Gevey SIM iOS 5 iPhone 4 unlock for basebands 2.10.04, 3.10.01, 4.10.01 and 1.59.00 has been blocked by Apple in iOS 5 beta 2 which was released today. Previously, up till iOS 5 beta 1, it was possible to unlock iPhone 4 running iOS 5 beta 1 on these higher basebands. However, it has now been confirmed that Gevey SIM interposer unlock for iPhone 4 won't work on iOS 5 beta 2 and future firmwares.
The legal status of Gevey SIM interposer iPhone 4 unlock has still not been decided. Previously Gevey SIM interposers required dialling the 112 emergency number then hanging up within two seconds, which is deemed illegal in many countries, including but not limited to the US. The good thing about Gevey SIM interposer was that it did not require a jailbreak. The latest product however, Gevey Ultra, did not require dialling 112, but it required a jailbreak for iPhone 4.
So why would anyone use Gevey interposers which may be illegal? Well if someone upgrades their software unlocked iPhone to stock firmware which upgrades their baseband, that is not supported by the iPhone unlocking software, their unlock is lost meaning that they can not use the carrier of their choice on their iPhone. So when you're on a higher baseband, and since software doesn't unlock that baseband, the only solution that you're left with are interposers, be it Gevey SIM or Rebel SIM.
On the other hand, if you're wondering whether or not it is possible to jailbreak iOS 5 beta 2, rest assured beta 2 doesn't cause any hindrances in way of the jailbreak. So if you've already upgraded your iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1G, iPod touch 3G and 4G to iOS 5 beta 2, you can easily jailbreak iOS 5 beta 2 using redsn0w 0.9.8b1, yes the very same redsn0w version which was released to jailbreak iOS 5 beta 1.
The confirmation of the fact that Gevey interposer unlock for iPhone 4 has been blocked by iOS 5 beta 2 came from iPhone Dev Team member MuscleNerd who tweeted the following:
it’s surprising Apple closed Gevey interposer hole in b2 rather than waiting until final (maybe they were under pressure)
And if you have unlocked iOS 5 beta 1 on iPhone 4 using Gevey interposer, don't hold on to it for too long as iOS 5 beta 1 expires on August 4, 2011, meaning that you won't be able to use it after then. In all our previous posts, we've strictly advised all software unlocked iPhone users to stay away from beta firmware until an unlock solution is available.
Looks like the makers of Gevey interposer will have to come up with something new, else at least one of their product will then be out of business indefinitely.