If you are currently running the beta build of iOS 5 on any of your iDevices, you might want to read this. That goes double for folks using the firmware that don't have an Apple developer's account.
Known jailbreak developer iH8sn0w warned the Twitter nation yesterday that the iOS 5 Beta 1 has an expiration date. Once expired, the firmware will lock you out of your device until it's downgraded or iOS 5 officially launches...
Apple just released iOS 4.3.3 and as usual when a new firmware is out, we try to make sure we warn you about the potential risks. Experienced iPhone users might want to skip this post, but if you're new to the iPhone and especially jailbreaking, read on.
If your iPhone is jailbroken/unlocked, the first thing to do is to make sure you do not update to iOS 4.3.3. Updating will supercede your jailbreak, rendering it useless. As always when Apple releases an update to the software, make sure you hold on until new jailbreak/unlock is available...
With the release of iOS 4.3.2 this late last week, and the new iOS 4.3.2 redsn0w jailbreak still not completely stable, some of you might not want to wait any longer for a stable jailbreak, or maybe you’re having additional issues with the new OS. Whatever the reason might be, you can downgrade from your current iOS version to an earlier version using your SHSH blobs on file.
It is important you have your SHSH blobs on file for the iOS version you want to downgrade to. If you don’t have your SHSH blobs on file for the iOS you want to downgrade to, you will not be able to downgrade. You can check which SHSH blobs on file you’ve got by launching Cydia and looking at the top of the Cydia homepage where it lists all your saved SHSH blobs.
Those of you who recently unlocked their iPhones running iOS 4.2.1 or 4.1 know that the process wasn't as straightforward as we expected. The latest UltraSn0w unlock works for the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS with baseband 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01, or 05.13.04. It also works with iPhone 4 with baseband 01.59.00. But if you're iPhone is on a different baseband, you have to upgrade to 06.15.00, either using RedSn0w or PwnageTool.
This new unlock doesn't come without its share of issues, with battery drain for some of us, and/or GPS issues for others. Fortunately, it seems the Dev Team is working on a baseband downgrade method, which would make the unlock process easier, and safer...
Let's say you recently updated your iPhone to iOS 4.2.1 and for various possible reasons, you are already regretting this move. It is possible to downgrade your iPhone 4.2.1 to a previous iOS, but for this, you need to have your SHSH blobs on file for the iOS you want to downgrade to.
To be completely clear, if you don't have your SHSH blobs on file for the iOS you want to downgrade to, you will not be able to downgrade. There is no way around that. This being said, here is how to downgrade iPhone iOS 4.2.1 to 4.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.1, or 4.0...
This step by step guide and tutorial will show you how to downgrade your iPad iOS 3.2.2 to a previous iOS version. In order to downgrade your iPad from 3.2.2 to 3.2.1, you will have to have your SHSH blobs on file on Saurik's servers. If you do not have these SHSH blobs on file, you will not be able to downgrade.
Downgrading iPad iOS 3.2.2 iOS 4.1 is now available for download, and I'm pretty sure some of you will "accidentally" update to 4.1 and will want to downgrade back to iOS 4.0.1, which is the latest jailbreakable and unlockable iOS (at least at the time I'm writing this).
This simple guide and tutorial will show you how to downgrade your iPhone iOS 4.1 to iOS 4.0.2, or 4.0.1, or iOS 4, or any earlier version. The steps are the same no matter what iOS you want to downgrade to.
We've already gone over methods for downgrading an iPhone from iOS 4.0.2 to 4.0.1. Unfortunately, this method requires you to have your SHSH blobs on file on Saurik's server, which some of you don't have.
There is a post today on the Big Boss blog about how to downgrade from 4.0.2 to 4.0.1 without SHSH blobs, so I thought it might be helful to some of you.
This step by step guide will show you how to downgrade your iPhone iOS 4.0.2 to iOS 4.0.1. These steps are pretty simple but there is one major requirement: you must have your SHSH files saved on Saurik's server. There is absolutely no way around it. If you don't have your SHSH, you won't be able to downgrade your iPhone.
In this tutorial, we will see how to downgrade the iPhone from 4.0.2 to 4.0.1 but the steps are the same if you want to downgrade to iOS 4 or even 3.1.3.
There are several methods used to downgrade the iPhone. We will learn the method that uses TinyUmbrella. No file editing will be necessary.
How to Downgrade from iOS 4.0.2 to 4.0.1Step 1: Let's download your SHSH blobs from Saurik's server to your computer. To do so, download TinyUmbrella and plug your iPhone in. Select the "Advanced Options" box. Also select the firmware version to which you wish to downgrade. Finally, select "Cydia" under "Request From". Then hit "Save My SHSH". This will grab your SHSH files from Saurik's servers and save them on your computer.
Step 2: Download the firmware to which you wish to downgrade to from our iPhone downloads section. Save it to your desktop.
Step 3: Put your iPhone in DFU Mode. To do so, launch iTunes and plug your iPhone in. Press and hold the Home and Power button together for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, release the Power button while still holding the Home button until iTunes pops up and says it has found an iPhone in recovery Mode.
Step 4: Run TinyUmbrellaand click the "Display SHSHs" button to make sure your SHSH blobs were downloaded to your computer. Once done, click "Start TSS Server".
Step 5: Now we're going to restore to the firmware you want. To do so, launch iTunes and plug your iPhone in. Hold to SHIFT key (Windows only) or ALT/Option key (Mac only) while clicking on Restore. Make sure you hold the key while clicking Restore. A window will open. Simply select the firmware you downloaded in step 2.
