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Complete Guide: Jailbreak & Unlock iPhone for firmware 2.1 using Pwnage Tool

By on October 7, 2008 in Posted In: iPhone, Unlock iPhone

In mid-Sep, I have reported iPhone Dev Team has released Pwnage Tool 2.1 that lets you jailbreak & unlock your 1st generation iPhone for firmware 2.1. Yes, the jailbreak procedures is similar to older version of Pwnage Tool that I have already covered. But I think it still deserves to write a complete guide, particularly for those readers who have already followed my guide to use Pwnage Tool to upgrade to firmware 2.0/2.0.1/2.0.2.

Okay, let’s get started.

Preparation for the upgrade

1. First, make sure you have upgraded to iTunes version 8.0 and backup your iPhone data by synchronizing it with iTunes

Tip:You can download older version of iTunes here if Apple already releases a newer version of iTunes at the time you’re reading this post.


2. Download all the files including Pwnage Tool 2.1, bootloader and iPhone firmware 2.1

Please use Firefox to download iPhone Firmware 2.1. Do not use Safari as by default it’ll unzip the IPSW file

3. Launch PwnageTool_2.1.dmg and copy “PwnageTool” to your desired folder. Also, extract bootloader to the same folder.

4. Place the iPhone firmware 2.1 file to “~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates”. If the folder does not exist, create it by yourself. However, in case the folder contains other firmware files, please delete them.

5. Finally, connect your iPhone to the dock/USB cable. Please keep connected for the whole process and close iTunes if it has been launched.

Running Pwnage Tool

6. Let’s get started the core part. Go to the folder you save PwnageTool. Click “PwnageTool” to launch it.

PwnageTool

7. Click “Expert” mode. You’re upgrading the 1st-gen iPhone. So, select “iPhone” and click the arrow to continue.

Pwnage - Select iPhone

8. Next, Pwnage tool searches for the iPhone 2.1 firmware file. It may take some time to locate the file. Once completed, select the firmware file and click the blue arrow to proceed.

9. Next, select “Bootneuter” and click the blue arrow. You will be go through several configuration screens. Keep all the default settings and proceed as shown.

Pwnage - Bootneuter Setting

Pwnage - Cydia Setting

Pwnage - Custom Logos Settings

10. After complete all the settings, you will go back to the main screen. Select “Build” and click the arrow to start building the custom firmware.

Pwnage - Build

11. Accept the default filename for the custom firmware. (Of course, you can choose a better name)

12. Next, Pwnage will start creating a custom firmware file that will be used later to recover the iPhone. During the process, you will be prompted to enter your password.

Pwnage - Building IPSW

13. When complete, Pwnage Tool will ask you whether your iPhone has been pwned before. Okay, take note here. If you haven’t pwned your iPhone before, please Answer “No” and go to step 14 to put your iPhone into DFU mode.

Pwnage - Pwned before

But if you have pwned it using Pwnage tool before (say, you have followed my previous guide to upgrade to firmware 2.0 using Pwnage Tool), please Answer “Yes” here. You’ll then be prompted to close Pwnage Tool. Close it and continue and put your iPhone in recovery mode.

To put your iPhone into recovery mode, first disconnect your iPhone from USB cable and power off your iPhone. Then hold the “Home” button and connect USB cable again. Keep holding the “Home” button until you see a dock cable pointing to the iTunes icon (or yellow triangle for older version of iPhone). Now you are in recovery mode. You can go to step 17 to continue with the procedures.

Put your iPhone in DFU mode

14. Now, the game starts. Pwnage shows you some instructions to follow. You should follow exactly the instructions to put your iPhone in DFU mode. Remember timing is important!

Pwnage - DFU #1

Pwnage - DFU #2

Pwnage - DFU #3

Pwnage - DFU #4

15. By following exactly the instruction, your iPhone can enter DFU mode. In case you fail, don’t panic! It won’t brick your iPhone. I did the procedures twice. To retry, you can just disconnect your iPhone from USB, turn on your iPhone and connect it again.

