread here) re an entirely different subject (3GS's & iOS6), & in among that thread a guy had made a remark that to make your 3GS run better, just "RESET ALL SETTINGS," & that that had made that guy's 3GS work a thousand times better.

Well, I had never touched that "Reset All Settings" before, not ever (didn't dare, though I had "Reset Network Settings" several times over the years, no problem), but this time I did, under duress, go ahead & do as that guy said & hit "Reset All Settings." HUGE HUGE HUGE MISTAKE (kick self a thousand times since then!). When the phone would not come back on, I called a local iphone repair shop (not the local Apple Store). That guy said, "We get that ALL THE TIME here at the shop. We tell people NEVER EVER hit 'Reset All Settings,' ESPECIALLY if it's an OLDER iphone or an OLDER iOS." BooooHoooo. All he could offer, of course, was to reset it as new or whatever. I said Thanks but no thanks. End of Horror Story.

BTW, jailbreaking isn't really something you need to worry about. It's really rather simple and I think I can explain it to you in simple terms. All jailbreaking does is root your phone. What that means is that you gain full control over the device outside of the user's sandbox on the phone.

Thank you, seriously. And yes, "simple terms" is great!

You know how when you are on your computer and you open Finder and you see your user directory? Your space with your own files and your own pictures and your own music and desktop, etc.? But you can also go to / or /Applications or /System or /Library and see the files that are part of the operating system? that / is "root" and basically on your iPhone, after you jailbreak, you can go outside of your user directory. That's all it is. No biggie, nothing to be scared of ...

Haha, you make me laugh, gun-shy & scaredy cat, yes. But, OK, got it now, what you mean by "rooting," thanks!

...you can safely ignore the jailbreak on your phone and just use it every day and nothing bad will happen.

I thought JB'ing a phone made it "more vulnerable"(?) -- in whatever way I didn't know. But you say No Problem, eh? Well, OK then!

You won't have to continually upgrade it or worry about losing your jailbreak or the use of your phone or your unlock since you're happy with 3.1.2 iOS.

I need to clarify re keeping 3.1.2 iOS (warning, this may come across as very confusing to people who don't normally "compartmentalize") :

My ORIGINAL 3GS, yes, I wanted to keep iOS 3.1.2 due to the "ReelDirector" app & the "Roll Swap" app & the "memory sweeper" app, etc. etc.

But after it became "stuck," I began thinking, "I'll NEVER again put ALL my stuff on ONE phone ever again, but instead I'll buy 2 or even 3 iphone 3GS's [cheaper than 2-3 5c's] & divide up all my stuff onto 2-3 different phones so they won't get so overloaded & sluggish... & IF ONE OF THEM EVER BLOWS, at least I'd have all my OTHER stuff on the OTHER phones," etc. etc. It's H having your whole life wiped out & become inaccessible! Grrr.

In other words, my plan is to have several phones with the contents divided up by "subject," & not all of them would be used daily, & I could just switch sims between them. Something like this is my plan:

A. 1 phone = Shopping/Bills (anything to do with $$) = Would only use that phone a few times a month. Put a COPY OF my old 2011, 3.1.2-backup on this one to get all the apps I need for it, & after that I WOULD be willing to update THIS phone to at least 4.1 for sure, & maybe even up to iOS 6, because the NEWER browser is needed to access bills/shopping sites.

B. 1 phone = Tons of Blogging Stuff, research, news/photos, notes apps (need tons of "notes apps" on this one -- there's never enough notes apps for places to write stuff!), etc. = This would basically be my MAIN phone, would use it daily. And once I put a COPY OF my old 2011, 3.1.2 backup on this one to get the associated apps I used for Blogging, then I WOULD be willing to update THIS phone as well, to 4.1 & maybe up to iOS6 because the NEWER browser would surely work better with online blogging control panels than the browser in 3.1.2.

C. 1 phone = My "Creative Streak" phone = Keep this one at 3.1.2 in order to KEEP the ReelDirector (movie/slideshow-making) app on it, the Roll Swap (16 camera rolls) app, the Panoramatic360 (photo banners) app, the Layers (photo layering) app, & Captions apps, & all the other photo-manipulation apps I have on the old backup. This phone would not get used daily but only when I get into "creative streak mode." ​

So, bottom line, 2 of the 3 phones I WOULD be willing to UPDATE beyond 3.1.2 AFTER I put the OLD backup on them. But the 1-phone that will remain my "Creative Streak Phone," I want to keep at 3.1.2.

For phones A & B, I could just buy newer 5C's I suppose. But like I said back on page 1, I figured I could get two 3GS's for the price of one 5c: New 32gig iPhone 5c Unlocked from Apple, a whopping $649 = (approx. same price for two ebay 3Gs's!)

BUT FOR NOW, we'll forget all that 5c business & stay on subject re: the 3GS "JB" from EBAY & my OLD 3.1.2 backup.

