[Tethering Guide Added!!!] New to the iPhone World? Facts & FAQS for 1.0.0 to 3.0.0

[jav6454]

Hello and Welcome to MacRumors, the site where you can find all your latest Mac news, rumors and even tricks on your Mac, iPod or iPhone! A user by the name "thecompkid", a member from another community, once said:

“So, you're the new guy [or in some cases a Regular Member]. Got that brand new shiny iPhone sitting on your desk, just begging to be hacked. Good, you found us at least, that's the hardest part. The second hardest part? Overcoming your "Post New Thread" compulsion. Hold on a sec...let me see if I can help you with that.”

As a MacRumors member, I would like to thank you for coming to visit us. We, the MacRumors community, want you to feel welcome in this place! There are also a lot of friendly people on this forum willing and able to help in any way possible. Keep in mind though, that many threads duplicate each other, this is why the following thread was developed. So if you post something already well-known, or that was already answered on this thread, you don’t take it personal if a member tells you otherwise or if a moderator closes the thread or if you get an answer you don’t want, or even don’t like.

Also, as a regular user I want you to know that this is a free and open community. It will always be a free community. The site owner arn’s help and others have enabled it to be so. It has also allowed this community to grow at an exponential rate. We are people that help each other, giving in any way we can and not taking. Please keep that in mind as you post.

With that said, enjoy your stay here. If there’s anything you need clarified, remember I am just a PM away.

The following thread was developed to keep a control on the excessive duplicated threads. Most of those threads created were due in part of not using the search feature. Therefore, this thread will help those that need to be guided in the proper direction without creating more threads. If, you still need more help, or if a problem has come up that has not been discussed, please use the search feature. It is your friend. If you still can not find the solution, feel free to post and we’ll be glad to help.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Table of Contents
I. Post 1
>> General Information
>>> Terminology
>>> iPhone Status Ticker

II. Post 2
>> Information on Software Version & Unlocks
>>> What firmware you have?
>>> Pwnage
>>> redsn0w
>>> yellowsn0w
>>> UltraSn0w
>>> Further explanations

III. Post 3
>> Feature Expansion Guides
>>> Tether Guide
>>> Enable MMS on 2G iPhone (1st Gen)
>>> iPhone 3G S⃣ Jailbreak Preparedness Guide
>>> AT&T Promotion Codes for FAN# Account Holders

IV. Post 4
>> Warranty
>> App Store Piracy
>>> General Statement and thought

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

General Information
So we need to clarify a few things first. Some people are new and I want to include the proper terminology for all those who really eed it. So here it is:

The iPhone Dev Team
What can we say about the Dev Team? These are the people who brought you anySIM, first 3rd party "Hello World" app for the iPhone [yes it was not Apple Devs], BootNeuter, Pwnage and much more goodies for our iPhones. They constantly watch out for us in terms of giving us easy solutions to unlock, jailbreak and activate when moving from one firmware to the next.

>>If you want to reach them clicking here.
>>You can also read their blog posts here.

Firmware versions (1.0.0 through 3.1.3)-
These are the software versions that run/ran your iPhone. The very first one was firmware 1.0.0. the latest one released is 3.1.3.

Recovery/Restore Mode -
If something bad happens, then this is your best friend. It wipes your iPhone clean of problems and then installs the newest firmware. It gives you a fresh start. This is categorized by the iTunes logo and the USB cable.

DFU Mode -
This is mode is only present from firmware 1.1.1 up. This mode is quite handy when it comes to downgrades. It is categorized by a black screen even and iTunes recognizing the phone as though it needs restore. To reach it you must have the phone connect to iTunes and press and hold the Home + Sleep/Wake button for 10 seconds. After those 10 seconds you let go of the Sleep/Wake and continue pressing the Home button. After let go and iTunes should prompt you to Restore. It takes a while to handle.

Jailbreaking -
Jailbreaking is the term we use to describe how we gain access to the root file system on the iPhone. Normally, we can only see a certain folder within this filesystem because of Apple's locking methods, called a chroot jail. This folder houses all the media stuff from iTunes, but not the juicy stuff, the iPhone's OS. Through several different methods which you needn't concern yourself with, we can "break" out of this little sandbox, allowing us to modify files and perform all these cool hacks.

Installer.app -
This is the first app you're going to want to installed once your iPhone is jailbroken. Currenty it is in a beta mode as it had to be rewritten for update 2.0.0. After 2.0.0, Installer became a mere shadow of its former self. It acts as a portal to a world of 3rd party goodness and fantasy, allowing you install everything from the blatantly functional PDFReader to an appropriately named app called iBrate. Installer will die or cease to function on 1/7/09 (July 1, 2009), so its best if you happen to use Installer, start getting to know better either Cydia or Icy.