Step 6: Your iPhone will start the restore process. You will most likely get several errors (error 1011, 1013, and 1015) but that's ok, don't worry about those.
Step 7: Finally, we need to get your iPhone out of recovery mode. To do so, simply click "Kick Device Out of Recovery" in TinyUmbrella.
Done!
You should now be back on a previous iOS, giving you the ability to jailbreak and unlock.
Every time Apple releases a new firmware, they stop signing the older one, which means you technically can't downgrade to a previous firmware by restoring. Fortunately, if you have your ECID SHSH on file on Saurik's servers, then you might be able to downgrade your iPhone from iOS 4 to 3.1.3 or earlier.
The trick is to make iTunes believe it is requesting a signature from Apple's servers while it will actually be talking to Saurik's servers.
Downgrading from iOS 4 to 3.1.3 does require you saved your SHSH on Saurik's servers. If you haven't, then you can't downgrade.
Downgrade from iPhone iOS 4 to firmware 3.1.3Step 1 for Windows: Make sure you are logged in with administrator privileges. Launch Notepad and navigate to C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc. Add the following at the very bottom of the file: 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com
Now save the file back where you found it.
Step 1 for Mac: In Finder, select Go To Folder, and enter /etc. Search the hosts file and right click on it to open with TextEdit. Add the following at the very bottom of the file: 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com
Click Save As to save the edited file on your desktop. Name the file hosts, and make sure to uncheck the box that says "if no extension is provide, use .txt".
Now drag and drop this edited file to /etc.
Step 2: Download the firmware you want to downgrade to from here.
Step 3: Put your iPhone in DFU mode. Launch iTunes and plug your iPhone in. Press and hold the home and and sleep button together for 10 seconds. After exactly 10 seconds, release the sleep button while still holding the home button. Keep holding the home button until iTunes tells you it has found an iPhone in recovery mode.
Step 4: Now hold the Option key (Mac only) or Shift key (Windows only) while clicking the Restore button in iTunes. A dialog box will pop up and you’ll be able to choose the firmware you downloaded in step 2.
Step 5: At this point, some of you will be fine. The iPhone will restore without any problem. However, some of you might end up in recovery mode again. It's ok. We just need to kick the iPhone out of recovery mode. To do so, download and launch iReb for Windows or iRecovery (both Mac and Windows).
Welcome back to 3.1.3!
[image Life Hacker]
Every time a new iPhone firmware comes out, many of us accidentally update their device to the latest OS, making it impossible to jailbreak/unlock, or even downgrade to an earlier version.
In order to have a shot at downgrading your iPhone, you must have your ECID SHSH on file on Saurik's server, just in case Apple stops signing the older firmware version, just like it did a few weeks ago with 3.1.2.
How to Save Your ECID SHSHNote that this is only valid for iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 2G/3G. iPhone 3G owners are not concerned as they can downgrade the firmware (not the baseband).
The Easy Way
If like me you are lucky and you launch Cydia and see that "this device has SHSHs on file for iPhone OS: 3.0, 3.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3", then you don't have anything to do. I have these 4 SHSHs on file but it's ok if you only have the latest SHSH on file. At the time I am writing this, the latest firmware is 3.1.3 so to date, you should make sure you have at least the SHSH for 3.1.3.
The Other Easy Way
If you don't see this message then don't worry, just scroll down a bit on Cydia's homepage and look for the "make my life easier" button. Simply tap on it and your ECID SHSH will be automatically saved on Saurik's server. Close Cydia and launch it again. You should now have a message at the top saying your SHSH is on file.
You're good to go now! But remember that anytime a new firmware is available, do not update right away. Just wait until a new jailbreak is available.
Last week I wrote about downgrading iPhone firmware 3.1.3 to 3.1.2 using an old trick. Unfortunately, this hack worked for downgrading the firmware but it didn't help downgrading the 05.12.01 baseband that comes with firmware 3.1.3 and makes it impossible to unlock the iPhone.
If you accidentally updated your iPhone 3G to 3.1.3 and lost your unlock, you're in luck! There is now a way to downgrade iPhone baseband 05.12.01 to 04.26.08 in a few simple steps thanks to Fuzzyband, an application available through Cydia.
Please note that this only works with the iPhone 3G on OS 3.1.3 with baseband 05.12.01 and the older bootloader 05.08. Let me repeat this so it's clear. This trick will only work for iPhone 3G 3.1.3 baseband 05.12.01 with bootlloader 05.08. This will not work for the iPhone 3GS.
If you're not sure about your bootloader, simply download and launch Fuzzyband and it will give you more info about your bootloader.
How to Downgrade iPhone Baseband from 05.12.01 to 04.26.08Step 1: In order to downgrade your iPhone baseband from 05.12.01 to 04.26.08, you must first jailbreak your iPhone using RedSn0w, PwnageTool, or even Sn0wBreeze.
Step 2: After jailbreaking, launch Cydia, then search for and install Fuzzyband.
Step 3: Launch Fuzzyband then tap "Downgrade", which will start the downgrading process.
Step 4: Reboot your iPhone.
Congrats, you successfully downgrading your iPhone baseband from 05.12.01 to 04.26.08. You should now be able to unlock using UltraSn0w. If you're not sure how to do that, check out my tutorial on how to unlock iPhone 3.1.3.