Will finish the rest of reply to BL4zD after I take a break! I'll be back! Thank you!

~~~

 

[BR3W]

If you reset all settings on your old phone then the data is irretrievably gone. When someone says restore as new it's simply telling iTunes to go ahead and setup the phone...it's not an extra step to delete everything. Resetting *all* settings includes wiping the data. Someone may be able to do o forensics recovery on it but it could range from many hundreds of dollars to thousands.

As far as unlocking the new phone simply place your old sim in your new phone and give AT&T all information from old account and old phone but substituting the new imei. I wouldn't risk confusing anyone with any other derails.

Now Apple offers iCloud for free whereas when we were using 3GS phones it used to cost money. Now you can set your phone up to backup to the cloud, your computers, and also via wifi to your computer. As long as you set the backup you will not have any problems with data loss. Grit your teeth and restore your backup to your old phone and use the new one as you main device. You are asking for a nightmare in the long run having your data separate like that. Apple already is concerned with your data retention so setting it up correctly is going to be more seamless.


Consider that if you actually place different things on different devices you don't really have data redundancy. When something eventually dies you're going to lose whatever chunk you dedicated to that device. If you put everything on one device and keep your old device at the ready, if something goes wring with your new phone you simply restore to your old phone and everything will be perfectly running in a matter of minutes.

 

[beegie]

If you reset all settings on your old phone then the data is irretrievably gone.

Hi again, thanks. I went looking for the old thread where the "Reset All Settings" comment was (that I had read elsewhere that linked back to here). Found it here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1258908/

The last two comments on that thread are mine under an ID I forgot I had! (from 2007). My comments there were made the very afternoon I screwed up my original 3GS at the tail end of October 2013. I was SICK AT HEART.

Of course I didn't do everything exactly as they described in that thread as I had done it already going by the shorter version posted by someone elsewhere who linked back to that thread, but that thread is saying that "Reset All Settings" is only supposed to reset SETTINGS, but not affect photos, apps, & all the rest of a person's "stuff" on their phone.

(And no wonder I couldn't find all my prior comments from last Fall. I just saw/realized while re-reading that above thread that I have two ID's here, older one from 2007 & a newer one from 2010! So I took time out just now to write the Admins. & ask how to combine them & delete one of them? Talk about forgetful. No wonder I had trouble logging in recently, I had the PINs & IDs all criss-crossed.)

OK, back to the subject at hand:

When someone says restore as new it's simply telling iTunes to go ahead and setup the phone...it's not an extra step to delete everything.

THANK YOU! Good to know because if I keep this ebay-3GS, I was thinking I needed to "restore as new" to get the guy's name out of Settings (or maybe that happens when you activiate it with a new sim/carrier(?)

Either way, I'm keeping copies of ALL these definitions & explanations you are providing as a permanent reference/dictionary of terms, thanks!

Resetting *all* settings includes wiping the data. Someone may be able to do o forensics recovery on it but it could range from many hundreds of dollars to thousands.

Maybe there is a difference in what "Reset All Settings" does on DIFFERENT phones & different iOS's? Because from what they are saying in that other thread/above-link, it doesn't sound like "Reset All Settings" ERASES the phones contents.

Re: Forensics: I went hunting that very day for "hard drive recovery" options. But I was too fritzed to even be able to read through the numerous links. As for the cost, Hundreds I'd be willing to pay, depending how many Hundreds due to the sentimental value of the info on that phone. Thousands I couldn't afford.

As far as unlocking the new phone simply place your old sim in your new phone and give AT&T all information from old account and old phone but substituting the new imei. I wouldn't risk confusing anyone with any other derails.

Ha, you made me laugh again with that last sentence. Gotcha!

Now Apple offers iCloud for free whereas when we were using 3GS phones it used to cost money. Now you can set your phone up to backup to the cloud, your computers, and also via wifi to your computer. As long as you set the backup you will not have any problems with data loss.

I didn't even realize they had fee-based-iCloud back in the 3GS days. Since I still had the older iOS 3.1.2 on that original phone, 3.1.2 wasn't made for connecting to iCloud, so I hadn't gotten that far yet. I think you had to update to whatever, iOS 4 or 5 or 6 to be able to backup via iCloud.

Grit your teeth...

Like this? j/k.

...and restore your backup to your old phone and use the new one as you main device.

First I'd rather contact a few Forensics/Data Recovery sites now that I'm thinking about it again, & see how painful ($$) their quotes are.

You are asking for a nightmare in the long run having your data separate like that. Apple already is concerned with your data retention so setting it up correctly is going to be more seamless.

Problem is Apple is not yet making the phone's HD's big enough. I was hoping they would release last Fall a 128gb'er like MEIZU did last year. The purpose in having several phones is to keep things separate (organized) AND to keep the stupid phones from filling up & becoming so slow & sluggish. 32gb's is nothing. (The only 64gb is on the METAL-5s as already mentioned previously. Maybe iPhone 6 will offer more/better/bigger options!)

Consider that if you actually place different things on different devices you don't really have data redundancy. When something eventually dies you're going to lose whatever chunk you dedicated to that device.

True, I realized that re no redundancy. But now that I've got both computers set up again, I plan to ALWAYS make backups once a week or so.

Another reason for wanting to put things on separate phones is to make the backups FASTER. Less Stuff = Quicker Backups.

One reason I dreaded backups is because with the original 3GS that was filled to the hilt, even back in early 2011 it took 22 hours to make a backup (which means I couldn't use the phone NOR the computer). And that was the second backup I had created, so I thought for sure it would "go faster" the second time, but it didn't.

If you put everything on one device and keep your old device at the ready, if something goes wring with your new phone you simply restore to your old phone and everything will be perfectly running in a matter of minutes.

Everything might fit on one device initially but it won't for long. That was the problem with the original 3GS. TOO FULL. But I will definitely keep all your advice in mind, thanks, as I hadn't REALLY decided yet re: My Total Permanent Plan of Action.

For now, beginning with ebay-Phone-#1: If all goes well with that (getting it unlocked, etc.), we'll decide from there re: any possible additional phones. Thanks again for all the ongoing assistance, BL4zD!

Going to check email to see if Admins. have replied re combining the two IDs. Are they awake all night?