Cydia.app-
An application much like Installer. The only difference is that Cydia is an open source application that was the only one available for iPhone update 2.0.0. To date, Cydia hosts the largest 3rd party applications outside the Apple App Store. Cydia currently has entered the paid application market and has same deal as Apple with developers. The payment system is thru PayPal.

Icy
Much like Cydia. Except it lacks a paid section.

Activation -
The iPhone is unique in the sense that it is completely reliant on this activation process to enable normal usage. If you hacktivate your iPhone, it becomes an iPod touch with camera and bluetooth, only unlocking it will turn it back into an iPhone .

Unlocking -
Yeah, you can do that. The process of unlocking allows your iPhone to use any GSM SIM card. Note the term "GSM", AKA, not Verizon or Sprint which use CDMA. Since these carriers use CDMA, the current iPhones will not work at all with them, so don't bother making threads about it. Unlocking modifies the baseband (see below) to accept any SIM you put in your iPhone, and can be a tricky proposition when it comes to FW updates.

Revirginizing -
If you attempt to upgrade an unlocked 1.0.2 to 1.1.1, your phone gets damaged and the baseband becomes bricked. To upgrade, you need to restore the baseband to factory settings first, and we call this revirginizing.

Downgrading -
Apple is keeping up the cat-and-mouse game just like they promised, so occasionally we need to take a step back in time to exploit Apple's previous mistakes. To do this, we can downgrade the iPhone to a firmware older than the one it has, but we need to initiate the restore process differently (DFU mode), and you will get an error, that's normal.

SDK (Software Development Kit) -
Apple finally got our hint and they came out with their own method of allowing 3rd party apps. Just one problem...it sucks. To make a long story short, they're the supreme overlords of the App Store, so good luck getting anything more complex than a tic-tac-toe game approved. Come June of 2008, firmware 2.0.0 will be released and we'll all have fun paying out the ass for every single little game. You really don't need to be greiving over the death of installer.app, though, 3.0.0 is already jailbroken. No, I am not kidding.

Dual Booting -
Dual booting is like running windows on a mac, you have two OS's that you can switch between. For example, you can run 1.1.4 and 1.1.1 on one iPhone. But to tell you the truth you don't really need it, because 1.1.4 has everything 1.1.1 has and more. Dual booting was made for hackers to jailbreak new firmware or debug programs. So if your not going to hack firmwares just forget about it. This method of jailbreaking got patched by Apple, so its no longer working.

...and just a few quick things you may or may not run into...
iTouch - Just another name for the iPod Touch
Repository - Server that hosts packages for installer.app
BSD Subsystem - A collection of tools that fill in the missing parts of the iPhone's core os, so we can do things like copy and move files.
SSH - Essentially a remote command line for unix, can be installed with installer.app
SCP/SFTP - Methods that are used to transfer files to and from the iPhone, integrated with SSH
WinSCP - A great SCP client for Windows
Springboard.app - Main launcher for the iPhone, it's what you see after you "slide to unlock", can be modified and replaced.
plist - A file that stores information for a program or iPhone preferences, short for property list

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

iPhone Status Ticker

Important Notices: iPhone Dev Team has released Pwnage Tool 3.1.5 which jailbreaks all iPhone models including OTB 3.1.2. However, OTB or upgraded 3.1.3 iPhones 3G and 3G S⃣ are out of luck.

iPhone 1st Gen
Baseband Modifiable - Yes
Baseband Downgradable - Yes
Baseband Unlock - Yes
Baseband True unlock - No
Jailbreak - Yes
Bootloader Modifiable - Yes
Notes - The 1st Gen iPhone is modifiable at any point thanks to Pwnage tool. No matter what software version Apple throws, they are all vulnerable to Pwnage. That includes Baseband updates also.

iPhone 3G
Baseband Modifiable - No
Baseband Downgradable - Yes - Only on certain Bootloader versions.
Baseband Unlock - Yes
Baseband True unlock - No
Jailbreak - Yes
Bootloader Modifiable - No
Notes - iPhone 3G has been successfully unlocked by the Dev Team, using yellowsn0w and UltraSn0w. Both unlocks are exploit dependent (like anySIM days).

iPhone 3G S⃣
Baseband Modifiable - No
Baseband Downgradable - No
Baseband Unlock - Yes
Baseband True unlock - No
Jailbreak - Yes - Newer bootrom iPhones required a tethered jailbreak.
Bootloader Modifiable - No
Notes - This device has the same exploit as the 2G iPod Touch. The exploit, 24kpwn Exploit, allows easy jailbreak of the iPhone 3G S⃣ . This device is unlockable at 3.0.0 or 3.0.1's baseband by the use of UltraSn0w. Unlock also achieved thru BlackSn0w in baseband 3.1.0 and 3.1.2.

