iPhone usage in KunMing

Posted in: Forums > Living in Kunming • 85 posts • Newest

• • cmccorvey
    August 9, 2009
    2 posts
  • I will be in 昆明 for 5 or 6 weeks stating the second week in October. I have an iPhone 3G with the AT&T plan and have yet to bother jailbreaking it.

    Has anyone here had experience in using a iPhone with a local China 3G-compatible SIM card? Any advice on setting up the iPhone (jailbreaking if needed) to work with local SIM cards? Any info on the cost of a data plan, text messaging and performance of the data facility in 昆明?

    Thanks in advance,

    Chuck

• • Greginchina
    August 10, 2009
    239 posts
  • China is a decade behind the rest of the world and is only just rolling our 3G now. The international standard WCDMA and HSDPA compatible with the iphone will only be available on China Unicom. China Telecom uses CDMA2000/EVDO and China Mobile uses the homegrown standard TD-SCDMA.

    By October the China Unicom WCDMA network should hopefully be covering all of Kunming. However I have seen online that they will only allow 3G service to those signing a contract for at least 6 months, ie no prepaid 3g service. But that remains to be seen.
    The iphone of course is also compatible with GPRS (2G data) and EDGE (2.5G data).
    As far as I am aware China Unicom does not have an EDGE (2.5G) signal to fall back so if you are out of range of a WCDMA tower you will fall back to plain old GPRS.
    Your best bet may be China Mobile after all as at least they have EDGE which is faster than GPRS and do have prepaid data packages. You just wont be able to use their 3G service because it is TD-SCDMA.

    Hope some of that makes sense.

• • Greginchina
    August 10, 2009
    239 posts
  • sorry, just wanted to add you'll need to jailbreak and unlock your iphone just to be able to put in a local SIM card to make calls (regardless of data packages available). That is unless you are prepared to pay international roaming charges.

• • cmccorvey
    August 11, 2009
    2 posts
  • Thanks for the info, I'll jailbreak and unlock the phone and go from their.

• • nnoble
    August 11, 2009
    178 posts
  • I'm also interested in how to proceed with an iPhone. To now I have been assured an 'unlocked' 'phone can be used without having to jailbreak. The latter considerably diminishes the overall function for me. I'd appreciate confirmation and any further information on the topic.

• • Greginchina
    August 11, 2009
    239 posts
  • most iphones are sold locked in which case the only way to unlock is to jailbreak first.
    If you're lucky enough to have bought your iphone from Hong Kong or Italy then it is probably already unlocked and you won't need to jailbreak.

    Not sure what you mean by the latter diminishes the overall function. If anything the reverse is true. Jailbroken iphones can do everything a non-jailbroken iphone can do and much much more.

• • nnoble
    August 12, 2009
    178 posts
  • Thanks for the clarification regarding unlocked 'phone usage. Can a 'jailbroken' 'phone access an existing Apple iTunes account (to download previously purchased Apps) and get software updates? A full explanation would be really appreciated.

• • Greginchina
    August 12, 2009
    239 posts
  • a jailbroken iphone can connect to itunes, download applications etc.

    Basically you can do everything you were able to do before but with a whole lot extra. All sorts of applications, utilities etc that are not in the apple store can be downloaded through cydia but you still have full access to the official apple store.

    Doing a software update will undo the jailbreak so if you need your phone to be jailbroken in order to unlock it to use on another network then its best to postpone an update until the hackers have come up with the next jailbreak fix which is usually very quick.

    Currently the latest firmware update 3.01 is compatible with the jailbreak solution for firmware 3.0 but requires a little amount of knowledge to get this right.

    Google jailbreak 3.01 for more info or if you are not confident doing it yourself there are loads of places in Xiaoximen that will do this for a small fee.

• • Encrypted
    October 25, 2009
    69 posts
  • Hello,

    Do you know if there are original iphones available to buy in Kunming?
    Where can I go for a good price?

    Thank you.

• • prairiedogg
    October 26, 2009
    1 post
  • I have just done a bit of research at the local Kunming branch of China Unicom and have written up the latest on how to get your iPhone on China Unicom's network. Here are two detailed blog posts on the subject:

    http://chinabites.com/[...]

    http://chinabites.com/[...]

    Hope folks find these helpful.

• • Nanzhao
    October 26, 2009
    16 posts
  • Fantastic blog posts prairiedogg. Are any other Yunnan cities included in the 285 cities getting 3g (or plans in the near future to upgrade them)?

• • Greginchina
    October 26, 2009
    239 posts
  • prariedogg. I read your blog post. I'm not sure you've been told the truth about the extra data plan. I signed up in September (ie after the trial) for the 186 basic plan and also bought an extra 2gb of data per month. I don't think my data plan has been cancelled, it still seems to be working. Perhaps the sales person was trying to get you to buy a more expensive basic package. Lets hope its not the case that extra data packages are unavailable. It would be a terrible business move from China Unicom who need to compete with the much more established China Mobile. Most people in China stay in China and do not care that they can't use a TD-SCDMA phone outside the country. This will not be the huge marketing tool they hope for - they need to compete on price too.