DFU mode success

DFU mode fail

16. Ok, your iPhone should appear as if it’s turned off. Don’t touch it. Quit Pwnage and go to the final procedures.

Install the Custom Firmware

What you have completed with Pwnage is you have created a custom firmware 2.1 for your iPhone. The remaining procedures are to use iTunes and install that custom firmware onto the iPhone.

17. Start iTunes and it automatically detects your iPhone is in recovery mode.

iTunes Recovery

18. Confirm “OK”. Hold down “Option” button and click “Restore”. You will be prompted to select the firmware file. Remember to select the custom firmware file.

19. Now, iTunes will start loading the firmware onto iPhone. Don’t touch anything, keep your iPhone connected. It may take several minutes to complete the process. Once complete, iTune will prompt you that it has recovered your iPhone to the default factory settings.

20. The iPhone will then start up automatically. For first time bootup, BootNeuter 2.1 will be launched to flash the baseband and unlock your iPhone. The process will take around 3-4 minutes to complete. Again, don’t touch your iPhone. Let it complete the process alone.

21. Okay, I believe everything is smooth. You should see your iPhone come back with firmware 2.1 (look at the version field)

22. Finally, you can sync back all your data using iTunes.

About Simon Ng

Founder, developer and chief blogger of simonblog.com
View all posts by Simon Ng →

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  • iclim4

    So is this only for MACS?
    do you have a windows alternative?

  • iclim4

    Oh also, this procedure will update a firmare 1.x to to 2.1 by just following the steps right?
    Sorry for all the questions, but I’m really new at this. Thanks.

  • iclim4

    Ummm yeah, hi again. =P
    Just making sure, but theres nothing wrong unlocking the Iphone on a Mac then using it on a windows based machine after the unlocking/jailbreaking right?
    Thanks again Simon.

  • BlackBird

    Hello Simon,
    Can you please post the similar thing for Windows?

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Blackbird & iclim4,

    I’ll put up the jailbreak guide for Windows (using QuickPwn) for firmware 2.1 later today/tomorrow. Do check out later.

  • trebla2008

    I did everything in the exact order, but ……. when ITunes was about to load the firmware on the iPhone I got an error message “an unknown error occured …..”, the screen of the iPhone was bright but nothing changed for at least 5 minutes. Knowing how dangerous the whole process is, I am stuck now ! Please help! My iPhone was previously running 1.1.4 and I unlocked it using Ziphone. Is that the problem? Any advice is highly appreciated !

  • trebla2008

    I ried again and this time it looked good, until ….. it prompted me, that I do not have a suported SIM card inserted. Well, sure! But now what? I tried to use the AT&T card, which came with the iPhone, but of course I did not want to register. Any ideas? Can I at least restore to 1.1.4 by any means?

  • Puru

    Great! Great!! Great!!! Thanks to all of you guys worded and attempted so much to give us this much thing and the entire process. It’s like 1,2,3 and DONE.

    Anybody familier to the word computer, will be able to follow your instructions. And the unlock is DONE.

    Thanks A Lot!

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Blackbird & iclim4,

    You may check the complete guide for QuickPwn (on Windows) here.

  • http://www.merrittlau.co.cc Merritt

    gosh .. my iphone stucked at boot logo with a loading logo on it .. it keeps virate a few seconds when connected to itunes .. what can i do?

  • http://www.merrittlau.co.cc Merritt

    Hey Simon!
    I got a new solution to share with you about the stucked at boot logo in iphone 2.1.

    1. If you had 5 icons dock installed in the previous FW, you should install it again before restores your previous data back into the ‘new iphone’.

    This solution works for me.. ^^
    Thanks for the guide anyways!

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Merritt, thanks for your great tips!

  • Duran

    Thanks nice work.

