CarrierUpdate
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iPhone 5 sees faster data speeds on T-Mobile after hacked carrier update
Are you using an iPhone 5 on T-Mobile? Are you in an area with re-farmed 1900MHz HSPA+ spectrum? Well rejoice! Some enterprising folks over at TmoNews have hacked Apple's carrier update for T-Mobile to boost data speeds on the 1900MHz (PCS) HSPA+ band. Better yet, this tweak applies to both T-Mobile's iPhone 5 and the AT&T / unlocked versions -- no jailbreak required. While the official carrier update enabled LTE for the iPhone 5 on T-Mobile, it also decreased data speeds on re-farmed PCS HSPA+ spectrum for many users. The hacked file makes a number of adjustments: it enables Release 9 for dual-carrier HSPA+ and sets the band preference to "auto" from AWS. Follow the source link below for more details and step-by-step instructions.
T-Mobile carrier update for unlocked iPhones now available, bringing Visual Voicemail and LTE support
We had a pretty clear indication that a carrier update would soon be available to help bring unlocked GSM iPhones onto T-Mobile's network, and those leaks were indeed spot on. The carrier announced today that just such an update is now available, enabling Visual Voicemail and other features (included a promised battery life improvement) on all unlocked GSM iPhones running iOS 6.1, while unlocked GSM iPhone 5s will also get HD Voice and T-Mobile LTE support. Complete details on the update -- which can be installed manually or over-the-air -- can be found at the source link below. Update: It looks like quite a few folks still aren't seeing the update just yet. Let us know in the comments if you are able to snag it. Update 4/8: After a rather quiet weekend, it looks like most are now finally receiving the update today.
Verizon iPhone 5 update fixes mobile data use on WiFi bug
Verizon customers received an unexpected bonus when they opted for the latest iPhone, but in an unfortunate case of carrier Karma, the necessary sacrifice was their mobile data. An update has been issued to fix a Verizon-specific bug which, "under certain circumstances," used cellular data when connected to WiFi. To plug the potential leak, you'll need to head to the About screen in the phone's Settings, General menu, where you should find a update prompt. Install, then -- importantly -- reboot, and if "Verizon 13.1" shows as your carrier in that same About tab, you know you're safe. We'd also recommend checking your data allowance with crossed fingers -- for what use is LTE if you've already hit your monthly cap?
O2 UK gradually rolls out iPhone unlock, forgot to give us the instructions
Last week O2 UK announced that they will start unlocking iPhones while they lose the exclusivity deal with Apple. We signed up straight away (via the link below) and didn't hear anything until today -- just five days after O2 unlocked the first batch of iPhones, according to tweets from fellow users. As you can see in the picture half of our text message from O2 went missing for some reason, but luckily the procedure was easy enough for us to decipher: simply put in a non-O2 SIM card, then connect to iTunes and boom! You can see all this illustrated in the gallery. Sadly we're stuck with O2 for another twelve months, but are there any UK folks here planning to switch carriers soon?
What's up with the iPhone Carrier Update?
If you checked for updates for your US-based iPhone in iTunes in the last day or two, you should have seen this: The standard Apple explanation from the Knowledge Base: iTunes 7.7 and later has the ability to update the carrier specific settings on iPhone with iPhone 2.0 software or later. Carrier settings updates are small files (about 10k) that are downloaded from iTunes to be installed on your iPhone. The carrier settings can include updates to the default APN (how iPhone accesses the carrier's cellular data network), special dialing codes at Settings > Phone > [Carrier] Services, default settings for Stocks, Maps, Weather, and other items. So what's actually in this update? Logo replacements, apparently, for AT&T's upcoming MicroCell service (at the time of this writing, the page is in maintenance mode). 2 images, light and dark versions of the image on the left (courtesy of MobileCrunch). Commenters at The iPhone Blog also confirm the revised connectivity image. Our own commenters note that Apple has added settings for the Mobily network (Saudi Arabia) and Etisalat (United Arab Emirates) in this update as well, which adds weight to the expected 2/15 launch of the iPhone in those countries. Editor's Note: Canadian and European customers report no carrier update for them, which is understandable considering the AT&T-centric content of this update. To all of our international readers, if we got you all excited about this update, our apologies for your disappointment. With the exception of Jason, we don't have non-US iPhones to test with, so we often can't say for sure whether a specific update is universal or domestic-only.
