Downgrading & unlocking iPhone OS 3.0 (updated)

by ralf.rottmann on March 18, 2009 · 104 comments

in iPhone OS 3.0

Just a quick note with more details in a few hours:

Apple’s iPhone OS 3.0 Beta pre-installation advisory document states that once you’ve updated a device it’ll be in a “locked state” with no way of going back to an earlier firmware.

While this might be perfectly true for regular iPhones it has not been the case for one of my first generation development devices. I’ve been able to do the following:

  • Restore (not update!) to Beta 3.0
  • Downgrade by restoring back to 2.0 via iTunes
  • Jailbreak and unlock by using QuickPwn to custom 2.0 built
  • Update  (not restore) to Beta 3.0

This particular device is now running perfectly on the Beta 3.0 release with unlock working fine – Cydia and Installer are obviously gone, as it has always been the case when applying updates.

To avoid confusion: I’m not aware of any solution, yet, that allows to jailbreak/unlock an iPhone running the current beta of OS 3.0. I did the following: I restored a first generation (not the 3G!) iPhone to the default Apple Firmware 2.0. I then used QuickPwn on a Mac to jailbreak and unlock. This gives me an unlocked iPhone 2G with Firmware 2.0. I then updated to the regular 3.0 Beta via iTunes.

The unlock is preserved, so the update seems to not wipe the modifications done on the 2.0 version. Effectively I’ve now got an unlocked iPhone 2G running OS 3.0 Beta. Cydia and Installer are gone (always happens during updates) but jailbroken apps still run!

Important Note:

Everybody: While it might be legal, I cannot actively support people buying iPhone Dev Portal UUID registrations through my web site. :-)

I’d therefore kindly ask to not submit any new comments related to paying others for getting registered to their iPhone Dev Programs.

I leave comment moderation turned off for the moment but will clear all future comments which do not obey this rule. Had to turn comment moderation on because some readers could not resist to continue to post UUID adding offerings. Sorry. Once everybody has calmed down, I’ll switch it off again.

Hope this clarifies things.

Note: I generally do not encourage jailbreaks or endorse unlocking hacks. I run one of my development devices jailbroken and unlocked in order to make sure, that my App Store software works on these modified devices, too.

Tagged as: downgrade iphone os 3.0 jailbreak

{ 7 trackbacks }

iPhone Downgrade von Firmware 3.0 auf 2.x doch möglich! - i am chr1spy - but not a chicken !
March 18, 2009 at 22:57
iPhone Beware of iPhone Firmware 3.0 Beta! - i am chr1spy - but not a chicken !
March 18, 2009 at 23:00
Downgrading & unlocking iPhone OS 3.0 is possible! - iPhone Breaking News, iPhone Hacks, iPhone News - iPhoneFreakz
March 19, 2009 at 09:00
» Il Downgrade dal Firmware 3.0 a 2.0 è possibile!
March 19, 2009 at 12:46
Fare il downgrade da 3.0 a 2.0 - iPhone | Ottopalla - Un blog che... tecnologia, software, windows, linux, mac, osx, blackberry, nokia, top gear e serie tv
March 19, 2009 at 17:17
links for 2009-03-20 | AntonioScatoloni.it
March 20, 2009 at 10:01
Downgrade Da 3.0 A 2.0 è Possibile! - Anthelia Ita
April 18, 2009 at 16:37

{ 97 comments }

1 M@!@FS March 19, 2009 at 12:59

@ralf.rottmann
Thanks,
Can i do it, with my iPhone 3G?? DO you have Fimware 3.0 Link-Download to iPhone 3G?

2 Alockbox March 19, 2009 at 12:59

Hey CJ did you get approved yet? How long did it take?

Email me at alockbox (at) gmail(dot )com.

Thanks!

3 M@!@FS March 19, 2009 at 13:04

Oh! My iPhone 3G is unclocked by Apple… Than… Can i Do this process?

4 Alex March 19, 2009 at 14:01

Hi! I need your help! I pay you immediatly 10$ via paypal if you add my UDID please give me your address to pay you in paypal…i pay immediatly!!

5 Alex March 19, 2009 at 14:04

Robert please help me i’ll pay you 10$ immediatly!!

6 Alex March 19, 2009 at 14:05

please somebody who can register my UDID in the developer program…i’ll pay immediatly 10$!!

7 Robert March 19, 2009 at 14:06

I have registered my iphone ($99) after bricking it and works now
I can still register another 99 devices If anyone interested I can do that for $9 and we can share the licence

8 Alex March 19, 2009 at 14:09

Robert please give me your paypal contact so i can pay you!

9 Alex March 19, 2009 at 14:12

my email is alessandroborrelli@gmail.com

10 ralf.rottmann March 19, 2009 at 14:57

Question: From the many comments, is it possible to activate a device that has never been (carrier) activated via iPhone Dev Portal and Xcode?

To be more specific: Would this be (the only) an official way of activating an iPhone for development without requiring a contract with an operator?