  • Alan

    Simon,
    Nice job… just upgraded, jailbroke and un-locked my 2G.. clean as possible. Keep up the good work. It is appreciated.
    Alan

  • Chris

    trying ti unlock 1st gen 8gb iPhone
    with firmware 2.1
    as soon as I start to use pwage tool I get
    incorrect firmware package message
    I’m using the latest a 1,1 ipsw file but no joy – ? any advice

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Chris, that’s strange. But make sure you have download the firmware 2.1 correctly. Some readers have experienced problem when downloading via Safari.

  • Ben

    Your tutorials for unlocking the iPhone are by far the best on the web! Great job on articulating the process so clearly!

  • zltemptationlz

    Hello Simon,

    I have an unlocked 1.1.2 iphone using T-mobile network, wondering if i can just use what you have provided to upgrade the firmware to 2.1?? I don’t know what software was used to unlock my iphone, please advise if this will work for me.

    Thank you =)

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    zltemptationlz, you can upgrade from 1.1.2 to 2.1 and unlock it using QuickPwn. I have heard some of my readers to do so. But as always, you have to bare certain risk for upgrade/jailbreak.

  • Devang

    I have 1.1.3 and tried to upgrade first to 2.0 via Pwnage tool. My iTunes version was 8.0.1. this didnt work. then i tried to upgrade to 2.0.1. At this time the Pwnage tool could not upload the bootloader. Every time it came with an error that it could not find the Bootloader 39 file. Can you please help.

  • Devang

    I tried doing it again and it came up with an error. Your iPhone could not be restored. Error 21. Can you please help.

  • http://none Jaime Carrion

    It worked like a charm!!!

    Thank you so much for this tutorial…!!!
    The screen captures were really helpful.

    Jaime

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Devang, at which step did you encounter Error 21? Can you elaborate more so I (or other readers) can figure out the solution?

  • Moe

    I did all what you mentioned. I already Pwnaged it with version 2.0 and now it got locked again. So I tried this version 2.1.
    First gave me Error 1600, but now I am getting error 21.
    Any ideas to help me
    Thanks

  • matthew

    getting error 21 when trying to upload custom .ipsw. Definitely in restore mode. during this process, i have gone back and forth between 1600 errors and 21 errors, but no successful jailbreak/unlock thus far

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Moe/Matthew,

    Did you try to put your iPhone in recovery mode instead of DFU mode and do the restore again?

    Also, someone in other forums, suggested to uninstall and install iTunes again? This may probably solve the issue.

    Any other reader have the solution for error 21 problem?

  • http://www.anniejchang.com annie

    Simon!

    YOU ARE SO AWESOME. I am going to use this to update my iphone to 2.1. I have used your tutorial to update to 2.0, do I follow this exact tutorial to get an unlocked 2.1 iphone?

    Thanks again for providing this information. I love the pictures.

  • Pingback: $$$ - Help unlocking a 2G iPhone 2.1 - Apple Forums | ModMyi.com | iPhone, iPod, Mac, OS X, Mods, More

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Annie, thanks. If you’re using Mac, you can follow this guide for the upgrade. For Windows, you can check another guide that uses QuickPwn for the upgrade.

  • Saad

    Dear all,

    I have a 1.1.4 unlocked iphone and I used ziphone to do that. Is it possible to use the excellent guide provided here by Simon in order to upgrade to firmware 2.1?

    Thank you for your help.

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Saad, sure. You can upgrade iPhone 1.1.4 to firmware 2.1 using this guide. Good luck!

  • Saad

    Dear Simon,

    I would like to confirm that the upgrade was as smooth as it can be.

    Thank You very much.

  • needdoe

    jailbroke and unlocked with pwnage tool 2.1wont sync it runs on and on when it gets to syncing contacts any help out there

  • needdoe

    Hello out there
    Sorry for the incomplete post before. I have a 1at gen 8 gig iphone jailbrolen and unlocked with 2.1. iTunes sees and backsup the phone but the when I try to sync anything of just runs on in that mode until I cancel the sync. The phone is fine on Tmobile and and wifi and apps are fine I just can’t get my contacts or anything else onto my computer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the great guide.

