Hacktivation

Hacktivation is the process of activating an iPhone without a valid SIM card inserted. This is especially useful for the old iPhones that require a SIM card in order to activate the device.

Legacy iOS Kit can hacktivate iPhones 2G, 3G, 3GS, and 4 GSM (iPhone3,1) on iOS versions 3.1 to 6.1.6 (3.1 and 3.1.2 supported for 3GS only). It is required for the device to be jailbroken and/or restored, depending on the method used. For iPhone 4 devices, it is also required for the device to not have iCloud/Activation lock.

In Legacy iOS Kit, there are two methods for hacktivation.

Custom IPSW Method

This is the method that sn0wbreeze uses when hacktivating devices. This method can be used by going to Restore/Downgrade and enable both Jailbreak Option and Hacktivate Option.

This method of hacktivation is only available for iPhone 2G, 3G, and 3GS devices.

Jailbreak Method

This method requires the device to be jailbroken with OpenSSH installed, or restored with the Jailbreak Option enabled. This method can be used by going to Other Options -> Hacktivate Device.

This method of hacktivation is available for all supported devices.