• • nnoble
    October 26, 2009
    178 posts
  • Thanks very much prairiedogg for sharing all this research. It's a real time saver.

    I've had the same number with ChinaMobile for several years and giving it up now would not be a good move. I guess number portability between providers is out of the question (ChinaMobile to Unicom)?

• • Greginchina
    October 26, 2009
    239 posts
  • unfortunately there's no number portability between networks. the first 3 digits of a mobile number strictly belong to a mobile network. you can always change your china mobile to a cheaper package (there is number portability within the network i think) and forward your calls.

• • PerNordin
    November 27, 2009
    50 posts
  • I bought a iPhone 3GS 32GB for 6.400 Y, from a small Mac-store on the small shopping street by the University... I am horrible with names, so I don't know the streets name... close to 121 street... small curved street with lots of small shops, packed with students... I think you know which I mean.
    Anyhow, the shop's name is BlueRay. They have a small sign over the door with the name and an Apple logo.
    If you go there, give Coco my regards (the Swede with long gold hair and red beard). She doesnt speak english, but you can use their computer to translate. I usually use translate.google.com

    I paid 500Y up front, and 24 hours later, my iPhone was delivered. As it is from HongKong (specify you want the "imported" one from HK), it is unlocked and has wifi (the one you buy from mainland China lacks wifi for some reason, and they and the ones from USA are locked).
    No jailbreaking, no problems when you go home and you can choose the phone company that gives you best price.
    They can also get you the latest Macbook (unavailable still in mainland China) for 7500Y.

• • kickkick
    November 28, 2009
    51 posts
  • Let me get this straight... you bought Apple products in Kunming from a bearded Swedish lady named Coco?

• • bucko
    November 28, 2009
    246 posts
  • I think the best place to buy an iPhone would be 999.com which is located in the PC market area close to Yunnan Univ.
    They are straight up with service and pricing. They only sell jailbroken/unlocked phones that are genuine and complete with all features. I buy one every few months from there, and have bought iPhones in BKK as well. This place has the best prices around. Last month, I pd 3800RMB for a 3g 6gb.
    BTW, the new 3.1 FW and 5+ baseband version can be jailbroken and unlocked now. Using blacksn0w for the unlock and blackrain for the jailbreak. Easiest jailbreak ever! 1 click and 30 seconds later....finished! Still I would advise rolling back the baseband to ver 4 by using a custom ipsw that is ver 3.12, but does not upgrade the baseband. If your baseband is already ver 5, you can roll it back successfully which is the best option to stay with. DO NOT EVER LET ITUNES DO AN AUTO UPDATE ON YOUR IPHONE!

• • Greginchina
    November 28, 2009
    239 posts
  • If its at all possible I'd still recommend getting a Hong Kong model rather than a jailbroken US one. You can still jailbreak which is definately recommended - it immediately becomes a much more powerful piece of kit - but you don't need the carrier unlock and more importantly if you ever accidentally perform an itunes update you haven't turned your iphone into an expensive brick. Hong Kong phones are factory unlocked and will always work with any SIM card. This makes jailbreaking a pleasure rather than a need.

• • PerNordin
    November 29, 2009
    50 posts
  • @kickkick
    :D No... Coco is a very cute chinese girl. _I_ am the bearded Swedish guy.... with that description, Coco will know who I am. :)

    More about jailbraking:
    @Greginchina
    I agree.
    One thing that often fails to be mentioned, is that if your iPhone goes nuts (and all electronic stuff will, eventually) and needs repair, the guarantee is void if you have jailbroken your iPhone.
    Another thing is that there are malware out there now, that targets jailbroken iPhones, since jailbreaking not only modifies the carrier-lock, but opens up the root, leaving it vulnerable. Right now, you can protect yourself by changing the root password, but many jailbreak their phone without changing the root password.
    As for me, I just don't want the hassle of having to block updates that will relock the phone and I feel safer having the guarantee still in power for when my iPhone decides to have a seizure.

• • Greginchina
    November 30, 2009
    239 posts
  • the vulnerability is only there is you install the SSH client (and then forget to change the root password). The SSH client is not needed for most jailbreak users and is not automatically installed.

    If you jailbreak you can easily restore to normal in itunes re-validating your warranty (not that the warranty for anything other than a non-wifi Unicom iphone would be valid in China anyway) but by doing that restore you'll break any carrier unlock you've performed so having a factory unlocked model from Hong Kong would be ideal.

• • PerNordin
    November 30, 2009
    50 posts
  • @Greginchina
    That is the vulnerability we have seen so far...

    The reset you mention only works if your phone is alive enough to have contact with iTunes and then also to receive and install the original OS and settings... Not a risk I am willing to take. My experience is that electronics can die completely and be totally unbootable.

    The warranty is - to my understanding - world wide. However, the warranty terms do say that Apple "can" limit the warranty to the country the item was bought, but not that they do so.

    Anyhow, enough said by me on this topic.

    BTW... I am very curious to know: does anyone know why the mainland Chinese iPhone lacks wifi? It seems strange to me, as wifi is very popular in China and - as I have heard - some cities even provide free wifi in the city centers.

• • Greginchina
    December 2, 2009
    239 posts
  • Buying an iphone in Kunming that is not one of the official Unicom models constitutes a grey import. There is no warranty for a grey import. Any warranty given will be totally invalid.

