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iOS 5 + iPhone 3G: Yes, you can (Well, I did, and it seems to be working fine so far)

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E

EricHope

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 19, 2011
6
0
San Francisco, CA
CORRECTION: Turns out I was wrong. Looks like my phone is actually a 3GS, not a plain old 3G, as I originally thought. Thanks to Crystal-RX for pointing this out to me. My apologies to everyone for the confusion.

That's right: I have a plain old (keyword: OLD) iPhone 3G (not jailbroken or unlocked), which, up until yesterday, was running iOS 4.0.2. Yesterday, I (quite unwittingly) upgraded to iOS 5.0.1. And surprisingly, it works fine. Certainly better than 4.2 worked on my old iPhone 3G a year or so ago. I know that this device is not supported under iOS 5, and I was really just trying to upgrade it to 4.2 (some apps I wanted to run required it). To that end, I tried downloading the firmware for this device, version 4.2, and doing an upgrade/restore via iTunes, directing it to the downloaded firmware, but it did not work (I tried several times. I kept getting errors about the firmware not being compatible, though I checked multiple times, and I'd selected the right one). Anyway, ever since 5 came out, I noticed, whenever I connected this phone to my machine, that it would tell me that the update to 5 was available, but I just ignored it, knowing that my device was not compatible. Besides, like I mentioned previously, I've had a 3G before, and it ran TERRIBLY under 4.2, so I was very reluctant to even do the upgrade to THAT (A couple of apps I've been wanting to use required me to be on at least 4.2, though, and a couple of others were crashing with recent updates under 4.0.2, so I reluctantly decided to upgrade). So, with the "manual" upgrade to 4.2 not working for me, in my desperation, I finally decided to just "go straight down the middle", and let iTunes upgrade the software. Perhaps it'd just take me as high as I could go with this device. If my device wasn't compatible, it'd just tell me, and stop me dead in my tracks, right? Well, apparently not! The upgrade went off without a hitch, and I can confirm that I am now running iOS 5.0.1. Smoothly. And though it's only been a day (not EVEN 24 hours yet), it seems to be running just fine: No lags, delays or crashes. What I'm wondering, though, is: Should this have even been POSSIBLE? I thought the 3G wasn't supported! Shouldn't iTunes have told me "Sorry, buddy. Your phone is too old to run this update"? Did I get some slimmed-down version of iOS 5 that will run on this old phone? I did notice this morning that Siri is not on my phone. Was this left out on purpose? Perhaps there are other features missing? Has anyone else done this? Let's compare notes.

Cheers.
~eric
 
Last edited:
verwon

verwon

macrumors 68030
Jul 26, 2011
2,676
2
Seattle
There is another post where this happened to someone else, it's not far down this page.

As to Siri, that doesn't come with iOS 5, it is only available on the 4S.
 
r2shyyou

r2shyyou

macrumors 68000
Oct 3, 2010
1,758
13
Paris, France

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E

EricHope

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 19, 2011
6
0
San Francisco, CA
r2shyyou said:
Attached is a little chart from Apple showing supported iOS 5 features based on iPhone model.

Since the 3G isn't on there, can you confirm for us which of the features on the chart work on your newly updated iPhone 3G?
Click to expand...

Hi.
Seems to be the same feature set as the 3Gs. The only things that seem to not be quite right are:

The Camera: The iOS 5 Features page (http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html) says I should be able to access the camera right from the Lock screen. I don't seem to have that option. All the other features are there, though.

The Calendar: The iOS 5 Features page (http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html) says I should be able to access a "Week View". I don't seem to have that.

...but going through the list, everything else (that is, everything else that the 3Gs has). Honestly, some things I couldn't test: FaceTime MIGHT be on here, but as I can only check by calling someone who has an iPhone 4/4s, while we're both connected to WiFi, I have to wait to find out. If you know another way for me to check & see if I've got it, let me know.

There are some reasons (now that I think about it) why I think my upgrade to iOS5 was possible for this device. This is my third iPhone. I started with an iPhone 3G, upgraded to a 4 (which got stolen), and replaced that 4 with another used 3G (this one). When I connected this phone to my Mac after the 4 was stolen, it asked me if I wanted to restore my last phone onto this one. I said Yes, and it did so without a hitch. Might the fact that I did this restore of an iPhone 4 onto a 3G have something to do with the fact that I was able to upgrade to iOS5? Perhaps iTunes was "fooled" into thinking my device was a 4? I don't know.

