Developer: Apple blocking push on unlocked iPhones

Czech developer PoweryBase is claiming that Apple is intentionally blocking push notifications to users of unlocked iPhones.

PoweryBase, makers of several applications that use Apple's push notification service, said 80 percent of its customer support complaints are coming from a very small minority of its customers. All of these customers are using unlocked iPhones.

The developer explains that when a push application requests an ID from the Apple server, the iPhone receives a unique token. Once the token is received, push notifications proceed as you would expect. The process only takes a few seconds to complete.

However, PoweryBase says on unlocked phones they have seen the Apple server not respond at all. This just leaves the user's app in limbo until it times out.

Apple representatives were not immediately available to comment on the developer's claims.

It's not clear at this point if other app developers are having the same problems with unlocked phones or if this is an isolated incident in that country or with that application.

Push notifications were implemented as part of iPhone OS 3.0 and allow developers to "push" information to your phone. For example, this means that you don't need to launch an application to be alerted that news headlines have been updated. The push service will pop up an alert and let you know as soon as it happens.

[artistjoh]

Unlocked iPhones are also available in Australia. Have any Australian users reported problems like this? If not then the Apple blocking the notifications to unlocked iPhones can't fly and the cause lies elsewhere.

[biffhenerson]

This has gone on long enough. A cell phone should work for any carrier or network. The consumers choice. I guess we will need to pass another law. I'm on Verizon and they are no better. Disabling phone features. Forcing features to be purchased from them. Not allowing access to download apps. It just sucks that they have to mess with something that would be so great if it were open to choice. It reminds me of the early days when the PC manufactures were loading crapware on Windows and overriding features with their own. We hated it on our PC's and we hate it on our phones. How long is the deal with AT&T to have the iPhone exclusive?

[NotForNuthin]

Looks like "push" has come to shove...

[professionaladventurer]

NO, you are wrong. You want their phone, you play by their rules. Vote with your dollars, not your everything should be fair opinion.

[protagonistic]

So you are saying that a business does not have the right to sell to whoever they want to? And it is open to choice. You can choose not to buy their product. Sorry to sound so harsh, but I get tired of hearing people whining and wanting the government to force everybody to play by the rules they think are fair. It is called freedom and other people have the right to think differently than you do. Life is not fair so get used to it.

[sanawar]

I am one victim of Apple's blocking push. I have a 2G jailbroken phone running on AT&T network but no push.

[katieblatt]

That's not unlocked- unlocked== carrier other than AT&T. PUsh works fine on Jailbroken iphones.

[ikramerica--2008]

I didn't think the 2G had true push. I thought that was a 3G feature.

Anyway, push notification is a feature advertised by Apple to work with their phone as sold and the various cell companies that support it. Once you modify your phone (or any product), that's your choice, but you can't expect everything to work 100% nor can you blame the original company for the problem. The phones WORK AS SOLD.

[justdaven]

@ikramerica--2008 is close... Push is a 3.0 OS feature, which only works on 3G and later phones

[chipotlecoyote]

@justdaven: iPhone OS 3.0 runs on all iPhones, including the first-gen ones.

I'd say @ikramerica--2008 nails it, though; a jailbroken or unlocked phone has definitionally been modified, and there's no guarantee those modifications won't unintentionally break something. Could Apple be deliberately blocking push on an unlocked iPhone? Sure. But could it be something else entirely? Sure. In no case is it Apple's responsibility to ensure you can use your phone with full functionality after you've gone in there rearranging things, any more than it's Microsoft's responsibility to ensure your Xbox 360 works just fine in all cases after you've installed Ubuntu Linux on it.

[oohmyygood]

I've got a jailbroken- and unlocked 3GS. Push works fine.

[Qbnkelt]

professionaladventurer was right. You vote with your dollars.

After the battery issues I'm having, I'm voting with my wallet....gorgeous as it is, my 32g 3G s will be my last iPhone.

Both AT&T and Apple are business. If you don't like the product, walk away. You don't *have* to have an iPhone.