Carrier-Explode is a web tool created by Alec Dusheck to decode and compare carrier configuration data from iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy devices. Dusheck built it while investigating how iOS handles cell broadcast for Indian carriers, which required digging through carrier bundles manually, leading to a viewer that evolved into the current project.
The tool sources data from public firmware bundles: for iPhone, it uses iOS restore images (IPSWs) and Apple's over-the-air carrier bundle updates; for Pixel, it uses Google's full OTA images and carrier settings updates; for Galaxy, it uses Samsung's firmware server for US models. Data is processed via Cloudflare Workers, stored in R2, indexed in D1, and served through a SvelteKit site and API. It covers iPhone 15 and later (iOS 18+), Pixels since October 2020, and recent US Galaxy models launched since 2025.
The tool supports iPhone 15 and later models running iOS 18 or newer, as described in the article.
As shown in the Free_fr carrier settings (version 72.0), the decoded data includes 5G standalone mode enabled (Enable5GStandaloneByDefault = true), VoNR support (SupportsVoNR = true), and specific APN configurations: internet (apn = 'free'), MMS (apn = 'free' with type-mask = 4), and emergency (apn = 'sos'). It also reveals carrier-specific variations, such as the VoLTE switch being hidden (ShowVolteSwitch = false) despite VoNR being supported, illustrating how carriers may adjust settings independently of underlying capabilities.
Carrier-Explode does not include raw vendor files in its output, focusing instead on decoded settings and bundled media like images and audio from Apple's bundles. The scope is limited to new builds, though existing data is retained in the system.