“Jail-breaking” and “Unlocking” are terms you’ve probably heard a lot about recently. Wikipedia is a good place to start. WP defines iOS jail-breaking as “….a process that allows iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users to run third-party unsigned code on their devices by unlocking the operating system and allowing the user root access…”
One typically jailbreaks an iPhone in order to install the Cydia application, an application marketplace portal in itself that allows one to install un-sanctioned applications onto the phone. There are many very cool applications there, but like a back-alley momo kitchen in Nepal, there may be questionable outcomes from exposing oneself to the product.
By un-sanctioned, I mean they didn’t pass the bar for application guidelines. Apple controls what applications one can install on the phone, keeping a tight rein on developers and a firm but fair guideline on how developers can code their application’s user interface, so end-users can expect a consistent, intuitive experience. If you’ve used badly coded applications on any platform, you know what I’m talking about.
Most users (and frankly me as well) are perfectly fine living in Apple’s universe. There are thousands of applications available to do most anything (hence “there’s an app for that” tag line) in the App Store, and with Apple’s guidelines in place, the chance of an application making your phone misbehave or drain battery life is minimal.
The main reason one jailbreaks and installs Cydia in this context is really just a stepping stone to unlocking the phone. Unlocking is the real frontier. US users are locked into using AT&T as their iPhone carrier. AT&T uses a GSM network (new tab, wikipedia.com, “GSM”), but they’re not the only one in the ‘states. T-Mobile does as well (Verizon uses CDMA), meaning that if you jailbreak and then unlock your phone, you can use T-Mobile. Internationally, many carriers use GSM, allowing for Apple to work with these companies and formulate a plan for world domination. Fine with me, as I own Apple stock (full disclosure). (You can find the list of supported countries here: iPhone Countries). There are as yet many countries that don’t yet have supported carriers, even though they use GSM, hence my jailbreak and unlock in Nepal.
I followed the jailbreak guide here: iPhone Jailbreak Guide
I have 4.0 on my iPhone 4, having not yet updated even to 4.0.1. That’s another story. It’s important though, since iOS 4.0.2 disables this particular jailbreak. If you’re jail breaking your iPad, 3.2.2 disables the jail break.
Once I jailbroke my phone, I followed the instructions here: iPhone unlock with Ultrasn0W to unlock it.
OK, but now we get into the nitty gritty. The part where some people’s eyes stop glazing over and the part where other people back away. We’re going to cut down a SIM card. We cut down a SIM card because the iPhone 4 (and iPad) take a new “micro SIM”, which is really just less plastic and nearly as much silicon as a regular SIM. It makes regular SIMs look a lot like a transistor compared to a microchip. Anyway, Google this for the best results. In short, one first pops out the existing SIM using a small paper clip or safety pin, then takes the new SIM and lines up the horizontal lines, trims with very sharp scissors (perhaps after scoring with a razor blade or sharp knife) and then lines up the center point and does the same. Don’t forget to cut the small corner piece off and round the other corners. You probably want to try and pop the new chip into the carriage every so often, to gauge how you’re doing on the cuts.
Done? Ramro! Pop in the SIM chip, insert the carriage and wake up the phone. It will probably work right away, but if not, just power off the phone and on again. If your newly acquired SIM already has a data plan, you should begin getting your queued mail, and if not you’ll need to talk with your carrier, or account holder for this.
Nepal Note: To dial landlines, remove the “+977″ and add “01″ in front of the number they give you. Sometimes. To dial mobiles, just dial the full ten-digit number. Special thanks to J.M. for helping me with my first SIM cut and loaning me his very sharp japanese knife 
I have an updated entry on this subject:here
I am using i phone 4 in uae and it was said that it is unlocked phone. So if i bring this i phone 4 in nepal will it work? Or do i need to do something?
If it is unlocked and you purchase a SIM locally from NTC or NCell (and cut it down if it is a standard sim) it will find the network just fine. 3G service works great here in town (KTM), not so great in the outer reaches. If you have not yet activated FaceTime, be sure to do it while your phone can send international SMS messages. Good luck!
Can i unlock iphone 4 in Nepal. ? It have the software version 4.2.1
It depends on the baseband you have; check settings-general-About-modem firmware. Then look at redmondpie.com or google for your specific version to see if it’s unlockable. Good luck!
