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Not your normal iPhone hack... Camera removal?

W

wRek

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 6, 2009
67
0
WA state.
So, I work somewhere that I am not allowed to carry a camera phone. I currently have an iPhone 3gs that I use outside of work, and inside of work I use a crappy Nokia pay-as-you-go phone that I got from Wal-Mart with my AT&T SIM in it.

I work somewhere that it'd be nice to have music, movies, games, on my down time/lunch and breaks, or even music while I work. I don't want to buy another iPod touch, since I sold mine when I got my iPhone. BUT, I have a spare jailbroken 2g iPhone that is just sitting around waiting for me to do something with it.

I have been contemplating opening up the phone, removing the camera, smoothing out the camera hole in the back of the case and spraying the back solid black. Then using SBSettings to hide the camera app so it no longer shows up. Essentially... I would like to turn my iPhone 2g into a non-camera iPhone. This way I could still have all the functionality of an iPhone, and be able to bring it into work. I would still have my 3gs for outside of work.

NOW... I've read through some posts I found in search and other people have asked the question, but no one ever gave a real response.

Will removing the camera by simply popping it off cause the phone to have problems booting when it cannot find it? Will it simply overlook it? Will it notice it at all if I never try to open the camera app?
 
Get a case that covers the entire back of the phone...?

Do your employers actually check your phone?
 
Mystikal said:
Jailbreak and hide the icon lol.
Click to expand...

Because, of course, the first thing people look for when they're trying to see if a phone is a camera phone is a camera application.

A camera on the back of a phone make it pretty obvious it is a camera phone.
 
tdesanctis said:
Get a case that covers the entire back of the phone...?

Do your employers actually check your phone?
Click to expand...


Yes they do. I work somewhere that if I was to get caught with a camera, I could be fired just for having it, and if they found anything work related on the phone I would be thrown in prison.

If I'm going to use it, I'm going to completely remove the camera from the phone.
 
Chaszmyr said:
http://www.iresq.com/iphone/detail.php?prodID=P011036

A simple Google search probably would have returned that this company has been offering an iPhone camera removal service for $99 since July 2007.
Click to expand...

By simply reading my post it would have told you that this is not what I was asking for. I can remove the camera myself, I am wondering if anyone has figured out whether it will effect the boot process of the phone when it checks it's hardware. I will probably just remove the camera, boot the phone up, and see what happens.
 
dukebound85 said:
...OP are you sure your work doesnt ban models outright? I know mine used to have an approved list and those not on, you couldn't modifications or not
Click to expand...

Currently, the ban on work phones only includes camera phones. They used to ban phones that were bluetooth or WiFi capable, but lifted those bans because so many new phones are capable of both.

They still allow iPod's and iPod touches, which have all the same capabilities as the iPhone other than the iPhone has a camera and has internet capabilities... But so does my pay-as-you-go Nokia phone.

Essentially... I intend to make my 2g iPhone just like an iPod touch, only I will still be able to place calls. The camera pops in and out... so I will probably just try taking the camera out and see what happens on boot up. If it works, I will modify the case to get rid of the camera hole and respray the entire back to look factory.
 
99% sure this will work. At one point my camera wasn't properly connected to my phone, and the phone worked fine. All that happened was if you opened the camera app, the shutter would never open.

To test it, just remove the camera from the phone, put it back together, and see what happens.
 
wRek said:
By simply reading my post it would have told you that this is not what I was asking for. I can remove the camera myself, I am wondering if anyone has figured out whether it will effect the boot process of the phone when it checks it's hardware. I will probably just remove the camera, boot the phone up, and see what happens.
Click to expand...

Honestly, think the poster was trying to help. Obviously it can be done, but if you are going to do it you'll have to see what happens. If you are well versed in iPhone OS, perhaps you'll be successful in modifying the boot sequence (if necessary).

Good luck. Sucks that you can't just use your phone!
 
UnLiMiTeD558 said:
what kind of work place bans camera phones?
Click to expand...

A place where highly sensitive military equipment is manufactured? A place where cutting-edge technologies might be subject to industrial espionage? Certain courts, prisons, etc? There are any number of reasons a workplace would want to preven photography.
 
scirica said:
Lots of government agencies for one...
Click to expand...

BINGO.

Camera phones are not allowed on any government installation where a secret/top secret security clearance is required.



I will most likely just take it apart and try it out... If it works, I will post pictures as soon as I'm done modding the case and everything.
 
