Tech Info

MiTime app for iPhone 4 has been released which fixes and / or activates FaceTime on unlocked iPhone 4s which are running on unofficial unsupported carriers such as T-Mobile US. According to the description of the app, it should work on just about any carrier worldwide. You must be able to receive an international SMS message to get FaceTime activated via MiTime.

It works by sending two international SMS messages to activate, therefore it cannot be free at this time as it costs the developer “to attempt to activate [your] phones”. So until and unless there is some other way around for activating FaceTime for unlocked iPhone 4s, this is the only way and well worth it in my opinion.

Also, if you recall, the developer behind MiTime is the same guy who brought us first ever fix for Push Notifications on hacktivated iPhones running iOS 3.x. So if that is anything to go by, he is highly trustable!

Follow the instructions posted below to activate FaceTime on your unlocked and jailbroken iPhone 4.

NOTE: You will need to first purchase MiTime for $5.99 for the app to be authorized before you install it. MiTime will not run on unauthorized devices. The number on your phone must match the number you entered on the website. Also, you do not need to touch the FaceTime toggle in Settings -> Phone and should not need to change it ever again. If you turn off FaceTime, just run MiTime again and it will re-enable it the proper way.

The instructions as posted on the official website are as follows.

Step 1: First up, you will need to add http://cydia.pushfix.info as a repository in Cydia on your jailbroken iPhone 4. Search for MiTime and install it.









Step 2: If you are outside the US, check your phone # in Settings -> Phone. Your phone number must be correct and should have the + symbol at the front of it. You should NOT continue unless your phone # is exactly the one that you entered on the purchase page of MiTime.info.

Step 3: Run MiTime and verify whether you are authorized. If your phone # matches, you should be good to go.

Step 4: See below and compare to what you have on the screen:

If it says "Ready for activation" and has an "Activate" button, you are ready to use a credit to activate.

If it does NOT say "Ready for activation", leave it at the this screen until it resets FaceTime and re-springs (2 minutes). After re-spring, unlock the phone and within one minute it should warn you about costs – IMPORTANT–>click OK.

If it says "Activated" you can stop here. It will back up your FaceTime activation for later recovery.

Step 5: If you are ready, tap the “Activate my FT” button and follow the prompts. Only send one activation request and wait for up to 15 minutes. It should only take 1 minute, but don’t waste your activation credits. If it doesn’t activate after 15 minutes, eject and re-insert your SIM. Wait 1 minute and then reboot.









Step 6: If it says that “An activation request has been generated”, stay on this screen. Within 1 minute usually, you will see it change to Activated.









Step 7: Once it shows Activated as shown in the screenshot below, you are done! It has saved your token and FaceTime is fully enabled.









The app can be used to fix almost any FaceTime problem in the future just by running it.

Here is a little video of it in action:MiTime Video



Thanks
DJRaz55
For the latest updates follow@DJRaz55 on Twitter.

You’ve heard about the yellow screen splotches and the wonky antenna that requires you to hold the new iPhone just right.

But now a new issue is coming to light: a faulty camera system that not only affects your ability to take pictures, it can foil your attempts to use FaceTime, the video chat feature that is the iPhone 4’s top talking point.

I ran into this issue over the weekend. Apple kindly sent me two iPhone 4s to test out. I’ve been trying to convince my wife that we need to upgrade our iPhone 3G’s to the new model, so I thought I’d show her how FaceTime works, figuring she’d be as wowed as I was when I tested it on a friend’s phone in the office.

But it didn’t work. While the phone I was using received my wife’s image, the small box that was supposed to display my image wasn’t showing anything. Meanwhile, on the phone my wife was using, she could only see her own image in the small box on her screen; she didn’t get any images from my phone.


FaceTime on the iPhone with the faulty camera; note the square that's supposd to show the forward-facing image
I figured that I must have done something wrong or that there was a glitch, so I tried again. Same result. I tried turning off the phone and turning it on again. Same thing.

Wondering if there was something wrong with the camera on my phone, I called up the camera application. It seemed to work fine. I was able to take a few pictures. But when I tried to switch the in-use camera from the rear to the forward-facing one, the program locked up, showing an unchanging image.

I closed the program and tried to re-open it, but the virtual shutter refused to open. I couldn’t even use the rear-facing camera. The only way to get the camera working again was to turn off the iPhone (by holding down the power button for 5 seconds or so and sliding the slider to “power off” the device) and then restarting it.

It turns out that I’m not the only one that’s having trouble with the new iPhone’s camera. I’ve found four different discussions in Apple’s own support boards in which people have claimed having similar issues. It’s unclear yet how many iPhone 4s are affected by the problem and whether the camera problem is affecting FaceTime on other people’s phones.


The iPhone's camera app, locked and refusing to open.
An Apple representative I spoke with today said she was unaware of the issue.

Regardless, given the different issues that have come to light with the new iPhone 4, it sure looks like Apple’s quality control was asleep when the new gadget was being readied for store shelves.

How about you? Have you experienced this problem? If so, please let me know.

Thanks
DJRaz55
For the latest updates follow@DJRaz55 on Twitter.