Windows Phone unlocker ChevronWP7 Labs is now live
We last reported on ChevronWP7 last month where the team announced the release of the service was to be within a few weeks. Fast forward three weeks and the Chevron Labs page has been updated with a login via Live ID button. The site is going live as we speak, so if you have any errors logging in, just give it some time as they finish updating the site to full-release mode.
The ChevronWP7 Labs will enable users to unlock their handset(s) for a fraction of the cost for the official developer membership. It will allow Windows Phone owners to have fun with homebrew apps without breaking warranty on the device and being hunted down by Microsoft. The process is fairly straightforward:
- You'll need a Windows Live ID (it can be different from your Windows Phone Live ID)
- Purchase an "unlock token". Cost is $9.00 via PayPal and is good for infinite unlocks per single phone.
- Download and install an unlocking too, which is similar to the official AppHub registration one
- Your phone will be placed in a queue to be unlocked and that's it!
So by show of comments, how many of you are going to be unlocking? If you do, don't forget to take a look at some of our past Homebrew coverage to get started.
Update: The tools have been temporarily pulled till two issues can be resolved.
Source: Chevron Labs, thanks H3ALY for the tip!
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Neofire says:
You can count me in!!
Irdial says:
I wonder...does this mean we can install pirated xap files ? Like Navigon software which is floating around certain forums ?If so, i wonder how did they convince Microsoft to allow that...
Muvolt says:
Maybe it checks xap contents to find info that points to a paid app and exclude it. I really can't understand which is the connection behind an official management over a jailbreaking system for their own product. I believe that it's a trick to get more money.
Saljen says:
If you unlock your device through ChevronWP7, any app installed is still held to marketplace standards. Meaning they know every app you install and if its not signed it will be removed. It also means that no tweaking of your device is possible through ChevronWP7. You can't create "themes" for your device for example and use it through ChevronWP7.
Muvolt says:
Thanks for the info Saljen...so, there are no real benefits with this jailbreak. People can do much more with the current free guides. It only takes a little longer to unlock.
WheresWinPho says:
Bought. Installing now.
lantern20 says:
I was going to sign up, but it requires access to my email addresses.ChevronWP7 Labs needs your permission to do the following:Access your email addresses ChevronWP7 Labs will be able to see the email addresses in your profile.
Muvolt says:
This Sucks!!! Are you sure?
joshcsmith13 says:
I'm pretty sure that just means YOUR email address, not everybody in your address book. sounds reasonable to me.
Daniel Rubino says:
lol, yes it is just YOUR email address, *not* your ADDRESS BOOK.
Jazmac says:
Access your email addressesChevronWP7 Labs will be able to see the email addresses in your profile.Kind of a weird message to get. But anyway, I only want this for tethering. But its currently offline. Bummer.
Rallicat says:
Can you 'relock' your phone at a later point?
Muvolt says:
Which are the benefits of this when we compare it to the current (free) jailbreaking methods? Will it support a mass storage device connection? Will it support other audio and video files? If not, I can't see the reason of paying for something that I already have for free...(MS "support" doesn't mean anything to me...I'm still waiting for tethering update and I couldn't had updated my device if I hadn't flashed a different rom first...I'm one of the LG Mango update error victims.)
Daniel Rubino says:
What jailbreaking method works in Mango?
Muvolt says:
Search in XDA fora. There are many topics about it. It's even easier if you have an LG device.
Saljen says:
There are significant restrictions to what can be done with the ChevronWP7 jailbreak, so if you are already ok with doing homebrew the old fasioned way, then definitely continue to do it that way. With ChevronWP7, all apps must still be signed by Microsoft (to prevent people installing pirated XAP files) and you can't change the OS in any way, ie: no themes ect. So it's not really a "jailbreak", just a larger cell.
Muvolt says:
I find it really stupid...Many people who don't know much about technology will be tricked by the promotion of this jailbreak and will pay money without being able to have a fully open system. Currently, I can't find any benefit..
entanianickwp says:
Thank you for the news my phone is unlocked now. But I'm new to this kind of stuff so I have a question. How can I put the XAP into my phone? Just use the official Microsoft tool?
BellPego says:
Just got my token... :)My student account ends soon, so I ready to keep homebrewing.. :)
athix says:
I don't think we need to unlock, the software has been incredible AS IS! Thats the way MS designed it and I think its brilliant. I'm an experienced developer with years of enterprise windows mobile programming experience, so I was also cross when I learned that you can't sideload WP7 apps. I realize now that it's much better in the long run that way, since most homebrew apps are pointless, unsupported, novelty apps, otherwise they will have no trouble making it into the marketplace once they become useful or MS finally implements the API you need.Other than avoiding the $99 developer fee to test locally, I can't see why anyone would want to unlock anyway? Go get an Android then! And use Google instead of Bing while your at it!;-)
Irdial says:
If you are an experienced developer - you should know that there is no better way to learn than to experiment with an actual device, and not an emulator. I guess this reason alone is enough to unlock the phone =)
joshcsmith13 says:
precisely!