As for performance, 5.0.1 runs WAY better than I remember 4.2 running on my old 3G. I wanted to throw that thing against a wall! It was SO slow! I am honestly surprised at how well it runs on this device. It's got none of the delays I used to experience on my old 3G. Knowing what I know now, I'm surprised the 3G isn't supported. 5.0.1 is a MUCH better upgrade than 4.2 (if you can get it)...
 
r2shyyou

r2shyyou

macrumors 68000
Oct 3, 2010
1,758
13
Paris, France
EricHope said:
Hi.
Seems to be the same feature set as the 3Gs. The only things that seem to not be quite right are:

The Camera: The iOS 5 Features page (http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html) says I should be able to access the camera right from the Lock screen. I don't seem to have that option. All the other features are there, though.
Click to expand...

Try double-tapping the home button. See what happens then.

EricHope said:
The Calendar: The iOS 5 Features page (http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html) says I should be able to access a "Week View". I don't seem to have that.
Click to expand...

Go into the Calendar.app and turn the phone sideways. That should do it.

EricHope said:
...but going through the list, everything else (that is, everything else that the 3Gs has). Honestly, some things I couldn't test: FaceTime MIGHT be on here, but as I can only check by calling someone who has an iPhone 4/4s, while we're both connected to WiFi, I have to wait to find out. If you know another way for me to check & see if I've got it, let me know.
Click to expand...

Yes, please do find out and let us know.

EricHope said:
There are some reasons (now that I think about it) why I think my upgrade to iOS5 was possible for this device. This is my third iPhone. I started with an iPhone 3G, upgraded to a 4 (which got stolen), and replaced that 4 with another used 3G (this one). When I connected this phone to my Mac after the 4 was stolen, it asked me if I wanted to restore my last phone onto this one. I said Yes, and it did so without a hitch. Might the fact that I did this restore of an iPhone 4 onto a 3G have something to do with the fact that I was able to upgrade to iOS5? Perhaps iTunes was "fooled" into thinking my device was a 4? I don't know.
Click to expand...

Interesting theory. I don't know either.

EricHope said:
As for performance, 5.0.1 runs WAY better than I remember 4.2 running on my old 3G. I wanted to throw that thing against a wall! It was SO slow! I am honestly surprised at how well it runs on this device. It's got none of the delays I used to experience on my old 3G. Knowing what I know now, I'm surprised the 3G isn't supported. 5.0.1 is a MUCH better upgrade than 4.2 (if you can get it)...
Click to expand...

Well this is all wonderful.

Oh, and please do post screenshots. Those are so fun. Especially the Settings>General>About screen. That's a really fun one.
 
Crystal-RX

Crystal-RX

macrumors 68030
Dec 22, 2008
2,691
0
Seattle, WA USA
EricHope said:
That's right: I have a plain old (keyword: OLD) iPhone 3G (not jailbroken or unlocked), which, up until yesterday, was running iOS 4.0.2. Yesterday, I (quite unwittingly) upgraded to iOS 5.0.1. And surprisingly, it works fine. Certainly better than 4.2 worked on my old iPhone 3G a year or so ago. I know that this device is not supported under iOS 5, and I was really just trying to upgrade it to 4.2 (some apps I wanted to run required it). To that end, I tried downloading the firmware for this device, version 4.2, and doing an upgrade/restore via iTunes, directing it to the downloaded firmware, but it did not work (I tried several times. I kept getting errors about the firmware not being compatible, though I checked multiple times, and I'd selected the right one). Anyway, ever since 5 came out, I noticed, whenever I connected this phone to my machine, that it would tell me that the update to 5 was available, but I just ignored it, knowing that my device was not compatible. Besides, like I mentioned previously, I've had a 3G before, and it ran TERRIBLY under 4.2, so I was very reluctant to even do the upgrade to THAT (A couple of apps I've been wanting to use required me to be on at least 4.2, though, and a couple of others were crashing with recent updates under 4.0.2, so I reluctantly decided to upgrade). So, with the "manual" upgrade to 4.2 not working for me, in my desperation, I finally decided to just "go straight down the middle", and let iTunes upgrade the software. Perhaps it'd just take me as high as I could go with this device. If my device wasn't compatible, it'd just tell me, and stop me dead in my tracks, right? Well, apparently not! The upgrade went off without a hitch, and I can confirm that I am now running iOS 5.0.1. Smoothly. And though it's only been a day (not EVEN 24 hours yet), it seems to be running just fine: No lags, delays or crashes. What I'm wondering, though, is: Should this have even been POSSIBLE? I thought the 3G wasn't supported! Shouldn't iTunes have told me "Sorry, buddy. Your phone is too old to run this update"? Did I get some slimmed-down version of iOS 5 that will run on this old phone? I did notice this morning that Siri is not on my phone. Was this left out on purpose? Perhaps there are other features missing? Has anyone else done this? Let's compare notes.

Cheers.
~eric
Click to expand...

No offense, but this is impossible. You have a 3GS and not a 3G. you list the following info for us to look here or check with Apple website;

1. What is the model # you see in the back of your phone. Starting with AXXXX
2. go to setting, general, about and see what the model it lists there.

