I have a friend who bought one last year in the US and unlocked it in Denmark. Only problem he reports is that the phone locks again every time he gets a firmware upgrade.

Since iphones have 2 sim slots (right?), you can buy cheap pre-pay sim to make calls back. Or, of course, connect to open wifi and use skype or whatever free call software you’ve got.

Personally, I call from DK mostly with skype, and if that don’t work, depend on pre-pay at about 12.5 US cents to the States (cheaper to some countries) with no extra fees or subscription.

You’ll have trouble putting in a standard SIM card in your iphone. It is good for WiFi, though.

I’m not planning on unlocked my iphone.
I just wanted to know if there are a lot of wifi spots where i can use the iphone.
I am getting a data package from AT&T but if i can use the wifi from coffee shops or hotels is even better.
i hope there are a lot of wifi spots around Italy.

I took my iPhone to europe in October. I was hoping to put an pre-paid sim card in it when i got there and just use that, but that plan got killed pretty quick. The problem is that our North American service providers lock the iPhones, so you can not use pre-paid sim cards.

I did use the WiFi quite a bit. Most hostels have WiFi, but it may be a little tricky to get it working initially with a cell phone. Usually they are done through a browser based router (kinda) software.

Also worth noting is that in many of the countries (im not sure which ones), McDonalds and KFC have free WiFi. Maybe some coffee shops do to, but I never ran into any.

The internet shops DO NOT have WiFi. They want you to use their machines, so they are kind of useless for an iPhone.

I was testing a lot of the capabilities of the iPhone while I was there, so if you have more questions, let me know…

Hi, I’m going to Europe for a couple of months in May. If I make calls thru Skype, do I still have to unlock the iphone or just switch over to WiFi thru the settings menu? Also, once I switch to WiFi, is there any way to have your email messages downloaded automatically? Or should I manually check for them to avoid data charges? Thanks so much for any advice!

Switch to wifi. Foreign roaming data charges can be astronomical. I use Fring for skype calls via wifi.

I agree with Don. I had my phone in ‘Airplane Mode’ the whole time and only took it off that when I was at a WiFi hotspot and did a sync of all of my emails and such.

I also used Fring to make calls over skype, but I did have some issues with it. I had some minor connection and quality issues while I was there. It was probably due to saturated WiFi hotspots and just poor connections…

Have fun…

what if you just take out your sim card would it not be just like having an Ipod touch?

I am not sure if the iPhone will work at all without a sim card. I basically just left my normal sim card in and just made sure it was in airplane mode the entire time. whenever I was in a wifi hotspot I would sync all my data (texts, emails, etc…).

www.remote-exploit.o….

Stick this on your laptop (you’ll need dual boot Linux) and with these tools you be able to hack most
networks (and some WPA ones). You can crack networks at the shopping mall, sports grounds, nearly every place you frequent and then put the router names and passkeys on your iphone.

haha, thats a bit of a dirty approach.

the only real problem with this is that you have to travel with your laptop. i took both my iphone and my laptop and i really didnt need my laptop and was wishing i had not brought it after packing it around everywhere. the only real functionality it gave me was the ability to get my pictures from my DSLR of my memory cards…

sorry, i know this was posted a long time ago, but I have a question regarding my iPhone as well. I’m also planning on only using my iPhone in wifi areas, and turning off the “data roaming,” disabling the “3G” network in my settings and turning off the push notifications.
My first question is, if I do the the above, will that keep my phone from incurring any random fees? I understand the only sure way of knowing your phone won’t be charged roaming/itnl fees is if it’s in airplane mode or turned off, but I want to be able to know when/if there is wifi in the area as much as I can.
My second question is: I was told that I need to contact AT&T in order for them to give me international access? I’m not sure if I need this since I won’t be purchasing any type of international phone or data plans through them and only using wifi.

As far as avoiding random fees, the only way to make absolutely sure is to take the sim card out or put it on airplane mode. Because if you turn off the phone for any reason, it can return to default settings. When I went over last summer, I did not contact AT&T and did not have any problems. I think you only have to do that if you are buying that ridiculously International package. And if you want to use it to call people, USE SKYPE!! It’s cheap and works great with good wifi. The iphone app is free.

The only thing I’d add here is that while many places have “free” wifi, it is actually only “free access to” wifi; you still have to pay a subscription fee to T-mobile (or whoever) if you want to use it. (Not a super bad deal, usu. about 30 Eur/month, as opposed to like 7 Eur/hr!!!)

Not to say that there aren’t places (like hostels, for instance) that don’t have straight up free wifi, because there are… it’s just something to be aware of

does anyone know if the GPS will work on Iphone apps in europe without getting international data charges? i.e. using maps apps

thanks for all the good advice. i definitely have the skype app. i just need to purchase a number and some credits at this point.
and sorry smack, i don’t know the exact answer to that. i would assume that if you have a wifi connection, then it should not charge you. otherwise if you’re trying to use gps off your 3G network, or whatever network they use, then it would charge you roaming fees, because the apps need to know your “current location.”

it’s only good for wi-fi my friend

Actually, the GPS will work w/o a sim card or wifi. I just took my 3GS around the block with no sim card in and no wifi and was able to map my progress in Accuterra’s Map Candy.

But, the catch is w/o 3G or wifi there is no way to load map data so you would need to save the map data to the phone. There are numerous apps that allow this, some even for specific cities. I have them for Berlin and Paris for my own trip in June.

You can also buy pre-paid international sim cards just like pre-paid phones.

Oops. Scratch that last bit about the international sim cards. iPhones are locked to the AT&T network so any other sim would not work.

My bad.

so i am curious i was going to suspened my account for the month i was overseas, but maybe i souldnt and just put it into airplane mode.

But i am curious will the Wi Fi not work if i just suspened it, I figured it would just turn it into a touch

@jdhitc, suspending your acct. for 1 month does not unlock the phone, but wifi should work anywhere there is open access or anyplace you have a wifi plan, such as Boingo. That essentially renders iphone a Touch in that scenario. I have heard of folks using their Touch with wifi to make skype calls, but I have not seen this first-hand. Smartphone based wifi calls with skype do, however, work—I make em!

I don’t know anything about suspending an account. I can, however, tell you that on my 3GS airplane mode turns the network, wifi, bluetooth, AND GPS off. The phone cannot contact the outside world. Removing the sim will allow everything EXCEPT the network to work. So I guess it turns into a touch w/ GPS. That is what I will be doing over there in 2 weeks!

Also, cool apps that will all allow you track your location w/o a network or wifi:

Paris2go, Berlin2go, etc.- tour guide that shows you where you are. $0.99

Citimaps2go- searchable map w/o background info like above. $1.99 gets access to all maps.

Smartmaps- Maps that can be searched. $0.99 each.

Hope that helps!

oh well i knew it wouldnt “unlock it: by turning it into a touch i was simply meaning it would only able to play music and access wifi, what my real ?? was since i am susspending my account will it be able to use WIfi at all, or will it just be a brick for that month.

Since it works w/o a sim I would GUESS that it would work w/o network service.

Just pop your sim out and try it now to see what happens. Wifi should still work fine. The caveat, of course, is getting open hotspots, that’s why I mentioned Boingo earlier. It’s not everywhere, but for $6/month, maybe well worth it for you?

I just bought the new iPhone 4 and therefore have will have an older 3GS that I can take to Europe for use and not worry about redoing setting when I return to US. Does anyone know how to unlock? and then just have low cost Euro service? Thanks so much