~~~

 

[beegie]

Reply to BL4zD, PART-2:​

You can even get adventurous some day and go into Cydia, it's kind of like an App store for your iPhone's features. That means anything that impacts the usability of your phone (compared to the App store that is for things you want to do *with* your phone instead of *to* it) can be found in Cydia.

Ok, thanks. I might feel adventurous one day to look into that. Have certainly heard the word Cydia enough in the past few years but never investigated it. Though, admittedly, I thought it was an "alternative app store" for things to do "with" the phone.

Some people on this board jailbreak *just* to use f.lux. You can also put it on your older Mac. http://justgetflux.com

Now that I like, thanks! Cheaper than buying the amber glasses or amber screens for computers &/or TVs (to use a few hours before bed) from these former GE-Lighting Engineers at http://LowBlueLights.com ! (which I just learned about last year while researching cancer re the effect of bright white "blue" lighting on the pineal gland/melatonin & its supression causing cancer). I actually did buy their tiny amber screen for the iphone, but it was a pain to put on & off & get the "bubbles" out from under it, so I did not end up using it much.

It's [f.lux] a very useful addition to any device in my opinion. I can explain how to put it on your 3GS when you finally click on that Cydia button [ignore Rock] It's really rather simple and will only take a couple minutes of your time and then you can just use your phone.

Well that's even better news, that f.lux will go on the phone as well. Great!

What does the "ROCK" part of that blackra1n app do?

You do want to contact AT&T and get it unlocked before restoring your backup.

OK, thanks, I agree ATT is the first step.

I am under the impression that if you restore that backup to the 3GS it will remove blackra1n (and your jailbreak). You don't care about the jailbreak but if you restore it without contacting ATT then you won't be able to unlock it. If you contact them and they unlock the phone for you then it will never become re-locked no matter what you do.

Yes, exactly. That's why I was so disappointed to see the blackrain app on the phone as I knew enough to know that meant it wasn't truly "carrier unlocked" (BY the carrier). From what the Seller said yesterday, posted further above, it sounds like HE paid somebody to put the blackrain on the phone. I guess he thought he was doing his customers a favor(?)

The bottom line is this: if you found a phone in excellent condition, and if the price was acceptable to you, and if this is in fact your favorite iOS version, and if you are happy with the 3GS quality then there is no reason for any of us to question your decision to continue using it.

Thank you, that's very kind of you. I did plan to update EVENTUALLY, but I just wasn't ready yet after the big 9/10/13 Apple disappointment re their again-metal-5s WITH 64gb, but their beautiful colors/carbonite 5c WITHOUT 64gb, plus the flat-blah iOS7, etc. etc.

I haven't used this app before but you can see if it's compatible with your version of OSX and try it on a trial basis: http://www.wondershare.com/data-recovery-mac/mac-iphone-data-recovery.html

Thank you, loved the title, "Dr. Fone," but it won't work on the G4 PPC/Tiger machine where the backup is. However, if I can move the backup to the Lion Intel machine, it might work from there:

http://www.wondershare.com/data-recovery-mac/mac-iphone-data-recovery-reference.html

• Supported OS: Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), 10.8(Mountain Lion), 10.7(Lion), 10.6(Snow Leopard)
• CPU: Intel Core 1GHz or faster

I have used this app before back when I was jailbreaking iPhone 3's for people: http://cache.firmwareumbrella.com/downloads/fixrecovery-osx.zip

That one looks a bit more complicated, Terminal & all that. I'd have to read the guy's blog to try to figure it out: http://blog.firmwareumbrella.com, & he doesn't have blog posts listed by device, just by months. Might take awhile to dig back in his archives & see what's what for a 3GS on 3.1.2.

After it opened the zip for the above link, it shows these two things in a folder, says both created 3/19/11:

fixrecovery43
fixrecovery421​

So whatevah that means, lol.

again, I don't know if it's compatible with your OS. I also haven't used tinyumbrella for years but the full program that used to have a fix recovery function (that might be standalone now in the link I provided above) is here: http://cache.firmwareumbrella.com/downloads/TinyUmbrella-7.04.00.app.zip

Thanks, I just DL'd that one but it won't even open. Says v.7.0.4 w/creation date 12/9/13, so it's probably "too new" for the older Mac I'm working on right now. I'll save it & move it over to the Lion machine later on & see how that goes.

here are some pictures regarding how to use it (you should probably ignore all of the directions other than the pictures regarding "fix recovery" as it might become confusing)
http://modmyi.com/forums/general/725672-how-using-tiny-umbrella-update-downgrade-restore.html

Ah ha! Thanks! Yes, PICTURES! (& lol at not reading the directions! Cracking me up here). So I'll definitely save that link:
http://modmyi.com/forums/general/725672-how-using-tiny-umbrella-update-downgrade-restore.html

First thing I need to know is: Is a 3GS stuck in "White Apple Mode" the same as it being stuck in "RECOVERY Mode"?

these are all ways to try and get the data off your old phone (which sounds more important than getting this new one to work, from what you've written).

