Complete Guide to iPhone 5 Unlocking

When a smartphone user gets annoyed with the cell carrier companies, he tends to switch his carrier in order to get better mobile phone service/network coverage. But what if you have an iPhone? In the U.S., for instance, the iPhone is only officially sold and supported on AT&T. Unlocking or jailbreaking your iPhone 5 allows you to change the carrier that the phone works on. The main reason to unlock your iPhone is if you want to use it with a different service provider.

Unlocking an iPhone doesn’t cause any serious issues, but it is not legal either. This requires that the iPhone is compatible with your carrier of choice and that you’ve got service on that carrier. So, you shouldn’t be afraid of Unlocking your iPhone. However we would like you to know all the facts regarding iPhone/iPad/iOS Unlocking, so that you can be in a better situation to decide whether to unlock it or not.

iPhone (iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G) Unlocking:

Unlocking is basically, done to remove the restrictions on the SIM card. If you’re not satisfied with the services provided by the specific carrier that you’re using, you can get rid of the carrier by Unlocking your iPhone. This will open up the door for you with an option of using any carrier of your choice.

Unlocking can be carried out in two forms: Software and Hardware. Experts always suggest using Software Unlocking method, as it will not involve any change in the hardware features of your device and you can roll-back to the original settings, whenever you want to. However, using Hardware Unlocking could be quite risky, as you cannot get back the originality if you’re not satisfied with the change-over.

How to Unlock an iPhone?

Jail breaking is the first process that needs to be carried out, if you want to get your iPhone unlocked. Then:

- There are online vendors who provide step-by-step process for unlocking it.
- You can also, unlock it either by using your phone or computer.

Thanks to the tons of information available online, the process of unlocking the iPhone is simple and involves downloading software, transferring it onto your iPhone and then following a set of simple instructions to unlock your phone once and for all. Although you can also take your iPhone to a specialist who will manually unlock it, developers have created simple software programs that make it possible for you to unlock your iPhone completely on your own. Once complete, you can insert a SIM card from any provider into your iPhone and use it to make calls through that provider, although your Internet browsing capability will be limited if you aren’t subscribed to a data plan.

Unlocking iPhone; Is it Legal?

It is neither legally nor ethically right to unlock your iPhone, without an authentication code. There are countries that do not have any protocol to unlock iPhones. It was observed to be an illegal practice to unlock iPhones in United States, few years ago. But with the changes made in 2006, it was permitted.

Benefits of Unlocking an iPhone

- You can easily pick any other carrier if you are not satisfied with your current Apple certified carrier.
- Unlocking your iPhone enhances the chances of reselling it, as there will not be any carrier restrictions and you can sale it out of your country as well.
- If your business demands lot of traveling, then you can use your phone in the foreign countries too.

Disadvantages of Unlocking an iPhone

- Unlocking an iPhone may prevent you from downloading iPhone software updates, as the algorithms that developers use to allow their programs to unlock iPhones are based on specific software versions.
- If your iPhone is under warranty when you unlock it, doing so also voids the warranty.
- If your iPhone experiences any problems afterward, you will be responsible for all associated repair costs.