How to use SoftBank prepaid on your US iPhone
This is a quick guide on teaching you how to use a SoftBank prepaid SIM card with your unlocked US iPhone. The reason I’m writing this is because the only information I was able to find was either incorrect or difficult to track down. There was nothing definitive so I’m hoping this will be a definitive guide. First things first: it’s important to note the current firmware at the time of writing this is 3.1.3, though I did all this using version 3.1.2 and modem firmware 05.11.07. YMMV.
This is important if you’re only visiting Japan since Japanese cell phone retailers will not sell you a phone unless you have your gaijin card (which is only obtainable through special working visas). If you visit Japan often-ish like me, I would recommend this method.
Finally, it’s important to know this method will only enable voice and email. Data on a prepaid card is never an option.
Update: iOS 4.0+ has been out for some time now, and while I haven’t tested this on iOS 4 and above (or an iPhone 4 for that matter), I can’t speak to it, however there are apparently some pretty comprehensive instructions (in French, mind you) available on this forum thread at frenchiphone.com (thanks, Julien). Once I can test it out for myself, I’ll redo this guide.
Requirements
- a jailbroken 3.0+ iPhone (I used a custom firmware created with PwnageTool but blackra1n is also an option)
- Cydia
- a SoftBank prepaid SIM card (more on this later) and access to a prepaid phone
- a WiFi connection*
* Oddly enough it was the WiFi connection that was most difficult for me to obtain since WiFi isn’t that widely used in Japan.
Step 1
If you haven’t already yet, jailbreak your iPhone via PwnageTool or blackra1n. Either way will work as long as it’s jailbroken. The instructions in this guide were written before iOS 4 and the iPhone 4 were released, so analogous jailbreaking methods may or may not exist for those platforms at the time of reading this.
Step 2
Obtain a SoftBank prepaid SIM card. YMMV here but I had one already from a prepaid phone I purchased at Narita Airport in 2009. Once upon a time SoftBank would sell prepaid SIM cards without the phone (they were free, in fact) at the airport and their retail stores, but I understand they don’t do that anymore. A prepaid phone + SIM will set you back about $100 USD, plus the 3,000 ($33) or 5,000 ($55) yen prepaid card. These SIM cards are white in color, have the silver three striped SB logo, and say “Prepaid” in black text.
Here is a list of Softbank shops that presumably speak English. The Softbank kiosk at the Narita International arrival lobby also has people who speak English. This is where I got my phone in 2009.
I suppose if you have a Docomo or regular SoftBank SIM card it would work too, but if you have a real SIM card, obviously you don’t need to use this method unless you’re moving to Japan with a US iPhone (or other country iPhone, unlocked).
UPDATE: I just read that your number will remain active for 360 days from the day you recharge a prepaid card. This is good to keep in mind if you visit Japan frequently and want to keep your number.
UPDATE #2: As pointed out in the comments, you must have inserted your prepaid SIM into a prepaid phone to activate it before using it in an iPhone. Thanks, Nigel.
UPDATE #3: I’ve come across a few sites detailing prepaid SIM card (including prepaid data) plans:
Step 3
Once you’re in Japan, unlock your phone. Since the place I stayed at only had a wired ethernet connection (which is so often the case in Japan as mentioned above), I had to create a wireless bridge (shared internet connection) from my laptop to my phone. Once I had Cydia fired up, I added the blackra1n repo (http://blackra1n.com) to download blacksn0w from. Once blacksn0w downloads, simply install it and pop in your SoftBank SIM card. Of course the WiFi-needfulness is moot if you do this all before you visit Japan, but then it would leave you phone-less if you’re with AT&T until you get to Japan.
I should note I tried this first with ultrasn0w 0.92 but it didn’t work. My phone kept saying “invalid SIM”. It was only the latest blacksn0w that made it work. YMMV.
Step 4
The final step is getting your SoftBank email (or MMS) setup. This was the trickiest for me for some reason. If you haven’t set up your email, do so by dialing 1400 from your SoftBank phone (unlimited email costs 300 yen and lasts 30 days). Here are the instructions on getting it working (courtesy of the GaijinPot forums):
- Visit www.unlockit.co.nz from MobileSafari
- Tap Continue > Custom APN
- Enter the following:
- APN: mailwebservice.softbank.ne.jp
- Username: softbank
- Password: qceffknarlurqgbl
- Carrier: Blank
- Tap Create Profile. It will then create and load the profile on your phone. Be sure to delete this when you return home or else your AT&T settings will be fubard.
- Go to your iPhone Settings > Messages > set MMS Messaging to On and MMS Email Address to <you>@softbank.ne.jp
This should make your email work. Email goes through Messages except instead of MMS/SMS you’re used to, you can actually email real email addresses. Try it out.
I say it should work because it didn’t work right away for me. It only worked after I forked over $12 to buy SwirlyMMS2 from Cydia, which I guess set something straight and allowed it to work. Once it started working though, I deleted Swirly because its interface makes me want to puke on myself.
That’s it! Enjoy your non-Japanese keitai in Japan.
UPDATE: As pointed out in the comments, and as confirmed by me, sending texts only works when Wifi is turned off. I have no idea why this is, but that’s the way it is. Receiving emails worked for me when my Wifi was on, however (I think).
- Published: March 13, 2010 at 12:12 AM
- Filed under:
- Posted by: chris