[jav6454]

What you should know about the iPhone today
If you purchased an iPhone 1st Gen, it may carry any software version. Your best bet is to upgrade all the way to 3.0.0 by using Pwnage Tool. If you purchased an iPhone 3G, then it will have the latest 3.1.0 firmware. The iPhone 3G is unlocked by UltraSn0w. All iPhone 3G S⃣ come with 3.1.0 or 3.1.2 as a default and carry the same baseband version as the iPhone 3G.


Firmware Files
Firmware files are quite difficult to obtain for some users, so I made a list of the links to these firmware files off Apple's own servers. Here are the links for the corresponding files:

Note: These are not firmware files from a Torrent or any other site [unsafe]. These firmware files are downloaded directly from Apple's website and are therefore safe. There may be the need to change the ending of the file from .zip to .ipsw.

iPhones come with so far with the following software versions:

= iPhone (aka iPhone 1st Gen) =
- 1.0.0 Firmware & 03.12.06_G Baseband Click me
- 1.0.1 Firmware & 03.12.06_G Baseband Click me
- 1.0.2 Firmware & 03.14.08_G Baseband Click me
- 1.1.1 Firmware & 04.01.13_G Baseband Click me
- 1.1.2 Firmware & 04.02.13_G Baseband Click me
- 1.1.3 Firmware & 04.03.13_G Baseband Click me
- 1.1.4 Firmware & 04.04.05_G Baseband Click me
- 2.0.0 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 2.0.1 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 2.0.2 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 2.1.0 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 2.2.0 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 2.2.1 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 3.0.0 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 3.0.1 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 3.1.0 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me
- 3.1.2 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click Me
- 3.1.3 Firmware & 04.05.04_G Baseband Click me

= iPhone 3G (aka iPhone 2nd Gen) =
- 2.0.0 Firmware & 01.45.00 Baseband Click me
- 2.0.1 Firmware & 01.48.02 Baseband Click me
- 2.0.2 Firmware & 02.08.01 Baseband Click me
- 2.1.0 Firmware & 02.11.07 Baseband Click me
- 2.2.0 Firmware & 02.28.00 Baseband Click me
- 2.2.1 Firmware & 02.30.03 Baseband Click me
- 3.0.0 Firmware & 04.26.08 Baseband Click me
- 3.0.1 Firmware & 04.26.08 Baseband Click me
- 3.1.0 Firmware & 05.11.07 Baseband Click me
- 3.1.2 Firmware & 05.11.07 Baseband Click me
- 3.1.3 Firmware & 05.12.01 Baseband Click me

= iPhone 3G S⃣ (aka iPhone 3rd Gen) =
- 3.0.0 Firmware & 04.26.08 Baseband Click me
- 3.0.1 Firmware & 04.26.08 Baseband Click me
- 3.1.0 Firmware & 05.11.07 Baseband Click me
- 3.1.2 Firmware & 05.11.07 Baseband Click Me
- 3.1.3 Firmware & 05.12.01 Baseband Click Me

Please note that iPhone is available in other countries as well. Click Me to view where the iPhone currently is and where it will be supported.

Apple has designed and released the iPhone in the following countries:

- Argentina
- Australia
- Canada
- France
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Spain
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States

Before going through with anything please be sure to read throughly and understand
1st Gen iPhone do not come out-of-the-box [new] with 3.0.0, unless its a refurbished, Apple Care replacement unit. To unlock your iPhone (3G and 1st Gen or 3G S⃣ ) to use on any network, iClarified has created beautiful tutorials with pictures and a video tutorial! Yes, now with video! Links to the tutorials are following the small descriptions.

Here's a break-down of what you will have to do:

Pwnage Current Revision: 3.1.5
This is the Dev Team's elite unlocking tool. This tool is a Mac only tool. Pwnage 1.0 used ramdisk image to target a loophole found in AppleImage2NorAccess to exploit a ROM bug. Pwnage 2.0 allows the pwning of an iPhone [3G or 1st Gen] through the DFU mode. This a low level hackery trick that cannot be corrected with software on the iPhone 3G and 1st Gen iPhone. Only if Apple changes the hardware on released iPhones can Pwnage be undone, which is very unlikely. Both Pwnage tools allow us to create our own custom firmwares which can be jailbroken, activated and unlocked long before we install the firmware on the phone. Pwnage uses BootNeuter in order to unlock the baseband and trim the bootloader to our liking. BootNeuter only works on 1st Gen iPhones on 1.1.4 thru 3.x.x firmware revisions. Just recently Pwnage has been updated to allow iPhone 3G S⃣ users to jailbreak their devices, even at 3.1.3.

Download link for Torrent: Click Me
Here is the download link: Click Me**
Tutorial on iClarified: Click Me
Tutorial on iClarified for iPhone 3G: Click Me

redsn0w Current Version Mac: 0.9.4 | Current Version Windows: 0.9.4
Provides similar functionality of QuickPwn. It is multi-platform application that can jailbreak all devices including iPhone 3G S⃣ and can unlock only the 1st Gen iPhone. This tool only works for 3.0.0 or 3.0.1 firmwares.

