[Michael Johnston]

Current AT&T customers who don't have a first generation iPhone, or who aren't eligible for an upgrade, will have to pay an extra $200 to purchase an iPhone 3G. For those unfortunate souls, this means waiting until upgrade time rolls around, or impatiently throwing down an extra $200 for an unsubsidized iPhone.

Thankfully, there's a fantastic loophole that any current AT&T customer can use to get around this mess. All you need is a little help from a friend who already has an iPhone. Read on for the nitty gritty.

Now, before you start this whole process, be absolutely sure that you're not eligible for an upgrade. You can check by logging in to your myWireless account here. If you're not eligible to upgrade your phone, this little trick should work for you.

Bear in mind, this will only work until the 11th of July (i.e., before the iPhone 3G launch).

So here's how it's done: To become eligible for an upgrade, grab a friend who already has a first generation iPhone. Remove the SIM card from your friend's iPhone and replace it with the one from your own phone. Plug the iPhone into a Mac or PC running a recent copy of iTunes. iTunes will recognize that the iPhone is loaded with a different SIM and begin the activation process. You'll literally need to sign up for an iPhone plan at this point, sign a new two-year contract, etc. But hey, that doesn't matter since you'll be signing up for a new contract when you get your iPhone 3G. Any charges you incur will be pro-rated. It will certainly be much less than what you'd pay to get it unsubsidized.

When you're done, you can return your friend's SIM to the iPhone and your SIM to your phone. Everything will work just as it did for both parties involved. To make sure the process worked, check your myWireless account again to see if you're eligible for an upgrade.

That's it, Enjoy!

[rmorningst1]

I thought about this a long time ago and have been wondering if it would work. I had a 1st generation iphone but sold it on ebay, so i am automatically available for an upgrade, but my wife is not for another year. My brother has his first generation iphone still and i am wanting to see if this will work, otherwise i will have to pay $399 for her phone. I was wondering if anyone has tried it yet. Thanks.

You're welcome I want a press badge next time you go! Heh.

Go on over to macrumors.com and there are several posts of people who claim it to have worked for them. I am not entirely convinced myself. My primary concern is what it does to the party loaning you their iPhone.

of course they record the IMEI of the phone and then when the actual owner comes to upgrade they will be SOL

[transitator54]

Now I have to find someone who has an iPhone

how will this effect old iphones?

[Stephen007]

Originally Posted by bob

of course they record the IMEI of the phone and then when the actual owner comes to upgrade they will be SOL

I would think that the upgrade wouldn't be based on an IMEI or anything but rather based on whether you have a 1st generation iPhone on your AT&T account.

Has anyone actually performed this, then called AT&T and simply asked them if they were available for an upgrade to confirm?

Originally Posted by *at

Has anyone actually performed this, then called AT&T and simply asked them if they were available for an upgrade to confirm?

Yes, I have. I've done it to two of my phone lines on our family plan, and now both are eligible per the ATT account web site and from calls to the store and corporate customer service reps.

[xxx]

interesting.... So it doesn't affect the original iphone and that person's contract? Seems like a strange loophole until they catch you and you face the penalties!

I want to try this, but I don't know anybody who has a legit account with AT&T...

Originally Posted by xxx

interesting.... So it doesn't affect the original iphone and that person's contract? Seems like a strange loophole until they catch you and you face the penalties!

Not so far as I can tell. I've checked my account online, called the store, and called the cust service line. All 3 places show my line and the other two as eligible for upgrades.

[Snoop1990]

I noticed upgrade plans on the t-mobile Germany side as well

[Sam DaCool]

Omg this is awesome!!! too bad my friends dont have iPhones. arrg

A note: I did this with a friend's iphone last night and it worked perfectly. Unfortunately, when I popped my SIM back in my Samsung, AT&T detected it and reversed my status back to ineligible.

So, I just put my SIM in his phone again today and connected to iTunes. AT&T recognized the iphone, switched back to eligible for upgrade, and I'm simply not going to use my Samsung again.

Originally Posted by oh mang

A note: I did this with a friend's iphone last night and it worked perfectly. Unfortunately, when I popped my SIM back in my Samsung, AT&T detected it and reversed my status back to ineligible.

So, I just put my SIM in his phone again today and connected to iTunes. AT&T recognized the iphone, switched back to eligible for upgrade, and I'm simply not going to use my Samsung again.

So, it's true that AT&T can detect a new phone and make it uneligible again, huh? If thats the case I'll have to stop using my phone too >_<

[Snoop1990]

Originally Posted by Sam DaCool

Omg this is awesome!!! too bad my friends dont have iPhones. arrg

You have to tell them about the iphone and what kind of wonderful device it is that is what apple wants you to do

Originally Posted by *A person

So, it's true that AT&T can detect a new phone and make it uneligible again, huh? If thats the case I'll have to stop using my phone too >_<

Honestly, I'm not sure if they detected my phone or if I just got caught up in AT&T's house-cleaning issues, but I'd rather not risk it. It's only one day without a phone, pretty sure I'll live.

I just gave this a shot with my buddies phone. My account page with AT&T says the same thing that all of my buddies who have had iphones since day one says, which is explained in the following screenshot:

http://img.skitch.com/20080711-r8idu...t34jkersag.png