How to get your iPhone on Tmobile
So let’s get started. Getting your iphone on tmobile isn’t too complicated of a process but you are going to need a few things; the hardware, the software, the time, and the patience.
How to Get your iPhone on Tmobile: The Hardware
You’re gonna need an iPhone.
Yeah, this part is pretty important. You have a few options for picking one of these up, depending on the one you’re looking for.
- Iphone 2g – It’s old school, but these things are still better than your brick phone. Most of the time you can pick these up off Craigslist for $50-$100 bucks. I traded my old fridge for one.
- iPhone 3g – This one will cost you a little more, though for our purposes I’d consider the differences minimal. A little thinner with a plastic back, the only real difference between this one and the iPhone 2g is transmitter.You can get these off craigslist on the regular, but eBay seems to have them for less.
- iPhone 3GS- On Tmobile you wont have the option of subscribing to the 3g network so the major difference here is the speed. These things are damned fast compared to the standard 3G and nowadays aren’t that much more expensive. You also get the really nifty compass and a host of video editing features. (Check here for the specific differences.)
These are a little pricier to find used, probably because everyone who owns an iPhone seems to think they keep their value indefinetly. Going rate for an iPhone 3GS on ebay is around $300 and $200-250 on craigslist if you’re lucky. - iPhone 4g- Yep, the one everyone wants, the hot new piece from Apple. This thing is pretty expensive wherever you happen to be looking for it, though you do have a few options if you’re not willing to shell out $600-900 for a new one (WTF ebay).
Craigslist seems to have them around ~$500, which isn’t bad for not being tied into a contract.The only other way you’re getting one of these for less is stealing one or this.
How to Get your iPhone on Tmobile: The Software
Alright sweet, you got an iPhone. Now for the software. This part is probably going to be a bit easier than getting your hands on a cheap out of contract iPhone, but who knows, maybe you’re craftier than I am.
Lucky for you, I found this sweet diagram on wiki that tells you which iteration of the Dev Team’s software you’re going to need. I’ll warn you that you’ll typically have to do a bit of searching to find the .bin files used to complete the process.
Once you’ve found all necessary files, the jailbreaking process is quite simple. Start the jailbreaking program, put your iPhone into DFU mode, follow the prompts and be patient. This process can take a while and sometimes getting the iPhone into DFU mode can be difficult.
How to Get your iPhone on Tmobile: The Service
Huzzah, final step. Now all that’s left is picking up a sim card and calling the lovely gents at Tmobile. If you’re working on a 2g/3g/3gs, all you’ll need to do is insert your sim card and modify your APN settings to reflect the new carrier. Bam, iPhone on Tmobile. A step-by-step guide of this process can be found here.
If you have an iPhone 4, you have a bit of a challenge ahead. Because the iPhone 4 uses a micro sim, you’ll have to take a standard sim and modify it to get it in there.
If you have a Tmobile nearby, i’d recommended you head down there and ask them to do it, they usually have a special tool to cut it for you. Don’t worry about getting hassled about it either, they definitely want your iPhone on Tmobile and shouldn’t put up a fight.
You can also do this process yourself, check out youtube.com for examples on how to cut it down yourself.
How to Get your iPhone on Tmobile: The Finale
And there you have it. Hopefully that wasn’t too painful a process as the rewards far outweigh the effort (to me at least, heh.) Now get out there and enjoy your new iPhone on Tmobile!
