Since I started blogging about jailbreak and upgrade methods for iPhone, I have received emails from readers about reason for jailbreak and the difference between jailbreak and unlock. And question like, “My iPhone already got Apple’s AppStore to download applications. Is there any reason to jailbreak my iPhone?”. I thought it’ll be good to write up a blog post to address all the similar questions. First, let me explain the question about “Unlock iPhone vs Jailbreak”.
In brief, jailbreak your iphone means you are allowed to install 3rd party applications on iPhone. This applies to all version of firmwares. And, for unlocking iPhone, it refers to the process to open up your iPhone to accept all carriers. Unlocked iPhone allows you to use SIM card from all carriers. You are no longer bind to the official carrier (e.g. AT&T) approved by Apple.
So, with the introduction of iPhone AppStore, why do we still need to jailbreak? For this question, mostly queried by iPhone 3G users, I have thought of 5 reasons to jailbreak iPhone even with the presence of AppStore.
Reason #1 – Install 3rd pary applications via Cydia and Installer
The introduction of AppStore in iPhone 2.0 is the best feature for this firmware update, I have to admit. But even with thousands of applications available on AppStore, there are some other great applications, such as Netshare, banned by Apple to hit the Appstore for certain reasons. And this is the place where Cydia and Installer comes in and let you download all 3rd party applications. Some of the great applications you can find on Cydia are:
- Cycorder / Video Recorder – Let you capture video on iPhone
- NemusSync – Sync iPhone calendar with Google Calendar
- MxTube – Download and save YouTube video on iPhone
- iAcces – Let you use all kinds of Chinese Input Method
- iPhoneModem – Let you use iPhone as modem and give your laptop connection to Internet via iPhone
- Mame4iPhone – Play arcade game on iPhone
Reason #2 – Video Recording
Compared iPhone with any other mobile phone in the market, there is one area iPhone would definitely lose – Video Recording. With jailbreak iPhone, however, you can easily turn the iPhone camera into video camera for video recording by using Cycorder or iPhone Video Recorder.
Reason #3 – Changing iPhone Looks & Feel
Are you bored with the standard icons that come with iPhone? Ever think of changing the look of iPhone? With jailbreak iPhone, you can use Winterboard to apply theme on iPhone and make it look even cooler. Here are just a few samples to show what Winterboard can do for you:
Reason #4 – Full control of your iPhone
This may not be the reason for non-tech iPhone user. But for geeks, this may be why you need to jailbreak the iPhone. As you may know, the inner part of iPhone is a trim-down version of Mac OS X, which is actually a Unix core. So, you may wonder whether you can install some Unix applications such as Apache web server, on the iPhone. The answer is yes. With iPhone jailbreak, you can install a lightweight version of HTTP server and other similiar servers. And, one server that most Jailbreak iPhone users are using is a SSH daemon. With SSH, you can connect to iPhone remotely and transfer any file to/from it. Pretty cool, right? You can further refer to this post about how you can use SSH to transfer ringtone to the iPhone.
Reason #5 – Unlock iPhone
Lastly, the most common reason for jailbreaking iPhone is for unlock. This is one of the mandatory steps you need to through before you can unlock iPhone.
Note: Presently, there is no unlock solution for iPhone 3G. QuickPwn/WinPwn/Pwnage Tool can only jailbreak iPhone 3G.You can now use yellowsn0w or ultrasn0w to unlock iPhone 3G. Follow this guide to unlock your iPhone 3G or this unlock guide for iPhone 3GS.
Hope this post can answer all your questions about jailbreak and help you consider whether jailbreaking is for you. If you have already made up your mind, you can start looking at this post (Mac / Windows) about how you can use PwnageTool or Redsn0w to jailbreak iPhone.
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Hello Simon!!!
Wow your resume for the iPhone was really
Cool!!!
So many true things!!!
I really like it!!!
Please update me, if You have new information!
Really cool!
Thank You
Vinnie Venkov
If you like the above advice, I have an even better one: Get a real phone!
Thanks Simon,
This is really great help for non-it persons like me. currently i have 2.1 firmware on my iphone and I look for IM application which can realy help me logon to different IMs and have a good browser for internet access.
Hope u can help me.
Regards,
iMuk
hey,you made everything easy for us .But i have a problem i jailbroked the phone but its not working with tmobile. ihave a 8gb iphone.do you know what should i do.
hey call me if u need help getting tmobile to work .i have it its awesome.my number is 706-218-6995
>emilio
check out Simon’s guides “Complete Guide- Jailbreak & Unlock iPhone for firmware 2.1 using Pwnage Tool” for windows or mac (depending on your OS) These will set you right to an unlocked iphone (so you can use your tmobile sim)…
Rob
I just seen thhis, cool. Any other apps that are a must have? Like copy and paste or flash?
Spaz, no flash support even for jailbreak iPhone. For copy & paste, there are some jailbreak applications like iCopy to emulate copy & paste. But from my experience, this kind of copy & paste application is not very well implemented. I think we still need to wait for Apple to provide this feature in future firmware release.
For me, I like Cycorder and WinterBoard. These two are my must-have list.
Thanks for this.
I just bought an iPhone 3g and was told (by the salesman) that if you jailbreak the iPhone 3g it leaves a “jailbreak fingerprint” on the phone even if you revirginize it and because of this apple will no longer offer support for my iPhone because the warranty has been voided. Is this true? Is there any true way to revirginize after jailbreaking the iPhone 3g?
EisaiahM , good question. I thought once you do a full restore everything is fine….If true, I guess then it’s only a good idea to jailbreak your iPhone AFTER your warranty expires then?
