iPhone on WiFi only? Is there a way?

[Cool Cat]

I really really really want an iPhone, but I'm stuck in a Verizon contract and I don't want to be limited by AT&T's crummy network either (EDGE SUCKS!). If I could get an iPhone to use on WiFi only that'd be great. Don't tell me to get an iPod touch either, its lacking many of the iPhone's features and some of the most important apps (camera, external speaker, Mail, etc.).

I thought I'd read somewhere about a way to get an iPhone to work on WiFi only, without activating it on AT&T. Something about swapping a SIM card from an already activated iPhone. My brother has an iPhone that I could do this with, I just need to know how to do it.

 

[Rene Ritchie]

Do you want no cell service at all (no voice?) or just no cell data?

No cell data would still require a GSM SIM card (Verizon uses CDMA which doesn't provide SIMs or compatibility with GSM phones like iPhone). Basically, you would either remove EDGE service on your carrier side (though reports now sound like AT&T has stopped allowing this), or remove the access settings on your iPhone (in the Network -> Edge area).

No cell service at all would probably require you to fake-activate the iPhone, perhaps even jail-break to get it functional. I believe Mike has posted links for that on in the blog section or you could Google iPhone activation (without using iTunes).

It may pop up annoying "unable to connect to EDGE" messages, but I think there's a hack you can run (from Erica Sadun?) that disables that.

 

[Cool Cat]

I'm looking for no service at all for now. That may change in a few months depending on what apps become available.

What I basically want is an iPhone, minus the phone. I still want the camera, I still want the speaker, I want all the apps, etc. I'll keep using my Treo 700p as my phone for now until my Verizon contract runs out and until the iPhone can play my favorite radio station's internet stream.

If the iPod touch had a speaker I might be willing to forgo all the other features its missing, but only because it also has twice the storage. They've so crippled it though that its really only good as an iPod, not as a connected PDA.

 

[Rene Ritchie]

Then you'd just need to get an iPhone and use an unofficial hack to activate it without cell/phone service.

The downside, of course, is that I believe Apple will only extend support to iPhones that have cell contracts in good standing. (Not sure what happens if you buy a pricey French or German unlocked model and take it out-of-country).

 

[cardfan]

Simply cancel service with AT&T. And you got an iphone on wifi.

 

[Mike Overbo]

what cardfan said. on the other hand, there are a lot of ways to bypass activation. If you're on a mac, things are much easier. If you're on a PC, things can sometimes be difficult. Which do you use?