Yes, thanks, getting the TONS of stuff off my old phone is definitely hugely important.

But since I already got myself in this new-ebay-iphone-mess, I do need to finish that "project" first (ie, make up my mind one way or the other & go back & answer the guy who finally replied. Ebay Resolution Center gave a deadline of today, 3/17, for him to reply so I guess that's why he replied yesterday 3/16). But the eBay Resolution FINAL date is not until 4/20/14, though HIS "return policy" was only 14-days -- which would end 3/20. So I'm not sure which dates apply. I'm thinking once you open an "Ebay Resolution Case" that his 14-day-return-deadline no longer applies & that I have until 4/20/14 to finalize everything, though I do NOT want to take that long, obviously.

I'm pretty sure you're going to need to find someone with a newer version of OSX in order to use any of these programs.

OK, thanks. I do have an MBP that I bought but never used (I ONLY bought it in 2012 because Apple said they were going to STOP putting DVD/CD burners in laptops. Pfff. Then they changed their mind, at least for a few more years. What a convenient way to sell more laptops > Scare everyone into buying one when they didn't need to!)

It was advertised (at MacMall) to come with either Leopard or Snow Leopard w/free upgrade to Snow Leopard if it had Leopard on it, but when I finally turned it on after the 3GS went on the blink, it says it has LION on it! Ugh! Then I bought the Snow Leopard DVD from Apple site for $20, but later learned that is NOT the real-true INSTALL DVD. So that was a total waste of $20.

I wouldn't mind putting Leopard on the White iBook G4 PPC (the last OS version that the PPC would accept is Leopard), & just have Snow Leopard on the Intel MBP. I heard Snow Leopard is more like the "traditional" Mac OS than all the new-fangled Lion/Mtn.Lion/Mavericks;

• & I read that somewhere along the way they got rid of .MOV (??) & that newer iMovie works like "crap" & that they won't even let you put video clips where you want them but can only put them in certain spots, etc. etc.
• Just all kinds of crazy crap Apple keeps doing, or so I read.
• So I want to keep the White iBook G4 PPC because it has the ORIGINAL iMovie-HD version, which everyone says was the best of them all.
• Ditto iDVD, since I read Apple got rid of that in later OS's!
• What the H is the matter with them?

Newer OS's are freaking dangerous which is why I just don't even try to upgrade until I'm dang good & ready.

BUT FIRST I needed an External HD to store/backup &/or get stuff off the White iBook G4 PPC &/or move stuff between the PPC & the Intel, because I knew when the time came to get 10,000 photos off of the Original-Still-Stuck-iPhone-3GS-that-I-have-hope-will-be-cured, I would need a TON of harddrive space to store the photos. Only just received the Ext. HD (from OWC) last week, same time the ebay-iphone-3Gs arrived; so haven't had time/cognition-room to deal with that Ext. HD yet.

Whew! So that's the "hardware" story/updated to the present.

Thanks for all those links, BL4zD! They are "keepers" & I'll see what I can do with them once I get the ebay guy/ebay-iphone-situation settled.

~~~

 

[beegie]

Signing Off for Today...

I'll report back tonight after talking to AT&T-Tech re the unlock! Thanks everyone!

~~~

 

[BR3W]

If you clicked on reset all settings then your content may be on the phone but if you clicked on reset all content and settings then it won't be.

 

[Applejuiced]

Damn bro, every time you respond you write a book with a post that's 20 paragraphs long.
Keep it simple and leave out the excess stuff.
Just an advice for future reference when you post online. Cause not many want to spend 15 minutes reading your long long long long long story and then reply to read another 10 paragraph response from you.
I bet most that clicked on your thread just got out without having the patience or time to read through all this. To be honest I just scrolled through all of it and didn't even read 5% of what you posted.
Either way hope it works out for ya though

 

[dhlizard]

Damn bro, every time you respond you write a book with a post that's 20 paragraphs long.

Yea, @macs4bg is the most "quoting" poster ever

 

[beegie]

If you clicked on reset all settings then your content may be on the phone but if you clicked on reset all content and settings then it won't be.

Hi again, on the iPhone 3Gs in the Settings & further into all the Reset options, at the very top the choice is:

(1) RESET ALL SETTINGS.

...and underneath that is a completely separate button/bar...

(2) ERASE ALL CONTENT (of the phone).

So they are two separate things. Since I was not looking to Erase All Content, & was following the advice in that other thread to merely make the phone work better/snappier, I most definitely tapped the top one, Reset All Settings.

Thanks again.

----------

Damn bro, every time you respond you write a book with a post that's 20 paragraphs long.
Keep it simple and leave out the excess stuff.
Just an advice for future reference when you post online. Cause not many want to spend 15 minutes reading your long long long long long story and then reply to read another 10 paragraph response from you.
I bet most that clicked on your thread just got out without having the patience or time to read through all this. To be honest I just scrolled through all of it and didn't even read 5% of what you posted.
Either way hope it works out for ya though

All I have to say to all that is, I guess you never met a WOMAN!

