Verizon Blackberry GPS Hack
Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:08
Ever since I got my first Verizon Blackberry I have been pissed off that Verizon ships the device, that I paid my hard earned money for, in a crippled fashion. Verizon chose to ship the device with the GPS disabled so that you can't use it without paying them 10$ a month. It could have been 1$ a month and I would have been angry about it, but 10$ a month to use a piece of GPS hardware that doesn't even use their network is just ludicrous.
Well, I've been doing quite a bit of research into mobile devices recently (for other reasons not listed) and came across some documentation that demonstrates exactly how to enable the GPS for free. I've copied it here for posterity; this is not my research, but it's certainly cool enough that I'll post it here to every Verizon phone user to read.
1. Enter your device's engineering screen. On the Storm press and hold the back arrow hard key and press the top left, top right, top left, top right of the touch screen. Then enter the code generated from http://absolous.no-ip.com/projects/escreen/. Other models may differ.
2. Choose Radio Engineering Screens (Multi) -> GPS -> GPS Options -> Operation Mode and set the value to "Standalone".
3. Save by pressing menu and choosing save.
4. Enjoy your now working free GPS and make sure to send Verizon the middle finger.
Addendum:
Python escreen generation code:#!/usr/bin/env python
import hmac
import hashlib
pin = 'ffaa0000' # Device PIN [XXXXXXXX]
app = '4.6.0.100 (233)' # OS Application version [n.n.n.n (n)]
uptime = '12345' # Uptime in seconds
duration = 30 # Duration for key to last [1, 3, 6, 15, or 30]
lifetime = {
1: "",
3: "Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my rag time gal",
7: "He was a boy, and she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious?",
15: "So am I, still waiting, for this world to stop hating?",
30: "I love myself today, not like yesterday. I'm cool, I'm calm, I'm gonna be okay"
}
secret = 'Up the time stream without a TARDIS'
data = pin + app + uptime + lifetime[duration]
hash = hmac.new(secret, data, digestmod = hashlib.sha1)
key = hash.hexdigest()[:8]
print key
Reference:
http://feisley.com/2009/09/26/blackberry-escreen-keygen/Home | Tags: infosec | Category: /infosec | [11 comments] | Link
Posted by MB at Sun Oct 11 11:09:38 2009
I thought the Storm shipped with an already-unlocked GPS from Verizon. Everything I've read on the Blackberry/Crackberry forums said this was the case with the Storm and the new Tour. Not sure who's correct, as I have neither.
I do however, have a Curve (8330) through Verizon. Any idea how to get to the Engineering screen on a Curve?
Thanks!
I thought the Storm shipped with an already-unlocked GPS from Verizon. Everything I've read on the Blackberry/Crackberry forums said this was the case with the Storm and the new Tour. Not sure who's correct, as I have neither.
I do however, have a Curve (8330) through Verizon. Any idea how to get to the Engineering screen on a Curve?
Thanks!
Posted by MB at Sun Oct 11 11:22:42 2009
Oh nevermind...just figured it out.
Alt+Shift+Help gets you to the Help Screen, and you enter the key you generated from there.
Found that on your references site: http://feisley.com/2009/09/26/blackberry-escreen-keygen/
Oh nevermind...just figured it out.
Alt+Shift+Help gets you to the Help Screen, and you enter the key you generated from there.
Found that on your references site: http://feisley.com/2009/09/26/blackberry-escreen-keygen/
Posted by getyourfactsright at Sat Oct 24 13:39:26 2009
MB you are right.. the original post is full of inaccuracies.
VZW does not ship the storm with the GPS disabled.
VZW does not charge 10 dollars a month to have a working GPS. The posted "hack" doesnt improve things at-all, in fact, it disables assisted GPS which making the spin up and location lock, slower.
The storm ships with the GPS set to e911 only -- but that is a simple fix (most programs that require the GPS, (weather, blackberry maps, yelp, ubertwitter, and many many more) display a simple splash screen that tells the user how to turn it on. Options --> Advanced Options --> GPS -- Location -- change it to Location On instead of e911. Once you do that.. it's on all the time.
The 10 dollars a month (I think) you are griping about is to subscribe to VZNavigator.. but again, that doesnt magically enable the GPS -- same method above applies -- I have an original storm right here that doesnt subscribe to VZnav and has an approved VZW firmware on it and the GPS works great. (except that the google developers are too lazy to correctly hook the RIM API to make google maps work correctly)
You should post corrections to your post, otherwise you just sound like an iphone fanboi.
p.s. the REAL story here is unlocking the engineering screens. But that's been known about for a long time.
MB you are right.. the original post is full of inaccuracies.
VZW does not ship the storm with the GPS disabled.
VZW does not charge 10 dollars a month to have a working GPS. The posted "hack" doesnt improve things at-all, in fact, it disables assisted GPS which making the spin up and location lock, slower.
The storm ships with the GPS set to e911 only -- but that is a simple fix (most programs that require the GPS, (weather, blackberry maps, yelp, ubertwitter, and many many more) display a simple splash screen that tells the user how to turn it on. Options --> Advanced Options --> GPS -- Location -- change it to Location On instead of e911. Once you do that.. it's on all the time.
The 10 dollars a month (I think) you are griping about is to subscribe to VZNavigator.. but again, that doesnt magically enable the GPS -- same method above applies -- I have an original storm right here that doesnt subscribe to VZnav and has an approved VZW firmware on it and the GPS works great. (except that the google developers are too lazy to correctly hook the RIM API to make google maps work correctly)
You should post corrections to your post, otherwise you just sound like an iphone fanboi.
p.s. the REAL story here is unlocking the engineering screens. But that's been known about for a long time.