  • Frank

    I tried 5 times to jailbreak 2.1, but at step 18, I’m NOT prompted to select the firmware file, but original iPhone settings restore all the time. Also, all along the process, iTunes activates 3 times automatically. I close it, but since it’s not mentioned in the tutorial, this could be a problem…

  • Fernando

    Hello
    I did all I had to do and made the custom firmware, but when I try to restore it in itunes, i get the error code 21. I tried over and over but it doesn’t work, can you help me out? thanks

  • Nia

    Hello Simon,

    I would like to say thank you for the instructions. I took my time reading and following your instructions and it worked perfectly.

    Thank you again.

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    @Fernando, did you try to uninstall iTunes and install it with iTune 8.0.1 again?

    @Nia, thanks. Great to see you have your iPhone upgraded.

  • http://nope Javeed Shah

    Wonderfull…it worked like a breez….thank you sooooo much…i owe u a beer :>)

  • pana4

    i spend half day reading your guide
    and this morning i went for it
    i have a g2 _iphone 1.1.4 _8gb
    and now it runs the 2.1
    it was not very hard to run the iphone through this
    it was great because i was able to transfer my sim card info contacts and phone numbers from my motorola to the iphone
    thanks for the great site
    i did not know if i had to do this with the sim card on the phone or without
    i did without a sim card running itunes 8

  • digitalpimp

    Hi Simon. You have any idea why I get “Wrong firmware bundle selected” everytime I browse for the IPSW? I’ve been JB-ing since 1.0.2 and this is the first time I’m on a rut.. Thanks in advance.

  • digitalpimp

    Ooops. Got it. Apparently, I downloaded an incomplete IPSW from another source. Only 46MB. Sheesh.. It’s all good now. Thanks anyways.

  • PrincessJee

    these instructions are great!!! I had no problem at all updating my iPhone!!! =) thanks!

  • pana4

    any solution to the error 21 problem

  • pana4

    i am helping a friend with his g2 iphone
    and we are stuck with error 21 at step 17 itunes does not install the
    custom install insted it gives me error 21
    and 1600,anyone has a solution to this problem
    please let me know

  • pana4

    no need to give me a solution i spend the whole day
    and it worked with your guide
    you have to go through the DFU MODE AND wait make sure the itunes program reeds from the custome restore the pineapple program created
    to achive DFU you need to be ahead a couple seconds
    once you entered succesfull DFU mode
    you are on the way home
    just follow the rest of the guide
    i was getting error 21 and 1600 when on DFU mode
    i spend hours reading and wachting you tube videos
    but it worked with this guide
    i owe you a beer or two

  • JeffCR

    Hey Simon!! Thanx 4 this guide… Piece of cake!!!

    Pana4, I think your problem is the original IPSW… Another friend of mine downloaded it with Safari, and then, when he was unlocking his iPhone, got the same error… Try downloading the iPhone firmware 2.1 with FIREFOX….

    My best regards to everyone!
    iPhone 2.1 – 8gb
    iMac Aluminium 10.5.5 – Core Duo 3.0 @ 4Gb – 320 GB HD

    Jeff – Costa Rica

  • Houston

    Hey Simon,
    I’m stuck on step 10, when I press “Build” it gives me the error “bootloader v3.9 was not found”, I’ve tried several times and have downloaded the file a couple of times. I also transferred the whole folder to my applications instead of my desktop and it doesn’t work. Any suggestions?
    I’m using a 1st gen iPhone 1.1.4 unlocked an jailbroken through ziphone
    Thanks

  • jorge gomes

    Thanks, my Iphone 1st generation didn’t work so well since a fews days. After the update he is back! And it works!!

