The iPhone is a revolutionary cell phone which combines a mobile phone, an mp3 player, and a touchscreen. Unfortunately, the iPhone is only officially available with service through AT&T and, if you have another service provider, you need to know how to use an iPhone on any service. At purchase the iPhone can only be used with AT&T's cell phone plans and Apple has not announced any concrete plans to unlock the iPhone in the future. Luckily for those iPhone owners who want to use another service or who live in an area where AT&T is not available, third party programmers have come up with a way to unlock the iPhone for use on any service.

Anyone who has an iPhone and is willing to void the warranty can unlock their phone for use on any mobile service. Unlocking an iPhone is an easy task if you use the right services. There are many different services out there that will unlock your iPhone for you and provide you with customer service and technical support. You can also unlock the iPhone yourself by following a number of steps which jailbreak your iPhone and unlock many of its restrictions. In either situation you will be able to start using your iPhone with any service provider with an hour or two.

The iPhone, in its current incarnation, is only available if you have AT&T as your service provider. The phone is set up to only work with AT&T's network and cannot be used with other networks without third party software and modification. Many people are content to cancel their current plans and switch to AT&T or wait until their current plan runs out before purchasing an iPhone but there are those who want to use the iPhone but would prefer to stick with their own service provider. AT&T, while a popular network, is not necessarily the best solution for everyone. If you are one of these people you can still buy an iPhone. You just need to unlock it.http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone

Unlocking an iPhone allows your phone to be used on any network, rather than just AT&T. Most unlocking services and third party applications provide customer support, technical support, and guarantee that your iPhone will be fully functional and able to update once it is unlocked. However, you should keep in mind that your iPhone will not be covered under Apple's warranty if it has been modified. Unlocking your iPhone is a modification which will void the warranty and, if you want to be sure that your iPhone will be eligible for maintenance and replacement by Apple, you may want to consider leaving it locked. Also remember that, while most services and apps work well now and do not harm your phone, it is possible to damager your iPhone beyond repair, break certain features of the phone, or be unable to update the software in the future. If you are willing to take these chances you can begin unlocking your iPhone and enjoying it with the service provider of your choice.http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/iphone.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm_4z3fdO-Q This video demonstrates how to unlock your iPhone without paying anything. This video assumes that you have a brand new iPhone and wish to unlock it so you can use it on any service. Follow the steps in this video and you should be able to switch your iPhone to the service of your choice in no time.

There are many different services out there that will unlock your iPhone for you with little effort or technical knowhow on your part. The reliable and legitimate services out there are able to unlock your iPhone quickly, with no loss of function. You will be able to use your iPhone with any service provider and still be able to use all of its features. You should experience no loss of signal and ideally you should be able to reverse the unlock with no adverse effects. If a service does not guarantee these things you should try looking for a different service.

One such service is provided at the website Unlock Any iPhone. This service will unlock any generation of iPhone and, if you don't like it or need to take your iPhone in for maintenance, you can reverse it at any time. Unlock Any iPhone guarantees that you will be able to use your iPhone on any service provider in the world and it also unlocks SMS and Instant Messaging capabilities for your cellphone. You can also use this software to jailbreak your phone which allows you to install third party applications, something that is not allowed with an out of the box iPhone. The software is highly recommended and inexpensive, costing $24.95 for the software or $29.95 for software and a lifetime membership.http://www.unlockanyiphone.net/Buy-Now-unlock-sim.html

You can also jailbreak and unlock your phone yourself manually. This requires more time and effort on your part, as well as a bit more technical knowledge.

1. Make sure that your iPhone has already been activated. If it is not activate you will need to activate it or conduct a fake activation.
2. Download the program AppTapp to your iPhone. This software will allow you to install third party applications on your iPhone.http://mac.downloadatoz.com/apptapp-installer/
3. Install AppTapp on your iPhone. You will need to choose which version of Firmware you have on your iPhone.
4. Launch Installer, which was installed with the AppTapp application.
5. Install three apps, in this order: Community Sources, BSD Subsystem, OpenSSH
6. Download and install three files: Unlock.apphttp://modmyiphone.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=704, lockdowndhttp://modmyiphone.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=708, Cyberduckhttp://cyberduck.ch/Cyberduck-2.8.dmg
7. Go to your iPhone General settings and set your phone to Auto Lock – Never.
8. Retrieve your iPhone's IP address by clicking Settings, then Wi-Fi. Click on the blue arrow next to the network you are connected to and write down your IP address.
9. Open the app Cyberduck and click on the Open Connection button. Enter your IP address and check that SFTP is selected, as well as Port 22. When you need to enter your username and password use root and dottie.
10. When you have connected navigation from /private/var/root to the main directory by choosing the / next item. Next navigate to /usr/libexec and drag the file lockdownd to this location. Click continue to overwrite existing file.
11. In Cyberduck drag the Unlock file from the desktop into the /Applications folder.
12. Turn off your iPhone and remove the SIM card.
13. Turn on your iPhone and open the app Unlock.
14. You should see a screen that says All files found. Ready to go. Press start..
15. Press start and wait for the files to install. This can take up to 20 minutes.
16. Once the files have installed and the installation is complete you will be able to use any SIM card in your iPhone. Choose one that works with the service of your choosing and you will be able to your iPhone on any service.http://www.pcworld.com/article/137223/how_to_unlock_an_iphone.html

Remember that modifying your iPhone can be dangerous and will void your warranty. Do not attempt any modifications if you are not willing to damager your iPhone.