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Bandolier

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 2, 2010
604
2
Geniuses can see a debug log (with a beautiful Apple-esque UI) from your phone telling them percentage of calls dropped per day/week/month and what apps have crashed on your phone and how many times they crashed, etc. Warning those of you who want to bring your iPhones in for service that restored clean then restored from backup without any of the Cydia apps, the logs will also be stored in that "Restore from backup," so please beware. Just go in clean with a few apps on it, if the genius asks you why there's nothing on it just say you restored it (it's none of his concern anyway).
 
I take it you learned the hard way? ;)

I had a feeling someone would ask this :p No, I didn't "learn the hard way". I found out because I got a replacement iPhone 4 a two weeks ago and the genius let me see his Macbook Air screen as he ran diagnostics on it and he showed me all the things I mentioned above.
 
so basically just put it in DFU mode and put in a few apps and music?
 
I would never restore from backup if I was taking a phone in for service. I'd always restore as a new phone, let them figure out what was wrong, and then restore from backup once I got back home. They'll usually update the phone when trying to fix it anyway, so no need to do the same procedure twice.
 
There isn't a way to just clear the log?

Yes you can clear the logs, but there is more information in other places that can show Jailbraking, it is just best practice to restore without restoring backup

so basically just put it in DFU mode and put in a few apps and music?

You don't have to install any apps or music, you can take the phone empty. if they service or replace it, it will be for a manufacture's problem no for any app or music you have on it.
 
This has been standard practice since day one of jailbreaking.....but it's always good to bring it up again with each new OS jailbreak release.

I've been through the Genius Bar warranty process on the original iPhone, a 3g, and a 3Gs.

Every iPhone return was a valid issue, each had been jailbroken, and each had a 'restore as new' done within an hour of showing up at the Genius Bar. Every iPhone was replaced under warranty without question.

Now....when I did the return on the 3Gs, the genius did make a comment that he could tell I had just did a 'restore as new' iPhone, and not as a 'restore as backup', because there was no diagnostic data present. I just mentioned that I had been reading about the issue on the Apple forums, and that the typical thing to try was a 'restore as new'. And when that didn't fix the issue, off to the Genius Bar.
 
I went to a genius with cydia on my iphone and he only asked me if I want the battry fix, go and restore your iphone without a cydia, I did it and they repaired my iphone. I think in practice its not a big deal even to them!
 
Now....when I did the return on the 3Gs, the genius did make a comment that he could tell I had just did a 'restore as new' iPhone, and not as a 'restore as backup', because there was no diagnostic data present. I just mentioned that I had been reading about the issue on the Apple forums, and that the typical thing to try was a 'restore as new'. And when that didn't fix the issue, off to the Genius Bar.

And restoring it shouldn't matter at all anyways as it is your phone to do as you like....plus if you are restoring it to wipe it clean so no data is on it only makes sense if you are aiming for a replacement
 
And restoring it shouldn't matter at all anyways as it is your phone to do as you like....plus if you are restoring it to wipe it clean so no data is on it only makes sense if you are aiming for a replacement

Of course.....but....while the DMCA just changed the rulings a bit in our favor for jailbreaking and unlocking, it did nothing for the current situation of jailbreaking and Apple voiding the warranty on jailbroken devices.

A small technicality that, until challenged in court (and probably will be).......a restore 'as new' seems to alleviate the issue of Apple seeing that an iPhone was ever jailbroken.

It all depends on the Genius you visit....as it seems to be from the reports listed.
 
I would never restore from backup if I was taking a phone in for service. I'd always restore as a new phone, let them figure out what was wrong, and then restore from backup once I got back home. They'll usually update the phone when trying to fix it anyway, so no need to do the same procedure twice.

However. If you are seeing a lot of dropped calls the log that contains that data would be erased under a restore.

Case in point. I had a stupid amount of dropped calls on my 3GS before making the switch. I bad mouthed ATT to anyone and everyone. I used that mark the spot app constantly. However when I couldnt make a call from the house and wifes iphone could, I make a GB appointment.

She connected my phone to her computer, asked me when I last restored and pulled up the last 2 months of data. I was dropping more then 70% of my calls. That was well above what they would consider normal so she handed me a new phone on the spot.

Had I restored it, the process would have be my work against the data "or lack of"
 
However. If you are seeing a lot of dropped calls the log that contains that data would be erased under a restore.

Case in point. I had a stupid amount of dropped calls on my 3GS before making the switch. I bad mouthed ATT to anyone and everyone. I used that mark the spot app constantly. However when I couldnt make a call from the house and wifes iphone could, I make a GB appointment.

She connected my phone to her computer, asked me when I last restored and pulled up the last 2 months of data. I was dropping more then 70% of my calls. That was well above what they would consider normal so she handed me a new phone on the spot.

Had I restored it, the process would have be my work against the data "or lack of"

Good Information to know
 
What's the name of this Apple software and is it available somewhere for download, torrent or other?
 
generally they don't really care anyway, but restoring as new gives them no data to pull up in their diagnostics even though its gets rid of cydia. no data means no way to see the issue you might be having.
 
I went to a genius with cydia on my iphone and he only asked me if I want the battry fix, go and restore your iphone without a cydia, I did it and they repaired my iphone. I think in practice its not a big deal even to them!

Wait, what is 'the battery fix?'
 
What's the name of this Apple software and is it available somewhere for download, torrent or other?

I've been wondering this for a while now myself. If it was out there, I'm sure it'd be pretty common knowledge by now.

But they are obviously pulling the data the application is interpreting from somewhere. It'd be nice to know where that place is and then maybe we could take a look at these logs as well.
 
I've been wondering this for a while now myself. If it was out there, I'm sure it'd be pretty common knowledge by now.

But they are obviously pulling the data the application is interpreting from somewhere. It'd be nice to know where that place is and then maybe we could take a look at these logs as well.

It's not, those computers on the apple store use a token key security, even if the software would be leak to torrent it wouldn't work. and that is the reason that no Genius have gone to all the work to steal it for nothing.
 
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