  • Brian

    I am getting the unknown error (21) too. I get it on step 18 after selecting the custom ipsw file…it extracts and then errors out. Any ideas on how to get past this…I am following the directions exactly as stated. I have a 2G 8gig running 2.1

  • Brian

    I was able to get around this error by jailbreaking my phone first and then unlocking it. Follow these steps for jailbreaking:

    http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2008/09/25/tipbs-jailbreaking-101-mac-edition/

    Then using Cydia install bootneuter and flash the baseband. It all worked great.

  • zest

    Great tutorial, followed it word for word and now have a 1st gen on 2.1. Many thanks to the Dev. team, and Simon, for such a lucid tutorial. Thank you!!

  • Lars

    I’ve read through all the posts, and the instructions meticulously, and am about to pull the trigger on this. My 1st gen iphone was unlocked with ziphone in May (1.1.4), I use a Rogers SIM card. Do I leave the Rogers SIM card in the phone when I do this whole upgrade? I’ll be using a macbook to do it. I can’t find anywhere about which card to use. Also, will it keep all my contacts, etc.? How do I back that up ahead of time, just in case? I currently have two macbooks, so could use one to keep an old backup if needed (I’ll be selling one shortly). Thanks!

    P.S. will I be able to install 3rd party apps (epocrates, for e.g.) after this?

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Lars,

    1. Please keep your SIM card in your iPhone when performing the upgrade.
    2. Are you using the old version of MacBook (i.e. white/black one)? There are reports described that the new version of MacBook disallows the use of jailbreak software.
    3. To backup your contact/SMS, you can first sync it with iTunes. And after upgrade, sync it again to restore back the data.
    4. You can download application via App Store or Cydia. But for Installer applications, not all are available on firmware 2.0. For eprocrates, it’s already available on iPhone App Store.

  • Lars

    Thanks for the prompt reply! The macbook (white) that I originally used to unlock the phone (back in May) worked well then, I since have a Macbook Air that I just got as a refurb last week. So do you mean that I shouldn’t use the Air to unlock and back my iphone? I’ll be selling the white macbook, so the Air will be my only one – I’d really like to be able to use my iphone with it – is that still an option?

    Oh, and should I be sticking with a certain version of iTunes? This Air currently runs 7.6 (29) – should I upgrade it first?

    And by SIM card, you mean my Rogers one, right? That’s the one I had in, I believe, when I first unlocked with ziphone.

    Thanks!

    lars

  • Lars

    One more thing – I am trying to download the initial version of iTunes 8 (Apple now has 8.0.1), but the version available with the link you posted is only for Windows. Is there a version for Mac? Or can I just use the 8.0.1 version that I inadvertently already downloaded?

  • clot

    im stuck at step 17. my itunes does not detect that my iphone is rebooting. im faced with ‘contacting the iPhone software update server’ and after that it told me that the iPhone software update server could not be contacted. what should i do?? help! thanks so mucH! im using itunes 8.0.1

  • clot

    i managed to fix the problem!!!hee thanks very much simon!!!the instructions were easy to follow and very comprehensive. thank you!

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Lars,

    Sure, you can use iTunes 8.0.1.

  • Joe

    Hi Simon,

    Thanks for all your help with the iphone.

    Having the same problem Brian did in post 50 & 51, I have a 1st gen 8 g iphone using on t-mobile that was running on firmware 2.1 with itunes 8.0.1. I was having internet access problems, so I tried to restore it to the custom restore. Upon doing so, when I tried to reconnect to itunes, it was giving me the error “wrong sim installed.” Looking at other posts, I was told to pwn it again, which i did, now I can’t get past step 18 without getting the message “iphone could not be restored…unknown error (21).” Brian said he got around this by Quick pwning the phone, but my concern is that since I’ve already Pwned it, would that affect the phone somehow? and isn’t Pwnage preferred over Qwkpwn?

    Any help would be appreciated!

    Thanks,
    Joe

  • imah

    hey..how to solve the error 21 problem?? i need help asap!!

