IphoneFirmware
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TUAW How To: Downgrading your 3.1.3 iPhone to 3.1.2
Last week I downloaded (but did not install) the iPhone OS 3.1.3 firmware for my 3GS. I wanted to have a copy of the firmware on hand, but didn't want to upgrade right away. I checked "Do not ask me again" and clicked Download Only. I thought that was the end of the matter. Unfortunately, this Sunday, I plugged in my iPhone and left the room to grab some tea. When I returned, the iPhone was 50% of the way through the 3.1.3 firmware upgrade procedure. It did something I had no idea that it would do: it upgraded me without asking. How frustrating! What's more, I didn't have a copy of 3.1.2 on-hand to downgrade to because iTunes automatically deleted the old firmware files and I was using default Time Machine settings; Time Machine does not normally back up ~/Library, the folder that contains the iTunes ipsw files. Fortunately, I had several resources. First, because I had jailbroken my phone and registered my device signature with Jay Freeman's caching service, I knew I could downgrade my phone. As Jay and I discussed in this LiveChat from a few months back, Apple no longer allows you to freely downgrade your iPhone software. All firmware installations must be verified with Apple's signature servers. By jailbreaking your phone and registering your device signature with Jay's system, you'll be able to bypass Apple's verification system and return to the firmware you prefer -- or at least to the earliest firmware whose signature you have stored on the caching site. To make this happen, you must both register your device and update your /etc/hosts file. Jay's site has complete instructions on how to comply. Second, I could grab a copy of old firmware from sites like Felix Bruns' http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/ and iClarified's http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=750. These sites provide Apple download links for old firmware releases. I downloaded a fresh copy of the 3.1.2 ipsw (iPhone software archive) and installed it onto my system. Using a standard option-restore trick, I was able to put that firmware onto my iPhone. iTunes verified the upgrade with Jay's server and installed it onto the device. Note: If you receive the "The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (3004)." error, make sure to quit iTunes and flush caches at the command line: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache. If your device updates properly, you will receive a 1015 error and your unit will now enter a semi-permanent recovery mode, the mode in which your device shows an iTunes logo and will not boot further. To proceed, you'll need to use iRecovery. Download a copy from this site. (It requires libusb, so read the entire post before running.) Run iRecovery from the command line and supply the -s flag. Wait for the "]" prompt, and do not type anything until you see that prompt appear. Enter the following commands: ] setenv auto-boot true ] saveenv ] /exit After, you will return to the command line. Reboot your phone by pressing the home and sleep buttons for 10 seconds, per the instructions on the site, and your iPhone should boot back to standard 3.1.2. Note: Be aware that this method does not downgrade your baseband. It remains at the 3.1.3 setting. Thanks Jay Freeman, Sjoerd (aka WiFone), and Paul "PhoenixDev" Griffin
Rumor: Tablet delays iPhone updates
With Apple's rumored media event only two weeks away, people are hopeful that it'll bring an announcement of the tablet. Could it be that the next iPhone OS update is also waiting for that event? iPodNN quotes a source who suggests that the next version of the iPhone OS is laden with references to its forthcoming sibling, and therefore must wait until the tablet is made public. Last month, The Boy Genius Report pointed out alleged evidence of iPhone firmware 3.1.3 and 4.0 in private testing, which is likely, but these builds have not yet been made available to developers or the public. Just this week, Boy Genius suggested that the tablet is a sort of "iPhone on steroids," that is to say, a larger and more tricked-out version of the little guy. At the same time, John Gruber relayed one of those "friend-of-a-friend" tales suggesting that the iPhone is actually a by-product of the device they originally intended to build. Only now has the technology caught up to allow for the tablet's existence. Oh what a tangled web we weave...
iPhone firmware 1.1.3 video walkthrough posted
It seems pretty clear by now that the images and videos floating around of an iPhone running firmware 1.1.3 are legit, but if you still have doubts as to their veracity, a new walkthrough that's been posted should put those to rest. We've already been nauseated by seen the jiggly icon home screen, and now we get a look at the new multi-recipient SMS feature as well, along with a brief rundown of Google Maps' impending cell-based location tracking -- which should also help Apple legal narrow its search for this rogue iPhone to somewhere in the Lynnwood, Washington area. Click down below to catch the full vid after the break.
iPhone firmware 1.1.3 icon rearrangement on video?
Just yesterday we saw some pics of what was being touted as an iPhone running the as-yet-unannounced 1.1.3 firmware version, and now we've got word of some video proof from a pretty reliable source. Nate True, all-around modder and creator of the Walluminate light-up wallet, has a short vid up on his cre.ations.net site that claims to depict that handy home page icon rearrangement feature -- you know, the one that suggests an SDK to make use of all the new slots. Go on, check out the short clip after the break.[Thanks, Marcus S.]
iPhone firmware 1.1.2 hits iTunes
It's already been available -- and hacked -- for a a few days now, but iPhone firmware 1.1.2 has finally reached iTunes, the natural home of all things iPhone. We honestly haven't noticed much more new since we started poking around -- the .m4r ringtone hack seems to be back, and custom ringtones are now broken out in their own list -- but we know you can't resist the siren call of the latest version number. Go on, you'll be fine -- and it's not like getting back to 1.1.1 is any great feat.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Instructions posted for downgrading iPhone from 1.1.2 to 1.1.1
It looks like those having regrets about upgrading their iPhone to the 1.1.2 firmware now have a means of bringing their prized device back to the comforts of 1.1.1, although the process is apparently not without its faults. According to the instructions recently posted on the Hackintosh forums, you'll first need to snag a copy of the 1.1.1 ipsw firmware file, then you simply follow three relatively easy steps to dial things back to 1.1.1, after which you'll have to follow a couple of additional steps to re-activate the phone itself. On the downside, it appears that IPSF won't work on an iPhone downgraded using these measures, although an update to fix that particular problem certainly doesn't seem to be out of the question. Hit up the read link below for the complete step-by-step details.[Thanks, Jurgis S]