I plan on getting the iPhone a few days from now since the Touch HD is no longer coming to the US any time soon
, and I have a few questions.
1. Will I still be able to use the Apple app store if I jailbreak my phone.
2. Is there a better music player for jailbroken iPhones. One that plays Ogg and Flac.
3. Is there a better video player? One that plays Divx, MKZ, RMVB, or any other formats that are not Apple approved?
4. Is there an jailbreak App store out there? Is that what Cyndia is?
And is Cyndia automatically installed?
5. How dangerous is jailbreaking the iPhone. What are the chances of something happening that bricks your iPhone. It is possible to restore things to factory settings right if you don’t brick your iPhone, but it still messed it up? Also is it possible to restore if you no longer want a jailbroken phone? I also remember that the first time around there was a website you visited that made it really easy to jailbreak when you went to it in Safari. Does that way still exist?
Thanks in advance for your help.
why would you want to use apple store because once phone is jailbroken you can dowload all apps for free .if u need help fill free to call me my number for anyone that needs help is 706-218-6995 or send me an email to pickardrobert@yahoo.com
Well as I’m planning to buy an Iphone for T-mobile soon, I do not know where else to get apps…
Many apps say they are at the app store which I would prolly only trust to get from there… like the Warcraft Armory app.. last thing I need is to get a copy elsewhere to only have my warcraft account jacked and then screwed over.
I’m still learning about the app store, and the iphone… but maybe it’s easier then I’m expecting when it comes to getting free apps and also getting safe/trusted apps that have been cracked/hacked/copied/etc…
Okay, I now know what Cydia and Installer are, so 4 doesn’t need to be answered. And by MKZ, I meant MKV of course
.
Here is a link to what you can download and install via Cydia: http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/iphone-modifications/cydia-apps-list-32728.html
Thanks Me. Been looking all over for something like that.
Dicey,
I have the same 5 questions you asked. I’ll keep checking back until I see whats up.
I have the same concern in that I don’t know enough to jailbreak my phone then worry about getting any apple support if anything ever happens to the phone. Or if there is a firmware upgrade to brick my phone. I’m not sure if it’s worth the worry.
you can always reset phone back to factory settings if anything goes wrong with phone once its jailbroken.so do be afraid to try this.if anyone needs help on installing this fill free to call me or send email.
Dicey, thanks for your comment. Back to your questions about jailbreak,
1. Yes, you still can access App Store.
2. There are other players available on jailbreak iPhone. But I still consider the built-in one is the best.
3. MPlayer is available on jailbreak iPhone that supports mpeg4, h.264, wmv, wma, real media and t-dmb format. However, like other players, you have to transfer the media file to iPhone via SSH. Don’t expect you can sync it in iTunes.
4. I think you already got the answer. That’s Cydia. Also Installer is the 2nd choice.
5. You can use QuickPwn to jailbreak the iPhone. That’s by far the easiest way to jailbreak iPhone. Will it brick your iPhone? No. Seldom to hear about the case. But as always, you have to bare certain risk when jailbreak. And if you’re just talk about jailbreak (not unlock), you can restore to factory setting by doing a full restore in iTunes.
Hope my answer can help you make a better decision to jailbreak your iPhone.
Thanks Simon NG. The app store question was pretty important. Didn’t want to lose it (not that I have my iPhone yet (in 2 days >_<)). I guess jailbreaking gives you the best of both worlds
. I will definitely jailbreak, since the next iPhone update seems pretty boring (no need for streetview). Thanks again.
Hi simon,
thx for the great article
but u didnt answer eisaiahM
ive heared it tootht it voids the warranty, but u can still restore it
thts my concern too
tht whether or not it is gonna leave a finger prnt of jail breaking after the restore or not
thanx
Thanks a million for the help. The one big reason I’d like to jailbreak is for the “themes”, I think we’re all tired of the standard iPhone theme.
can u help?
I recently bought an iphone off of e-bay and was told all i have to do is put my old sim card in it, and then itll work. well turns out it will work but i have to update my plan with the data plan! I am a ful-time college student and i have acess to free wifi all the time..so im thinking i dont need this data plan! what can i do to get around it? i have a BRAND NEW 2g 8gb.
Can I jailbreak to the latest 2.2Firmware from firmware 1.0.2?? Im very on edege about doing this as I have an AT&T iPhone here in canada on the rogers network…
RAv, I think no problem. But you’re hesitate to go directly to firmware 2.2. You may refer to the jailbreak guide for firmware 2.1 first. It’s proved to work.
Hi Simon,
I have an unlocked iPhone with 1.4 software and using a foreign carrier (not AT&T) and I’m looking for a Windows tutorial to unlock and jailbreak my 2G phone. Do you have one?
Thanks a lot for all the info.
Rick, you can find the jailbreak and unlock guide for Windows here.
Hi Simon,
Thanks! So I just need to use the same files and just replace the 2.1 firmware with the 2.2 one, right? If so, where can i download it from?
Rick, are you using Mac? If you’re Mac user, you can refer to this updated post for iPhone 2.2 jailbreak.
I’m still developing the jailbreak guide for Windows user. But if you can’t wait, you may refer to my previous guide for jailbreak 2.1. The procedures are very similar.
To download firmware files, you can refer to iPhone Firmware Download post.
