Is it safe to unlock an iPhone?  Does it work every time?  Is it even legal?  These are questions everyone has when trying to decide whether or not to unlock their beloved iPhone.  Let’s go over the pros and cons, and how it’s done, and leave it up to you to make the best decision possible. 

First of all, unlocking an iPhone means “jailbreaking” your iPhone.  This alone has implications to think about, but what it does it release the carrier and manufacturer’s restrictions on the device, making it easy to add third-party software and applications- as well as unlock it.  Jailbreaking an iPhone consists of downloading and installing a desktop-based application on your computer, and then transferring some software back to your iPhone based on the firmware you currently have.  This in turn will enable an “installer” app that acts just like Apple’s App Store, but with third-party software that doesn’t have to be approved by Apple or AT&T. 

Through this installer, you can download and install an app that will unlock your device to work on any GSM-based carrier worldwide.  Before you go about jailbreaking or unlocking your iPhone, there’s some things to consider- both good and bad.  First, unlocking your device means you can use it anywhere in the world without having to pay outrageous fees to AT&T.  Likewise, you can purchase and use pre-paid European SIM cards while traveling, for example.  If you live in the US and have T-Mobile instead of AT&T, you could simply purchase an iPhone from an Apple Store, unlock it and use it with a T-Mobile SIM card. 

While it may sound like a no-brainer, jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone is strictly against Apple’s policies.  If you mess up the process or something goes wrong, which happens frequently, Apple will refuse to help or replace your iPhone if it’s been jailbroken.  Jailbreaking also has a tendency to lock-up or “brick” your iPhone which will leave it completely useless.  Most of the time when this happens, the only solution is buying a new phone. 

You’ll have to take your chances when it comes to jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone.  If you travel worldwide frequently, it may be worth the risk, but if not I’d stick with your factory iPhone.  Another annoyance to unlocking your iPhone is that every time Apple releases another firmware update, you’ll likely have to re-download and install a new app to re-unlock your device.  Not a big deal, but something else to consider. 

Related: