Yellowsn0w is here!!!

Thanks to the amazing efforts of the iPhone Dev Team, we are pleased to announce that a REAL unlock solution is now available for all iPhone 3G’s called Yellowsn0w.

Contrary to all advice and rumours in the past, this unlock will only work, if you have the LATEST version of the Modem Firmware 02.28.00. So you may need to update your iPhone to the latest software if you are not on the latest version, and then jailbreak it with QuickPwn first. However this is GREAT NEWS because it means EVERYONE can now unlock their iPhone to any network.

Now the games really begin…

• Cydia source: http://apt9.yellowsn0w.com/

*Yes, you will need to already have a jailbroken iPhone, you can jailbreak your iPhone with QuickPwn in literally 5 minutes with no dramas.

Things to note about Yellowsnow from iPhone Dev Team…

• The unlock works exclusively with baseband 02.28.00. This baseband is provided by the latest firmware update (2.2) from Apple. You’ll need to upgrade to this release using iTunes and then use QuickPwn to activate etc. There are plenty of tutorials about this on iclarified, bigboss, and other established tutorial sites. Because it works on 02.28.00, it is available to everyone on the planet. This means we don’t need to unnecessarily expose holes in earlier basebands, which is an important concern.
• The application is a small daemon that is launched on boot. It injects the payload at boot and also whenever there is a baseband reset. You won’t notice anything about it other than that your third-party sim now works. It’s a small program and unobtrusive. There is no GUI (this is by design).
• You can add the application using the sources outlined below (coming soon). There are Cydia and Installer sources available, so use whichever you are comfortable using.
• yellowsn0w is completely removable through Cydia, the command line, and iTunes.

…and here’s the proof you’ve been waiting for… In a few days the official unlock software will be released, so stay tuned.

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

• http://mirrors.nsa.co.il/iphone/PwnageTool_2.2.dmg
• http://i.omerc.net/PwnageTool_2.2.dmg
• http://www.theiphoneguru.org/wp-content/uploads/PwnageTool_2.2.dmg
• http://forty2blog.de/PwnageTool_2.2.dmg

Mac QuickPwn

• http://mirrors.nsa.co.il/iphone/QuickPwn_2.2.dmg
• http://i.omerc.net/QuickPwn_2.2.dmg
• http://forty2blog.de/QuickPwn_2.2.dmg

Windows QuickPwn

• http://mirrors.nsa.co.il/iphone/QuickPwn22.zip
• http://i.omerc.net/QuickPwn22.zip
• http://www.theiphoneguru.org/wp-content/uploads/QuickPwn22.zip
• http://imodzone.net/QuickPwn22.zip
• http://forty2blog.de/QuickPwn22.zip

Of course this news comes with a little bit of good news and bad news. Its very nice to see that a “completely virgin iPhone 3G” will work as a PAYG phone, which means that all it will require is a simple switch of the SIM cards and that you will not have to jailbreak or modify the device in anyway. Now on the flip side, AT&T has not yet begun selling the iPhone 3G without a contract, which means that unless you hit the overpriced second hand market, the only way to get an iPhone 3G is by purchasing one which means you will be stuck with either a two-year agreement or have to pay that dreaded early termination fee.

So assuming you already have a contract free iPhone 3G or have an enterprising way to get one without shelling out the big bucks, then all you will have to do is get a PAYG SIM and make sure you sign up for the Media Net plan and enjoy being contract free.

Note this will not jailbreak earlier firmware versions and will change the baseband apparently. It is currently available as a torrent and can be downloaded from here.

Here is an uptodate list of iPhone Firmware releases 1.0.0 through to 2.0.1

1.0.0: iPhone1,1_1.0_1A543a_Restore.ipsw
1.0.1: iPhone1,1_1.0.1_1C25_Restore.ipsw
1.0.2: iPhone1,1_1.0.2_1C28_Restore.ipsw
1.1.1: iPhone1,1_1.1.1_3A109a_Restore.ipsw
1.1.2: iPhone1,1_1.1.2_3B48b_Restore.ipsw
1.1.3: iPhone1,1_1.1.3_4A93_Restore.ipsw
1.1.4: iPhone1,1_1.1.4_4A102_Restore.ipsw
2.0.0 (2G): iPhone1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw
2.0.0 (3G): iPhone1,2_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw
2.0.1 (2G): iPhone1,1_2.0.1_5B108_Restore.ipsw
2.0.1 (3G): iPhone1,2_2.0.1_5B108_Restore.ipsw

You can now get iPhone User Guide news straight in your inbox…

This handy little feature means you’ll always have the latest news, reviews, tips & tricks as soon as possible. Enter your email address in the panel on the right of this site. Happy reading! :)

From the iPhone Dev Team’s Blog:

PwnageTool 2.0.2 is undergoing final checks and will be packaged, signed and should be uploaded within the next few hours, so count on it being released sometime on Thursday. This will be available via the PwnageTool software updater that is built in and checked when you start PwnageTool, we’ll also publish a link here for direct downloads.