Simon 1.0.2 to 2.1 went extremely smooth following your 2.1 guide (Nothing to it) took about 20 mins, thanks again for your help…
i don’t know much about my phone or about changing things on it. I just got and i’m not real savy with it. So my ? is will jailbreaking my phone void the warrenty, and do i have to worry about hurting or messing up my phone? Please just give me a little advice about if i should mess with this jailbreak thing
Thanks keith
hi simon, very informative blog that has answered all but a couple of my concerns. I hope u can answer for me. I have a 3g w/ 2.2 fw. Im looking to jailbreak only. Now after doing so can itunes still be fully used? Do i need to set itunes to where it no longer checks for software version updates? And do I no longer allow itunes to do firmware updates? And can i still utilize the automatically sync itunes with iphone option? My main concern was itunes checking for updates and applying future software updates after i did the jailbreak. Would this hurt my phone or undo the jailbreak?
It is also my understanding that the appstore apps can still be downloaded and used alongside the jailbreak apps. Is this correct?
Thx in advance for ur help.
Jim, after jailbreak, it’s better you turn off automatic update of iTunes. This will ensure your iPhone will not be upgraded accidentally. No worry. Everything should be there after jailbreak. You can sync with iTunes, download application from AppStore, etc. But if you’re Windows user, please have a look at this post before you head off to jailbreaking.
Thanks simon. Yes i am a windows user and i dont care about having the phone unlocked at any point. So what would happen to my phone if it were to get updated via itunes after the jailbreak? It would update firmware and go back to original pre-jailbroke status?
Thank u so much for ur feedback.
Its great to jailbreak your iphone. once its done you wont look bake it opens up so much for you. have fun with your free iphone….
hai…simon i already using quickpwn jairbreak my iphone 3g.but now there is no signal or no service ………..can u help me……… btw i have my i phone is ver 2.0.1
please answer the question about jailbreak fingerprint because I want to be able to restore and be treated like a normal apple customer.
Hi Simon, after jailbreak, besides turn off automatic update of iTunes, do ineed to turn off sync for Applications? Will iTunes remove my old apps downloaded from Apple store, or will it remove jailbreak apps?
Shotgun123, you can keep sync for application turned on. This shouldn’t affect your jailbroken iPhone. And you can sync your contacts/sms/applications as usual.
thanks Simon. I’ve done sync with iTunes, and everything works fine. btw, i’m using iphone 3G with 2.2 firmware.
Little help please…i just purchased an iphone 3G and updated to the 2.2 firmware via itunes. I want to jailbreak my phone but when I use quikpwn after it has me put the phone into “dfu” and goes to write the new ispw on the phone it freezes and I have to do a hard restart. I’m running a macbook I’ve heard there has been some trouble with the “late” 2008 macbooks but I purchased my macbook back in dec. of ‘07…is there something I’m doing wrong?????
Cereal531, did you check out the complete guide for jailbreaking iPhone 3G? You can find the guide here.
hi simon,maybe i know what is 3rd-party application
Wayne, Winterboard and Cycorder are examples of 3rd party applications that you can’t find in iPhone’s App Store. As mentioned in the post, due to various reason, Apple does not allow developer to create some kinds of applications and put them on App Store. Cycorder is one of them.
That’s why some iPhone users consider to jailbreak the iPhone to benefit from 3rd party applications (download from Cydia).
Simon,will jailbreaking cause any harm to iphone?
Wayne, there is a certain risk (very low risk, i’ll say) to jailbreak iPhone. Jailbreak tool like QuickPwn is very easy to use. They won’t harm the iPhone in most of the cases. You can use it as normal iPhone, added with the capability to install 3rd application from Cydia.
Thanks for the info. I fixed the problem I read ok another board that people running mac os 10.5.6 to run there iPhone through a usn hub when jailbreaking because of some weird thing with the is. So I did it and viola I have have a jail broken iPhone
Hello,
I have few questions.
1. I have a jailbroken 2G 1.1.4 iphone. Could you please walk through the steps for me to upgrade to firmware 2.2. Do I use go through it using itunes? Use check for update? Or resore it?
2. You said a jailbroken phone can use apps from the Apple store, but I can’t seem to be able to? I only have Installer in my phone. After I upgrade to 2.2 and jailbreak, can I use apps from Apple store?
Thank you very much.
Hello,
Never mind my questions. I just jailbreak and unlock my phone using your guide. I upgraded from 1.1.4 to 2.2. It worked great and very easy and straight forward. Thanks a million !!!
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone can help. I was trying to customize my iphone 2g then changed my mind when I couldn’t download the installer. I restored my iphone with no problem. Last night I updated the new version 2.2 and my iphone is on the fritz. My outlook contacts do not sync and the info in the notepad cannot be recovered.
Can anyone help???
Thanks
Oops my apologies last night’s update was 2.2.1, I had 2.2
hello Simon, sorry for my stupid question, but i’m blink new about iphone and would like to ask for few things.
i just bought this factory Unlocked 3G iphone last week and when i first bought it, i guess it already had cydia thing loaded on the phone with cycorder thing already was equipped and worked. but other day, i did the 2.2.1 update from itune and many of applications has gone, and end up coming to this site to ask for help.
my question is, would it be ok for me to jailbreak this 2.2.1 updated phone now, and will it be working fine? i’m kind of confused ,since knowing this newest update caused problems and erased most of programs that worked fine in first place.and i saw some articles saying update was targeting for eliminating QuickPwn.
If I jailbreak, will all of my existing apps and itunes music be erased? If so, will I be able to re-install all of the apps that I’ve purchased in the past?