Again, once you have these info, you can verify them with google search or Apple website.

As your post above, you picked a 3G fw and tried to upgrade and it said not compatible because your phone is 3GS. Also, because your phone is 3GS and that the reason Itunes ask to upgrade your phone.

Also, there are few cosmetic/function different between the 2.
1. In the back at the lower section, 3GS lettering is in chrome with matching the Apple logo on top, 3G on the other hand just printed.
2. 3GS has compass function/icon while 3G doesn't have it.
3. When you open camera app, 3GS has the video recording function while 3G doesn't.

Please keep us update on what you have.
 
E

EricHope

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 19, 2011
6
0
San Francisco, CA
r2shyyou said:
Try double-tapping the home button. See what happens then.



Go into the Calendar.app and turn the phone sideways. That should do it.



Yes, please do find out and let us know.



Interesting theory. I don't know either.



Well this is all wonderful.

Oh, and please do post screenshots. Those are so fun. Especially the Settings>General>About screen. That's a really fun one.
Click to expand...

You are very wise. Thank You! Double-tapping the Home button DOES make it possible for me to access the camera right from the Lock screen! And turning the phone on its side DOES reveal a Week view! Awesome! I'm lovin' it! It's like having a new toy, but not having to pay for it! And the apps that were crashing under 4.0.2 are no longer crashing, and I was able to install the other apps I was interested in running. All is well...
 

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Crystal-RX

Crystal-RX

macrumors 68030
Dec 22, 2008
2,691
0
Seattle, WA USA
EricHope said:
You are very wise. Thank You! Double-tapping the Home button DOES make it possible for me to access the camera right from the Lock screen! And turning the phone on its side DOES reveal a Week view! Awesome! I'm lovin' it! It's like having a new toy, but not having to pay for it! And the apps that were crashing under 4.0.2 are no longer crashing, and I was able to install the other apps I was interested in running. All is well...
Click to expand...

Again, I want to put this thing to bed.

Eric, you have a 3GS and not 3G. The screen shot you have with your name and a 3G phone is manually enter when you set it up with Itunes, You can call it anything you want.
 
r2shyyou

r2shyyou

macrumors 68000
Oct 3, 2010
1,758
13
Paris, France
EricHope said:
You are very wise. Thank You! Double-tapping the Home button DOES make it possible for me to access the camera right from the Lock screen! And turning the phone on its side DOES reveal a Week view! Awesome! I'm lovin' it! It's like having a new toy, but not having to pay for it! And the apps that were crashing under 4.0.2 are no longer crashing, and I was able to install the other apps I was interested in running. All is well...
Click to expand...

You're very welcome! Thanks for the screenshot, too! However, can you take another one but scroll down just a bit more where it'll show "Carrier" and "Model"? That would be splendid. Thanks!
 
E

EricHope

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 19, 2011
6
0
San Francisco, CA
Crystal-RX said:
No offense, but this is impossible. You have a 3GS and not a 3G. you list the following info for us to look here or check with Apple website;

1. What is the model # you see in the back of your phone. Starting with AXXXX
2. go to setting, general, about and see what the model it lists there.

Again, once you have these info, you can verify them with google search or Apple website.

As your post above, you picked a 3G fw and tried to upgrade and it said not compatible because your phone is 3GS. Also, because your phone is 3GS and that the reason Itunes ask to upgrade your phone.

Also, there are few cosmetic/function different between the 2.
1. In the back at the lower section, 3GS lettering is in chrome with matching the Apple logo on top, 3G on the other hand just printed.
2. 3GS has compass function/icon while 3G doesn't have it.
3. When you open camera app, 3GS has the video recording function while 3G doesn't.

Please keep us update on what you have.
Click to expand...

Hi.
No offense taken. Following your instructions:
1. Model number on the back of the phone: A1303
2. Settings>Genera>About>Model: MC135LL

Cosmetic differences:
1. Lettering on the back of the phone, in the lower section is in chrome, though there is no indication (not WRITTEN anyway) that this is a 3GS. Does the 3GS have a logo saying so anywhere?

2. I do have a compass. And my camera offers me the choice to do video.

So, I guess this IS a 3GS. Here's why I didn't know: As I mentioned, I got this phone as a replacement to my stolen iPhone 4 last year. My phones are provided to me by my company. When they sent me this replacement, it wasn't delivered in a box. It was bubble-wrapped, in a FedEx envelope. It previously belonged to someone who'd left the company, and returned their phone. To my eyes, this phone looked identical to my old 3G. And I could find no marking anywhere on the phone to indicate that it was, in fact, a 3Gs. All this time, I've been mistaken, and subjecting myself to iOS 4.0.2!!!

Thank you for the clarification. I will need to update this post. My apologies to all for the mix-up.

~eric
 
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