    When I bought my iphone in HK I was told the warranty was only valid in Hong Kong and Macau. I'll need to check the fine print. This is of course a shame. It seems only Dell do true international warranties which in this age of travel and technology seems absurd.

    There are 2 reasons the chinese iphone lacks wifi.

    1.) Stubbornness. Some time ago China tried to convince the world to adopt the WAPI encryption standard instead of 802.11 WIFI with WEP/WPA etc. Because it was designed with a built in backdoor the world said "no way". It is now illegal to sell mobile phones in China with WIFI unless they also include WAPI, which nobody in China uses. If you go to an official vendor you'll find that Nokia, Motorola, Samsung phones also have no wifi. Any phones with WIFI are grey imports. It is absurd stubbornness because WAPI isn't even used in most wireless routers sold in China and I don't even think many computers support it.

    2.) the second reason there is no wifi is that more revenue can be created for the telecom company. Telecoms companies in China are terrified of Voice over IP and dont want people making phonecalls over a wifi connection, or indeed downloading data over a wifi connection when they can make money charging for it. Infact VOIP is technically still illegal in China.

• • PerNordin
    December 2, 2009
    50 posts
  • Thank you for the clarification.

    As to point 2, Skype can only be used for calls over wifi. You can chat over 3G, but not phone. This is a limitation in the program forced by the phone companies.
    I use Skype a lot for calls, especially international calls. The sound-quality on the iPhone is much much better than when I phone over the computer. Im really happy for being able to use Skype on iPhone.

• • Greginchina
    December 3, 2009
    239 posts
  • skype and other VOIP services work on 3g if you jailbreak and download 3g unrestrictor.

    i agree about the skype quality on the iphone. i'd all but given up on skype using services like jajah instead but somehow skype works really well on the iphone and is as clear as a regular call.

    i think the fears about jailbreaking are a little excessive. the phone can be put into recovery mode quite easily and failing that there are a bunch of people in Kunming who can rescue a bricked phone. Moreover a non-Unicom iphone bought in mainland China would not have a valid warranty anyway. Its only if the phone was actually purchased from an official dealer in, for example, Hong Kong that concern about invalidating the warranty would be relevant. Frankly as affectionate as I am for my iphone, if I wasn't able to jailbreak I'd rather use windows mobile or android.

    Its interesting that the reason you can't use certain applications over 3g on a non-jailbroken iphone is that AT&T have insisted because they lack the capacity to handle it, yet the iphone in China has no wifi so the only way to use those same applications will be on 3g. I wonder if the apps will be different versions.

• • hanmo
    December 11, 2009
    2 posts
  • If you have any further questions about iphone please contact me! I can jailbreak and unlock iphone for you in Kunming! Only for 100yuan!
    I'm a Chinese in Kunming and speak English!

• • Yereth
    December 17, 2009
    23 posts
  • lol... just download pwnage tool and you can unlock your iphone for free :) I've done it and it works perfectly. Just be careful with updating to new firmwares in itunes, as it might break the option to unlock for a while.

• • Kiwi3
    December 29, 2009
    61 posts
  • FYI I just bought a 3G 16GB in the electronics market near Yunnan University for RMB4,000. They were asking over 5K for a 3GS. Prices were shown to me on a printed list and there did not seem much room for negotiation, shops will try to discredit each other by saying the other shop is selling second hand ones without telling you. May be the case for all I know but could not see any evidence of that and the one I have bought has been absolutely fine. I bought mine from Building B, shop 2F-D1, they admitted they did not know much about iPhones, another shop diagonally opposite (with an Apple sign up) quoted 4300 and obviously did know what they were doing as they were in the process of jailbreaking one for another customer.
    I hope this info helps.

• • Kiwi3
    December 29, 2009
    61 posts
  • P.S. Re: unlocking and jailbreaking, I used redsn0w on my new 3G and it stays jailbroken. However friend in Beijing bought a 3GS, used blackrain to jailbreak which was a very simple process, however when the phone is turned off it reverts to being locked again, meaning he has to plug it back into his computer and run blackrain again. To me that is rediculously inconvenient! Anyone know if that is a 3GS issue or is blackrain just an inferior solution for jailbreaking?

• • dougwyu
    December 29, 2009
    6 posts
  • I used blackrain a couple of months ago, and it works fine. i've never had the experience of your friend.

• • bucko
    December 30, 2009
    246 posts
  • blackra1n is a tethered jailbreak solution for the 3Gs. It is the only jailbreak for FW 3.1.2 available.
    On the 3G it will work untethered like any jailbreak.

• • Nanzhao
    December 30, 2009
    16 posts
  • Blackra1n was originally a tethered jailbreak solution, but that is no longer the case. I just recently jailbroke and then unlocked (with blacksn0w). Very easy. For instructions (one among many places) is:

    http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/

    To download the software just go to the following link and start by clicking on Apple or Windows:

    http://blackra1n.com/

• • Greginchina
    December 30, 2009
    239 posts
  • around the time that blackrain came out Apple released a bunch of new 3gs models which have a new bootrom. these particular models are a tethered jailbreak with blackrain which is now in its 3rd release. They need to be connected to the computer if they ever run out of power. Best thing to do is to keep them on all the time and buy an external battery pack if you are doing a long trip.