@Ken,
Before jailbreak, you have to sync all your applications to iTunes for backup. Once you have done that, you can restore the iPhone application that you have downloaded or purchased from App Store back to the iPhone.
well..i finally got my phone jailbroken.. at first, was lil scary , cuz it was new phone and didnt wanted to get blocked or stoned..like some of acticles i saw…but after many helpful reviews…i did it and now i got cydia back again…but DanGGG, down loading through using Edge is pretty slow….can i also google it and download some straight from the web to PC??
thanks for the tip on backing up apps, I am doing that right now. Regarding the post just above this one, they have me a bit freaked about their Edge comment, does the jailbreak process disable 3G or something? I wouldnt think so but want to make sure I have all the facts before I proceed. I like the phone the way it is now, just thinking about jailbreaking for some of the great hacked apps I cant run
Thanks a lot for the explanation. It’s very useful ^_^
update: the process ran through successfully, but the phone wouldnt boot past the apple logo. I tried to reset numerous times without success, ended up restoring the phone and it works fine now, but I may try jailbreaking again this weekend.
oh…if my Edge comment may have caused wrong impression to others, then i would like to Clarify that, where i live its a small island, where my carrier only provide Edge services and not Wifi, Edge is all i got at the moment that’s why i said it on above about slow speed. but i’m sure others could use wifi fine and no problem. by theway, edge speed got faster late at night and ive down loaded many things through edge last night without any problem.
just to make sure, i didnt have any problem jailbreaking my phone in first trial.
my iphone is factory unlocked sim free, Base Band 2.30.03 which i accidently upgrade 2.2.1 from itune and most of program disappear from the phone. it was the reason i tried jailbreaking it on my own. now i succeed. clearly note that, did not try for unlocking & jailbreaking. i only did simple jailbreaking on new base band 2.30.03 . thanks everyone. now i have got whole new things to learn from Cydia..hehee
Thanks for the post and for answering questions. I’ve had my iPhone 3g for 3-4 months and I love it. But I’ve been thinking of jailbreaking the phone to take advantage of the extra things available after the jailbreak process. Does the phone lose anything as a result of the jailbreak? And can I go back to what I had pre-jailbreak if I want to? Thanks!!!!
Mike, I was exactly like you. I was very nervous and as stated above, the process didn’t work the first time I tried. I think it may have been because I had way too many apps installed. After I backed up my apps in itunes and did a restore before I ran the jailbreak process the second time, it took under 5 minutes and the phone fired right up. After taking this past weekend and goofing around with all the new things I can do, I am extremely happy with my decision to do this and for me it was definitely something I am glad that I did. I didn’t lose anything, but gained a ton of new features!
Hey Simon, great write up… However I have one questions: If i were to jailbreak (not unlock but just jailbreak) does that void my warranty through apple? What are the ramifications of them finding out (if I have to get my phone serviced or anything like that) and because I have a jailbroken phone, can they basically take it away?
Thanks.
@Bryant, if you’re just talk about jailbreak, it may void your warranty. But the great thing about jailbreak is you can always fallback to the factory settings. So, when you need to bring iPhone to repair, use iTunes and restore it to back to the original firmware. The guy at service centre won’t know you’ve jailbroken before.
Hello,
First thing, I want to thank you for sharing your wisdom on jailbreaking; furthermorer, I have the same question as ‘Bryant’ from the post above. I know this has been asked several times; howeve,r having read through all of the postings I have found it’s one of the few questions that you have yet to respond. As well, i”m sure Bryant wants to know as well being that he has asked a half dozen times, LOL!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the subject as I am quite ignorant on the whole Jailbraking topic.
Thanks’ again,
Hutch
Hello:
I have tried several times to do jailbreak – but it’s not working. I continually get just the boot logo – I can’t get past that. Any ideas. I am following all the steps, please help! Thanks.
Hello I had a question, does anyone know of a way to stop recieving wireless updates. I have the original 2G and 3G iPhones and have not Jailbroken or unlocked them but both my iPhones crash all the time after I recieve updates. So I was just wondering how stable might the unlocked or Jailbroken iPhones run because I am having complications just maintaining the original firmware and all. I have not seen anyone talk about repetitive crashes on this site…
I use Jailbreak for these Apps:
- Notifier/Reminder (Displays Text/IM/Missed Call/Email statuses next to battery)
- 5 App Dock
- Backgrounder (I use this solely for Palringo IM)
- sbsSettings (A wiget bar with quick on/off settings for Wifi/Location/Airplanemode/3G/Edge also has options menu to hide unwanted apps like ‘Stocks’)
If Apple implements these then I have no reason for a Jailbroken phone, here’s hoping for 3.0!
This is a very useful post.. i always wondered what is the difference between unlock and jailbreak… you have explained it very nicely.. thanks..
hi, im going to buy an iphone and i heard we need to use itunes to sync our file to our iphone right? do we need to do dat if after we jailbreak it? or we still need to use itunes to sync files?
if I jailbreak my iphone then restore it (i.e. to upgrade to vers. 3.0) what will happen to non apple-store things put on iphone (i.e. an app installed from cydia or other files stored via ssh)?
will I loose them? will the remain in iphone memory (wasting space)?
@Josef, if you restore the iPhone using iTunes, you’ll lose all cydia applications.
I tried to download the quick pwn but can’t do it…don’t know what the problem is…trying to jailbreak my phone but can’t…please help…asap…
@May, please follow this updated jailbreak guide to upgrade & jailbreak firmware 2.2.
Simon, is there a good walkthrough/guide to take make a 3g work with “t-mobile?”
@Jared, you can check out this jailbreak guide for iPhone 3G.
That’s true. For UNIX/SSH addicts out there, iPhone can be used as secondary storage, just like thumbdrive or removable disks. Doesn’t matter what platform you are using, just make sure you can access iPhone securely and wirelessly.
this article is really awesome, as well as your blog!
Thanks, Aaron! Glad you like this blog.
