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IPhone as an iPod with itunes

justme71

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Dec 1, 2010
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Because of the great camera I am thinking of getting a "bad ESN" iPhone that can't be activated off of eBay and giving it to the kids as an iPod touch. Will I have any problems with iTunes doing this? Guess I'm asking if iTunes will care that it can't be activated.
Thank you in advance
 

Libuff

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Jun 10, 2008
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ive never had personal experience using a "Bad ESN" phone, but i have used a phone that was deactivated by AT&T, but was my phone originally.

what i've done in THAT case was to click ON airplane mode, then re-enable manually WiFi and Bluetooth. both of which can be reenabled despite being in airplane mode.
 

sting7k

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Not sure how it would work with a Verizon iPhone. You could get a GSM iPhone and just remove the SIM card.
 

wxman2003

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Technically you don't activate verizon iPhone through iTunes, but by dialing *228 option 1. But that isn't an option for you since it has a bad meid. You still should be able to go into iTunes and restore as new and then use as iPod and use through wifi.
 

cevmkv

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Jan 11, 2011
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Technically you don't activate verizon iPhone through iTunes, but by dialing *228 option 1. But that isn't an option for you since it has a bad meid. You still should be able to go into iTunes and restore as new and then use as iPod and use through wifi.

wrong...you still activate a verizon iphone through itunes.
 

Libuff

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i will add, that when activating my Vzw iPhone 4, the activation failed, and the device was still usable...

it *should* work... im not 100% sure, but i think it really should...
 

cevmkv

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Sorta...once you call the number it functions as a phone, but to register it and get your stuff synched you have to use iTunes.

ok well all i was saying is that when i got my ViP all i did was plug it into itunes and it was activated. i did not have to dial *228 to activate the phone.
 

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