• As always PwnageTool 2.0.2 contains Cydia, in fact it contains a new version of Cydia with some bugfixes and other general goodness, thanks saurik!
• Installer 4 isn’t released by RiPDev as yet so PwnageTool 2.0.2 does not include installer.app - check out the RiPDev blog for the latest information.
• WinPwn uses compatible bundles (as provided by Planetbeing’s XPwn code), so we anticipate that WinPwn will be updated soon after our PwnageTool release, so Windows users shouldn’t have to wait too long! Please remember the DevTeam doesn’t provide end-user support for WinPwn!

Warning: If you care about the possibility of a GSM/3G unlock in the future (there is no unlock available as yet), do not update your 3G device with iTunes unless you do it via PwnageTool 2.0.2 (this means you’ll need to create a custom .ipsw with PwnageTool 2.0.2 and install it using iTunes) - If you have updated over the last few days with iTunes, you’ll still be able to Jailbreak using PwnageTool 2.0.2 but it may reduce the chance of you being able to unlock the Phone to be able to use a SIM card from all carriers in the future.

To clarify -  PwnageTool 2.0.2 will still provide the jailbreak for 3G users, even if you have updated. Meanwhile, we’re still actively pursuing the GSM/3G unlock - stay tuned.

Well, there is a lot of confusion over this matter, because different networks have ‘removed/hidden’ it on 2.0 software. Basically, on most networks, it’s not needed, due to the fact that the APN data is stored on the SIM itself, which allows for fast SIM swapping on unlocked iPhone 3G’s. However, 3 is a different story. The APN data enables personalised access to your account through Planet 3 directly from your handset.

From our research it would seem that some purchased iPhone 3G’s WILL enable you to edit your APN settings and others WONT. Vodafone AU and NZ appear to have locked that feature out, whereas Telstra allows you to edit your APN even when it’s not unlocked from the Telstra network.

So, for now, see if it’s possible to edit the APN settings on the iPhone 3G in the following way:

Settings -> General -> Network -> Cellular Data Network -> APN

If you can, then you will be able to edit the APN after you’ve unlocked your iPhone 3G. If you’ve already bought an iPhone 3G and can’t edit your APN settings, then you need to visit this website and unlock it manually.

Unlock / reveal the APN settings on your iPhone 3G

http://www.unlockit.co.nz/

Click here if you need your iPhone 3G APN settings

After recieving a confirmation text message we popped in a different sim and connected to iTunes. The update took 5 seconds and the phone worked immediately on optus.

This is my most preferable method as of doesn’t void the warrantee because it’s an apple unlock not a hack and it will work with future software updates too.

It’s out at last…

the iPhone Dev Team have released their PWNAGE tool 2.0.

NOTE: THIS DOES NOT UNLOCK YOUR IPHONE …. YET… IT WILL… SHORTLY… (JAILBREAK ONLY)

Get it here.

UPDATE: users that receive the Error 1600 from iTunes should try: “mkdir ‘/Library/iTunes/Device Support’ and if that directory already exists, users should remove any files in it and re-run PwnageTool.

Just as the iPhone Dev Team release their PWNAGE tool for iphone and ipod touch unlocking, iphoneinfused.com pops up with a moneyback guarantee allowing people to unlock their iphones on their website. We’re yet to try it, because we’re just about to try the PWNAGE tool! LOL! But we’ll keep you posted.

iPhoneinfused.com

I just went to the Apple Store, and I had three genius’ and one Vodafone Staff member (who happened to be there) try to work out why an unlock wouldnt work when syncing.

They plugged the iPhone in to their ’special’ version of iTunes that allows ‘flashing’ of the iPhone and even then it came up with ‘Phone is already activated’ and wouldnt allow them to do anything.

They’re reply was to take the phone back and get a refund. Not exactly what I wanted to hear really… Looks like I’m stuck on a no-data plan with Vodafone AU, and will have to wait for the iPhone Dev Team or someone to hack the baseband.

bummer.

So we’ve been working hard on getting the release ready and during this process we’ve been fixing some final bugs, the actual base of PwnageTool application is working fine and working with all devices that we support. We’ve been restoring our devices to various firmware revisions so that we can try to reproduce the conditions that most users will have. We are able to fully install any applications on any part of the current devices running 2.0 (and b103) and these versions are the iPhone 114, iPhone 2.0, iPhone 3G. 

Apple released an update (b103) just before we were about to release and that support had to be added to the current version, it is pointless to release something that doesn’t work on devices out of the box (we’ve been told new 3Gs will have this firmware), we don’t want drama, and we want to do as little support as possible, so we want to make it right the first time.