I just tried to jail break my iphone 3G but when i get to the browse part on QuickPWN I cant find the firmware bundle..help? pleease
@Monique, I suggest you to use this updated jailbreak guide and upgrade it to iPhone OS 3.0.
okay i am about to buy an iphone and my parents say that i cant jailbreak my phone if it voids my warranty so what is the deal
thanks
@diablo, that’s correct. Jailbreak will void the warranty, as mentioned by Apple. So, if you want to keep the warranty, think before you jailbreak the iphone.
So….. I really do want to jailbreak my iphone 3g , but that finger print thing just makes me say no!! Does or has any one had any proplems with thiers, like after the jailbreak? Are there any risk in doing this ? Is there more than one jailbreak out there ?
Hi, I don’t know if this has been asked already, but what is the difference between jailbreaking and unlocking an iPhone? Also, are there any significant side effects to jailbreaking? I have a 8GB 3G iPhone, if that helps.
@Sam, actually it’s explained in the article…
“In brief, jailbreak your iphone means you are allowed to install 3rd party applications on iPhone. This applies to all version of firmwares. And, for unlocking iPhone, it refers to the process to open up your iPhone to accept all carriers. Unlocked iPhone allows you to use SIM card from all carriers. You are no longer bind to the official carrier (e.g. AT&T) approved by Apple.”
I currently have the iphone 3g 16gb and i THOUGHT i had been using JUST wifi (because i had gone to settings, network and disabled the 3g) however, i just got my monthly bill and had a $60 internet charge.
what can i do to still use internet without getting charged?
also, if i unlock my phone, will at&t know i have the iphone?
@Jocelyn, by turning off 3G, it doesn’t mean you’re using Wifi to connect the Internet. You may actually be connected via EDGE or GRPS, which are with lower-speed but will also be charged by your carrier.
To ensure you’re connecting to internet using Wfi, remember to check the status bar. When connecting to Wifi, your iPhone should show a Wifi icon. If you see an “E” icon or “O” icon, that means you’re connecting via EDGE or GPRS.
The thing is, i always had that wifi icon because i only used the internet in my house or places where i knew i had wifi. I think at&t is just bs’ing me because i dont have a date plan.
If i get my phone jailbroken or unlocked (or both) will i be able to use internet and not get charged? also, will at&t see that i have the iphone?
Hi Simon!
does using cydia cause viruses to enter the iphone?? and i have some problems with my iphone 2g 8gb …. sometimes when i lock it and and then press the home button to unlock the iphone the screen remains blank…. then i have to connect the phone to a charger or with a headphone then the light comes on…. and is there anyway to connect speakers straightaway to the iphone not using he charging dock??
Thanks
@Tayyab, it’s possible but normally not. As long as you’re using those repositories in cydia, it’s quite safe to download the free apps.
I’m not quite sure about your problem. But did you try to press Power/Sleep button to wake up your iPhone? Also did you try to reboot your iPhone? Sometimes, a normal reboot can resolve most problems.
And another one and dat is dat sometimes when im using the iphone the screen goes pink or does funny things and i can see nothing… then it takes some time for it to get back to normal
Hi, I’m in the UK an have an IPhone 3G. On screen reads no service! Is there any way of changing this?????????
@MarkS, I guess you’re using a locked iPhone. That means it is locked to a specific carrier. You may check out this guide to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone.
hello, i want to jailbreak my phone so i can get themes onto my iphone and change the way the home screen looks i havent done anything to my iphone yet, and havent downloaded anything yet please can you talk me through the procedures of doing this, im still at first base, haha!
thanks.
@kendal, go and check the jailbreak guide for iPhone 3.0. After jailbreak, you can install Winterboard via Cydia and change the look & feel of home screen.
Hey Simon can u please solve my problem listed above thank u!
@Tayyab, please check my answer above.
Yes i did all of those steps… wen it goes blank or somthing weird happens to it then i kind of squeez it and then it becomes fine
I just got a new 3gs from at&t I would like to jailbreak it but why unlock in now. I will still have to pay At&t for the contract right. Or pay the whole cost of the phone or is there a way around this. And will i still be able to use the app store and up grade if i jailbreak and unlock.
@Stephen,
Then you do not need to unlock the iPhone if you need to stick with AT&T. The unlock process is target for those who want to use unofficial carrier. However, you can still perform jailbreak but skip the unlock process.
In your guide you don’t say check icy. Do I not need or want it for some reason. Also where do i get installer from and can i do this on vista.
I want to jailbreak my phone, but when i run redsnow, i cant find the ipsw file. i have read your manual and many others and still, the file never shows up.
@Jocelyn, are you following this jailbreak guide? The guide contains the ipsw download link and please put the ipsw file in correct location, so that redsn0w can recognize.
oh, i should mention i have the iphone 3g currently running 3.o software
In your guide you don’t say check icy. Do I not need or want it for some reason. Also where do i get installer from and can i do this on vista.
@Stephen, installer is no longer available on iPhone 3.0. You can use Cydia to download third-party applications. If you want to use Icy, you can also install it to download free iPhone apps.
I’m thinking about getting an Iphone (for use on T-Mobile) but just have a couple questions..
1. Once it’s jailbroken/unlocked can i still use itunes with it for managing/adding music and videos?
2. Am I able to use the app store?
Thanks.
@Izzy, no problem. You can use all the iPhone applications and download apps from App Store even after jailbreak.
Thanks for the quick response and answer.
Your website is such a great resource, keep up the awesome work!
If I jailbreak my iphone 3g and then I break it later on
( I,m a farmer ) and I can not restore it. Will I be able to turn it in. I have it
insured at Best Buy.
