Bring iPhones gifts to China?

[mikeymark]

My wife was asking me to buy 3 iPhones on eBay to bring to China for friends and family on my next trip. Does anyone know if I will have a problem with customs? I want to carry on my iPhone and the 3 "gifts".

 

BTW, the next trip will be for her interview. Getting very excited waiting for word from NVC that package has been sent to Guangzhou.

[2mike&jin]

My wife was asking me to buy 3 iPhones on eBay to bring to China for friends and family on my next trip. Does anyone know if I will have a problem with customs? I want to carry on my iPhone and the 3 "gifts".

 

BTW, the next trip will be for her interview. Getting very excited waiting for word from NVC that package has been sent to Guangzhou.

 

Well I wouldn't worry about taking them with you. They're for you personal use - specifically gifts. I've carried some strange things in my luggage and carry on - ($5000.00 worth of American Prescription Drugs to last me a year, Three IPODS (long time ago), one time I took quite a chunk of $100.00 bills - (the first time I moved to China) - so the bottom line is I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Now I have a question - I don't even know if this makes sense - but can an IPhone 4 be "unlocked" from the network, ala buying a China cell phone that you just swap out sims/add money at will vice a plan?

[Eric&Yuhui]

 

 

Now I have a question - I don't even know if this makes sense - but can an IPhone 4 be "unlocked" from the network, ala buying a China cell phone that you just swap out sims/add money at will vice a plan?

 

Since AT&T has a iPhone monopoly, unlocking it would require unofficial software to use on other carriers.

I am sure it's out there by now. You then can swap SIMS

[Randy W]

You don't say, but hopefully you didn't buy them from AT&T with a two year contract - if not, they're probably already unlocked.

 

But if they are, do an internet search for, guess what, "unlock iPhone".

 

"jailbreaking" is another fix which allows applications that WEREN'T purchased from the iStore to run on the iPhone.

 

A locked cell phone simply has a software switch that causes it to check for the correct carrier. Bypassing this check is called "unlocking" - you will still use all original Apple software. "unlocking" a phone is usually done by navigating to a specific screen and entering a code, and is fairly simple.

 

The data plans are similar to those in the US - I'm paying about 10RMB per month for my Blackberry, which works just fine, except no Blackberry Enterprise Server, so no email. It should work just fine with the iPhona, also. I believe DavidZixuan has done this with an iPhone.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Randy W (see edit history)

[credzba]

Since AT&T has a iPhone monopoly, unlocking it would require unofficial software to use on other carriers.

I am sure it's out there by now. You then can swap SIMS

 

 

I just this last week jailbroke (required for unlock) and unlocked my iphone (3, not 4 but I read it works the same).

There are many places that say how to do it, but here is one that I used and know works:

 

Ismash iphone unlock

[Zhou Zhou]

I took an iPhone to PRC when they first came on the scene. It was for my wife's son. He got it working and loves it. As for PRC Customs, I've never opened a bag. ZZ

[SleepyGuy]

As far as going through customs, proceed at your own risk - officially only 5,000RMB can be brought in duty-free, excluding your personal properties that will be brought back out (laptops, cameras, etc.) - in reality, inspection is rarely performed.

 

iPhone 4 uses micro SIM, rather than mini SIM which is used on almost all other GSM phones including earlier iterations of iPhone. So be prepared to cut off the edges of a mini SIM in order to use it in iPhone 4.

[Rob and WeiLing]

Well I wouldn't worry about taking them with you. They're for you personal use - specifically gifts. I've carried some strange things in my luggage and carry on - ($5000.00 worth of American Prescription Drugs to last me a year, Three IPODS (long time ago), one time I took quite a chunk of $100.00 bills - (the first time I moved to China) - so the bottom line is I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Now I have a question - I don't even know if this makes sense - but can an IPhone 4 be "unlocked" from the network, ala buying a China cell phone that you just swap out sims/add money at will vice a plan?

 

I think iPhone 4 is also sold to Verizon customers now. I just know that iPhone 4 has been having a hell of a time with reception problems. Something to the effect of holding it in the left hand will get calls dropped.

 

Unofficial unlocking would require jailbreak (which the Library of Congress recently ruled is LEGAL), but I met a woman who said her son took his iPhone to AT&T and said he was going to be in China for a while. I think she said they unlocked it for him. I could be wrong.

 

And no need to buy a whole cell phone in China, you can usually buy SIM cards individually, just have a passport or Chinese ID card ready.

[david_dawei]

My wife was asking me to buy 3 iPhones on eBay to bring to China for friends and family on my next trip. Does anyone know if I will have a problem with customs? I want to carry on my iPhone and the 3 "gifts".

 

BTW, the next trip will be for her interview. Getting very excited waiting for word from NVC that package has been sent to Guangzhou.

