iPhone 2.2: what you need to know if you want to Jailbreak

Sun, Nov 23, 2008

Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 3G, Unlocking

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iPhone Dev Team are reporting this in their latest blog update:

  1. GOLDEN RULE: If you have a 3G iPhone and want potential soft unlock in the near future do NOT use QuickPwn, and do not use the official ipsw or the iTunes update process without using PwnageTool.
  2. Read item 1 again and again.
  3. At the bottom of this post are the bittorrent files for the latest versions of PwnageTool and QuickPwn.
  4. These are suitable for the recent 2.2 release.
  5. Please read all parts of this post before downloading and using these tools.
  6. The ‘late 2008’ MacBook/air/pro line of computers have an issue with DFU mode, it is possible to go from Pwned 2.1 -> 2.2 but going from stock to Pwned does not work, if in any doubt use a different machine.
  7. Choosing the correct tool is crucial. Be warned!

NOTE: ‘Simple Mode’ in PwnageTool currently only works for the iPod Touch. To use PwnageTool for iPhones you will need to use ‘Expert mode’. This is a workaround while we make an update and fix this issue. In order to do this you will need to navigate to the ‘General’ window and change two things: Deselect ‘activate’ ONLY if you are normally able to activate through iTunes (but if you wish to ‘hacktivate’ the iPhone using PwnageTool then leave it selected). You will also need to change the partition size to about 1000MB (type in the value or use the slider).

‘Hactivate’ means to activate the iPhone yourself without Apple. This is used if you live outside an officially supported region and cannot activate the phone using iTunes.

Read below the jump if you want the full list of ways to keep your iPhone safe and ready for unlocks and jailbreaks in the future…


Baseband 101

The ‘baseband’ is the generic name given to the internal components of the iPhone that handle the phone calls and Internet access. This ‘baseband’ is a tiny and unique independent computer system that runs inside your iPhone, it is separate to the main system that handles the applications (such as email and google maps) and it talks to the main part of the phone over an internal communications network. Think of it like a cable modem or other peripheral that is attached to your home PC that needs occasional updates. When a software update is released and presented to you within iTunes the baseband is sometimes updated (to fix bugs or add new features). The 2.2 update for the iPhone 3G contains such an update, so running the vanilla updater straight away with iTunes will reprogram and update the baseband. This could be bad for certain people, depending on your ultimate aim.

SIM Free/SP Unlocked/Factory Unlocked iPhone 3G

This applies if you bought your iPhone 3G for $$$$$$$. This model of iPhone 3G doesn’t have an Service Provider lock (aka factory unlocked) and you are able to put any SIM card into the phone and get service. Your phone is already unlocked so you do not need to worry about baseband updates, simply upgrade to 2.2 using iTunes and then use QuickPwn to Pwn and Jailbreak. This will add Cydia and Installer too.

Locked iPhone 3G – Preserve Baseband

This applies if you have a locked iPhone 3G and you wish to update to 2.2 but preserve the iPhone’s current baseband software. Preserving the baseband will give you the maximum chance for any upcoming software unlock. To upgrade your phone to 2.2 and preserve the state of the baseband you need to create a custom .ipsw with PwnageTool. This custom .ipsw will not contain the baseband update but of course will still allow all the cool new stuff from 2.2.

There are plenty of tutorials about this process on the web, but PwnageTool contains intuitive graphics and easy to follow prompts that should have you up and running in no time at all.

Locked iPhone 3G

If you are using your iPhone with one carrier and have no interest in the possibility of an iPhone 3G unlock in the near future then just restore or upgrade to 2.2 using iTunes and use QuickPwn to Jailbreak and add Cydia and Installer.

iPhone 2G (1st Generation)

Restore your iPhone 2G with iTunes then run QuickPwn to do the magic, ‘nuff said.

iPod Touch 1G (Original iPod Touch)

Update to 2.2 with iTunes and run QuickPwn.

iPod Touch 2G (New iPod Touch)

Sorry, no support at this time.

Bittorrent Releases

  • PwnageTool 2.2 for Mac OS X is here SHA1 Sum – 97ee6096aaa1967498431bf01c36c18d0e877545
  • QuickPwn 2.2 for Mac OS X is here SHA1 Sum – 254b8af0e19870a4660b7b11e3b6f6ae1d6bc66f
  • QuickPwn 2.2 for Windows is here SHA1 Sum – ffdbc561224c61ffc2713cb6a6e696b6d429c4ca

Unofficial Mirrors

The following links are unofficial download mirrors, you download these at your own risk, we acceptno responsibility if your computer explodes or if it becomes part of a NASA attacking botnet or even worse if your hands fall off mid-way during the use of these archives. We do not check these links or archives. Always check the published SHA1 sums. We would prefer that you downloaded the official bittorrent release that is linked above, but you are welcome to try these if you really must. Mirror owners should email direct links only to blog@iphone-dev.org , please don’t place mirrors in the comments as they will be deleted.

Mac PwnageTool

Mac QuickPwn

Windows QuickPwn

Related iPhone News

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5 Comments For This Post

  1. Nina Says:
    December 20th, 2008 at 4:46 am

    Hi.. Currently, i’m using iphone 3G 2.1, and windows xp as well..

    I’ve a problem.. everytime i tried to launch the quickpwn, it stated “The application failed to initialize properly. Click OK to terminate the program..

    So, I could not even run the quickpwn.. this is the fourth time i downloaded the quickpwn file..

    Plz help.. Thanks~

  2. admin Says:
    January 2nd, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    You should be good to update to iPhone 2.2 software now, and use the latest version of QuickPwn. Then you can also unlock it too for all networks thanks to the Yellowsn0w unlock process now available.

  3. vex Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    Hello! Sorry if I’m such a n00b. I have an iPhone 2G (1st generation) and I had it jailbreaked and baseband unlocked more than a year ago. I now want to upgrade the firmware. Is it safe for me to restore using iTunes and then use quickpwn? Do I need to do a special restore to get the old 1.1.1 firmware/baseband or does iTunes clean it up even if it was jailbroken/unlocked? Almost all the guides now are for recent iPhones, hope you can answer my question. Thanks in advance!

  4. admin Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    If you try using PwnageTool it SHOULD be fine… We’ve done it here with lots of different iPhones 2G and 3G and it’s always been ok, however some of the earlier 2G iPhones posed a little problem here and there but thanks to advances in the PwnageTool app, those problems are now few and far between…

    Try PwnageTool or QuickPwn (the latter is more for noobies, and it holds your hand through the whole process)

  5. james Says:
    May 1st, 2009 at 2:17 am

    sorry for a noob question but says i can use the PwnageTool or QuickPwn on version 2.2 does this also include iphone 3g that are 2.2.1 versions?

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