11 Robert March 19, 2009 at 15:17

you need to google for torrent os 3.0

12 Alex S March 19, 2009 at 15:32

Robert, my email is calllka@aol.com, let me know where to send $9

13 Oded S. March 19, 2009 at 16:10

This is what’s so weird to me…

I have a first gen iPhone.

it has been unlocked using PwangeTool to 2.2 (you updated to 2.0, but I don’t see any difference here…)

I then upgraded to 3.0 using XCode’s organizer. Entered my dev profile, marked the phone as “Use for development”, restored the phone to the new 3.0 build.

In the end – the phone was in 3.0, but I cannot do a thing because XCode itself tells me to activate the phone via iTunes.

In iTunes – it is telling me that my Sim card is not valid, compatible or whatever.

If you can think of any other solution for this issue, it’ll be great…

Will QuickPwn do the restore for me? mayebe this will bypass the failing iTunes resore…

14 Oded S. March 19, 2009 at 16:14

Just to update – I can still get back to version 3.0 but i’m stuck with the “Activate with iTunes” message.

15 Ale March 19, 2009 at 18:10

Hi Robert,
my e-mail is alexalt@gmail.com, let me know where to send $9

16 Alessandro March 19, 2009 at 18:14

Robert my email is aalex919@yahoo.it I have a paypal account, please let me know where to pay you 9$!!

17 ralf.rottmann March 19, 2009 at 19:36

Everybody: While it might be legal, I don’t want to actively support people buying iPhone Dev Portal UUID registrations through my web site. :-)

I’d therefore kindly ask to not submit any new comments related to paying others for getting registered to their iPhone Dev Programs.

I leave comment moderation turned off for the moment but will clear all future comments which do not obey this rule.

Thanks. Ralf

18 kokoal March 19, 2009 at 20:15

hi, how can i upgrade to 3.0 without restoring (shift + restore)?

19 Bob March 19, 2009 at 20:18

I can add anyone’s UDID for $10 if they need it. I still have plenty of open slots. [...]

Comment has been edited due to violating our policies.

20 ralf.rottmann March 19, 2009 at 20:33

It’s Shift + “Check for Update” in iTunes.

21 J March 19, 2009 at 20:56

Update from unlocked iPhone 2G 2.2 did not work. Got 3.0, phone wanted activation but would crash iTunes every time it was plugged in. Now having to restore totally from Organiser.

22 Jay March 19, 2009 at 21:57

Robert could you give me your paypal?

I wanna be added to your account too!

[...]
Thanks!

Comment edited due to violating our policies.

23 robert March 19, 2009 at 22:21

I would be more than happy to add anyones UUID to the dev list. Paypal $9 to [...] with your UUID

You can check your UUID in iTunes, select your iphone and click on the serial number and it will change to the UUID

On mac you can go to applications>utilities>system profile and on the left menu select USB and select iphone from the right box, next to serial number it should show the UUID

Comment edited due to violating our policies.

24 Tony March 19, 2009 at 23:25

OMG!!! I will pay $10 immediatley. please give email!

25 Hung Luu March 20, 2009 at 02:15

“Cydia and Installer are gone (always happens during updates) but jailbroken apps still run!”

wat did u mean? i dont think jailbroken apps still appear on springboard. so even if they still run, how could u config them anyway.

For example of and SMS app. Currently using biteSMS, so after updating to 3.0, will its icon still on springboard? Coz as I rmb, after updating, all the modifications will be wiped out by original data!

26 zenon March 20, 2009 at 02:25

Thank you so much robert for adding my to your list. my iPhone is working again. os 3.0 is great

27 Jimmy March 20, 2009 at 02:47

Hey Guys,

I did it finally!!!
ralf rottmann was right!
You have to restore NOT with PC, ONLY with MAC!
AND finally it worked for me.
Iam not longer with 3.0 as a brick for my iPhone 3G; right not a 2G iPhone!!!!
I downgraded it again to 2.2.1!
AND the best point is, now all guys hold still,…
,…I got even my ubgraded Baseband 02.30.03 down to 02.28.0. THEREFORE it was possible again to jailbreak!

WOW,…That’s amazing ,..now all guys can do the same prcedure…Have fun again with your iphone 3G

28 Jonathan March 20, 2009 at 03:01

Hi, I tried upgrading my iPhone 3G to 3.0 but got stuck at the “You’re not a developer” stage.

So I’ve done this; I try to install 2.2.1 but it fails. After that I jailbreak the iPhone. However, now, I cannot “legalize” the phone. If I press restore in iTunes, which you’d think would bring it back to factory settings, I get an error.

It seems I cannot leave the jailbroken mode…

Does anyone know how to fix this?