Thanks
if i jailbreak my iphone 3gs will it mess up anything on it
and can i restore it after
@Damian, you can always revert back to the factory setting by restoring via iTunes. Though many ppl can successfully jailbreak the iPhone, there is no 100% guarantee that jailbreak is error-free. So, think carefully before you go for jailbreak.
ok thanx
As a long time user of a jailbroken 3G iphone, I was very happy and completely reliant on jailbroken features. After the version 3 came out, I successfully jailbroke my phone again BUT there were some big time differences. The most obvious was that battery time just simply sucked, and nearly all aps were laggy and would take 4-5 seconds to quit after hitting the home button. Just a word of advice from a long time user to those of you who are new and thinking about jailbreaking, I personally am going to wait a few more months until all things become stable with 3.0 before I jailbreak again. This morning I restored my phone and it’s working perfectly, the way it used to when it was jailbroken pre version 3
Can I jailbreak strait from my iPhone or do I have to hook it up the computer?
@Doug, you need to connect your iPhone to computer and use redsn0w for jailbreak.
Hi, im using a 3gs iphone and i was wondering if there is anyway i can enable the wap (wireless application protcol) on my phone to use ther wap internet. seconed it there a way to use my ipod songs as ringtones??
thank u
thanx this site was a big help
i think i bricked my phone trying to update to 3.0. what do i do know. i cant even restore
if anyone can help please e-mail at grandmaint@yahoo.com
hey i would like to ask if this jailbreak would affect my iphone 3gs? has anyone tried jailbreaking the 3gs and were there any problems so far?
it will render your phone unuseable
Hi Simon,
Im using iphone 3G for almost a year now. I haven’t tried to jailbreak it yet. I heard that once you did, you cant access the appstore from iphone, but can still purchase if you are hooked up to itunes. Is this true?
@Missy Nanie,
No problem. You can download free application and purchase paid applications via Appstore, even after jailbreak.
its illegal to do this
So is speeding, what’s yer point? Would you really refuse money on a legitimate app store purchase all because the phone has been jail broken? Solid business sense you’ve got going there.
It is my phone, it is my right to do what ever I want with it. I did not buy a license to use the phone, I bought the phone outright. I have absolutely no obligation to cow-tow to inane and vapid corporate “rules”. Regardless, what the fuck are you going to do about it, pal?
Hi Simon,
im using a 3gs iphone and i was wondering if there is anyway i can enable the wap (wireless application protcol) on my phone to use ther wap internet. seconed it there a way to use my ipod songs as ringtones??
thank u
I am interested in getting an iphone but my phone provider doesn’t carry them. Does the unlock make it possible to use with any phone provider??
@Erin, you’re right. That’s the purpose for unlocking iPhone.
you will not be able to use the iphone if it is unlocked with this program. it is illegal to do what he is promoting and will render your phone unuseable
Hi Simon,
(If u dont know plz tell me i dont know, so i can find another reference.Dont keep me waiting for nothing.)
I’ m using a jailbreaked 3gs iphone and i was wondering if there is anyway i can enable the WAP (wireless application protcol) on my phone to use ther wap internet.
Seconed is there a way to use my ipod songs as ringtones??
Thank u
@Lilo, Please understand I may not be able to respond to every comment. From what I know, iPhone does not support WAP and there is no WAP browser for iPhone. With Safari and 3G, Apple thinks there is no point to support WAP. You can access the full version of website just like you’re accessing on computer.
For creating your own ringtone, you can check out these two articles:
Create & Transfer ringtone to iPhone with iRinger
Free solution to Create & Transfer ringtones to iPhone on Mac
Thank You
So do we get all free apps if we jailbreak the iPhone 3gS
WILL I BE ABLE TO RECEIVE AND SEND PICTURES USING THE TEXT FEATURE IF I JAILBEAK MY IPHONE 3G?
it is illegal to do this jailbreaking on the iphone. it can and will make the iphone non useable at some point
LOL at you ^^^^^^^
Question…Trying to figure out if I Unlock an Att phone…will I still have to pay that $30 data pkg fee every month that att requires u have if you have an iphone?
Thanks
nice blog for novices
If I jailbreak my Iphone
Is there an application and cat 5 cable that would allow me to connect my Iphone to an ethernet port on a ethernet switch.
I’m a tech and would like to check out my customers network with my Iphone instead of a laptop.
thanks a million buddy
It’s my impression that the people making the aps are hoping to make money in return for their efforts. But I suppose it’s OK if some continue to pay for the aps and support the ones who want to rip them off. After all, there are so many people doing it, stealing is OK. But if you do steal, don’t hide behind the internet. Tell people in your social circles, your boss, your family, that you are a thief. Come out of the closet.
Phil, what exactly do you think people are steeling? I’ve been jailbroken for years and have never stolen anything from a developer or otherwise. I think you are very misinformed.
Very sorry, about the misunderstanding. I thought the jailbreak allowed you to get aps from the ap store without paying, and so I then assumed that meant that the ap developers were losing out on those sales. Is that not the way it works? Or is the jailbreak simply a way to install otherwise banned aps, which may or may not be paid for. Thanks.
jailbreak doesnt allow you to get free aps. It only allows you to go outside the boundries of Apple’s iphone OS and use the device to it’s maximum potential.
I just got my iphone 2g updated to 3.0 and jailbroken but its wifi and bluetooth has stopped working. Also its Gps is not giving the correct result in google maps… is there any way to fix this..?? Please help…
HELP! I have a jailbroken/unlocked iPhone 3G, and I have a serious problem. I downloaded the NES app from Cydia yesterday. The app wasn’t working, so I went into Cydia to remove the app, and now ALL of my original iPhone “apps” are gone – Phone, Calendar, Safari, Settings, iPod, App Store, Contacts, Weather, Camera, You Tube, Photos…EVERYTHING! I tried syncing the phone again, hoping this would work, but the original features did not come back. When you call my phone it still rings, and when you perform searches in Spotlight, all the emails, address contacts still come up. Can anyone tell me how to fix this??
