Using Virgin Sim with iPhone 3GS

Virgin Mobile in the UK is NOT a supported carrier. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do if Virgin can't help you.

Here is a list of supported carriers: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1937

I am using a Virgin SIM in my spare 3g with no problems.

Just put the SIM in and for voice, the phone should work straight away.

As for data, it depends what version of IOS you are running?

I also coudn't get a Virgin UK SIM working in a 3GS ... watching this tread in case any one has a an answer ...

I'm new to Iphone and to all things Apple in general. I have an unlocked 3gs acquired off ebay. It had some problems with the microphone and the camera to begin with and I had those fixed. It then seemed to be working fine with the Virgin SIM in it for a few days. I then connected up to Itunes and in my ignorance accepted the offer to upgrade the OS to 5.0.01 (or whatever the current one is). Since then I have been unable to activate the phone and the SIM seems unable to find a service. Have tried a hack using redsn0w win_0.9.9b4, but without luck. To sum up then,

I can confirm that it does work because it did, but that it doesn't now that I have updated to OS 5.0 (I notice yours has OS5).

I thought that appleworld was fun friendly and full of satisfying consumer experience. So far it seems the same, that is at least as frustrating as MSworld. Lets hope it gets better as I don't think I have done anything illegal and yet for some reason I seem to be prevented from using the item I have bought.

The point is, androo, that hacking your phone, as you have admitted to, voids your warranty, and eliminates the possiblity of receiving help from Apple or it's forums, including this one.

We are unable, by the Terms of Use of this forum (that you agreed to, by the way, when you signed up to post here) to help you further. You can still search the internet for potential solutions to your problem.

Best of luck.

GDG

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you mean by voiding my warranty. The object was bought secondhand on ebay so far as I know that means that it had no warranty. Given this I was simply taking responsibility for retrieving the situation caused by the upgrade solicited by itunes which did not provide me with adequate or indeed any warnings as to the possible results for the phones functionality. Remember my phone was unlocked and did work prior to the itunes "upgrade". At that point I had done nothing to void whatever warranty it is you say I may have had. However, I'm sure about one thing and that is that Apples itunes has caused my property to stop working.

However, accepting this situation (albeit without prejudice to my right to sue Apple in a /uk small claims court - I'm sure the stockprice can stand the shock) and the fact that the phone was out of warranty already, only now, after the itunes prompted update to OS 5.0.1 had effectively bricked my phone, did I start looking, in a spirit of self-reliance, for alternative solutions. You call it hacking I would simply call it loading software, anyway it appeared to offer a solution. As it became apparent that the tools offered by devteam did not seem to be able to make my phone usable again I am therefore thrown back onto Apples goodwill for help (and so far as I can understand the reason DevTeams tools don't work is due to active choices that Apple has made to make it difficult for the owners of Apple products to use them - I believe Devteam spend their time looking for ways around this).

In sum then it seems you are saying that Apple does not have any goodwill.

That's so disappointing.

Hi androo235,

I think what has happened is that the phone had been previously unlocked or jailbroken by the person who sold it to you on ebay and when you updated to 5.0.1 it locked it back to the original carrier who ever that was.

Good luck,

Alan

Lastly you say that I can still search the internet for potential solutions - Do I need your permission to do that then?

Thanks Alan, that's consturctive. I have been thinking that too. Moreover as it was the itunes Apple upgrade that did that isn't that an anti-competitive act and an unwarranted interference with my property? Anyway ignoring them for the moment,

• can I reasonably expect it to work with the "right" UK SIM in it?
• having discovered, by trial and error, whose SIM that is, can I then ask them to unlock it so that I can use my VIRGIN SIM again (my whole family uses VIrgin).

If I provide Apple with my IMEI/SN etc can they tell me who it is locked to or do I have to troll through the high street until I find the one that works.

Hi androo235,

The same thing happened to me ( I was on Vodafone UK) so I took it to my local Apple Store and they took it for about 10 minutes and came back with a printout which gave all the information about the phone.

It was locked to AT&T which is in the States and I am in UK and AT&T do not unlock their phones anyway.

I can not tell you what he said to do about it but I think it is fairly obvious.

Good luck,

Alan

Hello androo235, I have seen in your other thread, that you fixed it, could you please tell me how, because I have the same problem but in another country, and I don't know how to fix it, tried a lot of stuff, still doesn't work.