athix says:
True about emulators, but if you are serious about creating apps for any device other than your own (real developers) then you will eventually have to pay the 99 anyway to get into the marketplace and your phone will be MS unlocked. Otherwise only you and your chevron buddies will be sharing cruddy XAPs all day long. Have fun! :)
Irdial says:
Oh believe me, our "chevron buddies" and all the guys from xda etc. are way better than "real developers" - like you - think they are ;)
Muvolt says:
Why I want my WP7 unlocked:Android is ugly and bloated.I always want to be able to change small details which currently MS keeps locked...like accent colors. I use a custom accent color changer and I dream of an accent customization app that could produce a random accent color and apply it...I love this idea (sometimes will produce useless colors, but It could make me find unique tile colors and apply them easily). This can't be done without an unlocked phone.I'm using an alternative marketplace which doesn't need my location info or my windows live id etc...with this way, I can download any free app and take an actual backup of it on my pc without having to re-install it after a reset etc...Your propose (to get an Android) is really pointless because Android and WP7 doesn't have any similarities and I like most of WP7 features/looks.
athix says:
Sounds like you are an Android user at heart who really likes the metro design. Your concerns are exactly what Android is, and exactly what MS wants to avoid in WP7. I don't think you will see MS concerning itself with these pointless nonsense features. It bloats the system and is ugly, exactly what you said android is. Heres what you do, create your app, pay the 99 for marketplace access and see if anybody else thinks it worthwhile. You can charge a dollar and make your money back in no time! Happy time wasting!
Muvolt says:
Microsoft doesn't give the permition to developers to change accent colors...this is the reason that you can't find any accent color changer in marketplace. Not because it is pointless or nonsense. If you open up your eyes you will see that many people want to change their tile colors to their preferred colors...it's called personalization and it doesn't bloat the system when you use a different tile color.
cannon#WP says:
I too would like to know if there's anything different between this and just flipping the registry value "DeveloperUnlocked" to 1.
x.iso says:
unlocking involves certificates and server connection, so obviously changing registry value won't be enough, especially that simple...especially if you have locked phone in first place and can't edit registry anyway.
Muvolt says:
There is a solution in XDA fora for most of the devices, and yes, for LG phones it's that easy! Only 2 registry keys.
x.iso says:
if you're talking about interop-unlock, that's the different story and not the kind of unlock you get from Chevron Labs. again, you need the unlock to edit registry in first place. or do some tricks involving rolling back Mango update, roll back even further applying old free unlock if not applied already or even flash custom ROM. with either way losing some of your data like SMS and such.
Muvolt says:
It's a different method with the same (and better) results. If you can't follow the guides and don't want to revert back to an older OS and then update, then pay...for unofficial apps. The only official thing in Chevron, is the jailbreaking method. Not the apps which play the most important role inside an ecosystem like WP7...
x.iso says:
it's not different method, especially not with same results. you NEED to have basic unlock first (which Chevron Labs offer now without need to do any ticks and loose data, only downside is that you pay 9$), and THEN you do the interop-unlock to have ability to also side-load apps that run native code (not just ones that aren't allowed to marketplace or aren't there because devs don't want to pay 99$ just to submit a free app).so basically, we're paying Chevron 9$ to avoid complex steps with loosing of data or even potentially bricking the phone
Muvolt says:
Τhanks for summing up the benefits...These should be more clear inside the article.About losing data...Most of the data are not going to be lost. Documents Photos and Music can be synced to Zune or Skydrive and reloaded from there. SMS can be manually copied in One note and synced....except if you have lots of them...but, really, do you have so many important SMS inside a device that can't take backup of them? This is wrong from the start.I haven't heard of anyone who actually bricked his device and didn't find a solution to revert it. I have flashed my device 3-4 times to get some updates (that otherwise couldn't get) and I did some wrong steps, but my device still works like new.. ;) It's not impossible to brick it, but it's more difficult than you think.
jmshub says:
I am a maybe. There were some homebrew apps that interested me, but nothing that is making me rush out and unlock it right this second.
Rallicat says:
Can the phone be 'relocked' at a later point?
harshalsk says:
I have just tried installing and it is stuck at saying "windows Phone Support Tool" Required. Which I already have it installed.
Saljen says:
Now that a more common method of homebrew is available, all that we need for the homebrew scene to really take off is a homebrew marketplace (ie: cydia/pre-ware). Once we get that, the apps/mods will roll in.
darrenjadams says:
I get "An issue occurred while unlocking your phone. Please contact help@chevronwp7.com for more information."Just my luck...
verynuclear says:
I got the same error message.I tried again to wait in line but the token appeared to be used.
x.iso says:
same sh*t.. I guess they only reason you need to contact them is so they'll reset it to be "unused". first time I tried unlock, there were too many people in line (which kinda ridiculous, waiting in lines in internet..), so I decided to lock the screen of the phone, so I don't get burn-ins if it had to wait too long. then I got error about lock screen and some-time after tried again, that's when I got this error.
theefman says:
Is there anything worth unlocking for at the moment?
