Hack the iPhone

The iPhone Dev Wiki has an informative page in progress which analyzes the software update process. I imagine it is only a matter of time before we have some kind of "flasher" program. This program would allow anyone to force previous firmwares onto the iPhone without the need for iTunes. This is especially helpful if at some point, you update your iPhone, and can no longer perform hack X or hack Y on it, or should your iPhone become relocked with no apparent fix.




Firmware restore file for 1.1.2.

Firmware restore file for 1.1.1.

Firmware restore file for 1.0.2.

Firmware restore file for 1.0.1.

Firmware update 1.1.2

On November 8, 2007, Apple released the fourth update to the iPHone (also referred to as 3b48b). This was mainly for providing international support as the iPhone was to officially go on sale in the U.K. and Germany on November 9th. This update would the ability to change languages and handle number formatting.

You can download the file (160mb) directly from Apple here.

Firmware update 1.1.1

On September 27, 2007, Apple released the third update to the iPhone (also referred to as 3A109a). This was the first update worth updating to. It included a slew of improvements. Many took surprise when Apple said this update may damage iPhones that have been hacked or unlocked. They had to say that from a legal standpoint. It wasn't stated to be a threat. It is not outside the boundaries of logic for a manufacturer to offically deny support for a modified product when it breaks due to no fault of their own.

I'm reminded of an old saying I used to hear quite often when deployed.... "stand by for heavy rolls while the ship comes about."

You can download the file (all 151mb of it) directly from Apple here.

Firmware update 1.0.2

On August 21, 2007, Apple released the second update to the iPhone (also referred to as 1C28). Once again it stated it was for bug fixes. This update was much ado about nothing. It did not affect the way we hack the iPhone so there is really nothing to say about it. The chart below for Firmware Update 1C25 applies to this update as well.

You can download the file directly from Apple here.

Nate True did another very nice, detailed analysis of the differences between 1C25 and 1C28 at his blog here.
Because I worry about information just disappearing on the web, I'm going to reproduce Nate's analysis here. Quoted from his site:

Firmware update 1.0.1

On July 31, 2007, Apple released the first update to the iPhone (also referred to as 1C25). This update came in two flavors: a 7 megabyte patch for those who had properly activated iPhones via AT&T and had not modified their iPhones in any way. The other version is a 91 megabyte restore file for anyone who had bypassed activation and modded their iPhones. The file name of the patch is iPhone1,1_1.0.1_1A543a_to_1C25_Update.ipsw.   You can get that file on your Mac by going to ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates on your computer.

You can download the restore file directly from Apple here.

I will ATTEMPT to answer all questions regarding these updates on this page. I would GREATLY APPRECIATE emails from those of you who have discovered what works with these updates and what does not. I can only test things so fast on my own. I'm primarily a Mac user, but I use Windows also. The quicker I get input from you, the quicker I can update this page to answer all the various situations and problems out there. This could be a really good resource for everyone. If I have to do this all on my own, it may takes days to compile all the information that everyone is seeking, or I may never compile all the information as demands on my time are out of control in regards to the development of this site. You can email me at:

Too put it briefly for Mac users, I have two iPhones, both are modded and only one was properly activated via AT&T with a contract. Both needed a full restore since they've been modded. I wound up using Jailbreak and iPhoneInterface and iFuntastic! using my original firmware in the phonedmg folder and was able to restore all my mods and bypass activation using iASign v0.2. I was also able to reinstall my backups which contained my address book and recent call history, et cetera. Oh and the new iTunes update (7.3.2) didn't mess with anything either. I know Windows users are still able to Jailbreak and iPhoneInterface and bypass activation as well.









If you'd like to know the differences on the file sizes between the original firmware and this new one, click here for Nate True's site.

To learn how to decrypt the new firmware, click here.

To learn how to get your decryption key, click here.



Here's some of the images from my restore process. I hadn't noticed during earlier restores that the summary info for the phone becomes "N/A" in iTunes. You can click the images to enlarge them.