Mac OS X redsn0w: Click Me
Windows redsn0w: Click Me
Tutorial on iClarified for 1st Gen iPhone on Mac: Click Me
Tutorial on iClarified for iPhone 3G on Mac: Click Me
Tutorial on iClarified for iPhone 3G S⃣ on Mac: Click Me
Tutorial on iClarified for 1st Gen iPhone on Windows: Click Me
Tutorial on iClarified for iPhone 3G on Windows: Click Me
Tutorial on iClarified for iPhone 3G S⃣ on Windows: Click Me

UltraSn0w Current Revision: 0.9.0
This is the unlocking solution for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S⃣ users running the latest 3.0.1 software and latest 4.26.08 baseband. This uses a different approach to yellowsn0w. Like its counterpart, yellowsn0w, it is also completely safe and reversible. T-Mobile USA users should disable 3G before using UltraSn0w.

Cydia and Icy Repository URL: repo666.ultrasn0w.com
iClarified Tutorial for Mac OS X or Windows: Click Me

** Marks
These are links to download the programs off a mirrored download site. The links used here, are the same links found in the iPhone Dev Team download mirrors in their blog. I use the download mirror links as not many people can use BitTorrent or likewise similar program. These are the full files. However, the iPhone Dev Team warns to check the SHA1 sums even for their BitTorrent downloads. Here are the SHA1 sums for all tools marked by an **.

PwnageTool 3.1.0 for Mac OS X SHA1 Sum - 16611fb60d088edd2fa5128e4f95f35d8e56a603
redsn0w for Mac OS X SHA1 Sum - ????
redsn0w for Windows SHA1 Sum - ????

Please note that other tools are now old and it is far more useful and convenient to use these mentioned tools. WinPwn & QuickPwn have been added to the list of outdated software and both are no longer mentioned here. The replacement tool is now RedSn0w. YellowSn0w has been removed since you can go all the way to 3.1.2 safely and unlock.

Bootloader, Baseband and Processor
The iPhone is a small computer with two processors, some RAM and some eraseable FLASH for long-term storage (the 8GB of storage).

- ARM Core: This is like your main processor in your computer (Intel or AMD based). It handles everything the iPhone does from gaming, music playing and video. This processor also controls the SGold (read on to find out what this is) and the antennas.

- SGold: This is the processor in the iPhone that handles all telecommunications (Bluetooth, GSM, 3G). [Much like a GPU handles all graphics in a computer] This processor has its own RAM, and resources; however, this processor is a extension of the ARM Core and therefore depends on the main iPhone processor.

- Baseband: This is another fancy name for the SGold processor; moreover, it can also refer to the software that runs the SGold. This software is the one that the Dev Team tries to unlock every time a new firmware comes out in order to use our iPhone all over the world. The baseband is checked by the bootloader to prevent unlocks and curroptions; however, the Dev Team has found a away to delete or modify these checks and omit them completely in order to unlock the iPhone.

- Bootloader:

There are two bootloaders in your iPhone | iPhone 3G | iPhone 3G S⃣ . One is for the ARM Core. This one starts off the whole iPhone and its processes. The other bootloader is the S-Gold 2 (1st Gen) or X-Gold 608 (3G/3G S⃣ )bootloader. This is the one we are interested in.

1st Gen iPhone

The SGold bootloader comes in two versions so far which are 3.9 and 4.6. The 3.9 version bootloader is the first one to ship out with the original iPhone from July all the way to week 44, 2007 iPhones. From week 45, 2007 iPhones started to ship with the 4.6 version.

The difference is that 3.9 allows easy unlocking and easy downgrading to the baseband. The newer 4.6 version was much tougher to unlock. Version 4.6 of the SGold bootloader has more checks to determine the state of the baseband and prevent it from being unlocked. However, a loophole was found and it is now unlockable and can even be downgraded back to 3.9. Using Pwnage/WinPwn tools users may choose between both and have the option of eliminating the signing checks to allow custom firmware to be installed.

iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G has been one of the most tough to crack devices concerning the bootloader. Reason for this is that Apple has become smarter concerning the bootloader. iPhone 3G now ships with 4 different bootloaders, all released in response to a certain corner stone in our way to unlock. All bootloaders are signature checked on startup, meaning old Chain of Trust exploit is still broken. Here, I present to you bootloader versions:

Bootloader 5.8 - There is an exploit where the main firmware mis checks or wrongly asks for the bootloader signature, hence you can upload an unsigned bootloader code allowing you to downgrade. You can downgrade from 02.30.03 to 02.28.00 using pHaseBanDowngrader (by pH) in the Bootloader 5.8. You can download the program to help you downgrade from Cydia and Installer.