29 brandon t March 20, 2009 at 05:54

hey

i tried to do this several times and did not work,
i updated to 2.0, then updated to 3.0 and i kept on getting the ipod cable to itunes logos and i could only make emergency calls. any ideas or do i have to wait most likely? p.s its an 8 gig 2 g iphone

30 Marc March 20, 2009 at 14:01

I have tried going to iPhone 3.0 on my but it kind of bricked my iPhone3G. It gave the “NOT ACTIVATING” due to not being a developer member. I tried Restoring it to 2.2.1 but it keeps giving me error 1604. Bby reading the comments I noticed that the only people that where able to restore where the authorized Developers or the ones that has been added to a developer account. Is there another way that I could go back to 2.2.1. because I have my iPhone in DFU mode and I’m getting desperate to get it back to work.
If anybody can help me.. (marc.deman@gmail.com)

Kind Regards from Aruba,

Marc

31 Chris M March 20, 2009 at 14:20

OK, I hope my experiences with 3.0 can help those of you with semi bricked iPhones out:

1. I ran the 3.0 update on my stock iPhone 3G. (2.2.1 firmware no jailbreak). It wouldn’t activate as I don’t have my ADC license through yet.

2. I ran the 2.2.1 restore and it failed at around 60-70% on the progress bar

3. I used quickpwn on the PC to liven the iPhone up again but there was no cell signal.

4. I used PwnageTool on the Mac to create a custom firmware without cydia, installer and with activation turned off (my iPhone is on O2).

5. I used iTunes on the Mac to restore using this firmware, iTunes activated the iPhone and now it gets a cell signal again.

Notes:

You cannot restore using a stock 2.2.1 firmware and get the iPhone working fully after running 3.0. The reason for this is that 3.0 upgrades the baseband to 04.20.01 and the 2.2.1 firmware does not recognise it as a valid baseband.

Warning: If you use a stock 3.0 upgrade it will overwrite your baseband and may cause you problems in unlocking your handset in future.

Hope this helps.

32 Korny1989 March 21, 2009 at 13:26

Hi, can u help me downgrade from 3.0 to 2.2.1??? Im stuck… Thank you!!

33 Noclaf March 21, 2009 at 15:53

I’m sorta new to all of this, but I signed up for the developer program so I could upgrade and “bricked” my phone too because I got sidetracked and forgot to add the UUID on the DEV website…After trying to downgrade without success ao that I could see the UUID in iTunes, I decided to try and find it in a file somewhere on the PC. I use a PC, not a MAC. I found it in the “info.plist” file under my profile in \Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\. The folder name is also the UUID. I added it and it registed! You might all know this already, but I didn’t !!

34 ithoo March 21, 2009 at 15:58

Hi all. i have iphone 16gb ( 2G ).
i want to upgrades os 3.0.
How can i do….?
can any body help me

35 ralf.rottmann March 21, 2009 at 20:44

Ladies and Gentlemen, please do no longer post comments offering to sell your iPhone Dev Program UUID slots. I’m not going to approve these kind of comments. Thanks.

Ralf

36 EthanHolmes March 22, 2009 at 02:25

What version of iTunes do you use?
And also, do you think this would work on AT&T?

37 Hami March 22, 2009 at 07:29

Bricked my phone. I’m a developer, but after updating to OS 3.0 beta..My phone is stuck. Think I missed the UID register thing…
Please somebody help.
Have iphone 3g with at&t
HELp

38 Hami March 22, 2009 at 07:42

Im doing the same thing in xcode and it says
XCODE CANNOT FIND THIS SOFTWARE IMAGE TO INSTALL THIS VERSION

39 luke March 22, 2009 at 09:24

I am using a different sim card, one that has not been agreed with apple. I am just wondering, I have join the developer site and paid the $99. Now waiting for my access code. once i get it do you think everything will be ok or would i need to use it with a valid sim card? I’ll be more than happy to give a few access to my slots. [...]

Edited to apply to our “don’t sell iPhone Dev Program slots”-policy!

40 tien March 23, 2009 at 10:49

please looked here “How to install your iPhone 3.0 OS beta on your 2G device’
http://re.boot.lv/index.php?pg=202&news_id=8230

41 Noclaf March 23, 2009 at 11:17

Here’s where you UDID is: I found it in the “info.plist” file under my profile in \Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\ (I have a PC, but this file should be on a MAC too). The folder name is also the UDID. I added it and it registered!

Go here: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/

Login and then go here: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/manage/devices/index.action

Then add your 40 Character HEX UDID, then make sure you click submit at the bottom of the page.

The phone should then register though iTunes.

42 C. Lonie March 24, 2009 at 08:01

3.0 MMS and tethering is working here … UK on O2… If you need help getting these services working please let me know …

43 Matt March 24, 2009 at 10:53

Im registered on the Iphone developer program and i have downloaded the relevant files.

Is there anyway of using my windows vista based pc to install the new updates onto my iphone?
or does it have to be a mac?

Matt

44 Matt March 24, 2009 at 10:55

Hi how did u install the upgrades using a pc?

45 ralf.rottmann March 24, 2009 at 12:02

Sorry, I don’t own any PCs. Can’t help.

46 ralf.rottmann March 24, 2009 at 12:02

Sorry, I don’t own any PCs. Can’t help.

47 fingerroll March 19, 2009 at 05:16

Hi me Finger Roll and a close personal friend has managed to restore from 3.0 to 2.2.1 on a 3G iphone on OS X 10.5.6 by the way of PwnageTool Please check me out at http://www.myspace.com/notamin or message me for info on how to

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