We THINK in detail & we TALK in detail & we WRITE in detail.

If you can't handle it Big Boy, well, that would be your problem.

Now go watch this 5-min. hysterically-funny video & have a laugh:

"The Tale of Two Brains":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BxckAMaTDc

(I promise you'll laugh.)

As for all those who may have clicked on this thread & passed on by, same goes for them. Can't handle it? Fine. You won't be missed! I communicate with READERS & WRITERS. If people can't handle either, then I'd rather not communicate with them anyway. I'm already going through torture trying to communicate with the ebay Seller who can't read/write either! Royal Pain! How he runs a business I have no idea.

PS: Was this short enough for you?

 

[beegie]

AT&T Won't Unlock Over The Phone... Update:

Called AT&T & hoped to get the ebay-iPhone 3GS unlocked over the phone, faster. Lady says they don't do that anymore, you MUST use the online form.

OK Fine. So I hung up & called right back & got a guy this time. He said the same thing; said they changed their rules in December & that now you MUST use the online form first. If the unlock request gets rejected, THEN you can call back & open a case over the phone.

So then I called Apple just to see what they say (had read elsewhere in the past that ATT knocks it over to Apple to approve the unlocks, & then Apple kicks it back to ATT who gives the Customer the Yeah or Nay). Apple guy says that is "INCORRECT INFORMATION." OK, Fine. But at least he confirmed that the IMEI # was Definitely Locked TO ATT. So at least we know that phone is NOT "stolen" nor "blackllisted," etc., but is merely Locked TO ATT, which I basically already knew but nice to have the confirmation from Apple.

~~~

I think it would be a waste of time to fill out the ATT Unlock Online Form with MY info, since MY SSN & MY PRIOR ATT iphone-phone-# will NOT MATCH the IMEI# of the ebay Seller's phone. (I already had ATT unlock my 'stuck-in-apple-mode' iphone in December using their online form, so I already used my prior iphone-phone-# for THAT unlock request.)

ebay-SELLER is the one who needs to fill out the form with HIS SSN & whatever phone # his phone HAD, if it EVER had one (his NAME is still inside the Settings of the phone).

So that's what I'm going to tell him tonight, again, & if he doesn't want to do it, Fine. Phone goes back. And the next person he sells it to will have the same problem, & he will end up with the same headache he's having now. (He claims ignorance re all this stuff, which may be true. But life is tough. So do things right the first time or expect future headaches!)

~~~

 

[beegie]

Yea, @macs4bg is the most "quoting" poster ever

Does that mean I win the Annual MacRumors "Most Quoting Poster" gold Trophy?

 

[Applejuiced]

Hi again, on the iPhone 3Gs in the Settings & further into all the Reset options, at the very top the choice is:

(1) RESET ALL SETTINGS.

...and underneath that is a completely separate button/bar...

(2) ERASE ALL CONTENT (of the phone).

So they are two separate things. Since I was not looking to Erase All Content, & was following the advice in that other thread to merely make the phone work better/snappier, I most definitely tapped the top one, Reset All Settings.

Thanks again.

----------



All I have to say to all that is, I guess you never met a WOMAN!

We THINK in detail & we TALK in detail & we WRITE in detail.

If you can't handle it Big Boy, well, that would be your problem.

Now go watch this 5-min. hysterically-funny video & have a laugh:

"The Tale of Two Brains":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BxckAMaTDc

(I promise you'll laugh.)

As for all those who may have clicked on this thread & passed on by, same goes for them. Can't handle it? Fine. You won't be missed! I communicate with READERS & WRITERS. If people can't handle either, then I'd rather not communicate with them anyway. I'm already going through torture trying to communicate with the ebay Seller who can't read/write either! Royal Pain! How he runs a business I have no idea.

PS: Was this short enough for you?

Lol
That explains it then
Cool video

 

[beegie]

Lol
That explains it then
Cool video

Haha! I'm so glad you liked it, AJ. Ask your g/f, wife, mother to watch it & see if they agree! Warning, though, "hardcore feminists" may be offended!

 

[BR3W]

Called AT&T & hoped to get the ebay-iPhone 3GS unlocked over the phone, faster. Lady says they don't do that anymore, you MUST use the online form.

OK Fine. So I hung up & called right back & got a guy this time. He said the same thing; said they changed their rules in December & that now you MUST use the online form first. If the unlock request gets rejected, THEN you can call back & open a case over the phone.

So then I called Apple just to see what they say (had read elsewhere in the past that ATT knocks it over to Apple to approve the unlocks, & then Apple kicks it back to ATT who gives the Customer the Yeah or Nay). Apple guy says that is "INCORRECT INFORMATION." OK, Fine. But at least he confirmed that the IMEI # was Definitely Locked TO ATT. So at least we know that phone is NOT "stolen" nor "blackllisted," etc., but is merely Locked TO ATT, which I basically already knew but nice to have the confirmation from Apple.

~~~

I think it would be a waste of time to fill out the ATT Unlock Online Form with MY info, since MY SSN & MY PRIOR ATT iphone-phone-# will NOT MATCH the IMEI# of the ebay Seller's phone. (I already had ATT unlock my 'stuck-in-apple-mode' iphone in December using their online form, so I already used my prior iphone-phone-# for THAT unlock request.)

ebay-SELLER is the one who needs to fill out the form with HIS SSN & whatever phone # his phone HAD, if it EVER had one (his NAME is still inside the Settings of the phone).

So that's what I'm going to tell him tonight, again, & if he doesn't want to do it, Fine. Phone goes back. And the next person he sells it to will have the same problem, & he will end up with the same headache he's having now. (He claims ignorance re all this stuff, which may be true. But life is tough. So do things right the first time or expect future headaches!)

