Guide to Safely Learn How To Unlock iPhone 3GS 5.0 and 3GS 5.0.1

Many people still posses the bootrom iPhone 3GS that are locked to a particular network and would want to enjoy the freedom of choosing a service provider of their choice by learning how to unlock iphone 3GS. To start with, there is no direct way to unlock iPhone 3GS 5.0 or 5.0.1 unless the network company feels philanthropically charitable to do it for you. You have to first of all perform a tethered jailbreak before you can proceed to unlocking an iPhone 3GS.

Moreover, there isn’t an untethered jailbreak option to use as of now yet. This guide takes you through a safe way to unlock the device, and it works specifically for iPhone 3GS and not any other models.

The Requirements For How To Unlock iPhone 3GS

You will need to have the following tools/software before you can proceed with how to unlock iPhone 3GS process:

• RedSnOw of between versions 0.9.9b5 and 0.9.9b7 beta. However, the best option is RedSnOw 0.9.9b7 beta.
• UltraSnOw 1.2.4
• A SIM card of any carrier (though it has to be a functioning one).

Download and install the correct RedSnOw on your computer machine. There are versions for both Mac and Windows, so choose accordingly and follow the following steps:

1. Jailbreak

Connect your iPhone 3GS to a computer and follow the RedSnOw jailbreak guide as you know it, only that you should also check the Install iPad baseband option as well when the RedSnOw options window comes up. This will ensure that that the iPad baseband is installed when you jailbreak. If you don’t check this option, the unlock procedure won’t be successful. In fact, this is where many people make a mistake and later on complain that the entire unlock iPhone 3GS process was not successful.

Remember at this stage that once you click on the “Next” button, the step cannot be reversed, and even RedSnOw will alert you of the same before proceeding to jailbreak. If you are not familiar with the iPhone 3GS jailbreak procedure, find it on a separate guide on this website.

2. Do a Tethered Boot

At this step, one tethered boot should do the trick for how to unlock iPhone 3GS. Do this by once more launching the RedSnOw that you installed on your computer machine. Select the “Just boot tethered right now” option by clicking on the adjacent check box. The wizard will guide you through the DFU mode before your device can reboot.

3. Install UltraSnOw to Unlock the iPhone

The UltraSnOw package is what will be used to unlock iphone 3GS and is found in Cydia folder, so you will have to launch Cydia, find UltraSnOw and install it to your phone. If the installation is successful, the phone should automatically prompt you for a reboot. However, sometimes despite a successful UltraSnOw installation, the automatic reboot prompt doesn’t crop up, and in such a case, perform a manual reboot to unlock the iPhone.

Open RedSnOw yet again and carry out one more tethered boot just as you did earlier on. This should render your phone unlocked and ready to connect to the network of your choice.

Mistakes to Avoid and Precautions for iPhone 3GS Unlock

The most common problem that many users encounter in their bid to unlock iPhone 3GS 5.0 and 5.0.1 is failure of the device to pick the particular network after installing UltraSnOw. To solve this problem, simply open RedSnOw, check the “Deactivate” option and run another jailbreak. Perform one more tethered boot and your problem should be a thing of the past when unlocking iPhone 3GS.

There are some people who normally mix the jailbreaks and this can have dial consequences. If you are using RedSnow to jailbreak, stick to that and don’t mix it up with other tool like Pwnage or SnOwBreeze.

The other pointer is that as for now, do not use RedSnOw 0.9.9b8 to jailbreak since this compromises the functionality of your iPhone 3GS’s GPS. Instead, stick to the b7 version of the software tool. If you haven’t updated your iPhone 3GS iOS to the latest versions of 5.0 and 5.0.1, then it is important to remember that once you do so, you can lose your unlock and therefore be required to retrieve it.

Benefits of How to Unlock iPhone 3GS

Since unlocking your iPhone removes the limitation to one network, this allows you to scout around for the best service provider and thereby save a few dollars on your budget. Secondly, different unlock software for iPhone 3GS 5.0 and 5.0.1 have different features which you get to enjoy, for instance Wi-Fi hostspot and App Store. These generally have advantages of increased downloads for your phone and at higher speeds. Using your phone on another cellular network means you must first jailbreak and unlock the iPhone 3GS device so that the SIM card can connect to service providers.

However, the benefits can only accrue to you if you follow a safe unlock process. As such, be keen with the precautions mentioned above when looking for how to unlock iPhone 3GS instructions.