Bootloader 5.9 - This is the bootloader of version 2.1.0 and 2.2.0 OTB (it's rare in 2.0 OTB, but it happens). Still has no known exploits and it was released as soon as Apple knew iPhone Dev Team could downgrade their iPhone 3G baseband from 1.48.02 to 1.45.00 Many iPhone 3Gs have this bootloader. This bootloader is the most widely available as we can all remember the iPhone Dev Team was able to downgrade the baseband *very* early; however, couldn't come up with an actual unlock exploit.

Bootloader 6.2 - This is the latest bootloader of version 2.2.1 OTB iPhones in 2008 and early 2009. Still has no known exploits and it was released as soon as Apple knew the iPhone Dev Team could unlock their iPhone 3G baseband version 2.28.00 by yellowsn0w unlock. Now, all the new 2.2.1 OTB iPhones have bootloader 6.2.

Bootloader 6.4 - This is the latest bootloader of version 2.2.1 OTB in 2009 iPhones. Still has no known exploits and it was released as soon as Apple released firmware 3.x beta for testing. One thing for sure, all 2nd Gen iPhone 3G will begin with bootloader 6.4 or 6.x. The baseband firmware of 3.x (BB ver 4.x) now contents the loader of bootloader 6.4.

This concludes the bootloader coverage. More information is being gathered as soon as the Dev Team finds new exploits or holes. One thing is sure, Apple is not wanting the same repeat as the 1st Gen iPhone.

iPhone 3G S⃣

Has the same X-Gold 608 Baseband CPU so, its the same information as the iPhone 3G in regards to bootloaders.

Warning! If your bootloader is deleted (either one), then your iPhone will not work at all. You end up with a permanent brick.

[jav6454]

Tethering Guide

First of all I have to go through the warning. If you carrier (whether that be AT&T, O2 or someone else) discovers you are tethering without a tethering plan, your service could be terminated or your account may be charged the appropriate and/or extra fees.

Since many have updated to Snow Leopard, it is much more effective to use the native solution found in OS 3 of the iPhone. For this guide I highly suggest you are using 3.1.2 software version. The baseband version does not matter (it can be 04.26.08 or it can be 5.11.07). It is very important that you are in a jailbroken state as you need Cydia access.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Go to Cydia and look for Repositories category
2. Select and install iFoneGuide.nl
3. After Cydia restarts, go to the Search tab and search for Tethering Patch
4. Select and install the patch that fits your phone (3G or 3GS).
5. Once that is done, quit Cydia and enter Safari
6. Type in the address bar: http://help.benm.at
7. Scroll down and select Mobile Configuration
8. Select which ever country you reside in and later the carrier profile that matches you (AT&T, O2, Orange, etc)
9. After that, all you need is to go to Settings => General => Reset and select "Network Settings".
10. Your iPhone will reboot and you should now see Tethering up and working in Network Settings, enjoy!

Remarks
- Don't use the tethering feature as a main Internet connection, you will get AT&T to notice.
- This methods works flawlessly over Bluetooth and USB.
- It doesn't interfere with Virtual Machines
- Wi-Fi module on your computer is unused via this method
- Try to use USB connection as using BlueTooth (although easier to handle) drains your battery.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Enable MMS on 1st Gen iPhone
As many of you know, Apple did not decide to enable MMS for 1st Gen iPhone users. As such, anyone who still owns a 1st Gen iPhone and wants MMS either has to update to a new iPhone 3G S⃣ or get an iPhone 3G.

However, hackers have developed a method on enabling MMS capabilities on the 1st Gen iPhone. To enable MMS on your 1st Gen, just follow the instructions:

MMS on 1st Gen iPhone: Click Me

** Be warned! The correct MMS settings for your carrier are not filled in by default. You have to find those MMS APN settings and write them in.**

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

iPhone 3G S⃣ - Preparation Guide

The iPhone Dev Team has advised people using the iPhone 3G S⃣ that you need to collect some information for future jailbreaks to work. These files are going to help the jailbreaking of future firmware Apple will surely release later on. That information is divided into three files, the iBEC, iBSS and the ECID. To capture these files, just follow the following guides:

iBEC and iBSS file extraction for Mac: Click Me
iBEC and iBSS file extraction for Windows: Click Me
ECID file extraction for Mac: Click Me
ECID file extraction for Windows: Click Me

Remember to keep these files in a safe location. Also, each file is unique to your iPhone 3G S⃣ , so you need to do this procedure to get the files. Do not use files from others as those are very different from yours.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

AT&T Promotion Codes for FAN# Account Holders
AT&T has secret or not quite well known promotional codes for their costumers. These enable account holders to benefit from extra features for free and sometimes get more bang for the buck (in English more stuff for less). To add these codes to your account, all you have to do is call up AT&T Costumer Care line, just dial 611, and ask for the promotional code to be added. There is a catch. You must be an AT&T FAN# Account Holder. In other words, your account is receiving a discount from AT&T because of your job or school/college.