    I'm not sure which bootrom I have. I bought my iphone in hong kong (so factory unlocked) in September. I have it jailbroken with blackra1n but it occasionally turns off for no reason (power is full) and can only be turned on when connected by USB to the computer. Quite frustrating but I'm usually by a computer and even though my phone is factory unlocked to use any SIM card I still want to keep the jailbreak. Having paid full price for it (not subsidized by mobile network) I don't want apple crippling the capability. If the jailbreak was made totally impossible I may well go back to the diabolical windows mobile or try out android. Its absurd that I have to close down applications to answer a call - the 3gs processor is more than capable of multitasking and the jailbreak has proven that. Moreover if I want to use certain data heavy functions on 3g that is my choice and will be reflected in my phone bill. I'm intrigued by what happens to those particular data heavy apps in the china version without wifi as they don't function over 3g without a jailbreak.

    There was a completely untethered solution on the horizon from www.greenpois0n.com but that website seems to have gone so may not be happening.

• • Kiwi3
    December 30, 2009
    61 posts
  • I presume my friend has one of these new ones. For his sake I hope a completely untethered solution does come out, it's an appaling limitation in my view.

• • Nanzhao
    December 31, 2009
    16 posts
  • @GreginChina Can I just say that your knowledge about the iPhone is staggering and your willingness to share is really tremendous and much appreciated.

• • micheju
    February 11, 2010
    10 posts
  • You search for an Iphone?

    I am foreigner and i have a student chinese friend who owns a phone shop and sale iphones!
    I baught one and i can meet you too show you mine!

    This iphone is real one and import so :

    - Unlocked ( any country any phone company!)
    - Brand new! sale in the box with all cables charger ear phones! never use!

    If you are interrestingf just call me!

    137 59 48 45 35

    The price : 4200 RMB o.n.o.
    Price for the 8Gb : 3500 RMB o.n.o.

    I ve been searching a lot before and look around the prices will be arround 5000RMB ( chinese version no wifi, lock china unicom!!!!!)

    Just call me for more information!

• • Kiwi3
    February 11, 2010
    61 posts
  • really...why don't you just post an honest add if you are selling iPhones. People only need to read further up this thread to see that you price is nothing special!

• • micheju
    February 12, 2010
    10 posts
  • Thanks mate but nothing bad in my add!
    I just try to help!
    1. I said we can talk about the price!
    2. The price is cheaper than a lot of places who don t even speak english!

    and if you are not interresting why you are answering?
    What do you think? if i sell an IPOD 300 RMB it s not real OR you are dreaming... WAKE UP MATE!

• • Kiwi3
    February 13, 2010
    61 posts
  • I am awake thanks. I wake every morning to the alarm set on my unlocked and jailbroken 16GB 3G iPhone which I bought with no hassle at all from one of the shops in the electronics market for RMB4k. Cheers.

• • Tianli
    February 14, 2010
    44 posts
  • Hi guys and thanks for this discussion. I am a Windows mobile user consdering the big leap to Iphone, and I am still a bit confused about the difference between unlocking and jailbreaking. Knowing that my computer is a mac and that I use Itune, if I decide to buy a HK factory-unlocked IPhone, what would be the difference if I jailbreak it and if I don't jailbreak it ? Thanks !

• • Greginchina
    February 14, 2010
    239 posts
  • Hi Tianli,

    Jailbreaking and unlocking are 2 separate things. Jailbreaking frees the operating system from Apple's rigid restrictions allowing you to install 3rd party applications not available through the Apple Appstore and configure the phone for multitasking, internet tethering and much mich more. Unlocking to use any SIM card is only possible after a jailbreak so the two things are usually done at the same time.

    As you are getting a Hong Kong model you will no need to unlock (and therefore jailbreak) it because it is factory unlocked. You can still jailbreak for all the added functionality as I have done with my HK iphone. However if you buy a model now it will likely be firmware version 3.1.3 which I have no experience of jailbreaking but should still be possible. I would seriously recommend getting a Hong Kong model because the new firmware 3.1.3 and subsequent ones will be difficult to unlock even after a jailbreak so if you get one that has been a grey import from the USA or Europe you may find that you can jailbreak it but not unlock it.

    If you are going to jailbreak always wait for the next jailbreak before allowing itunes to update the firmware.

• • Tianli
    February 15, 2010
    44 posts
  • Thx !

• • Greginchina
    February 15, 2010
    239 posts
  • A word of warning to anyone who is thinking about jailbreaking. Don't fall for any of these sites who charge you money to access their jailbreaking software. All of the jailbreaking software is available for free. These websites are simply charging you to download it from their server when you can get it totally free of charge.

    Depending on your phone's firmware/generation and computer operating system the solutions are available from the dev team (http://blog.iphone-dev.org/) and Geohot's Blackrain (http://www.blackra1n.com).

