Windows Phone ChevronWP7 unlock now available, homebrew apps come alive

By Tom Warren, on 4th Nov 11 3:53 pm with 27 Comments

ChevronWP7 labs

The ChevronWP7 team announced on Friday the immediately availability of a Windows Phone unlock tool.

The ChevronWP7 labs tool allows Windows Phone users to unlock their device to install, run and debug unsigned applications on their handsets. Microsoft and the ChevronWP7 unlock team announced in June that they were teaming up to produce a low-cost developer unlock tool. The tool will make Windows Phone development more accessible and allow developers to avoid the typical $99 per year cost of becoming a full Windows Phone developer. The team will charge $9 for the solution that allows developers to unlock their devices. The tool will simply allow developers to unlock their devices and experiment with applications before signing up to publish apps. The application is available immediately and Windows Phone users can simply follow these steps:

  1. A Windows Live ID will be required for registration
  2. ChevronWP7 Labs will distribute “unlock token”. The charge is $9.00 via PayPal or credit card per single device
  3. Download and install a custom unlock tool
  4. Device placed into an unlock queue managed by ChevronWP7 labs team
  5. Windows Phone device unlocked to load on custom XAPs and homebrew applications

ChevronWP7 labs will allow for homebrew applications to be loaded onto the device. For example:

Microsoft originally blocked the ChevronWP7 application that unlocks Windows Phone 7 devices for homebrew third-party applications. Microsoft representatives met with Rafael Rivera and Long Zheng of the ChevronWP7 team earlier this year to discuss the tool and Microsoft’s plans to support homebrew applications on Windows Phone 7.

ChevronWP7 famously released their Windows Phone 7 “unlock” tool in late November that allowed owners to side load home-brew applications. The tool, named ChevronWP7, used a method to trick the OS into registering itself as a Windows Phone 7 developer device with the application rather than Microsoft directly. Microsoft normally charges $99 a year for the privilege of loading developer applications. ChevronWP7 pulled the tool at Microsoft’s request just two weeks after it was originally released. It was later revealed that Windows Phone 7 devices “phone home” after around two weeks to re-lock unofficial developer devices, rendering the tool useless.
  • J A

    So I assume this is app unlock. What about SIM unlock to allow users to use the phone they purchased and now own on any desired network by inserting the SIM card for their desired wireless carrier?

    • http://www.winrumors.com Tom W

      That’s on a per device basis. You can purchase unlock codes from carriers and device manufacturers.

    • J A

      I have actually requested and gotten the unlock codes for all my previous smartphones from my carrier (AT&T). Although last time I called was for my wife’s Tilt2, which was about a years ago, the rep game me a hard tim even though I had been doing just that in the past, so I asked for the manager before I got it. They thought I wanted to unlock my phone, cancel my contract and go to another carrier. I will call and request for my WP as well.

    • Guest

      Can’t imagine MS officially backing that. Carriers would freak.

    • http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

      Contact your original device carrier, should be free after a certain number of days of service or immediately depending on carrier. Nothing to do with MS.

    • Tom

      Different matter entirely.

      You can buy a SIM unlock code from eBay for $10-30, depending on the phone.

    • Anonymous

      You don’t own your phone until you’ve finished paying for it on your contract.

  • Anonymous

    hello cydia

  • aNui

    How is limitation of number of side-load apps?

  • Anonymous

    If you’ve got the at&t Samsung Focus, then you can get the unlock code for as little as $0.99 from ebay.

    • Anonymous

      i am sure that if you call at&t you can get it for free.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KTAHVKS2RNDWTQPHQEJALLRNEQ Adam Paris

      Ehm this is an official soft-jailbreak not sim unlock. People cant read.

  • Anonymous

    thanks, i got my Focus unlocked right away.

  • Anonymous

    Let the pirating begin.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KTAHVKS2RNDWTQPHQEJALLRNEQ Adam Paris

      Pirating wont be that easy.

    • http://www.Nave360.com Sebastian Gorgon

      it already is… get an XAP and deploy it 

    • http://twitter.com/commsat Andrew

      So, are you saying that this unlock allows people to deploy pirated apps, like Navigon for example ( which has been floating around for weeks ) ? Because it would be really surprising…

  • Anonymous

    Pin this?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KTAHVKS2RNDWTQPHQEJALLRNEQ Adam Paris

    So whats the limit Tom? The inability to run native code?

  • http://twitter.com/johndotcom83 John Larson

    and the unlock is taken down to get fixed

  • http://skotgat.com Rahul Banker

    Thank you for this pretty cool article :) got it unlocked!

  • S1lence

    Already got it! Works great and now I have “folder support” ;)

  • http://twitter.com/DHRYDER305 Junior

    so does the original chevron unlocker still work or does Mango bork it

  • Anonymous

    So I downloaded and installed the unlock tool.  What is the unlock que and do I have to sign up for it or something?  

  • Anonymous

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  • Guest

    chevronwp7 unlock utility has stopped working before  I unlock , refund my money