New software released to unlock iPhone 3G

California, United States, January 2: The iPhone Dev Team has released the unlocking software yellowsn0w to unlock the iPhone 3G.

Dev Team update from their blog reads, “The unlock works exclusively with baseband 02.28.00. This baseband is provided by the latest firmware update (2.2) from Apple. You’ll need to upgrade to this release using iTunes and then use QuickPwn to activate etc. [...] because it works on 02.28.00; it is available to everyone on the planet. This means we don’t need to unnecessarily expose holes in earlier basebands, which is an important concern.”

This new unlocking software was released on New Year’s Day, some hours later than it was expected.

Dev Team stated that just by following some steps, one can easily install software yellowsn0w to unlock the iPhone 3G. The first step is to update your iPhone 3G to the latest update, 2.2. Download QuickPwn and jailbreak your phone. If you have Mac OS X 10.5.6 installed then use Installer or Cydia to install yellowsn0w. It can be done using http://apt9.yellowsn0w.com/ (for Cydia), and http://i.yellowsn0w.com/ (for installer).

After installing yellowsn0w, run the application. Then turn off the iPhone and install third party SIM. Wait for the slide to unlock screen, then wait 10 or 15 seconds more. If you don’t see your carrier name pop up, then remove your SIM, reinsert it, and wait 10 seconds more. If you are trying this with T-Mobile, Then you must turn off the 3G on your iPhone settings (under Networking) before switching SIM cards.

There are some special SIM cards that give problems, but if you have a normal SIM card from any non-official carrier, you are fine. Crunch Gear has posted a graphical version of the steps to download the unlocking software on http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/01/how-to-unlock-your-3g-iphone/.

Yellowsn0w is the world’s first software unlock for the people who want to unlock their iPhone 3G. This unlocking will allow you to pop out your AT&T SIM card and insert the SIM card of a different carrier. Dev Team warns people to install it at their own risk because this is yellowsn0w version 0.9 and it's still in beta.