New Hong Kong iPhone 3GS

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  1. #1

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    New Hong Kong iPhone 3GS

    I own and operate orphanages in mainland China and have a serious question. My carrier is China Mobile. The question is in regard to iPhone 3GS.

    I have a new 3GS purchased in Hong Kong and I have been told it can be upgraded on iTunes at will since it is permanently unlocked and I can still use my China Mobile sim card. Something about something not being included in the manufacture so it retains the unlock.

    What I want to do is jailbreak so I can access Cydia. However, I can find very little information about Hong Kong (Taiwan made I think) iPhone 3GS and would like to find out if anyone knows the safe route to take with this.

    Thank You so much!

    The Oowf


  2. #2

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    Just google it.

    Apple, iPhone & iPad News | ModMyi.com is a good site for information on jailbreaking your iPhone. There should be a program for you to download for Windows/Mac that allows you to click a few buttons and finish the job. Although if you are not too familiar with it and comfortable with it, I would suggest you ask someone for help as it is possible to mess up your iPhone doing this.


  3. #3

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    Thank You for your response. I have jailbroken and unlocked 3GS phones prior to update 3.1.3 with no problem.

    My question is in regard to the supposed "lock/unlock problem free" iPhone available in Hong Kong (which I purchased) (I think made in Taiwan)

    I have read and re read just about everything available via google and other search engines. The majority of the information is focused on US made models not the Hong Kong model. I want to know about the Hong Kong model and thought maybe this site would be a good source.

    Supposedly, the Hong Kong model 3GS is not subject to non standard sim cards (service providers) being locked out when up grading via iTunes. I bought the phone, plugged in my China Mobile sim and it worked just fine with version 3.1.3.

    My question is I want to jailbreak it to be able to access Cydia and I find nothing about jailbreaking a Hong Kong model...

    Thus this post.

    Thank You.

    The Oowf

    Last edited by oowf; 03-06-2010 at 11:10 PM.

  4. #4

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    All iPhones no matter where they are sold are made in China. There is no iPhones "made in Taiwan" or "made in USA" All iPhones sold outside of China are the same, but they have been programmed (Based on model numbers) to lock to particular networks in Canada. For example in the US the iPhone locks to at&t, and you need to jailbreak and then unlock it with Cydia software.

    The Hong Kong versions software, (Model numbers ending in ZP and NP off the top of my head) is not programmed to lock to any network.

    Jailbreaking the iPhone is the exact same steps as any other iPhone internationally, but you don't need to take the extra step of unlocking.


  5. #5

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    Thank you for the information. Your information is basically what I was looking for except I was wondering if there are any precautions one needs to take, i.e. possible problems with the fact that the Hong Kong iPhone is not programmed to any network and could that change with a future upgrade on iTunes like what happened to so many with the latest upgrade to 1.3.1 where people with phones jailbroken and unlocked suddenly could not use a carrier like China Mobile.

    I appreciate your information.

    The Oowf


  6. #6

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    There are two separate issues - unlock and jailbreak.

    HK official iPhones are all unlocked. You can update them as much as you like via iTunes and they remain unlocked as the software is set up as such.

    Jailbreaking overrides the Apple file system and allows both the unlocking of locked phones and the ability for unofficial third party apps to run in place of Apple files. This is what would be "fixed" on an OS update.

    So for an HK iPhone an official Apple update would not "lock" the phone but would overwrite the jailbreak.


  7. #7

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    One thing to note, if you want 3g data on your iphone in china, you will need to use China Unicom.


  8. #8

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    One last question. As you should have realized by previous posts, I live in China and use China Mobile. No Problems.

    However, just received a call from family back in the States and my Mom's doctor has said it is time for the family to come in... her health is fading rapidly.

    My question is, while in the States, what is the best way to continue using my phone? Is there such a thing as a short term "pay as you go" sim card I can put in my phone? (iPhone is a Hong Kong model -3GS)

    Oh... will my China Mobile sim roam in the USA?

    Would appreciate a quick response as I fly out this evening.

    Thank You.

    Last edited by oowf; 08-07-2010 at 05:54 AM.

  9. #9

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    You can get a prepaid card from timbale or AT&T in USA. That's what I do when I go back. Both offer minutes, video calls, and data, at carrying packages depending on your use and payment

    Again, hk iPhone is permanantly unlocked. You will never be locked into a service provider.
    Posted via Mobile Device