@nxb807, I suggest you to restore your iPhone and jailbreak/unlock your iPhone again. But remember to restore to firmware 3.0 only. Presently, iPhone firmware 3.1 cannot be unlocked
Hi Simon,just wondering what I need to do to jailbrake from os 3.1??is there any way to do it or anyway to back to os 3.0?I’m use windows XP thanks Raf.
Just letting you know, once you jailbreak your phone and the phone does an auto update of programming through ITUNES or on its own, it will render your IPHONE non working permanately and will ruin your phone…why risk spending $700 to replace one?
data plans are REQUIRED with all IPHONEs no matter what..APPLE ruled that..not US
For AT&T Representative:- I have the Iphone 3GS 16 gig and I have to leave the country permanently. Will AT&T give me unlock codes if i give them proof of leaving the country and i pay the contract breakage fee?
Apple will not allow unlock codes for the Iphone
Why should I jailbrack my I phone and is it safe to do it without harming the phone I have the new iPhone 3gs 16 gb
It will render your phone non-working at some point when the updates for new features are applied. Why risk having to replace a $700 phone? This program voids any and ALL warranties, then you will call AT&T and blame us for your mistake and expect us to replace or fix the issue.
Hi, I picked up a jailbroken 3GS in Riyadh. Its working fine, but iTunes tells me that the phone cannot be connected because there is a problem with the provider. While I figured there would be that problem, I would like to sync my Exchange data via iTunes to the iPhone.
Is there a trick to get iTunes to work with the device, or do I need to pick up some other software to sync?
Thank you!
Hi,
Uhmm I have 3.1.2 8gb iPhone, and I just wanna ask if it’s still supported by quickpwn to jailbreak my phone,.
@jonathan, you need to use blackra1n to jailbreak iPhone running OS 3.1.2. Check out the guide here (2G / 3G).
customize your iphone further with free ringtones and wallpaper from http://www.iphoneringtones.ca
I want to jailbreak my phone but NOT unlock. I am afraid to unlock and I dont need to use any other carrier (for now) but my AT&T. i am so confused as to what steps i need to follow to do the JB.
My phone is a 3GS
My modem firmware on the phone is 5.11.07.
my Iphone Firmware is 3.1.2
I have the latest version of ITunes
Please direct me to the steps needed to JB my phone. I am technical savvy but for some reason every time i google on JB there are so many different ways to do this.
Can I JB WITHOUT doing an unlock?
I can do all of those things (with the exception of changing the skin and installing a new browser i dont need) without jailbreaking it.
iPhone 3Gs – you can record video, use it as a modem, connect remotely and save files to it.
Give me 5 reasons I can’t already do.
hey, one question, my dad said not to jailbreak my phone…i dont want him to know i do (if i ever do) so if i jail break my 3gs does it make your service (att) free? if you still have to pay fir it then im jail breaking
Hi everyone
I have one unlocked and jailbroken iPhone… can I join the apple developer program with it?
AT&T Representative: The phone will not be rendered useless. You can restore to factory settings via iTunes. Stop spreading lies. No wonder ppl want to unlock iPhones with ppl like you around.
Although, blackra1n does not work a 100% on all carriers. When jailbreaking the new software certain features on the 3Gs stop working. MMS, GPS, wifi and some other minor functions will stop working. As there are workarounds to this through Cydia some features will still not work with the new iPhone firmware jailbreaked. If you got a new iPhone i recommend you not to jailbreak untill blackra1n release a proper working unlock or another jailbreak software turn up. However. If you can live without some minor features i recommend unlocking the device if not only fot the themes part. Never figured out why iPhone dont have theme support.
When i jailbroke my iPhone 3Gs this stopped working:
MMS
GPS
wifi worked untill i gott MMS to work so i couldnt use both.
The positioning device stopped working so gps and maps app couldnt find my location.
Good luck out there. Im currently running a non jailbroken Iphone 3Gs but are waiting for a proper jailbreak app to release. To much restrictinos on a non jailbroken device.
does your iphone slow down if u jailbreak it?
i am thinking about jailbreakng my iphone but i am still worried that it will slow down or not work as well
@elias
Your iphone will not be slowed down and will work fine.
For all 3GS users out there: with moral support from a guy I met at a training session who had done it before, I was able to successfully jailbreak my 3GS (sourced from AT&T in the US) without any issues whatsoever, using blackra1n. Just follow the instructions. Let iTunes update the phone to 3.12 and the most current baseband and you’ll be fine after running the blackra1n unlock.
You’ll have to run the fix for Wifi, MMS + Youtube from Cydia (a matter of seconds), and if your phone does a reset (for example after installing SW from ROCK), you’ll have to reset your networking setup to get Wifi to work again, but it’s not really an issue.
My Dad gave me his old 3G iphone when he upgraded to the 3GS. He lives in the USA. I live in Australia. He used his phone in the US with AT&T. He never JB or unlocked his iphone. In order for me to use it here in Australia, it has to be unlocked. I’ve already updated to 3.1.2 and the modem firmware is 05.11.07. Everything I’ve read so far says that I can JB, but I can’t unlock if I’ve already updated the firmware to 05.11.07. I tried calling Optus here to see if they could unlock the phone, and they referred me on to AT&T, and we all know what AT&T will say. I tried calling an apple store, they were the ones who referred me to Optus. I looked online on how to unlock and every single site that said they could do it turned out to be a scam. Even the scam finding sites were scams! i.e. http://scamadvisorygroup.com/unlock-iphone-scam/
This site is a big scam. I emailed them and never heard back from them. They rate the following site as the best #1 jailbreak software site:
http://www.unlock-iphone-easy.com
I emailed these people and I never heard back from them. So much for their quick email response.