• • Greginchina
    February 15, 2010
    239 posts
  • N.B. ignore the brackets in previous post - they'll send you to pages that don't exist. Use these instead:

    http://blog.iphone-dev.org
    http://www.blackra1n.com

• • hezhi
    February 15, 2010
    4 posts
  • Greginchina, got a question for you.

    I got an iPhone from the US, unlocked and jailbroken couple of weeks ago and have been using it with my China Unicom SIM card. I have Wi-Fi at home and assumed that I was checking my email through my Wi-Fi but found out yesterday that I was charged over 140RMB for data usage!! Is there a way to set the iPhone to not use the carrier and only to only use Wi-Fi to download emails?

    Thanks

    Thanks

• • Kiwi3
    February 16, 2010
    61 posts
  • Greg may know better but as far as I know if you have gone through settings - Wifi and have chosen your wireless network, and the WiFi symbol has appeared in the toolbar at the top of your screen then that is what it should be using...

• • Greginchina
    February 17, 2010
    239 posts
  • that's not strictly true because unfortunately the iphone turns off wifi when the screen goes to sleep (but can still use your data plan to download stuff at that time). If you keep it plugged in to a power source it will stay on WIFI.

    However, if you want to totally turn off the network's data plan you can download either SBSettings or Bossprefs and turn off both 3g and EDGE (GPRS).

    Another alternative is to check out what packages China Unicom have. I think I'm paying 100 for 1GB. I never use that much. you can possibly get a 50 or 100MB package for a few kuai. Its always best to get a package sorted out in advance than to pay for it per kilobyte after the event.

• • micheju
    February 21, 2010
    10 posts
  • Hi everybody!
    I was really tired of itune and istore wih is really expensive and i found a phone manager software better than itune!

    Name is ipc edited by chinese company Panda app. and the software is translate in english!

    this is the link:

    http://www.pandaapp.com/

    just have to click on iphone download it and that s it!
    It can manage your files your applications and the best part of it:

    All the apple store applications are free in the download center : games ( i downlooad a lot of game : GTA chinatown, i can t stop playing!) dictionary (there is a really good chinese english talking dictionary and others...!}

    this is the link if you want to have a look on the applications:

    http://download.pandaapp.com/[...]

    Hope someone already post this usefull advice but i really love this website so enjoy!

• • nnoble
    February 21, 2010
    178 posts
  • So Micheju, you got fed up of paying and decided to take it for free. Must be tough owning an iPhone. I'd like a house and a car, no, perhaps a motorbike given the state of traffic in the rush hour. Any ideas for getting these without paying?

    Come to think of it financing basic needs is becoming tiresome, perhaps you have equally useful advice about where to steal rice, vegetables, tools, books........? Thanks in anticipation.

• • micheju
    February 22, 2010
    10 posts
  • i love this forum! Everytime i write a post there is someone with a gun ready to pull the trigger!

    What s wrong with you?

    The software i'm talking about is not only about free application but is also a great iphone manager!
    You can manage music pictures applications but also update youre phone and even more than itune!
    The thing with Itune is that this actions are most of them locked1
    Usefull in this software too, there is a part of it where you can fix youre iphone software in case of problem!
    So i just give the advice and nothing bad!
    have a nice critic day!

• • Greginchina
    February 22, 2010
    239 posts
  • actually the website you are talking about has hacked copies of legitimate apps from Apple's appstore which require a modification to a jailbroken iphone to allow it to install hacked applications.

    This is not the same as taking advantage of the wealth of free and paid for apps available after a jailbreak through repositories such as Cydia. Jailbreaking your phone and downloading additional content may be against Apple's end user agreement but it is not illegal. Installing the applications from pandaapp is software piracy.

    Considering most Appstore applications cost about 1 or 2 dollars (not the hundreds of dollars of professional desktop applications like Office and Photoshop) the case for installing hacked apps is fairly weak. All it does is give the Jailbreak "community" a bad name and give Apple justification for closing their Operating System and making it that bit harder to tinker with through each firmware update.

• • nnoble
    March 27, 2010
    178 posts
  • I've noticed a problem with my 'phone since accepting 'carrier settings' from China Unicom. Does anyone know if it is possible to roll back this change either via iTunes or on the IPhone itself? Thanks.

• • Greginchina
    March 31, 2010
    239 posts
  • yes, you can do a restore in itunes. you'll lose everything but should have it backed up in itunes anyway. then just remember not to accept the carrier update in future.

    be careful about doing a restore or upgrade if you rely on a jailbreak - research this carefully.

• • bucko
    March 31, 2010
    246 posts
  • Do not restore in iTunes as it will force you to update to 3.1.3. If you do this, you will most likely lose your unlock ability and jailbreaking as well.
    Go to sinfuliphone.com and download their custom 3.1.2 FW and "shift-restore" to this ipsw. Be sure to register your ECID with Cydia if you want to keep your iPhone "alive" for future unlocks and jailbreaks. Apple is getting very tricky with hacked iPhones now. Be very careful with your restores!

• • rdali
    April 22, 2010
    6 posts
  • Anybody know where I can get a 32g ipod touch 3g? Price? How bout an ipad 16g? cheers

• • laotou
    April 23, 2010
    620 posts
  • If you can hang on a bit (2-3 months) we're planning on providing subsidized Apple (and select other vendors) products at one of the major Kunming/Yunnan universities.

