Using an iPhone w/o service as an iPod?

[knave]

I've been toying with the idea of getting a used AT&T iPhone, sticking an old sim card in it that I have laying around and using it as an iPod until some time in the future where I might activate the phone.

Has anyone done this? I've looked it up and while it seems possible it also seems like it might be more trouble than it's worth.

My other option is to pick up a used IPod touch and get a phone when there is a need (year or two?).

Camera's and facetime are a requirement which is why I just don't use my existing android equipment.

Trying to keep it ~$150 but could live with under $200.

Thoughts, Ideas, heckling...

[wp34]

I've heard of people doing that but don't have any experience with it.  I have owned a couple of iPod touches and they are great little units. 

You might try getting a refurbished iPod Touch.  You have to watch because the inventory is constantly changing but Apple has good deals on them from time-to-time.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals

[pbj]

Yes, I have a jail broken 3GS without a sims.  You put it in airplane mode and enable wifi and it behaves like an iPod touch.

[ChanceKJ]

you really don't even need to jailbreak it.  As long as you have an unactivated SIM of the provider its locked too inside the phone.

...and the moment wifi is switched on airplane mode turns off.  You don't need to switch anything off if you don't have an active sim inside the phone.

A quarter of the customers I had at Apple used to keep older phones as iPods instead of fixing minor things that may have broken after the coverage expired. Most were eligible for hardware upgrades anyways so i'd take them to a specialist to get them the latest and greatest as a hardware upgrade or sign a new agreement. 


Best advice i can give you if you plan on buying a used Apple product and you live close to an Apple store: Book a Genius bar appointment with the person you're buying it from. It's a free 10-15 minute assessment and a third party with good understanding of the product and non-bias to the sale. I saw too many people come into our location with used iPhones that they bought of Kijiji/Craigslist where the previous owner put third party parts into it or had liquid damage and the thing died days after they had finished the transaction. There's nothing you can do then, good luck getting your money back. And it was really sad because i've seen some really good people get fleeced.    Besides if the seller refuses to meet you at an Apple Store for a free assessment then there's a good chance they may be up to something.

[pbj]

...and the moment wifi is switched on airplane mode turns off. 

100% false.

[ark_ader]

you really don't even need to jailbreak it.  As long as you have an unactivated SIM of the provider its locked too inside the phone.

...and the moment wifi is switched on airplane mode turns off.  You don't need to switch anything off if you don't have an active sim inside the phone.

A quarter of the customers I had at Apple used to keep older phones as iPods instead of fixing minor things that may have broken after the coverage expired. Most were eligible for hardware upgrades anyways so i'd take them to a specialist to get them the latest and greatest as a hardware upgrade or sign a new agreement. 


Best advice i can give you if you plan on buying a used Apple product and you live close to an Apple store: Book a Genius bar appointment with the person you're buying it from. It's a free 10-15 minute assessment and a third party with good understanding of the product and non-bias to the sale. I saw too many people come into our location with used iPhones that they bought of Kijiji/Craigslist where the previous owner put third party parts into it or had liquid damage and the thing died days after they had finished the transaction. There's nothing you can do then, good luck getting your money back. And it was really sad because i've seen some really good people get fleeced.    Besides if the seller refuses to meet you at an Apple Store for a free assessment then there's a good chance they may be up to something.

Or ask our resident Genius Bar Expert ( ) for guidance.

[saint]

...and the moment wifi is switched on airplane mode turns off. 

100% false.

Confirmed with my iPhone 5. Airplane mode on, wifi on. Wifi Internet access works, phone service does not.

[pbj]

Thanks for the confirmation.  I always love it when people spend five times longer telling me something doesn't work rather than attempt it and learn for themselves.  It's a handy trick to disable all the warning messages about the missing sims card on an old iphone that's being used for other purposes.



 

[ChadTower]

This works on most smartphones, doesn't it?  I use my old inactive Droid phone as a TV remote.

[Hoopz]

Yes.  Airplane mode also helps you avoid ads in games/apps if you haven't rooted or jailbroken your device.

[knave]

So which iphone model should I go for? 3gs is cheap but if I want to activate it as a phone later would I be better off paying a bit more for a 4 or 4s?

I just found a few 5th gen ipod touches for ~$240 (go figure the cheap 16gig model does not have a rear camera) I'm still not sure which would be better.

[ChanceKJ]

Sorry, my apologies. Wifi can now be turned on after airplane mode is. I'm wrong on that. Back in the day it wasn't possible as airplane mode would cut off all incoming and outgoing transmission. I'm guessing this was changed due to in flight wifi now being available.

[KIguy]

I can't comment on which IP# to get, just wanted to say if you're specifically looking to buy a phone that you want unlocked and usable later - register for an account (free) at imei.info. You can check if the IMEI is carrier locked, sim locked, or blacklisted without having to pay. The status updates occur very quickly, my phone showed unlocked within minutes... FYI, in case somebody tries to pull the wool over ya. And all IP's have water damage indicators, just google it up for which version you're looking at and there you go - no need to fuss with the "genius" bar.

And although it never hurts to have spare phone lying around, if you think it'll really be at least a year or two before you use it then I'd probably suggest just getting an ipod touch. More bang for the buck 

[RayB]

So which iphone model should I go for? 3gs is cheap but if I want to activate it as a phone later would I be better off paying a bit more for a 4 or 4s?

I just found a few 5th gen ipod touches for ~$240 (go figure the cheap 16gig model does not have a rear camera) I'm still not sure which would be better.

3GS has a 320x480 screen. That's just too low res. Go for 4 so you at least have a decent screen to look at for years to come.