Downgrading iP4 from 4.3.2 to 4.2.1

[m3coolpix]

Having an issue going from 4.3.2 to 4.2.1. This is on baseband 1.59.00.

I was mostly successful in getting it done via redsnow then fixrecovery421....however, after a reboot, Cydia is crashing, as well as Safari every time I try to open them to finish the install (from setup as new).

I'm a bit confused as what versions of pwnagetool or redsnow to use....googling and searching here now just has me brain fried on version numbers of what is the best method.

I am doing this to get away from having to use ultrasnow to fix the signal bar issue with the 4.3.x jailbreaks, and also the 'sluggishness' of 4.3.x (happening to me) and the apparent battery drain (from ultrasnow I think)....

Thanks in advance for any and all replies and help!

 

[m3coolpix]

....nevermind....

Got it working.

What a major PITA to reset all your apps and themes when you can't restore from a backup either in iTunes or from pkgbackup since it's a 'downgrade'.

But...with everything within the iOS 4.2.1 seemingly 'snappier', as well as better memory usage....looks like it will be worth the time for me.

YMMV.

 

[Armeniandave]

Any chance you wanna share what you did so others can benefit from your situation?

I'm about to downgrade and it would be helpful to myself and I'm sure others too. Thanks!

 

[m3coolpix]

Any chance you wanna share what you did so others can benefit from your situation?

I'm about to downgrade and it would be helpful to myself and I'm sure others too. Thanks!

No problem. I am Mac based, FWIW. I have SHSHs back to 4.0.1 on this iP4.

My first attempt (via iClarified search on 4.2.1 and iP4) was using redsnow 0.9.6.b4 and the iP4 4.2.1 IPSW straight from Apple. I also had to use fixrecovery421 to get the iP4 kicked out of the 'connect to iTunes' message. But, Cydia and Safari were crashing immediately as I tried to open them (even after respring and/or reboot). I tried some Googling and searching here, but it only led me to something like 5-7 releases of redsnow around the end of Dec 2010, and it seemed like a nightmare to figure out which version was 'it' to use. They all appeared to be 'beta'....with no final version.

So...I went to the Dev Team's blog and found there was pwnage tool for 4.2 (but even there on the blog it said redsnow was preferable for 4.2.1, but I still couldn't figure the redsnow version number). The Dev Team blog has always confused me....it's got the info, but not presented straightforward....feels like a goose chase sometimes (at least to my feeble brain).

It ultimately worked with PwnageTool_4.2.dmg and the iP4 4.2.1 IPSW from Apple. After creating the new JB IPSW, I used TinyUmbrella and the latest iTunes to restore as new from DFU mode.

It would not allow me to 'restore', giving me a message something like 'too old of a version number to restore to' or something.

After that, it was basically a couple of hours of installing and re-entering all my username/data for all the App Store apps (many had separate backup/sync situations). But, I did lose game data in some, oh well. For Cydia apps and themes, I had to do the same....as pkgbackup kept telling me the backup was corrupted (going from a backup created from 4.3.2 to 4.2.1).

In the end...4.2.1 is now hovering around 340mb memory after a reboot (around 250mb with 4.3.2). Battery life seems much the same. But, now I don't have to use ultrasnow to get past the 1 bar cell signal problem. Lastly, all the phone animations and such (like a screenshot) are next to immediate again. A screenshot on 4.3.2 was almost 2-3 seconds from pressing the buttons on 4.3.2, to when you heard the 'confirmation' and saw the screen flash, for example.

Hope this helps. Any more questions, just let me know.

 

[headcase]

Good stuff - thx. I decided a while back to stick with 4.2.1 running BB 1.59.00, given it's been working fine and I didn't want to have go through "downgrade hell" if 4.3 didn't work out for me. I think I'll be sticking with it until 5.0 is out.