To check if you are Eligible or Qualify for an AT&T FAN#: Click Me

Here are the codes from AT&T

• CLL2 - Provides 200 free Text Messages for College students. Be on the look, since not all college FAN# support this code. If your college does not support it, the promotion will be dropped after 1 or 2 billing cycles.
• U200 - Provides 200 Free Bonus Anytime Minutes.
• TMB9 - Provides a Texting Plan that consists of $7.49 a month for 750 Text Messages; for iPhone users this also includes MMS when available.

Note - More codes will be available as we discover them. So stay clear and check this guide for more codes or even juicier ones

[jav6454]

Warranty
Please note this is a general warranty section and it may differ from country to country. This guide is based for those in the United States

Ok, so people all around ask what about the warranty to an unlocked iPhone. A well known fact is that Apple denies service on warranty if your iPhone has been tampered with its software in anyway. Here is the hard cold truth:

iPhone that have been unlocked, activated or jailbroken are voided out of the warranty. In other words, you loose your warranty as soon as you perform one of those actions even if you are on a legit contract.

However, there are ways to claim your warranty.

How to claim warranty on an unlocked iPhone

First, if you are on an unofficial carrier the best thing to do is find a friend who has an iPhone on an official contract. Let them call Apple and act as if his iPhone (which is yours) is broken. Your friend sends of your iPhone and Apple returns it to him and you got serviced.

How to claim warranty on an jailbroken iPhone

This one is easy (if you have a legit contract), just Restore using iTunes (be sure are settings of 3rd party software are set back to out-of-box state) and then call Apple for repairs.

If you are in an unofficial contract just do the same procedure as above for unlocking and everything should be fine.

Why is Apple able to tell I unlcoked, etc

Apple denies warranty on an iPhone if it has never been activated through an official carrier. How can you go to Apple and ask for warranty service if your iPhone has never been activated and therefore you can't possibly know what is wrong with it? Answer: You can't, and if you show signs you know what's wrong with it, Apple Genius will know you bypassed activation and that it could have been unlocked, and therefor tells you your warranty is void.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Piracy
Piracy is not endorsed in MacRumors, it is against the Forum Rules to request help regarding piracy of Mac OS X or applications for the iPhone or iPod Touch. So please do not ask for such help as it will not be given.

We abide by the law in the United States. Jailbreaking is legal because of the Telecommunications Law allows it so. The Law or Statue that allows this is called specifically the Digital Millennium Copyright Act which is effective since October 28, 1998. The specific claus allowing this is an exemption, and it reads as follows:

Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network. 17 U.S.C. 1201(a)(1) Librarian of Congress

Now, Jailbreaking is not to remove the lock placed on the iPhone to connect it to other carriers lawfully. That has been clearly been stated through out the guide. However, Jailbreaking is the process by which we put the program to unlock, hence, both procedures are tied together as one. However, Jailbreaking allows much more things like unsupported apps (pre 2.0.0) as long as the apps were lawful. However, using Jailbreaking for pirated apps opens a Pandora box as Jailbreaking becomes now wrongfully used and unlawful prcedure. Please help us maintain Jailbreaking and the unlocks legal and in the green zone for future use by acting accordingly to law.

Please remember the law is different per country and you should act within the law in whatever country you live in

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Clarification: The following statements are my thoughts and not intended for debate. If you don't share my point of view, then please do not post as such posts will create unnecessary flame wars and spam. Any people breaking this will be reported, thanks.

My Thoughts
You see jailbreaking is the art of adding applications forbidden by Apple (like emulators and background changers, or background running apps). Jailbreaking does NOT endorse cracking legal apps and distributing illegally. I know its feels good to get an app that is free when it costs $x.xx. However, we must understand that developers take their time and put it into their app and if they feel that at least some compensation is in order, then we must accept that fact, since without the said developer we wouldn't have the app in the first place.

A cracked app is no different than a cracked Vista/XP copy or a cracked game for PC or PS3, Wii or XBox. They are all illegal and should be avoided. Piracy whatever it is is illegal, we may share or stuff, but not give it away. Doing so is simple negligence of the term sharing. Furthermore, some apps require a special verification to work at its top intended paid level. Altering the app and redistributing it with hacked to work 100% is illegal as it is piracy. Please do not support piracy.

Please remember the nature of jailreaking, adding usefulness to our beloved phones, not making them illegal pieces of hardware/software. That was the reason the Dev Team gave us jailbreak, to make iPhones even more productive.

[MacGuy35]

This is amazing, than you so much Jav. This saved me from having to post up questions that have probably been answered before.

[jav6454]

Originally Posted by MacGuy35

This is amazing, than you so much Jav. This saved me from having to post up questions that have probably been answered before.

Thanks

[Alika4288]

Just to clarify, i would have to jailbreak to add any themes, or games created by others and not appple?

[brn2ski00]

What a read! Two thumbs up

[Bootsie]

So when I unlock I need to restore the iPhone in iTunes before running Ziphone correct?