Saljen says:
Now we just need a homebrew marketplace (ie: cydia/pre-ware) and we're set!
Muvolt says:
Nope...we need some useful homebrew apps too...
Adiliyo says:
the screen capture app, battery indicator app, and folders app are quite useful imo. :)
Muvolt says:
There are free methods to get them to your phone too...don't believe the hype about MS support. Jailbreaks are all about the apps and Microsoft doesn't seem to care about other apps outside its marketplace.
Adiliyo says:
i'll be getting this when i pick up my focus s, i wonder if we can interop unlock after using this to be able to deploy the tools necessary to do so.
jlw17 says:
I'm very tempted to try this out. Just one question. If I do this, will I then be able to have custom accent colors? The whole reason I'd want to unlock is for custom colors..
Muvolt says:
There is a semi-working homebrew app, but I don't know if it works for all of the devices. No one can ensure you that you will be able to change custom colors without an already available app and I don't think that they sell us apps just an alternative "official" way to unlock our devices. Of course, you can try unlocking your phone for free if you have an LG or a Samsung,http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1271963...or revert back to nodo, unlock your phone...follow any advice in XDA fora and update to unlocked Mango.
bt66 says:
Excuse my dumb question.. does this Unlock mean I can use my phone on any carrier as well?
Muvolt says:
No. You will have to do an extra unlock after installing a homebrew registry editor (if Microsoft permits homebrew registry editors). Chevron jailbreak only permits you to install homebrew apps which are approved by Microsoft (signed) and don't change the theme (colors etc...)
Jvillaro says:
Count me in!
HD7_user says:
I was curious about this tool so I bought it. Got down to install it, waited in queue(I was 20th). After 3 mins I got an error saying there is a name conflict and have to go to Zune and change it. Sorry but WTF??? I don't want to change my name. At all. I guess I have donated 9 bucks :)
Muvolt says:
This is what I was afraid of...Do you know how many people will think that this jailbreak gives them full access to the system and will pay for it? You had a simple error...others will notice much later that they paid for almost nothing. No theme changes and only signed (Microsoft approved apps).
mikroland says:
Actually I Paid for it, which allows me to run the interp unlock and now I can put anything I want on my phone.So now I have WIFI tethering on my phone for only 9 dollars.I would say your analysis is wrong.
Muvolt says:
I'm happy that all this "official jailbreaking" works for you and you don't complain about money.
HD7_user says:
Well, 9 USD is not much and I can live with it. But I do understand I am not everybody. Honestly, I was just curious and wanted to see what this tool is capable of... I wanted to test the tethering capability or Windows Phone Device Manager. Oh, well :)))
athix says:
If you want to be a cool hip hackster, go get an Android! If you want to sit back and enjoy the best designed phone experience on the market, use WP7! Leave the real development up to the pros, kiddies go to google.
Muvolt says:
You call development the fact that MS has locked some parts of the phone and they unlock them if you give them more money and the right to register you? Is this "development" for you?...Google kiddies have tethering without "fake jailbreaking deals"...without even hacking. I'm not regretting for my phone, I'm just dissapointed about how some people can blindly give money for stupid reasons.
athix says:
where did all the posts go, I only see them when I create a new post????
mikroland says:
This is awesome!!! I unlocked my phone, then I did the Mango iterp unlock (free at XDA) and now I have FREE WIFI Tethering on my Focus and yes it works!!! I am on AT&T BTW.
Canesfan625 says:
@muvolt Wrong and Wrong. It seems people are confusing Developer unlock and Interop unlock. Those of us with HTC devices seem to be SOL without jumping through hoops for now for interop unlocking though
mikroland says:
WTF are you talking about, it's working and all I did was by the 9 dollar unlock which ALLOWED me to run the Interop unlock, which then allowed me to install the wireless internet sharing.
battleangel says:
Useless. What we need isn't some useless developer unlock, or even an interop unlock. We need bloody full root access so we can change EVERYTHING in the OS.
DavidinCT says:
I'm assuming this a a Dev unlock level that your given for your $9, am I correct ? Or is it Interop unlock level ?I'll stick with my Dev unlock for now (at a Interop unlock), this is a nice option for Mango devices that can't get unlocked tho.
mab664 says:
Is there a marketplace or website for these "homebrew" apps? Do you download the app on your computer and use the tool to put the app on your phone? How many apps are M$ signed/approved using the ChevronWP7 tool? How do you change background (currently white or black) and tiles to different colors... What is the specific app (not approved by Chevron).