 

[m3coolpix]

Good stuff - thx. I decided a while back to stick with 4.2.1 running BB 1.59.00, given it's been working fine and I didn't want to have go through "downgrade hell" if 4.3 didn't work out for me. I think I'll be sticking with it until 5.0 is out.

Yeah, I should have gone with the gut reaction and used 4.2.1 after 4.0.1....but I went from 4.0.1 to 4.3.1 based on a bunch of reading that it was 'ok' and 'stable' (and then updated to 4.3.2 a few days later as that was reported to be better )....got bitten for my impatience I guess.

I usually wait out a lot of version releases until an app or something 'really looks interesting' gets me to upgrade. When you have a 32gig device and a lot of songs and large apps (Navigon for example), it really takes some time to restore.....and then in Cydia I have a nice theme and some custom ssh'ing to do for replacing a lot of the tones.....just more time!

 

[headcase]

Yeah, I should have gone with the gut reaction and used 4.2.1 after 4.0.1....but I went from 4.0.1 to 4.3.1 based on a bunch of reading that it was 'ok' and 'stable' (and then updated to 4.3.2 a few days later as that was reported to be better )....got bitten for my impatience I guess.

I usually wait out a lot of version releases until an app or something 'really looks interesting' gets me to upgrade. When you have a 32gig device and a lot of songs and large apps (Navigon for example), it really takes some time to restore.....and then in Cydia I have a nice theme and some custom ssh'ing to do for replacing a lot of the tones.....just more time!

Yeah, to expand on your thoughts for a minute, my approach these days to jailbreaking is:

1) wait for Apple to release an iOS update
2) wait (and hope) for one of the hackers to find an exploit for that release
3) wait for one of the hack teams to release an initial jailbreak tool to the wild, based on the exploit
4) wait for the usual refinements to the jailbreak tool in subsequent iterations shortly thereafter, upon users identifying initial bugs
5) wait for the developers of the jb apps I use to release their compatibility updates for the latest iOS

... obviously, the operative word here is "wait", for as much as I love playing with the latest / greatest code, I'm now more than happy to let others blaze that trail. In fact, I have found that usually by the time steps 1-5 are done (which usually takes multiple weeks), I'm updating my iPhone at the *tail end* of the current iOS release.

Somewhat ironic to me, as I'm a classic early adopter with technology, but now I'm certifiably a laggard when it comes to iOS releases.

 

[eastercat]

There's no point in being an early adopter if you JB--especially if you're an unlocker. I don't care what people say, but I'm not cool with a tethered JB.

 

[Armeniandave]

Thanks op for posting your steps.

What I did was run tiny umbrella and shift restore (Windows) back to 4.21,
then when the phone rebooted I used Greenpois0n and that was it! Didn't even need to use fix recovery.

Here is the guide I used:
http://thefirmwareumbrella.blogspot.com/p/prevent-iphone4-baseband-update.html

It was actually quite a simple process. I didn't even have to use step 15! Guess I was lucky..

 

[yonika]

Thanks op for posting your steps.

What I did was run tiny umbrella and shift restore (Windows) back to 4.21,
then when the phone rebooted I used Greenpois0n and that was it! Didn't even need to use fix recovery.

Here is the guide I used:
http://thefirmwareumbrella.blogspot.com/p/prevent-iphone4-baseband-update.html

It was actually quite a simple process. I didn't even have to use step 15! Guess I was lucky..

What about the ones (like me ) who updated to 4.3.3 and got their baseband upgraded to the latest ? (I have an unlocked phone so don't need ultrasn0w)
I went back to 4.2.1 because of animations stuttering, and now every time a call is ended by the called subscriber I get a "call failed" message !

Any thoughts on how to downgrade to the previous baseband ?

10x.
Jonathan

 

[Armeniandave]

You cannot downgrade the iPhone 4 baseband.
I did save mine when I upgraded so going back
to 4.21 was easy.

You're probably better off just going to 4.3.3 then
jailbreaking and using fakeclockup. That should improve
your animation stutter to acceptable levels.