  • Will

    Hi Simon,

    I just ran your procedure on my 1st generation 8Gb iphone. It ran perfectly up until the completion of step 19. Itunes prompts that the phone “recovers to default factory settings,” then it proceeds to display a screen that says “sim card inserted does not appear to be supported.” On the iphone, instead of the Boot neuter launching to flash the baseband, it displays the recovery screen with a slider below allowing for “emergency calls.”

    My iphone has been previously pwned for firmware 2.0 using Pwnage tool.

    For this current upgrade, I used the recovery mode method described. I also tried it in DFU mode. Both ways show the same result.

    I am using a black macbook with Itunes 8.0.1.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated

    Thank you

  • Will

    Sorry for the post, I made a truly stupid mistake. Instead of selecting the custom firmware file to I selected the original one initially downloaded. Everything is you said to do was absolutely perfect. I just have to learn how to follow instructions…
    Thank you for the guide Simon.

  • kevO

    will this upgrade work if i begin with a unlocked iphone??

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    kevO, it should work on unlocked iPhone.

  • kevO

    im just afraid of bricking, is it still a possibility with this option??

  • Ron

    Did the upgrade on 1st gen 2g running 1.1.4. Worked fine, however, when i bought this phone, it came up from the US. with an AT&T sim card. I did the upgrade with this sim card and not my Rogers card. The upgrade worked, but it now does not recognize my Rogers sim card. Any ideas.

  • Remedy

    Hi there,

    I followed the instructions and everything was fine until I put the phone in DFU mode. iTunes (8.01) started up and I get error 1619. Suggestions?

  • Randy

    Hi,
    Great step by step and the phone booted up (1st gen 16gb) pineapple logo, then it goes to some setting screens and does some auto things, then said it was restarting, when it did the pineapple logo appears and hangs there. There was the “thinking wheel” in front of the logo for a while, gone now, but now it just stays on the pineapple. Restarting the pineapple comes back up and stays.

    Hope there is an easy solution, thanks!

  • Adil

    Hi simon,
    So I have an iphone 4GB old generation and when I got it I unlocked and jailbroke it with ziphone. Unitil last week I had the version 1.1.4 I think, so I tried to updated to teh 2.1 version thru my Itunes version 8 and that is when everything went down hill. I couldnt get it to work till finally I jailbroke it with QuickPwn and then when i put on my AT&T sim card is not recognizing the AT&t carrier or any other carrier like T-mobile or Vodafone Spain. I have AT&T the “pay as u go” (so prepaid) it used to work fine with the old version but now is not working. i tried to jailbroke it with Pwnage Tool 2.1 as u explain in here and it seems to work fine till I get to step 10 where it says “build” I cliked on that trying to go to next step and gives me an error saying that is not recognizing the bootloader .39 I tried and re tried but is not working. Im using a White MacBook the 80GB one.Is there anything u can do to help me unlock my iphone? Please I am really desperate I need my phone back!!

  • Adil

    Simon,
    Oh..also the weird thing is that it recognizes my number in contacts but it doenst show service or teh AT&T logo.

  • Adil

    Hey Simon!!
    Never mind about the trouble with my hack..I got it to work again!!
    U r a genius!!!seriously!!!Thanks so much for everything!!!

  • burnee

    At step 12, you say it will prompt me to enter my password. Which password is this? Or is it one I create at that time? I just don’t want to start this process only to get stopped at this step : )

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Burnee, the password refers to the logon password for your Mac.

  • brandon

    can you use the procedure to upgrade from a jailbroken/unlocked 1.1.3 1g iphone?

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    Brandon, sure. You can use this guide for upgrading your iPhone from v1.1.3.