~~~

It won't be a waste of time to use all of your information with the current phone's EMEI. You had an account and you completed your contractual obligations and that the phone you are trying to unlock is not still currently under subsidy. Those are the two things they're checking for before they decide to unlock the phone and it's not necessarily the case that both need to be true under the same account. If they do not unlock via the web form then you can call back into AT&T and explain to them that you need to unlock your phone. If they question the EMEI then simply explain that you replaced the last phone on your account because it broke. I doubt they will question it, though, so long as both conditions (your account was in good standing and the device is not currently under subsidy) are met. As far as I know they don't even attach EMEI numbers to accounts. They can tell when an EMEI is on their network and they can tell when an EMEI is still under subsidy but they wouldn't, at least didn't used to, say things like, "hey that's not your phone because the EMEI doesn't match the one we used to have on file on your account"

 

[Ann P]

$300 for software unlocked 3GS, wowsers. I wouldn't mess with it and just send it back...

 

[beegie]

Reply to BL4zD Only!

It won't be a waste of time to use all of your information with the current phone's EMEI. You had an account and you completed your contractual obligations...

Hi again BL4zD, thanks:

• True, AT&T contract ended years ago on my original iPhone-3Gs (now stuck in apple mode).
• Our AT&T Wireless Account was closed November 2013.
• No iphone wireless service at all with any carrier since November 2013.

...and that the phone you are trying to unlock is not still currently under subsidy.

True & it never was, per Seller. Seller says:

• He bought it from an AT&T Store for $750 for somebody ELSE.
• That Somebody-Else-Person wanted to use it overseas, hence, Seller paid a third party to put the jailbreak on it.
• Seller says that Somebody-Else-Person who wanted the phone & for whom Seller bought it, then NEVER came to pick it up; hence, Seller is out $750 bucks plus what he paid to put the jailbreak on it.
• Seller says he does NOT currently have an AT&T Account (FWIW, his business phone #, put in google, says it is a cellphone with MetroPCS).
• Seller says he NEVER USED the iphone (so I assume he may NEVER have had an AT&T account; & that possibly he paid cash for the phone straight from the AT&T Store & walked back out with it; YET his name IS inside the Settings/General/About, at the top it says, "John Doe's iPhone").
• So whether he really ever had it "ACTIVATED" &/or whether his iphone was ever given an actual PHONE NUMBER, I don't know. I'm asking him today as I was hoping HE would fill out the AT&T Unlock Form himself.

Those are the two things they're checking for before they decide to unlock the phone and it's not necessarily the case that both need to be true under the same account.

The AT&T Form says they want:

• Either the Phone Number
• OR the AT&T Account Number
• For the phone you are trying to get unlocked.
• I have neither of those for the ebay-Seller's iPhone.

If they do not unlock via the web form then you can call back into AT&T and explain to them that you need to unlock your phone.

OK, thanks, yes, that's what the Customer Reps said, call back if request is rejected.

If they question the EMEI then simply explain that you replaced the last phone on your account because it broke.

But I do not have an AT&T account any more, not since November 2013. Yes, I know their Online form says you CAN be a "FORMER" customer. But it's not clear whether any phone you want them to unlock must have been on your prior account, or whether you can just ask them to unlock any 'ol phone you buy in the future.)

• Plus the fact that in December 2013 I already used their Online Unlock form to get my OWN original iPhone-3Gs unlocked...
• ...Using my prior AT&T iphone-phone-number & my Dad's SSN since the Family Account was in his name.
• I have not tried to finish the unlock process, obviously, via iTunes, because the AT&T email says to make a backup first, then restore as new, then put your backup back on it.
• As of now, as you know, I cannot make a CURRENT-backup of it due to it being stuck in apple-mode.

But OK, so, should AT&T ask, I'll just say I bought another iPhone since December 2013 (true) & I need this one unlocked as well, even though I no longer have an AT&T Account.

I'm not hopeful, as I said, because my old phone number won't match his phone, & plus I already used my old phone number to get my OWN phone unlocked; so we'll have to talk to them thereafter on the phone most likely. Even then, who knows what they'll say.

I doubt they will question it, though, so long as both conditions (your account was in good standing and the device is not currently under subsidy) are met.

Yes, the AT&T Account we had was closed in November 2013, good standing, all done/finished/over.

And yes, the ebay-Seller's iphone has never been under ANY subsidy (AFAIK) because:

• Seller says he paid $750 for it at an AT&T Store.
• Subsidized phones would NEVER cost that much (right?),
• ...Unless he bought it in some foreign country where iphones cost more.
• When, Where, or What Year he bought it, I have no idea.
• Trying to get those simple answers from him today. History of the phone/specifics would be helpful if/when I have to talk to AT&T again.