I'll see your "3" and raise you "2"... also got all through eBay

 

I am going to china next week and was asked to bring some and the number kept growing after I said those first fateful words, "hao de"

 

I will probably put them all in checked baggage along with a suitcase full of gifts.

 

As is suggested previously, you must jailbreak an iphone (allows other software to be installed) BEFORE you can unlock it (jailbreak puts Unlock software on so it works on another carrier). The one exception is if you find a "factory unlocked" phone which I think are usually sold overseas to work on any carrier service, but you can find them occasionally on eBay but usually much higher price.

 

There are a few versions out there and here is part experience and opinion:

- 3g iPhones: Very easy to jailbreak and unlock (firmwares 3.1.2 to 4.x) and very compatible with most all jailbroke app software. The main downside is that this phone is generally slower (less internal memory and cache and slower cpu) but for average use is not really a big deal. These may be older too so try to get a serial number and you can then get the production date. Expect to pay around $200-$250 on eBay.

 

- 3g(s) iPhones: The (s) stands for speed and is clearly faster. These are easy to jailbreak and unlock ONCE you figure out the firmware version and baseband; based on that you may have to use one method vs another for 3.x versions. The main drawback is that firmware 4.x cannot be jailbroken nor unlocked unless previously jailbroken or previous version was saved for a restore. Stick to 3.1.2 or 3.1.3 and your golden. Expect to pay around $250-$400 on eBay.

 

- 4g iPhones: While these can be jailbroken and unlocked, the compatibility to jailbroken apps would be my concern. Also, due to an antenna issue, Consumer Reports labeled it as "Not Recommended" for buyers. Expect to pay $700-$900 on eBay.

 

In general, my opinion, avoid firmware 4.x (on 3g and 3gs) and iphone 4 if you want full compatibility to jailbroken apps. I had an iPhone stuck in "Safe mode" due to incompatibility to 4.x firmware. Once I finally fixed that, I downgraded the phone to 3.1.3 and everything worked fine. Firmware 4.x only adds folders and multitasking but the latter is a memory hog on 3g. There is a jailbroken app called "Backgrounder" if you really want such functionality, but generally multitasking is overblown; your using your phone too much if that is a big need. Just get a good sms (biteSMS) and lockinfo app and you'll have quick movement to all notifications (mail, sms, calls). There are thousands of apps and themes which would take too much time to mention but anyone can ask questions.

[mikeymark]

I'll see your "3" and raise you "2"... also got all through eBay

 

I am going to china next week and was asked to bring some and the number kept growing after I said those first fateful words, "hao de"

 

I will probably put them all in checked baggage along with a suitcase full of gifts.

 

As is suggested previously, you must jailbreak an iphone (allows other software to be installed) BEFORE you can unlock it (jailbreak puts Unlock software on so it works on another carrier). The one exception is if you find a "factory unlocked" phone which I think are usually sold overseas to work on any carrier service, but you can find them occasionally on eBay but usually much higher price.

 

There are a few versions out there and here is part experience and opinion:

- 3g iPhones: Very easy to jailbreak and unlock (firmwares 3.1.2 to 4.x) and very compatible with most all jailbroke app software. The main downside is that this phone is generally slower (less internal memory and cache and slower cpu) but for average use is not really a big deal. These may be older too so try to get a serial number and you can then get the production date. Expect to pay around $200-$250 on eBay.

 

- 3g(s) iPhones: The (s) stands for speed and is clearly faster. These are easy to jailbreak and unlock ONCE you figure out the firmware version and baseband; based on that you may have to use one method vs another for 3.x versions. The main drawback is that firmware 4.x cannot be jailbroken nor unlocked unless previously jailbroken or previous version was saved for a restore. Stick to 3.1.2 or 3.1.3 and your golden. Expect to pay around $250-$400 on eBay.

 

- 4g iPhones: While these can be jailbroken and unlocked, the compatibility to jailbroken apps would be my concern. Also, due to an antenna issue, Consumer Reports labeled it as "Not Recommended" for buyers. Expect to pay $700-$900 on eBay.

 

In general, my opinion, avoid firmware 4.x (on 3g and 3gs) and iphone 4 if you want full compatibility to jailbroken apps. I had an iPhone stuck in "Safe mode" due to incompatibility to 4.x firmware. Once I finally fixed that, I downgraded the phone to 3.1.3 and everything worked fine. Firmware 4.x only adds folders and multitasking but the latter is a memory hog on 3g. There is a jailbroken app called "Backgrounder" if you really want such functionality, but generally multitasking is overblown; your using your phone too much if that is a big need. Just get a good sms (biteSMS) and lockinfo app and you'll have quick movement to all notifications (mail, sms, calls). There are thousands of apps and themes which would take too much time to mention but anyone can ask questions.