It was lucky that we delayed slightly as we discovered a bug that causes unexpected behavior when using AppStore and third party applications on the same device. We are working on fixing that bug now, we don’t anticipate it is a big one, it has some really odd side effects, causing WiFi dropouts and the loss of stored passwords for WiFi networks. Of course this is only a minor software issue, nothing like the horrible static MAC address that another “elite byte adjuster” forced upon their users.

So, currently (when released) PwnageTool 2.0 will support:-

iPhone (1st Gen) with 2.0 - Activated, Unlocked & Jailbroken, (with support for third party applications).

iPod Touch with 2.0 - Activated & Jailbroken, (with support for third party applications).

iPhone (3G) with 2.0 - Activated, Jailbroken (with  support for third party applications).

We’ve made some progress on the baseband unlock of the 3G device, but at this point PwnageTool will not support 3G unlocking or BootNeuter on the 3G device. It is, of course supported on the first generation device with 2.0. We’ll push out an update with 3G support if and when it is completed.

As soon as we fix this up and test a bit more we’ll be ready for release, we’ll get back to you with a release schedule soon.

Please loosen that seatbelt slightly while our cabin crew serve you complimentary drinks.

The lady called me 3 times this afternoon to guide me through the upgrade, and frequently put me on hold so she could speak to Apple directly.

Finally, after much hassle, this appeared when I plugged in my iPhone 3G to iTunes.

AT LAST! An update to the carrier settings for your iPhone is available.

So I hit Update Settings and look what I got straight away.

HMMM… iTunes could not update the carrier settings on your iPhone. An unknown error occured (0xE8000001).

So I’m 99% sure this is now an Apple Server issue, I’m going to try this one more time on my Mac (not XP) tonight when I get home, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to post a video of me successfully swapping SIM’s and getting a signal on both!!!

In the meantime, I would suggest waiting for the iPhone Dev Team to release their unlock software because this is turning in to a real disaster. 5 Days Later… still a useless iPhone 3G.

UPDATE 1:

no joy on the Mac…. (even thought I got a positive ending on the screen, nothing changed on the phone)

and then

But then no signal on the iPhone 3G.

UPDATE 2:

Are Vodafone AU simply being a pain in the a$$e in a attempt to make customers give up and stick with Vodafone or are Apple being slack in dishing out the unlock codes?

Either way, I’m not happy with Vodafone or Apple right now, and I would NOT recommend thinking the Unlock process of the iPhone 3G is going to be easy.

The iPhone Dev Team have done it again, the software to unlock and jailbreak your iPhone 3G will be out VERY SHORTLY.

Video of jailbroken 3G iPhone.

World’s 1st Jailbroken 3G Phone from iphonedev on Vimeo.

Here’s how…

1. Buy the phone, pay out contract or buy on prepaid
2. pay a FURTHER unlocking fee
3. wait, while the phone co. send your IMEI number to Apple (This is the important bit)
4. Next time you ‘restore’ your iPod iTunes cleverly (and magically) sends you a different Firmware that is unlocked.
5. Phone is unlocked on next full restore and sync.

SO… That’s all clever, and it means seeing as Apple control the unlocking, they will only unlock it ONCE they get the ‘ok’ from the mobile operator. All of this identification is done through iTunes and the Restore feature within. It would thus make sense that Apple actually knew ALL ALONG how many first-gen iPhones were out in the market and unlocked the second they were unlocked. How clever… They really do think of everything…!

It’s hardly the cheapest option, or the simplest, but if you purchase an iPhone 3G outright and pay an unlocking fee to Optus (It’s $80), you can update your iPhone to work with other carriers. [gizmodo ]

so… i go there… type my IMEI number and look at what I get:

iPhone 3G Unlocking

iPhone unlocking online is coming soon. Until this service is available online you can unlock your phone by calling Customer Care on 1300 650 410 or 1555.

This request incurs a $75 unlocking fee. (Please note the unlocking fee is in addition to any early exit fees and outstanding handset payments/repayments. Click here for full Terms and Conditions

Please note: Vodafone can only unlock phones purchased from a Vodafone outlet in Australia.

Anyway, after a lot of hassle and over 30 mins on hold, they finally took my credit card details and told me the phone would be unlocked within 24 hours, however, I have to leave it plugged in to iTunes until it’s unlocked… I highly doubt this is accurate, but still… I have left it plugged in until now which is 48 hours later.

Called Vodafone today who assured me the system is ‘down’ and so all unlocking will start from the 17^th of July, and if I haven’t received the unlock code by midday on Thursday to call them.

It’s a shame that vodafone didnt actually release a plan with a good amount of data on pre-paid, or I’d be a happy Vodafone customer at the moment. Instead I bought a phone, unlocked it (still waiting for this) and will be putting a lovely shiny Optus pre-paid SIM in as soon as I can.

I’ll keep you updated.

Of great interest is that they are selling the iPhone 3G on PREPAY vodafone, and telling customers how to unlock the iPhone as soon as they get home…