What is wrong with downgrading your bootloader with Ziphone? Why work I want the fake one instead? (I know that it is so that I can get it back to 4.6, but why would I want to get it back?)

BTW thanks for this!

[lindsaykaye04]

Wow, thanks for this useful guide! Erasing everything you've done is as easy as a restore, basically? I might have to try this out. (Don't worry, I can follow instructions.)

Just to clarify, however, iTunes can be running in the background of my computer while I am jailbreaking it is okay? It's not that I don't trust you, but I had heard something previously that said otherwise and I want to double check.

I was also a little confused about the bootloader thing. I have 1.1.4, so as long as I follow the directions for jailbreaking for 1.1.4, do I even need to worry about this?

I am a newbie (as of Sunday!) and this was incredibly helpful and I might play with this tonight!

[oldimac]

Thanks for the time and the post - great info!!!

[Etrain]

Originally Posted by jav6454

You can also permanently damage this which requires service from Apple, the less you play with it the better

How does this happen? If I use ZiPhone too much is this the result? Thanks for this awesome guide!

[intoxicated662]

great guide and appreciate it especially when it was free. good job!!

[jav6454]

Pwnage tool is recommended for your needs. WinPwn is its Windows counter part. The FAQ provides links to such tools

[ROM3000]

Awesome guide. This has proved very valuable already. Thanks.

[jav6454]

I would like some feedback on the guide. Things like spelling, syntax & grammar to a minor level count.

Also, anything that needs to be further explained is welcomed to be suggested. I would also appreciate if people will compile a small list (6) questions that I have not addressed in the FAQ section.

Thanks.

[mkrishnan]

Thank you for the guide -- it's very nice.

Originally Posted by jav6454

II. Well, the advantages of downgrading your bootloader to 3.9 is that if you accidently upgrade to a new firmware you can still downgrade your Baseband and firmware. With bootloader 4.6 you can't do a baseband downgrade. The negative side is that once you go down to 3.9, you can't go back up to 4.6, unless you perform a hardware upgrade.

I don't honestly completely understand this part yet, to be honest. According to you and Zibri's website, if you have a 1.1.4 / BL4.6 iPhone, and you chose the advanced option, you are supposed to be able to unlock and activate it while maintaining the 4.6 BL with the latest 2.6 versions of ZiPhone. However, on other sites, numerous people have stated that they used the advanced option and ended up being downgraded anyway. In most of these threads, it quickly turns to flame-warring...

Have you actually unlocked and activated a phone in such a way that it is running BL4.6 after unlock? If not, what exactly do you mean by being able to not downgrade via advanced options?

P.S. Moderator request. 1) Please do not post anymore crosspost threads on MR driving traffic to this thread. We'll delete any such threads; they're not necessary. We'll think about stickying your thread, though.

2) If you are one of the people or teams you mention / otherwise not a disinterested party (e.g. if you are Zibri or GeoHot or you're on the iPhone Dev Team), we'd really appreciate if you disclose that -- you should be honest in explaining exactly why you prefer one of the products over the others...

[mlg32]

there seems to be some grammer and or bunching of words in the pay as you go section, not very clear on that one...thanks again

Originally Posted by jav6454

I would like some feedback on the guide. Things like spelling, syntax & grammar to a minor level count.

Also, anything that needs to be further explained is welcomed to be suggested. I would also appreciate if people will compile a small list (6) questions that I have not addressed in the FAQ section.

Thanks.

[jav6454]

Originally Posted by mkrishnan

Thank you for the guide -- it's very nice.



I don't honestly completely understand this part yet, to be honest. According to you and Zibri's website, if you have a 1.1.4 / BL4.6 iPhone, and you chose the advanced option, you are supposed to be able to unlock and activate it while maintaining the 4.6 BL with the latest 2.6 versions of ZiPhone. However, on other sites, numerous people have stated that they used the advanced option and ended up being downgraded anyway. In most of these threads, it quickly turns to flame-warring...

Have you actually unlocked and activated a phone in such a way that it is running BL4.6 after unlock? If not, what exactly do you mean by being able to not downgrade via advanced options?

P.S. Moderator request. 1) Please do not post anymore crosspost threads on MR driving traffic to this thread. We'll delete any such threads; they're not necessary. We'll think about stickying your thread, though.

2) If you either (a) are one of the people or teams you mention (e.g. if you are Zibri or GeoHot or you're on the iPhone Dev Team), we'd really appreciate if you disclose that -- you should be honest in explaining exactly why you prefer one of the products over the others...

For the redirecting traffic post, I'm sorry. But I didn't know it was against the rules. I have tried to read the rules, but the Rules links seems broken as I get redirected to the UserCP instead.

As for the feedback, thanks for it and let me clarify it [quoted section] even more.

As for Sticky, I would be honored. If it were to become I would like to change title a bit, that is if it becomes.

