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Apple Geniuses quietly unbricking illicit iPhones?

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 5:53PM EST
BGR

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Looks like some of your loyal employees may be shirking the party line here, Steve. Reports are coming in that Apple Genius Bar staffers are, under certain circumstances, fixing iPhones that have been unusable due to the recent iPhone firmware upgrade. The phones, as we well know, have been re-locked due to the presence of  *gasp* an “illegal” SIM unlock process. Apple has released a number of official statements accepting no responsibility for whatever havoc, pain, and / or suffering the firmware upgrade might inflict on hacked or software-modified iPhones. It seems that the Geniuses are taking a slightly more sympathetic approach. Keep in mind that this is purely anecdotal, and your actual mileage may vary, but certain Geniuses have reportedly taken “bricked” iPhones in for service, emerging minutes later with a miraculously fixed piece of equipment. Whether or not they have some sort of fix-all software hack themselves, or if they’re simply swapping the bricked ones out for new devices remains to be seen, but there may yet be some hope for those of you with newly “broken” handsets.

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Josh Karp Distinguished Fellow

Josh Karp followed his love of technology since a kid through to the present day. As a Special Correspondent at BGR, and part of the first editorial team, Josh covers press conferences, trade shows and other events around the world. An expert in all things mobile, Josh has more than eighteen years of experience covering the wireless industry.