• • doppio
    April 23, 2010
    2 posts
  • I have an European Iphone and a China Mobile Prepaid SIM.
    I've a GPRS subscription, but what are the settings in my Iphone. I tried APN cmnet, but the GPRS is not working.

    The rest of my Iphone is working great. :-)
    Who can help me?

• • laotou
    April 24, 2010
    620 posts
  • you'll need to go to a china mobile store and get them to activate your pre-pay acct...the settings are fine.

    as an addition (this is just for mms - but...who knows)...

    Try this in the MMS settings:

    MMSC - www.monternet.com
    MMS Proxy - 10.0.0.172

• • mingdao
    May 16, 2010
    40 posts
  • Does China Mobile or China Telecom offer data plans for iPhones now? I am in the States, planning to return in June with one or two iPhones. One I already purchased is unlocked and jailbroken.

• • Greginchina
    May 17, 2010
    239 posts
  • China Telecom is CDMA/EVDO so not compatible with the iphone in any way.

    You can use the iphone in 2.5G (EDGE) mode on China Mobile or in 3G (WCDMA) mode on China Unicom.

    China Unicom is Apple's official iphone carrier, however their iphone does not have wifi and is therefore physically different from the one you'll bring.

    Both China Unicom and China Mobile offer data plans, all you need is to sign up for a package within your budget and then get the APN details (infact the China Unicom APN details are stored on the SIM card and the iphone works immediately). The model or brand of phone is irrelevant.

• • mingdao
    May 18, 2010
    40 posts
  • We live in Dali -- does anyone know if there is a Unicom store in Dali or Xia Guan, and if so, is it preferable to buy there rather than Kunming (as a regular SIM chip for a phone would be)?

    Strange about Telecom -- because with our phone service in Dali they gave us a LG cell phone to introduce their 3G network. It has an UIM chip ... never checked what that is all about, since the screen is too small for web use IMO, and our daughter uses it as her cell phone. I just 'assumed' that since they gave us a phone using a chip, they would have offered 3G service for chip using phones (GSM, not CDMA).

    China is most definitely not ahead of the States in cell service. The only advantage I've noticed is that in China there is more coverage, due to the government owning the towers and wanting us to use cellular everywhere.

• • Greginchina
    May 18, 2010
    239 posts
  • In China CDMA phones still take SIM cards whatever the CDMA equivalent is called. Its only in the US that they actually program the handset itself.

    I have no idea about a Unicom store in Dali. I wouldn't like to assume that Dali has 3G (WCDMA) yet. It arrived in Kunming in October and China Unicom is concentrating on major cities first. If you had a Kunming SIM card you'd be making long distance calls all the time in Dali so thats up to you.

    China Unicom's coverage is not as good as China Mobile's. I find it quite patchy in my apartment. They also don't have an EDGE network which means when there is no 3G coverage it falls back to GPRS which is much slower than EDGE.

    China Mobile has EDGE coverage all over Kunming (not sure about Dali) so it may be a better option if you don't want to fall back to GPRS.

• • Greginchina
    May 18, 2010
    239 posts
  • In terms of service China is probably not as good as the US, certainly not as good as the UK. They don't have number portability between networks (even between different packages on the same network), a very immature contract system so very few subsidized handsets, and many more other issues. However, the short answer is that they don't need to be competitive. China Mobile, for example, is already the largest network in the world in terms of subscribers. Why bother with customer service?

    I've found China Mobile coverage to be everywhere. There are parts of the UK where you can't get any signal on any network. I've never found this to be a problem with China Mobile (although am finding it to be true of China Unicom). This is often true in developing countries - they haven't had 100 years of fixed line infastructure and go straight to mobile.

• • mingdao
    May 18, 2010
    40 posts
  • Thanks for the info, Greg. I'm glad I have friends who work for China Mobile and China Unicom who can help me when we return next month.

• • mingdao
    May 18, 2010
    40 posts
  • In answer to your question ...

    Q. Why bother with customer service?

    A. Because it is the responsible, the right, thing to do.

• • Greginchina
    May 19, 2010
    239 posts
  • Mingdao you're missing my point. Of course it is the responsible and right thing to do. But from a purely business perspective unfortunately they do not need to bother. They are the largest mobile phone network by subscriber in the world. Hopefully their forced adoption of the poor quality TD-SCDMA will force customers away from them to China Unicom who have the international and mature WCDMA. And then they may consider improving their service.

• • Greginchina
    May 19, 2010
    239 posts
  • Actually Unicom's customer service is fairly good, they just lack the infrastructure to back it up. Twice I've mentioned to them about not getting a signal in my apartment and twice they've assigned an engineer to check out the signal in the area. However nothing's been done to improve it - its that old chicken and egg scenario. They need the customers to get income to build more towers and they need the towers to get more customers. China Mobile doesn't have this problem and likewise doesn't really care about service.

• • timkunming
    July 14, 2010
    85 posts
  • Greg you seem to be the man when it comes to knowledge about the mobile networks here so I thought I'd ask you this question.

