Apple bricks some hacked iPhones

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Jack Schofield / Apple / Gadgets / Mobile phones 12:23pm

Photo: Gizmodo

Apple released its second iPhone software update yesterday -- iPhone 1.1.1 -- to fix bugs and plug some serious security holes, while also adding new features. However, "Users are reporting that [the update] is making previously unlocked iPhones unusable," reports IDG News. But as Apple said:

WARNING: Apple has discovered that some of the unauthorized unlocking programs available on the Internet may cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software. IF YOU HAVE MODIFIED YOUR IPHONE'S SOFTWARE, APPLYING THIS SOFTWARE UPDATE MAY RESULT IN YOUR IPHONE BECOMING PERMANENTLY INOPERABLE. Making unauthorized modifications to the software on your iPhone violates the iPhone software license agreement, and the inability to use your iPhone to unauthorized software modifications is not covered under your iPhone's warranty.

Some users of hacked iPhones are getting "Incorrect SIM" lockdown messages, and some are having to re-activate their iPhones with the original AT&T SIM card. Gizmodo has a great blow-by-blow account of the scramble.

I expect a very large proportion of the world will now be saying "serves you right". However, a few people with "legal" non-hacked phones have also had problems, including Robert Scoble's son, Patrick.

Patrick's iPhone lost all of its data. Made worse because his Mac had a bunch more problems (this is the second time it's been in the shop) and so he's praying now that Apple didn't delete everything off of his hard drive.

[in a comment, Scoble says he backed up everything except contacts.]

Whether the update will have any long-term impact is open to doubt. Seems to me that Apple is entirely within its rights. It's selling a proprietary phone that's locked to a specific service with a legally binding contract (and there's no get-out clause to say it doesn't apply if you work for a prominent blog). If you don't like it, don't buy it.