BTW: The AT&T "unlocked approved" email that they send you after they approve it, says you MUST put the ORIGINAL SIM in it before connecting to iTunes.

Seller's iPhone came with NO SIM in it.

The ONLY SIM I currently have that will fit an iPhone-3GS is my FORMER AT&T-Account SIM, which I may be needing to use that Sim TWICE:

1. to finish my OWN iphone's unlock process/iTunes;
2. for unlocking/iTunes ebay-Seller's iphone.
3. Will that matter to AT&T &/or iTunes, using it TWICE in two different iphones?

Thank you!

 

[beegie]

PS to BL4zD: I forgot to include your last few sentences...

As far as I know they don't even attach EMEI numbers to accounts.

Maybe not. But they DO attach Account Numbers &/or Phone Numbers to the phones. Their Online Unlock Form says you can include EITHER the Account Number for the phone, OR the Phone Number assigned to the phone, neither of which I have for the Seller's phone because:

1. He may have NEVER opened an AT&T Wireless Acount,
2. & he may NEVER have been given an AT&T phone number for the phone,
3. & the phone may NEVER have been "activated" by AT&T,
4. & the phone may NEVER have had an ORIGINAL-from-AT&T SIM in it.

They can tell when an EMEI is on their network and they can tell when an EMEI is still under subsidy...

What if a person bought it for cash straight from the AT&T Store, NEVER had it activated, & NEVER opened an AT&T Wireless Account, & the phone was NEVER given an AT&T Phone Number, & it doesn't have an ORIGINAL AT&T Sim in it?

(I ask because I think that is what the Seller is saying in his broken English.)

...but they wouldn't, at least didn't used to, say things like, "hey that's not your phone because the EMEI doesn't match the one we used to have on file on your account"

OK, thanks, let's hope so! What sucks is it's going to take another five days to find out WHAT they will say, lol. (It took five days for them to send the approval email when I did my own original phone in December.)

~~~

----------

$300 for software unlocked 3GS, wowsers. I wouldn't mess with it and just send it back...

The FACTORY-Unlocked ones go for MORE, $350.

Or, if you want to buy one from HONG KONG &/or other foreign countries, then, yes, they are cheaper & not necessarily NEW either.

 

[beegie]

IMEI Checks

Just for the record, I forgot about these several IMEI checks I did on the ebay-iPhone in question. The results were not all consistent. Some say YES, the phone WAS "ACTIVATED" &/or "REGISTERED," which means it must have been assigned an AT&T Phone Number, right?

One of the results gives an "estimated" purchase date of 9/9/2009.

At least two of them say "CONTRACT EXPIRED."

• Seller says he NEVER used it, but IF it was under contract, why did it cost him $750?;
• & a Contract would indicate that SOMEBODY was probably using it, no?
• OR did someone pay for a 2-year-contract & never use it? Not likely, unless you're a rich kid & could care less.
• OR, when you walk in an AT&T Store & buy a phone & PAY IT OFF IN FULL ON THE SPOT without a Contract, maybe they ring it up at the register as "Contract Expired"?
• OR, can these IMEI-checking sites/results even be trusted?

I was believing the guy's story until I saw these IMEI results again.


http://iphoneimei.info/?imei=xxxxxxxxx
iPhone 3GS
32GB White
IMEI: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Activated: Yes
Find My iPhone: Off
Telephone Technical Support: Expired
Repairs & Service Coverage: Expired
Carrier: Check Carrier
SIM Lock: Check SIM Lock
Then there was a button/bar that said UNLOCK THIS IPHONE = $$$.

=======================

http://iunlocker.net/check_imei.php
IMEI xxxxxxxx
Serial number xxxxxx
Model IPHONE 3GS 32GB WHITE
Activated Yes
Warranty Out of Warranty
Telephone Technical Support Expired
Repairs and Service Coverage Expired
SIM lock Unknown
====================

http://iphoneimei.info/?imei=xxxxxxx
IMEI: xxxxxxxxxxx
Activated: Yes
Find My iPhone: Off
Telephone Technical Support: Expired
Repairs & Service Coverage: Expired
Contract: Expired
Carrier: Check Carrier
SIM Lock: Locked

=====================

http://iphoneox.com/
Device IMEI: xxxxxxxxxxx
Serial number: xxxxxxxxxx
Product description: iPhone 3GS 32GB White
Telephone technical support: Expired
Warranty(repairs and service coverage): Expired
Activation status: Activated
Is registered: Yes
Estimated purchase date: September 9, 2009
"Find my iPhone" status: OFF
Contract status: Out of contract
Carrier: Use our paid service to get advanced IMEI info!

===================

http://imei.unlockboot.com/
Device Model : iPhone 3GS
Device iMei : xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Warranty : Expired
Technical Support : Expired
Registered Status : Yes
Activated Status : No
Purchase date : Validated
Carrier : Check Carrier
SIM Lock Status : Check Sim Lock
Factory Unlock your iPhone NOW

==================

http://dev.mk/iphone-simlock-status-imei-checker/
IMEI: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MODEL: iPhone 3gs
WARRANTY: Expired
TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Expired
REGISTERED STATUS: Yes
ACTIVATED STATUS: No
CARRIER: Check Carrier (instant)
BLOCKED: Blocked check
Your iPhone is: Check SIMLOCK (instant)

==================

So, FWIW.

