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Updating a Jailbroken & Carrier Unlocked iPhone

W

willscarlett

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 30, 2011
14
2
I have a question about how to update an iPhone 3GS that has already been jailbroken and is also carrier unlocked.

I attend SGU on the island of Grenada and got the 3GS prior to leaving, which was August 2010, making AT&T still the sole provider. Once I got to Grenada, I took the phone to the Digicel store (one of two providers on the island), where they jailbroke the phone, put in the Digicel chip and set it up for use on their network, where it works fine - except the data speed is horribly slow if you're not running on Wi-Fi.

The phone is running version 4.0.1 of iOS and I'm wondering how I can update it to 4.3.3. I've been reading online about how to do it and it all seems simple enough, but I'm wondering if there's a way in which I can update it that won't erase everything that's on the phone (contacts, texts, apps, etc). I also want to ensure the update doesn't interfere with the carrier unlock.

Thank you!
 
If your phone was purchased unlocked, then whatever you do it will remain unlocked. Second of all, you cannot update to 4.3.3 now as Apple has stopped the signing, which means its just impossible to do. You can however update to 4.3.3 but you won't be able to jailbreak.

The next possible time you'll be able to jailbreak will be when iOS5 is released, but that's a big IF. Most likely they'll be a jailbreak but there is a chance that there may not.
 
Thanks for the info. I don't think the phone was bought unlocked. It was just bought from Radio Shack with the AT&T chip, but no contract, so the phone was never functional in the USA. When I got to Grenada, I gave it to Digicel and they took care of the rest.

Could you explain what it means that Apple has stopped signing? If I were to restore the phone to a non-jailbroken state using 4.3.3 firmware, verify the update with Apple, then re-jailbreak it and installed ultrasn0w, would that work, albeit erase everything?

----------

Also, if an update were possible, would any of this erase the phone number that the phone uses? Or is all that stored in the SIM card?

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There are places where the 4.3.3 firmware is downloadable from, it's just not from Apple.
 
The current firmware version is 4.3.5. Unless you have the SHSH's for your phone for the 4.3.3 firmware, then you won't be able to restore using that version firmware since it won't verify correctly with Apple during the restore process. Also, the current unlockable baseband is 1.59.00 which was back in the 4.0 firmware version I think. If your baseband is higher than that the ultrasnow unlock won't work and you'll be stuck with a locked phone.

Your phone number will still remain the same.

You can download all versions of firmware (there's a sticky with links for all of them in the Hacks section) however, without the appropriate SHSH, you won't be able to update to any of them, only the ones you have the SHSH for.
 
Hmm, what is SHSH? I only chose 4.3.3 because it is an untethered update and 4.3.5 is still tethered. I did check my baseband number and it is unlockable.

My other question was, if I am able to eventually update, is there any way to perform the update without everything on the phone being erased.

So, would it be best to just go with the tethered 4.3.5 update?

Thanks!
 
SHSH Blobs

If you're at the unlockable baseband then updating is smidge trickier since you'll need to maintain your baseband when updating. There are oodles of threads about that in this forum so a quick search should get you the information you're looking for.

If you update your phone, everything remains on your phone and only the core system files are updated. If you restore, then everything is wiped out and a fresh copy of the firmware is installed on your phone.

Honestly, I'd just wait for the jailbreak for iOS 5 (that's what I'm doing). Once that gets released there will be a slew of threads and information made available to you then.
 
Thanks for the info. I did already come across the Pwnage tool and how it will preserve the unlockable baseband.

Sounds like I'll just wait for the iOS 5 release. Do you think updating at that point will involve merely updating, or will our phones be wiped in the process?
 
Updating is updating so it shouldn't wipe everything out on your phone. It'll just update the system files. Now since iOS 5 is supposed to be all snazzy and cutting edge I'm not sure if it'll require a full restore or if the updates will continue to work as they previously had. I'm guessing it'll still be the same so there shouldn't be any issues with updating to 5. As far as I'm aware, the only thing that'll wipe out your phone is a full restore, not an update.
 
Ok, so just for my understanding, if I were to update to iOS 4.3.5, would that simply require an update or a full restore? I was under the impression that updating a jailbroken and/or unlocked phone would cause it to stop working in that state.

So, do you perform the update thru iTunes and then re-jailbreak the phone and re-unlock the carrier?

Sorry for the questions, I'm new to all this!
 
You can do either or, up to you. The update will simply update whatever system files need to be updated and the data on your phone will remain intact. The full restore will wipe everything out. If you go the full restore route, you can restore from a backup however the backup process also backups some jailbroken folders/files. So, even if you do a full restore and then restore from your backup, you'll still have traces of your previous jailbreak in there.

If you decide to update, it'll also update the baseband on your iphone unless you use TinyUmbrella or PwnageTool to preserve your baseband. If you simply update through iTunes without preserving your baseband, you'll most likely lose the potential to unlock your phone. You will still be able to jailbreak however the ultrasnow unlock won't work for that firmware version.
 
willscarlett said:
I have a question about how to update an iPhone 3GS that has already been jailbroken and is also carrier unlocked.

I attend SGU on the island of Grenada and got the 3GS prior to leaving, which was August 2010, making AT&T still the sole provider. Once I got to Grenada, I took the phone to the Digicel store (one of two providers on the island), where they jailbroke the phone, put in the Digicel chip and set it up for use on their network, where it works fine - except the data speed is horribly slow if you're not running on Wi-Fi.

The phone is running version 4.0.1 of iOS and I'm wondering how I can update it to 4.3.3. I've been reading online about how to do it and it all seems simple enough, but I'm wondering if there's a way in which I can update it that won't erase everything that's on the phone (contacts, texts, apps, etc). I also want to ensure the update doesn't interfere with the carrier unlock.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

What a reputable-sounding organization. :D

My question is: Why would they need to jailbreak it if it's already carrier unlocked? Unless you mean software unlocked with Ultrasn0w.

You can only update to 4.3.3 if you've already been there, jailbroke, and saved your SHSH.
 
awadeee said:
What a reputable-sounding organization. :D

My question is: Why would they need to jailbreak it if it's already carrier unlocked? Unless you mean software unlocked with Ultrasn0w.

You can only update to 4.3.3 if you've already been there, jailbroke, and saved your SHSH.
Click to expand...

The OP stated he bought it at a Radio Shack in the U.S. It is definitely NOT carrier unlocked. It was unlocked by the cell phone folks in Greneda. The OP is just a little confused on the terms is all.
 
willscarlett said:
Sorry for causing confusion :)

I'll just wait for iOS5 and see what happens then.
Click to expand...

I am surprised that Digicel who are an official carrier would JB and Unlock the phone for you. However, since you have no experience in the area of JB and UL the best advice I can give you is to leave the phone alone.

You are probably already aware of this, but never do an update on itunes even when IOS5 is released.

There is only one way to safely update and protect that rare baseband that you have and that is to use custom firmware created with Pwnage tool.

Be safe and stay away.
 
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