    I bought a cheap Samsung mobile with 3G capability basically so that I'd be able to use it to make calls and if necessary check my e-mail when I'm out and about. I called the China Mobile customer service and they stated that they had a 30MB plan for 5 RMB per month and a 150MB plan for 20RMB per month. I went with the cheapest option at first wanting to check out how it works - and they explained once I was hitting my limit that I'd be sent a text letting me know.

    But I have to say it really doesn't seem like 3G to me...it's incredibly slow loading basic .wap sites and checking my gmail account takes at least a minute or more to load the page. Is this more than likely the GPRS system they've put me on rather than 3G?

• • psycho
    July 14, 2010
    11 posts
  • Greg (or anyone else), wonder if you can help me out. I'm making a quick trip to Hong Kong in a few days and really want to buy an HTC Legend there. ( I know your expertise is iphone, but it's too clunky for me!) I've done a lot of comparing online. I like the Android and EDGE. When I'm not in KM, I'm in the states or Hong Kong. In your opinion am I making any huge blunders by getting the HTC Legend and assuming it'll do, in KM, pretty much everything it's designed to do? I saw some Legends for sale here but they weren't quadband. HTC Legend has 3G, wifi, FM tuner. I recently read in China Daily that China is not allowing google maps to operate their GPS capabilities.

• • Greginchina
    July 15, 2010
    239 posts
  • @timkunming - it depends on what type of 3G radio and which network you are on. If you bought a phone that uses China Mobile's home grown TD-SCDMA technology then it should work with China Mobile's 3G service. This is extremely unlikely unless you actually bought it through the network. IT is more likely using the international WCDMA 3G standard in which case it will only work with China Unicom's 3G.

    To make things even more confusing the networks here seem to actually charge separately for 3G and 2G services and even have different phone numbers for the new 3G services. Outside China you simply pay for a package which includes data and if your phone happens to support 3G it will run on 3G, if it doesn't it will run on GPRS/EDGE - the prices are essentially the same, just the speed and technology different.

    In China you need to specifically get a 3G package which are often more expensive than 2G packages. For example if you have been using China Unicom on 2G you won't just automatically be able to use 3G just by having a suitable handset - they will have to set it up for you and in some cases give you a new phone number.

    @pyscho - i've not used the HTC legend but have no reason to believe it won't work. Again it depends on the radio inside and what network you are using.

    GPS works in China but the satellite data for google maps is a few hundred metres out of kilter so it doesn't work too well. this varies by city. there are ways to correct it on android and there are iphone apps that also attempt to correct it.

• • James
    August 16, 2010
    14 posts
  • Last week, before I came to China, I went to an Apple store in California and asked a sales agent about buying i-phones in HK. He said it could be done but that I would have to have a Hong Kong address because there is no physical store in HK. Anybody know if this is correct? I imagine there might be hefty tax on i-phones ordered from HK and delivered to Kunming.

    By the way, the price he quoted me was around 4500 RMB (I think he was looking at Shanghai, so I'm not sure if the equivalent price applies in HK).

• • Greginchina
    August 16, 2010
    239 posts
  • I think he means there's no Apple-owned store like the large flagship ones they have in major cities. Its true that the website needs a HK address and HK credit card but there are plenty of authorised apple retailers in Hong Kong and they all sell iphones. There are also plenty of unauthorised retailers selling iphones in the computer markets. Just make sure you get a proper warranty and you'll be fine. They are extremely unlikely to ship to Kunming. If you want to get one in Kunming you can buy from taobao or from places along yuanxi lu but you won't get any kind of warranty.

    4500 RMB for what? 3G? 3GS? iphone 4? 8GB? 16gb? 32gb? without some specifics throwing a number out there is fairly pointless.

• • rejected_goods
    August 17, 2010
    96 posts
  • no, no Apple Apple store in hong kong, but there are heaps of Apple "premium reseller" there.

    there are plenty of shops selling iphone4 and apple products in hong kong, big store like Fortress, Broadway....to name a few.

    i bought one at New Vision, Shop 7, G/F, 2J-2Q Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mongkok. perhaps you can shop around in Mongkok for a good price while having fun there.

• • JonathanMiller
    September 2, 2010
    75 posts
  • All -

    I just purchased a HK iPhone 4 here in Kunming. I signed up with China Unicom and received a new 3G SIM card.

    When I went to sync my phone with my computer using iTunes I agreed to a software update and everything whent pear shaped. My phone no longer recognizes my new SIM.

    I restore the phone's software to the original settings, but it still does not recognize the SIM.

    I am not technical enough to get this set up properly. I want to use iTunes, the App Store, Skype, gmail and Google calendar.

    Anyone that can help me please send an SMS to my old phone +86 136 0889 7411 and I will happliy compensate your for your time if you can get this thing set up for me quickly.

    THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

    Jonathan
    +86 136 0889 7411

• • JonathanMiller
    September 2, 2010
    75 posts
  • I wanted to share my latest challenges with my new iPhion 4 that I now cannot get to work...

    Aparently, I have downloaded the latest version of the OS 4.0.2 for which I am not sure if there is a working jailbreak or downgrade.

    This is becoming very frustrating as I am unable to use my new phone..

    Any and all help is much appreciated.

