Hack the iPhone

Unlocking 1st generation iPhones (on 2.0 firmware)

intel Mac & PPC

Page 1 of 2

Updated: July 20, 2008 @ 15:45 MST





Who is this guide for?

• 1st generation iPhones (3.9 or 4.6 bootloaders)
Official contract, or not
• Currently Pwned, or not
• Those who don't care about third party (Installer or Cydia supplied) programs at this time...

Thanks again go out to the iPhone Dev Team for providing this amazing, and FREE program for jailbreaking, activating, unlocking, and customizing the 1st generation iPhones. You can visit their website here.

BigBoss has compiled a FAQ for issues with 2.0 and 2.0.1 here.

There is a FAQ at the end of page 2.

Step 1.

Download PwnageTool 2.0.1 here, or here. If you have installed the previous version of PwnageTool then delete or rename it so there are no conflicts with this newer version.

Download the 3.9 and 4.6 bootloaders here. Extract them to your desktop or somewhere else where you can easily find them.

Note: this link works fine. Try another browser (like Firefox) if it doesn't "work".

If you haven't already downloaded 2.0 firmware from Apple, then you can download it here.

Step 2.

Prepare to lose the data on your iPhone when you upgrade to 2.0 firmware. Note: when you update to 2.0 with iTunes you will be asked if you would like to back up your personal info (network settings, call logs, email accounts, SMS chats, contacts, et. cetera). You can restore this backup after you are done with PwnageTool.

You can do this from 1.1.4 firmware (I did and everything was fine), but it might be best if you did this from a fresh restore to 2.0. When you are ready to upgrade, plug your iPhone into iTunes. You should get this pop up (if you are running iTunes version 7.7 or newer). It could take 15 minutes to install. If you are already on 2.0 firmware then proceed to the next step.

Step 3.

Launch PwnageTool. Make sure the Simple mode (I will cover Expert mode in another tutorial) button in the top left corner is selected. Click the iPhone on the left. Note: you will have a pineapple boot logo using Simple mode when you are finished.









You should get a green check mark on the iPhone you selected. Click the blue arrow button in the lower right corner.




PwnageTool will search for the 2.0 firmware on your computer first, then from the Internet. When it displays the firmware file, click on it, then click the blue arrow in the lower right corner.




You will receive a pop up warning if the 3.9 version bootloader is not found. Answer No to this question.




You will then be asked if you would like to browse for the bootloader. Answer Yes.




Now navigate to where you saved the two bootloader files from Step 1. Select the BL-39.bin file and click Open.









You will receive a pop up warning if the 4.6 version bootloader is not found. Answer No to this question.




You will then be asked if you would like to browse for the bootloader. Answer Yes.




Now navigate to where you saved the two bootloader files from Step 1. Select the BL-46.bin file and click Open.




You will now be prompted to create a custom .ipsw file. Select Yes if you are a first time user. If you already created a custom .ipsw, then you can select No.




This is not a trick question. If you have an official service plan (from AT&T or your nation's authorized carrier) then select Yes. If not, then select No.




You will now see this screen while your custom .ipsw is assembled. This stage is about four minutes long.




You will be prompted to enter your system password.




You are then asked if your iPhone is CURRENTLY Pwned. I used iLiberty+ just before this process, so I selected No.




Follow the on screen instructions to put the iPhone into DFU mode. At this point iTunes may launch, along with a pop up mesage, just move them out of the way at this point.

Note: many can not get into DFU mode. The solution appears to be ensuring that you have the following path on your Mac: ~/Library/iTunes/Device Support    If you do not have the Device Support folder, then create one.




Confirmation will appear when you are in DFU mode. Close PwnageTool.