Posted by txs at Sat Oct 24 16:54:04 2009
I purchased the Storm the first few weeks it was on the market and had the original firmware. I called Verizon support myself when the GPS wasn't functioning and was told DIRECTLY that the GPS does not function without a 10$ a month GPS fee and that there wasn't anything I could do to enable the hardware. I have NOT gone back to Verizon to check if they have changed this policy (they may have), and thus there are ZERO inaccuracies in my post. If your experience differs, then all the better for you. The e911 modification that you mention does NOT work on my phone and never did (I tried it many times).
PS: The real facts to your post are that you didn't post an email address or a URL for yourself, and your source is from a VERIZON fios IP address. So who's the real fanboi here?!
PPS: I don't own an iPhone and don't plan to dump my Blackberry for a while. So YOU get your facts straight..
I purchased the Storm the first few weeks it was on the market and had the original firmware. I called Verizon support myself when the GPS wasn't functioning and was told DIRECTLY that the GPS does not function without a 10$ a month GPS fee and that there wasn't anything I could do to enable the hardware. I have NOT gone back to Verizon to check if they have changed this policy (they may have), and thus there are ZERO inaccuracies in my post. If your experience differs, then all the better for you. The e911 modification that you mention does NOT work on my phone and never did (I tried it many times).
PS: The real facts to your post are that you didn't post an email address or a URL for yourself, and your source is from a VERIZON fios IP address. So who's the real fanboi here?!
PPS: I don't own an iPhone and don't plan to dump my Blackberry for a while. So YOU get your facts straight..
Posted by Norse at Thu Oct 29 17:16:16 2009
The post information seemed to work successfully on my Curve 8330 on Verizon. However, I can't seem to tell if I need to make any other adjustments. It doesn't seem to have worked.
The post information seemed to work successfully on my Curve 8330 on Verizon. However, I can't seem to tell if I need to make any other adjustments. It doesn't seem to have worked.
Posted by txs at Thu Oct 29 17:46:56 2009
@Norse Once I made the adjustment I simply installed the Google Maps application and it worked perfectly. Before the modification it would be able to location me within approximately 2000 yards, after the modification it could find me consistently within 3 meters.
@Norse Once I made the adjustment I simply installed the Google Maps application and it worked perfectly. Before the modification it would be able to location me within approximately 2000 yards, after the modification it could find me consistently within 3 meters.
Posted by Norse at Fri Oct 30 17:12:16 2009
@txs Thank you for somehow interpreting my previous comment into something legible. I was hoping you might be able to help me with my BB Curve 8330 Verizon phone.
I followed the post to retrieve a gen code and was able to access the engineering screen. I made the adjustment to 'standalone' and saved my progress.
Prior to changing to 'standalone' I deleted Google Maps because I already had it installed. I reinstalled v3.2.0, setting it to use the internal GPS. It appears that it is still trying to use the radio signal, because it has not found my location to any less than 900m.
Under options->advanced options->GPS my settings are as such:
GPS Data Source: Device GPS
GPS Services: 911 Only
Do I need to change my GPS Services setting to 'Location On'?
Just looking for some help if you are willing, and have some additional insights into my issue.
@txs Thank you for somehow interpreting my previous comment into something legible. I was hoping you might be able to help me with my BB Curve 8330 Verizon phone.
I followed the post to retrieve a gen code and was able to access the engineering screen. I made the adjustment to 'standalone' and saved my progress.
Prior to changing to 'standalone' I deleted Google Maps because I already had it installed. I reinstalled v3.2.0, setting it to use the internal GPS. It appears that it is still trying to use the radio signal, because it has not found my location to any less than 900m.
Under options->advanced options->GPS my settings are as such:
GPS Data Source: Device GPS
GPS Services: 911 Only
Do I need to change my GPS Services setting to 'Location On'?
Just looking for some help if you are willing, and have some additional insights into my issue.
Posted by Norse at Fri Oct 30 17:42:05 2009
@txs Thank you for somehow interpreting my previous comment into something legible. I was hoping you might be able to help me with my BB Curve 8330 Verizon phone.
I followed the post to retrieve a gen code and was able to access the engineering screen. I made the adjustment to 'standalone' and saved my progress.
Prior to changing to 'standalone' I deleted Google Maps because I already had it installed. I reinstalled v3.2.0, setting it to use the internal GPS. It appears that it is still trying to use the radio signal, because it has not found my location to any less than 900m.
Under options->advanced options->GPS my settings are as such:
GPS Data Source: Device GPS
GPS Services: 911 Only
Do I need to change my GPS Services setting to 'Location On'?
Just looking for some help if you are willing, and have some additional insights into my issue.
@txs Thank you for somehow interpreting my previous comment into something legible. I was hoping you might be able to help me with my BB Curve 8330 Verizon phone.
I followed the post to retrieve a gen code and was able to access the engineering screen. I made the adjustment to 'standalone' and saved my progress.
Prior to changing to 'standalone' I deleted Google Maps because I already had it installed. I reinstalled v3.2.0, setting it to use the internal GPS. It appears that it is still trying to use the radio signal, because it has not found my location to any less than 900m.
Under options->advanced options->GPS my settings are as such:
GPS Data Source: Device GPS
GPS Services: 911 Only
Do I need to change my GPS Services setting to 'Location On'?
Just looking for some help if you are willing, and have some additional insights into my issue.
Posted by losuma at Thu Feb 11 17:05:54 2010
setting "location on" did not do anything to make the GPS on my BB 8830 usable. there must be more to it to make it work.
setting "location on" did not do anything to make the GPS on my BB 8830 usable. there must be more to it to make it work.
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