So I’d like to know is it possible for me to UNLOCK my 3G iPhone? Will the unlock make the iPhone run slower? I’ve read that JB will not make it run slower, but that unlocking will. Will I be able to update my iPhone when iTunes tells me to? Can I still sync through iTunes? I’d like to have Wifi working. Should I just use this iPhone as an iTouch and wait until I can afford to buy an unlocked iPhone here in Australia?
Btw. Scam sites sell free jailbreak software. Never pay to jailbreak your iPhone.
@Batia Beth Aronson Slater
Go http://blackra1n.com/ and download the jailbreak app. Run the app with your iPhone in USB connection. After jailbreaking there should be a new app on your iPhone called blackra1n, run it and choose to install cydia and sn0w (sn0w unlocks you iphone). After installation is done go to settings/general/reset and choose reset network, this should make your wifi run again if it doesnt work after jailbreak.
I did this with brand new iPhone and everything worked after jailbreak. I had some trouble the first times as written some comments above. But when i tried again a few days ago everything worked without installing fixes.
You can sync fine with iTunes and your iPhone will not be slow. If you have problem with connection turn off 3G, that take cares of it.
Good luck.
Read more at http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=5886
can you tell me if you are having any issues with black rain in os3? My iphone was jailbroken and worked flawlessly until os3 came out, after that my jailbroken phone had 2 huge issues. First, the status bar would simply disappear and reappear randomly, regardless of what theme or theme tweak I tried (or even NO tweaks!), and secondly every time I exited an app it would take 3-4 seconds to return to the springboard. I can’t believe I’m the only person with this issue. Have these issues been resolved in newer versions?
I have had no problem what so ever with the new OS. I’d suggest you do a full restore/update from iTunes and the re Jailbreak your iPhone. Older jailbreak programs dont support the new 3.0 OS.
Good luck.
Hi, I got new iphone 3gs 32gb for my Christmas software 3.1.2 as I am on vodafone I had to run the blackrain software etc and now everytime my battery runs out or phone goes to no signal for a period of time I have tolet it rain again. I was wondering that as vodafone now do the iphone does that mean I dont have to blackrain anymore if so what do I do? Thanks
Hi.
This is not a software bug in the blackra1n. This is due to apples newest “bootlaoder” within the iPhone. Jailbreaking iPhones with the newest out of the box software will result in that you have to run blackra1n everytime you iPhone reboots. We will just have to wait for a new jailbreak app that can get around this problem and “hack” the boot of our iPhones.
And if you do not plan to use your iPhone with any other operator maybe you should think twice before jailbreaking. Although jailbreak has severak advantages. But as i said, due to new newest firmware in iPhone you will have to “rain” it everytime it dies.
Hi thanks for that can you unlock without jailbreaking then untill a fix comes out I A
on Vodafone I find I have to let it rain everyday and it can be a bit of a nightmare when you need your phone and it is in restore mode
thanks
There is no other way to unlock your phone with the newest updates and “bootloaders”. Unless ofc your operators bind time has run out then you can ask them.
Good luck
I bought the phone factory sealed so its not in a contract and I am wanting to use it on vodafone so thought there might have been a way round it I thought it would of worked on vodafone to begin with but I had to use an o2 sim card to activate the phone through itunes.
That’s true. You have to activate the phone. If you do not buy the phone at a phoneseller with contract you have to unlock the phone with another card that should follow. Then it should be no problem using any operator. If you bought it contract free and you cant use vodafone i would speak to someone at where you bought it. With no contract the phone should not be locked to any operator.
Thanks for all your help sorry but what do you mean by unlock the phone with another card do I get that done somewhere?
Sorry, my mistake. I meant activate ofc. But what i could understand you have already done that.
What is ofc? Does that mean I would be able to turn off and on etc?
ofc = ofcourse.
Like written before, there is no way to jailbreak iPhone with the newest firmware without having to “ra1n” it every time you reboot your device.
Do you think a fix will be coming out anytime soon? Spoke to o2 today and they said will cost £15 to unlock but I cant get it done as you need the payg sim card that matches the imei number on there system but I didnt get it with a sim card just the phone so I am snookered!!!
I dont know when an update will come, sorry.
If you didnt get a simcard to activate you phone i would seriusly go talk to the retailer where you got the phone. They should have shipped one with it. Or you could try contacting apple.
What is a 3rd party app exactly?
@Elias,
Here, the 3rd party app refers to those iPhone applications (including apps, hacks, tweak) available via Cydia.
Hi Simon
I like it was very useful now i have an iphone 1G
If I update it to version 3.0 via firware and after jailbreak it does it loose any data like contacts or musics?
please answer as fast as you can
thanks
@Lucas,
Before jailbreak, what you need to do is to sync your iPhone data (including contacts, sms, etc) with iTunes. Then you can sync back the data from iTunes to iPhone after jailbreak. If you make up your mind, you can check out this jailbreak guide for details.
Thanks for you post and it was very helpful for me to understand what it is.
But all reason you provided to me didn’t make me feel “I really want it”.
That’s probably because all 5 reasons don’t take me any better than how I use my iPhone.
I am sure lots of people love the features, but I guess nothing seems to be useful for me.
Will the iphone have any side effects by jailbreaking it?
Hi, it’s off topic but I hope u guys don’t mind it. I didn’t jailbreak my phone, yet. I Dow load music and mp4 from download manager lite on my iPhone 3gs but I can’t move it to iPod session. What do I have to do to do that?