    Jonathan

• • bucko
    September 3, 2010
    246 posts
  • 4.0.2 JB yes. But no unlock available for 4.0.2. You must downgrade to 4.0.1 if you have your SHSH on file with Cydia.

    NEVER UPGRADE YOUR IPHONE VIA ITUNES UNLESS YOU KNOW JB AND UNLOCK WORKING FOR NEW FW!

    You now can enjoy your ipod until an unlock is written.

• • putonghua73
    September 3, 2010
    34 posts
  • Jonathan,

    When you bought your iPhone 4, did you buy:
    1. a factory unlocked iPhone, or
    2. software unlocked (jailbroken) iPhone

    The reason for asking is that in order to diagnose your problem - as Bucko has stated - we must be specific as to whether or not your iPhone has been jailbroken. If your iPhone has been jailbroken, then you must NEVER use iTunes for software updates.

    Presuming that your iPhone has been factory unlocked, then you shouldn't (*cough*) have an issue with software updates via iTunes. I *coughed* because quite a number of people have been experiencing software update issues with legitimately factory unlocked iPhones.

    My friend updated her iPhone 3G (unlocked by telco back in UK - not software unlocked) to the latest O/S update via iTunes and she experienced the same issue re: update did not recognise her SIM card. She restored original settings. No dice. It wasn't until she used iTunes to restore her backup that the update worked and things were back to normal.

    If your iPhone is software jailbroken, then as Bucko states, you'll need to wait until an unlock has been released, or you can downgrade via Cydia.

    FWIW, the pain of using iTunes is the reason I'm switching to a HTC Desire when I return to the UK in a few weeks.

    Cheers!

• • JonathanMiller
    September 4, 2010
    75 posts
  • The phone was an AT&T phone unlocked. I do have the original SIM.

    I did not back up the SHSH with Cydia.

    Am I to understand that there is nothing that can be done until there is a new jailbreak?

    I have heard that there are some ways to downgrade without a SHSH backup, but I am not technical enough to do this.

    Having a new phone and not being able to use it really sucks. I would really apprecite it if anyone can help me out here.

    JM

• • putonghua73
    September 4, 2010
    34 posts
  • Ok! Original factory unlocked phone - good!

    Have you jailbroken it to access non-Apple approved software? If you have, then you'll need to sit on your hands until an unlock is written for 4.0.2 (unless you can downgrade the Firmware to v4.0.1; if you haven't jailbroken it, then put in your original SIM card, and connct your iPhone 4 to iTunes and use the restore backup option (not restore original settings).

    We can then examine the options, depending on whether or not you have jailbroken your iPhone 4.

• • JonathanMiller
    September 4, 2010
    75 posts
  • No. I have not jailbroken the phone.

    I put the original SIM in the phone and loaded iTunes 10. There is only an option to restore to original settings. There is not an option to restor to backup.

    I did ask it to back up when I did the upgrade.

    Where to go from here?

    I am seeking light at the end of the tunnel - can we get this thing working?

    I can come to you or can you come by my house - as you can imagine, I am very anxious to get this phone working. Call or SMS me on +86 136 0889 7411.

    Jonathan

• • JonathanMiller
    September 4, 2010
    75 posts
  • I was rethinking this situation...

    I was told that this was an original HK phone, but now realize that is probably not the case. The back of the phone case has an AT&T label and the SIM card is AT&T.

    Does this mean that the people I bought it from and/or China Unicom jailbroke the phone before I received it?

    Either way, I would like to see if we can restore to the backup, downgrade to 4.0.1 or anything that can make this phone work.

    Please call or SMS me on +86 136 0889 7411.

    Jonathan

• • bucko
    September 4, 2010
    246 posts
  • It sounds most likely that it was JB'd before it was sold to you. That is standard practice in China. Do you remember it had Cydia on it when you bought it? If so (most likely), it was already JB'd and software unlocked. Doesn't matter if they told you it is factory unlocked. That is simply a lie.

    If you do not have the SHSH blob, and are now on 4.0.2, you are screwed for now. There is no way to downgrade it.

    Also do not upgrade iTunes when they tell you to. Lucky at least for you, V10 did not effect JB phones. But this is very unusual case, Crapple usually makes upgrades for the sole purpose of breaking illegal iPhones any way they can. NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING CRAPPLE SAYS ABOUT THEIR UPGRADES! Ask on the net and know 100% before you upgrade anything concerning Crapple.

• • golfer 31
    February 14, 2011
    4 posts
  • i have a iphone 3g from the u.s!it is jailbroken!but it is stuck in recover moad!can anyone give some information were i can get it resored in kunming!thanks

• • golfer 31
    February 14, 2011
    4 posts
  • i payed for the phone new and it was not jb!in the us!and payed someother guy to jailbrake it for me!its a 4.1 motherboard!any thoughts?

• • golfer 31
    February 19, 2011
    4 posts
  • Can someone tell me were in kunming i can get an iphone 3g jailbroke and unlocked?thanks

• • JonathanMiller
    September 29, 2011
    75 posts
  • Dropped my iPhone 4 and the LCD is damaged. The phone is past warranty. I do want the original retna display replacement v. a substitute. Is there a place in KM or nearby that can do the repair?

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