Right now I am in USA and i am bringing my apple iphone4 with me in Kathmandu. Can i unlock the phone in Kathmandu and use it inserting local sim card. The phone details are VERSION: 4.3.3 (8J2) AND MODEM FIRMWARE IS 04.10.01
You should be fine, though I’ve no experience with 4.10.01: http://www.redmondpie.com/unlock-4.3.3-ios-with-ultrasn0w-1.2.3-how-to-tutorial/
Just make sure to jailbreak and unlock preserving your baseband, following the above instructions. Local SIM can be cut down if you have an iphone4.
my mom is in japan and she says that the normal sim will not work in the japanese iphone4 32gb in kathmandu. i don’t have any idea about it so what shall i do
You probably need to jailbreak and unlock it. There are no approved iPhone carriers in Kathmandu, requiring iPhone users to do both steps.
thanks so i will surely tell my mom to bring me one.thanks
There is no iPhone 3g3, and I don’t deal with unlocking services here in Nepal…good luck
i updated my iphone 3g to ios4.1 with baseband 06.15.00. i already jailbreak and unlocked it with ultrasnow. it show the carrier setting now and i can see that my iphone is searching the network but it could not find it. can you plz help me?
thank you !!!!!!!!
Did you update to iOS 4.1 using a jailbroken ipsw file, or just normally via iTunes? If you updated via itunes, your baseband (6.15.00) may not be unlockable. If you updated via an jailbroken ipsw file, you should re-download ultrasn0w. Good luck!
does facetime work in nepal? in pre-paid ntc
sims?
FaceTime works over wifi only, so carrier is irrelevant, though to activate FaceTime you need to be able to send AND receive international texts. Thus far I’ve not gotten it to work, and attempts rack up outgoing SMS charges (Ncell). Good luck!
Hey Ed,
Thanks for all the replies, very insightful.
Now, i am using an Iphone4 with prepaid NTC connection (irrelevant to mention i know, but just a habit). I cant find the Facetime on my phone. I had jailbroken it using greenpoison or something like that. So, how do i use it and most importantly does it work here? Please keep in mind that it took me 6 months to figure out even the simplest applications. So, please let me know in a very simple and clear way.
Best Regards,
Vijayshree
You can find Apple’s guide to the iPhone here: http://support.apple.com/manuals/
In this doc: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf
Do a search for “FaceTime” and find the section on activating it…
does locked verizone iphone work in nepal with ncell or ntc sim?plz reply soon.thank you.
Nope.
“The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a contract commitment. You can activate and use it on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States.* The unlocked iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.
If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the micro-SIM card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.”
– from http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone/iphone4s (click on “unlocked iphone features”)
hey ed, i buy an iphone 4 from ktm and i had update it via itunes 4.3 like something amd again another update was available but i didn’t again 5 was available so i update to 5.0 it did but when i restore it then my network lost i tagain start from the factory setting now it says sim not valid, only supported carriers may use, i didn’t know what happen any clues, can i open it from airtel sim of india from nepal or vodafone from nepal, plz suggest…
Rachan,
It sounds like you updated via the normal method rather than restore with a jailbroken update. You’ve effectively bricked your phone. NEVER do an update through iTunes with a jailbroken/unlocked phone unless you’re ready for it to break your unlock.
To correct this, you’ll need to re-jailbreak and unlock your phone. Hopefully this is still possible, though the update has updated your firmware or baseband, and it may not be possible. Check on http://www.redmondpie.com for options. To check your firmware/baseand version, go to “settings” and “general” and “about”.
Good luck!
Can you help me? A friend of mine in Nepal has a iPhone 3g which I performed an “erase all content and settings” reset on without realising it was jailbroken + unlocked (I new nothing about jailbreaking at the time). After a steep learning curve and many iTunes errors I have finally restored the phone so it works (using redsn0w_win_0.9.6rc16 and custom restore iOS 4.2.1-8C148). It is now on iOS 4.2.1 (8C148) with baseband 06.15.00. But it is not working with his NTC sim. Sorry if this is a stupid question but I am new to this; The phone obviously needs unlocking again, but is the phone still jailbroken (I am confused since Cydia is still installed). What would you recommend I do unlock the phone? Also, after reading on the internet, I am worried about jailbreaking and him ending up with a tethered phone, as he lives in rural Nepal and has no regular computer access.
Thanks for your help
Pete
Pete, bravo for getting this far. One more step, your friend needs to install Ultrasn0w. Follow this tutorial, and just go with it even though the primary focus is iOS 4.3.3: http://www.redmondpie.com/unlock-4.3.3-ios-with-ultrasn0w-1.2.3-how-to-tutorial/
Good luck!
Thank you so much, this worked perfectly! You have saved me a lot of stress and time, and saved my friend from buying a new phone! Thanks for the really quick response also, I had to wait until I was in Kathmandu to have a decent internet connection to do it, but once I did it only took 5 minutes. You’re a legend!
Pete
Hi Ed,
I am currently in US. I bought the AT&T iphone 4 over here, unlocked and jailbroken it. After that I tested with couple of carries like my own AT&T sim card, T-mobile and was working fine. Later I sent this iphone to Nepal to my brother. I don’t know what he did but he consulted one of the stores and they put gevey sim and then the iphone supported the NTC sim card and he used it for couple of weeks. After that he tried to upgrade the iphone to 4.3.3 firmware and now it doesn’t support the NTC sim card. Somebody told him that it would cost him Rs15000 to fix that. Instead I had my friend returning back to US and he brought that phone back here. I cannot use my AT&T sim card as well. Any thoughts??