~~~

 

[Applejuiced]

Wow, so you saved around $50 and you got a locked and unusable phone now and have to run around and deal with all this bs.
Hope it was worth it...
Any other person would just send it back and get a refund and put an end to it.

 

[beegie]

Wow, so you saved around $50 and you got a locked and unusable phone now and have to run around and deal with all this bs.
Hope it was worth it...
Any other person would just send it back and get a refund and put an end to it.

Where's the down vote button?

You are free to IGNORE this thread from now on.

What makes you think the next ebay purchase would be any less complicated? Almost nobody tells the truth anymore in their ads, especially re phones. I'll see it through to the end & know I did all I could. Or I could be a Quitter like all those "other people" you think know better about somebody else's business.

I thoroughly investigated the other seller w/the supposed BRAND NEW FACTORY UNLOCKED phones for $350. If you want to buy from a Russian in Idaho, feel free; & whose Buyer Ratings say the phones were not Brand New when received but were REFURBS. So how about a refurb for $350. You like that better? And so it goes w/phones at ebay.

Take a hike, AJ. Your useless comments are wearing thin & are a waste of time.

~~~

 

[BR3W]

Activated simply means it was activated through iTunes. It doesn't mean it was used on any network.

I do not believe AT&T sold any phones out the door without a contract back then. Neither did Apple. One *had* to have an AT&T account in order to buy a phone and they were always under contract (that is, pay $199 or $750 regardless the contract extended for another two years).

What some used to do was buy an iPhone at a subsided and flip them to non-AT&T customers or AT&T customers who couldn't qualify for retail price to pay for the line. One could buy an iPhone and then continue using whatever phone one wanted.

The account number and phone number are linked and that's why AT&T is saying to use either one. The customer information, like name, comes from iTunes. The phone number comes from the SIM. If you put your old SIM in your new iPhone it should give it your old iPhone's number even though the SIM is not active.

"Original" SIM refers to an AT&T SIM as opposed to a T-Mobile SIM. It's not referring to the literal SIM that was sold with the iPhone years ago.

 

[Applejuiced]

Poor you
The Answer is simple and can be handled quickly without writing 100 posts or writing a book online asking strangers what to do.
Self explanatory situation.
Best of luck to you though....

 

[allthatjazz]

I feel for you. You could easily buy a factory unlocked new 4s for 200-250, or a mint factory unlocked iPhone 5 for 350.

 

[beegie]

Thank You!

Activated simply means it was activated through iTunes. It doesn't mean it was used on any network.

Very helpful/educational post, BL4zD. Thank you for the "Activation" definition.

I do not believe AT&T sold any phones out the door without a contract back then. Neither did Apple. One *had* to have an AT&T account in order to buy a phone and they were always under contract (that is, pay $199 or $750 regardless the contract extended for another two years).

That's EXACTLY what I thought as well! ...which is why I wondered how/why Seller had paid a whopping $750 for it (unless he bought it in Argentina with their high inflation, his surname's ancestry says Argentina; his LLC was not incorporated in FLA until 2011). My 2009 3GS was either $299 or $399, can't remember which, same size 32gig, WITH the 2-year AT&T contract, from local Apple Store.

What some used to do was buy an iPhone at a subsided and flip them to non-AT&T customers or AT&T customers who couldn't qualify for retail price to pay for the line. One could buy an iPhone and then continue using whatever phone one wanted.

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. But of course that's not the story he is telling.

The account number and phone number are linked and that's why AT&T is saying to use either one. The customer information, like name, comes from iTunes.

OK, now that helps. So his name is inside the phone's Settings because it got there via iTunes.

The phone number comes from the SIM. If you put your old SIM in your new iPhone it should give it your old iPhone's number even though the SIM is not active.

Ok, thank you!! Last week when I put my OLD Sim into his phone just to see what it would say/do, it still said "No Sim" up in the top left corner/menu bar. Didn't check to see if it made my old phone # show up anywhere inside his phone.

"Original" SIM refers to an AT&T SIM as opposed to a T-Mobile SIM. It's not referring to the literal SIM that was sold with the iPhone years ago.

The reason I wondered was: AT&T's webpage for "checking the status of your unlock" said in their instructions, Step #2 (for my Orig. iPhone unlock request last December):

https://www.att.com/deviceunlockstatus/client/en_US/deviceunlockstatus_action
"2. Ensure the original SIM card that came with this device is inserted in your iPhone."​

However, the "approved" email that they send to your Inbox doesn't say that. The email merely said as Step #2:

"2. Ensure a SIM card is inserted into your iPhone."​

So you can see how "cornfusing" it all is!

When I got the first 3GS in 2009, I didn't do anything. The Apple Store set it all up w/AT&T. So this is my first excursion since then trying to figure everything out from scratch. So thanks again for your marvelous patience!

Lastly, Seller wrote yesterday, very nice, asking, "What can I do to help?" So I repeated what I had written previously a time or two, ie, "I was hoping you would fill out the AT&T Unlock Form." Today I replied saying if he couldn't/wouldn't, I would try it myself, which I did earlier today but take a guess, after filling it out & hitting Submit, the AT&T site said, "We are experiencing difficulties. Please try again later." I kid you not.

I'll try again soon.

~~~