A “techman” in Hanoi said that before the official launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple had patched vulnerabilities and upgraded the security level of iCloud, which contains a feature that allows users to locate and find their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac in case they are lost or stolen. This made it more difficult for them to unlock Apple’s products.
However, in mid-October, the techmen announced that iCloud on iOS 8 had been successfully unlocked, one month after iOS 8 was launched in the market on September 17.
Regarding the service fee, Chinh Hang Telecom, a shop that announced it had successfully unlocked iCloud on iOS 8, said the fee would be about VND3 million for iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S, with operating systems upgraded to iOS 8.
However, the service fee would be “a little bit higher” for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the latest generation of iPhones integrated with iOS 8, though it was unclear what the exact cost would be.
Chinh Hang Telecom in September surprised the public when it said it could unlock iOS 7 by shifting iCloud from On to Off mode, adding that there would be no need to buy the international code. However, it refused to reveal how it had unlocked iOS 8.
No service provider can be fully confident about jailbreak success. A worker at a shop on Hang Bai street in Hanoi said it could give the customer an answer on whether it could unlock the phone within seven days. In case the unlock failed, customers would get their money back, he said.
The worker said that demand for the service was relatively high, because many iPhone users forget their passwords. And many others, who aren’t aware of the importance of iCloud, had forgotten to ask the former owners to give them the passwords and accounts when they bought their secondhand devices.
Since launching iOS 7 in 2013, Apple has provided the Activation Lock which helps users protect the devices in case they are lost. When resuming operations, users have to log into their previously registered iCloud account to activate the devices, or the devices will be locked forever.
The high security level of Activation Lock means that buyers of used iPhones cannot activate the devices because they do not know the passwords of the iCloud accounts of the former owners.
The techmen said they would refuse to provide services for devices reported lost by the account owners or to any device in dispute.