Surendra,
It sounds like your friend updated to 4.3.3 legitimately through iTunes rather than via a jailbroken iOS. The whole gevey thing (see my updated post: http://hearthwooddome.com/?p=1869) is an actual layer of metal that is laid between the SIM and the phone. Every reboot of the phone requires one to re-do the unlock (not that complicated), but it must be jailbroken first in order for the gevey to work.
If you’re just trying to get your iPhone to work with your AT&T SIM again, make sure the gevey SIM is out, and that you’re using your original iPhone SIM sled and not the Gevey-supplied replacement. If your friend didn’t give you the original sled, try and get a new one from an AT&T store, an Apple store, or somewhere online.
As always, good luck!
dear hd
im in japan and i have a iphone 4 /5.0.1(9A405) . can i use it in nepal ? i already did untethered jailbreak my iphone.
Dorzey, a jailbreak doesn’t guarantee an unlock will work (You didn’t mention it’s unlocked, so I’m going on that assumption); make sure to check over at http://www.redmondpie.com or another site for using Ultrasn0w to unlock. Make sure your baseband/firmware is compatible. Once you have your unlock done, you’ll be able to use it here. Check my updated article (bottom of this one) for using Gevey SIM in case Ultrasn0w won’t work. Good luck!
thanks i got it…………….
if i jailbreak my iphone 4 in usa can it is use in nepal???
Yes, as long as you also unlock it. Check out http://www.redmondpie.com for the latest info on all this…
I have Iphone 3g which has version 4.2.1 (8C148) which was used in Uk Vodafone sim.Now when i got it in Nepal it does not read any sim and it is not jailbroken and unlock. & another thing is that its Wifi also does not work. Can I Unlock it by myself? and how do i fix its wifi?
Sounds like you can use http://www.jailbreakme.com from the phone, then install Ultrasn0w using instructions on RedmondPie.com. Don’t know what your WiFi issue is, could you explain it?
Thanks
And when i try to search wifi network it shows loading for 2 second than it does not show any network i tried a lot by reseting network setting but also does not work. And can u help me to jail break from pc by providing me jailbreak download link?
If there are available 802.11b or g (sorry, no a or n) wifi networks, you will be able to join them. And no, I can’t provide you a link to a jailbroken ipsw. Use http://www.jailbreakme.com for your purposes, MUCH easier.
i have a iphone 4s carrier 11 at&t which i brought from us but here in nepal i didn;t activate it.it says insert valid sim .how can i activate it???
You need an AT&T sim to activate it, afterwhich you can jailbreak it and unlock it. Assuming of course it has an unlockable firmware. Check http://www.redmondpie.com and http://www.gevey.com for updated info, New Road for gevey sims.
This is not a help forum for general iPhone issues. Try elsewhere.
i have iphone 3g and it has verry verry lose wifi signal. when we touch eith roughter than only it shows network otherwise it wont show any network when we put near roughter also.
Bob,
Check out some iPhone forum sites online. I’ve only provided this info for jailbreaking FYI, and this is not an iPhone support site or forum. Good luck!
i got iphone 4 from usa, i got unlocked by the atnt company ,its working well and i am using ncell sim here in nepal,but the face time is not working any solution
Sign up for an AppleID / iCloud account. I’ve had the same issue when using just a Nepali (+977) number. Turn off the slider and then turn on again. Check sites like redmondpie.com for more info.
my fren send me an iphone 4 having bb 4.12.01 ios 5.1.1 which have no unlock in nepal? any help?
If the phone is out of contract, you’re in luck!
http://www.askiphonequestion.com/how-to-unlock-att-iphone-4-ios-5-1-baseband-4-12-01/
Good luck…
i have iphone 4 5.1.1 can i unlock my phone in nepal n what its cost
It all depends on the baseband version. If you’re in Nepal, try the mobile shops on New Road. Probably about 3000rps, but I’ve always done it myself, so don’t know for sure.
i have a i phone 4 from uk, i tried myself to set it put could not it ask for i-tues to update, it was unlock in uk, does it need to unlock it here, if need how much i have to pay for it . pls answer me i will be there right now .
Your best bet is to head to New Road. Good luck!
Hi I just sent an iPhone to my wife I live in Canada she lives in bakhtapur is tht phone going to work there its on version4.3.3 and I had it jailbroken and unlocked but she is having trouble if anyone here can give me any suggestion I would be really thank full my email is snow_job_76@hotmail.com Thanx
Rishav, this isn’t a help forum, try redmondpie.com or similar. Good luck!
i have an i phone with firmware 04.11.08 how do i unlock this?