[mkrishnan]

Thanks for the feedback and clarifications. You can edit the thread title anytime you want by editing the first post -- just click the edit button and then click the go advanced option, and then if you edit the title, it will change the thread title. I would suggest something like "New to the iPhone? Guide to Firmware versions and Unlocking Tools" ... and also I'd like to move it to the hacking section.

I didn't get an iPhone for the longest time, and mine is finally supposed to arrive early next week. Your info really helps -- I've been gathering a lot of this over today and yesterday, but being able to talk to someone who summarized all of it is really helpful.

One more question: So, given that your experience is that ZiPhone will do the unlock without downgrading the BL.... once you have unlocked the iPhone one way or another, there's no known functional difference between bootloaders at this time, correct? That is, aside from what happens when you try various firmware updates, and the issue of whether Apple could use a BL change to deny you warranty, it doesn't practically make a difference which BL you have, does it? So, if I follow the directions with ZiPhone, the worst that could happen is that I end up with BL3.9 instead of 4.6 and can't upgrade it, but it doesn't really matter too much anyway?

[jav6454]

Originally Posted by mkrishnan

Thanks for the feedback and clarifications. You can edit the thread title anytime you want by editing the first post -- just click the edit button and then click the go advanced option, and then if you edit the title, it will change the thread title. I would suggest something like "New to the iPhone? Guide to Firmware versions and Unlocking Tools" ... and also I'd like to move it to the hacking section.

I didn't get an iPhone for the longest time, and mine is finally supposed to arrive early next week. Your info really helps -- I've been gathering a lot of this over today and yesterday, but being able to talk to someone who summarized all of it is really helpful.

One more question: So, given that your experience is that ZiPhone will do the unlock without downgrading the BL.... once you have unlocked the iPhone one way or another, there's no known functional difference between bootloaders at this time, correct? That is, aside from what happens when you try various firmware updates, and the issue of whether Apple could use a BL change to deny you warranty, it doesn't practically make a difference which BL you have, does it? So, if I follow the directions with ZiPhone, the worst that could happen is that I end up with BL3.9 instead of 4.6 and can't upgrade it, but it doesn't really matter too much anyway?

Ok, to answer your question I must first summarize why the bootloader difference.

Bootloader 4.6 is the most secure bootloader, however, one big flaw in it [it is unknown whether this was left on purpose]. That flaw is that it can be reflashed to any other bootloader or a malicious file in Installer can erase it leaving tons of permanent bricks. Now, that is out of the way, this bootloader also does not allow you to downgrade your BaseBand (which controls radio). That means if you want to use your phone part in a earlir software version you can't.

Bootloader 3.9 is the one we have very well come to know in early times. It allows the iPhone SimFree unlock and GeoHot's IPSF style unlock, which are considered the true unlock. It allows you to downgrade your Baseband meaning you can use the phone part in an earlier software version. This is a big advantage if you accidentally upgraded your iPhone to the newest version and wish to go back down. The downside of this bootloader is that it can not be reflased or updated via software tools at this time. The only way to go back up to 4.6 is through the Test Point procedure [hardware hack].

So, back to your original question. The difference rests in the needs of the end user. If you think you need more security Bootloader 4.6 is the way to go. If you feel more 'adventerous', shall I say, Bootlader 3.9 is a go-go.

[CTYankee]

Really simple and obvious question. I have a 1.1.4 8gb and it has my music and settings and such on it. I want to jailbreak it. Do I need to restore it to new condition (wipe the data)? Can I just jailbreak? I know for some functions (unlocking) they say to go to a clean version of 1.1.4 then use ziphone. The tutorial here seems to indicate you just run ziphone on your phone as it is.

[jav6454]

Originally Posted by CTYankee

Really simple and obvious question. I have a 1.1.4 8gb and it has my music and settings and such on it. I want to jailbreak it. Do I need to restore it to new condition (wipe the data)? Can I just jailbreak? I know for some functions (unlocking) they say to go to a clean version of 1.1.4 then use ziphone. The tutorial here seems to indicate you just run ziphone on your phone as it is.

Pwnage from now on.

[brian250]

OK, first of all, congrats on a fantastic thread. Muchos kudos and hats off to you.

I have one or two questions though;
My iPhone is a week 43 unit. This will have the 3.9 bootloader, right? What does this mean in real terms?
My phone is about 4 months old now, running 1.1.4 but otherwise out of the box condition. Should I jailbreak and unlock all in one go?
Lets say I want to upgrade to 1.1.5 or v2.0, will this be possible? Will I need to restore it first and then upgrade, and then repeat the jailbreak and unlock procedures once again? Or would my phone become bricked in this situation? IN short would I be stuck with 1.1.4 forever?

Cheers,
Brian.

[chrismac00]

Thanks for this thread! It really helped me and changed my mind about jailbreaking. I did it!