Thanks David, great information. Also thanks to everyone else for their help. My laopo will be thrilled that I can bring in these iPhones. I will try getting new 3g iPhones on ebay.

 

Regarding jail breaking them, what is the easiest software to use and do I jail break them using my iTunes software. Will this mess up my personal iTunes setup for my iPhone 4?

 

Tanks again to you all!

[Batmaniac]

The two of us just got iPhone 4s. Haven't had an antenna issue with them. It drops just as many calls as the 3Gs did. I was planning to send over my old 3Gs to Ying's brother in China but until recently I think whatever version of the baseband I was running couldn't be unlocked. Ended up giving that to my mom and unlocked my father's old 3G (he also bought an iPhone 4) for Ying's brother. Unfortunately he had updated to 4.0 and it runs slow as hell now. In retrospect, probably should have worked on downgrading to 3.1.3 before mailing it off. We also unlocked the original Edge iPhone for use when visiting China. Probably a moot point now since the new iPhone 4s sound pretty easy to unlock.

 

http://gizmodo.com/5604031/unlock-tool-ultrasn0w-now-available-for-iphone-4

 

The new iPhone based unlock hit just a few days after I unlocked the two older phones.

 

http://gizmodo.com/5601874/jailbreakme-20-jailbreaks-all-apple-ios-40-401-and-321-devices

 

Here's an article from today on some nifty jailbreak apps.

 

http://gizmodo.com/5605827/16-reasons-to-jailbreak-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch-now/gallery/

[bokiwen]

Another option: Supposedly you can also buy the iPhone 4 unlocked in Canada (from Apple) without getting it through AT&T, which I guess would be available for firmware upgrades...

[david_dawei]

I got to China with a total of six iphones (if you include mine) without any problem.

 

@Batman: You should be able to downgrade a 3g from 4.x to 3.1.2/3.1.3 so it will run faster. One trick you can try is use an older version of iTunes if the current version doesn't want to do it. I found that different version of RedSn0w [to jailbreak] also work differently if you have an older phone. I have version 8,9.4,9.5.2, 9.5.3, 9.5.5. Try oldest upward on older phones. Also, another trick is that 3.1.3 is not recognized by some RedSn0w versions but you just point it to 3.1.2 (even if downgrading to 3.1.3) and it works fine. As small an upgrade as 3.1.3 is, it has a battery % feature I like.

 

@MikeyMark: Try to get 3gs iphones. They are faster and you'll notice the difference. It's worth the extra to jump to this hardware version. If you want to really be carefully about it, just get an already jailbroken/unlocked 3gs off of ebay. You can add search words like 'jailbroken, 3.1.3, 3.1.2', etc. You want to make sure you get one of these two firmware versions; don't get 4.x jailbroken. Not enough compatibility to jailbroken apps and the 4.0 multi-task seems more memory hog than help.

 

If you don't get a jailbroken iphone, then still make sure it is 3.1.2 or 3.1.3 iphone. Then the basic steps are to jailbreak using RedSn0w, Sn0wBreeze, BlackRain or Sprint.

RedSn0w: I think this is the best one but for 3gs can only be used if the phone was previously jailbroken or you have the ssh files saved.

 

Sn0wBreeze: This does the jailbreak by creating a custom firmware (but only works on older bootroom). After that, you need to restore to that custom bootroom; The other software's don't need to do a restore if already at 3.1.2/3.1.3. Generally I would avoid this if possible since it's more steps to do if you've not jailbroken before.

 

BlackRain: Has a 'tethered' jailbreak you want to avoid. I have not used this so not as experienced with it.

 

Sprint: This is the only one which can jailbreak some 3gs phones. One drawback is that you CANNOT upgrade to 4.x later (as of now, maybe can later)... but honestly, there seems little reason to go to 4.x.

 

After jailbreak, go into Cydia app and wait for it to prompt you that it found updates... this update will put The Unlock software on which you then run.

 

This is quick and dirty high level comments.

 

When any phone is connect to iTunes, you can setup the phone as another device and iTunes keeps track of them all in the Applications Data area of your computer. You just always want to be careful to NEVER let iTunes apply a restore or new version. If you ever need to do a restore [to an earlier version], you need to bypass iTunes with "Shift-Restore" so you can point to a firmware (you have downloaded) and want to restore to.

 

Again, safest best is to buy one already jailbroken at 3.1.2/3.1.3. If it is jailbroken but not unlocked you just follow the step I mentioned above with Cydia.

 

you can email me as needed too

[david_dawei]

One interesting thing I just didn't realize is that any mail account setup on the iphone follows the phone. As soon as I put in a chinese SIM with internet access, I started getting all my emails from my three email accounts.

[Stepbrow]

One of the tech guys at our school knows a guy .Actually a store, and many of my coworkers have been buying unlocked I-3's for about half price of a US phone. Buy them in China, and you will have more money to spend on your honey.