Do you have to actually remove the Camera or just not have the ability to use it?

The iPCU will allow you to disable the camera without physically removing it, but I don't know if this will meet you needs?
 
bradenwh said:
Because, of course, the first thing people look for when they're trying to see if a phone is a camera phone is a camera application.

A camera on the back of a phone make it pretty obvious it is a camera phone.
Click to expand...

Well obviously get the full body case.
 
If you remove the camera, you are probably going to want to replace the back case so that dust, etc., doesn't infiltrate your phone. You might be able to buy such a case online somewhere.
 
Chris.L said:
Do you have to actually remove the Camera or just not have the ability to use it?

The iPCU will allow you to disable the camera without physically removing it, but I don't know if this will meet you needs?
Click to expand...

Needs to be completely non-existent.

thelatinist said:
If you remove the camera, you are probably going to want to replace the back case so that dust, etc., doesn't infiltrate your phone. You might be able to buy such a case online somewhere.
Click to expand...

I am going to modify the case so it has no camera hole and re-use it.
 
Instead of going through all the trouble of taking the phone apart, have you considered just breaking out the little piece of glass covering the lens and filling the void with epoxy. Then you can finish the case and repaint it just like you are planning. Then you wouldn't have to worry about the phone not booting because everything is still connected, but you don't have a camera because there is no lens.
 
well, here is one way u can completely get rid of the camera. first you should ask your work if u can do this before doing it, both ways, my way and physically removing the camera. you can download openssh from cydia, and then go on your computer, mac or pc, if its a mac, u can download fugu, it works great. on a pc idk youll have to google an ssh'ing client. now you want the tunnel to be sftp if you arnt using fugu, only if ur using something that requires it. now your going to connect to your router with ur iphone, if u dont have a router, use an ad hoc connection, u can google that too. on ur iphone go to settings > wifi > tap the blue arrow of the router ur connected to. type in the ip address into fugu, or whatever ssh client ur using. then type in the username as "root", then the password is "alpine". now on fugu, you go to the top bar just above ur iphone files section, and click the "/". now go to applications, and your gonna click on something like "mobilecamera" or something. when ur in, select every file and at the top of fugu, click delete. it will come up with a few error messages. now go through each folder and highlight all the things and delete them. folders can not be deleted if they have things in them thats why u have to do this. once uve gone through all the folders, delete every folder in mobile camera. go back to the top drop down bar, and select "/" again. then go back to applications, and delete mobilecamera. disconnect from fugu. now restart your iphone and ur camera app is completely gone until u do a restore.

or the other way is u can just unplug the camera from its hole, and leave it dangling in the inside of the iphone.

good luck and i hope obama doesnt screw u over with his government....like he did with everything else.
 
pcs are junk said:
well, here is one way u can completely get rid of the camera. first you should ask your work if u can do this before doing it, both ways, my way and physically removing the camera. you can download openssh from cydia, and then go on your computer, mac or pc, if its a mac, u can download fugu, it works great. on a pc idk youll have to google an ssh'ing client. now you want the tunnel to be sftp if you arnt using fugu, only if ur using something that requires it. now your going to connect to your router with ur iphone, if u dont have a router, use an ad hoc connection, u can google that too. on ur iphone go to settings > wifi > tap the blue arrow of the router ur connected to. type in the ip address into fugu, or whatever ssh client ur using. then type in the username as "root", then the password is "alpine". now on fugu, you go to the top bar just above ur iphone files section, and click the "/". now go to applications, and your gonna click on something like "mobilecamera" or something. when ur in, select every file and at the top of fugu, click delete. it will come up with a few error messages. now go through each folder and highlight all the things and delete them. folders can not be deleted if they have things in them thats why u have to do this. once uve gone through all the folders, delete every folder in mobile camera. go back to the top drop down bar, and select "/" again. then go back to applications, and delete mobilecamera. disconnect from fugu. now restart your iphone and ur camera app is completely gone until u do a restore.

or the other way is u can just unplug the camera from its hole, and leave it dangling in the inside of the iphone.

good luck and i hope obama doesnt screw u over with his government....like he did with everything else.
Click to expand...

You can't remove the physical camera with software. And the thread starter already outlined a better method for physically disconnecting the camera. He just wants to know if the phone will still function.

But yeah, curse that Obama for single-handedly and unilaterally implementing these brand-new security regulations! :rolleyes:
 
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