  • Joe

    Hi Brandon, Joe here from post 59… I’ve been able to get my iphone back in working order! I had a number of the problems posted by members: “sim card inserted does not appear to be supported,” “iphone could not be restored…unknown error (21) or (1600),” “wrong sim installed,” and what finally worked for me was to restore the iphone to the original factory settings in itunes 8, then unlock it again using the above method..one change though, after many attempts failing, I went ahead and clicked “NO” in step 13 when asked if my phone had been pwned already…even though it had. This seem to have overridden any problem and lo and behold ..I got my pineapple logo! itunes then recognized my phone from being connected prior to my problem and restored everything again! Good luck everyone…..

  • Joe

    Oops…I meant to address Simon, not Brandon in the above post…my mistake.

  • kiki

    Step 20 didn’t happen and I can’t unlock the phone. I’m at the emergency screen. I don’t have the original sim as I bought the phone unlocked. How do I proceed?

  • http://nateandchrissy.com nate

    I know this might be a stupid question, but is there a way to know your iphone is unlocked, like in the settings or something? It still says “AT&T” in the status bar, is that normal after going through this process?

    And say I wanted to switch to a new provider, other than AT&T… Do I need to switch out the sim card for that?

    You can obviously tell I’m a beginner.

    • debbie

      Nate,
      Did you ever get this figured out. I am new at this too and need to know how to change the carrier on the iPhone from AT&T (which I no longer have the service) to my Verizon service I have on a different phone. I wanted to move the service on my different phone over to the iPhone. Any help would be grealty appreciated.
      Deb

  • adam

    Thanks a lot Simon, very easy to understand. 1st gen unlocked iPhone 8gb from 1.1.4 to 2.1 without any trouble, still unlocked and working perfectly. This is clearest guide I’ve found online anywhere and I looked. Now wondering about getting additional apps installed. All the best :)

  • MIchelle

    thanks joe for the suggestion! it worked. just hit no when asked if your phone has been pwnaged before even if it has. my question though now is how long is this suppose to take because it has been on the pineapple logo with a spinning wheel for at least 30 minutes now. is there something wrong or does it really take this long?

  • MIchelle

    ok now it’s going on an hour. just stuck. “restoring iphone software” is on itunes screen 3/4 done but won’t finish and pineapple logo on iphone with spinning wheel of death below it. i followed directions step by step. anyone else have this problem? anyone have a solution? thanks in advance!

  • Lars

    Hi Simon, Lars here once again from posts 52, 54 & 55. I’m going to try this tonite (haven’t been able to do it yet) – 16g 1st gen iphone, originally unlocked/jb’d with ziphone (currently still on 1.1.4, using Rogers SIM), just to refresh your memory. Now that 2.2 upgrade has come out, can I upgrade only to 2.1 and still do this whole process, or is it going to automatically go all the way to 2.2, leaving my phone useless until the new unlocks come out for that? If you can let me know quickly it’ll help so I can start the unlock process now. Thanks very much!

  • MIchelle

    ok nevermind, figured it out. just uncheck disable partition wipe-out under the general tab in expert mode. thanks.

  • Harsha

    Simon!
    Thanks for the excellent guide. I was nervous to do this and went through comments, but finally decided to take the risk and do it. Well, I must say it’s smooth and worked without a single glitch! Thanks for your excellent guide now am on 2.1! ofcourse thanks to iPhone dev. team too. Keep up the good work for iphone community.
    Cheers! – Harsha

  • vags

    i’m using a mac computer and i’m trying to upgrade my 2g iphone from
    version 1.1.4 to 2.1. On step 10 i choose “built” to built my firmware and
    i’m being asked for the bootloadrs which are already downloaded
    and stored in the same file as the pawnage tool.
    Then i try to browse the bootloaders but they don’t seem to work.
    can you please help me with that?
    thanx.

  • JaviGu

    HELP !

    I upgraded my 2G 8G iphone from 1.1.1 (;-() I Know! to 2.1 – Got everything done right – I think – but got stock on iTunes 8.0.2 with the message SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported!!!!

    Now What???

    Please Help!

  • JaviGu

    SORRY ALL!! Just realized I was using the wrong file when restoring from iTunes – For those with this problem – After iTunes opens, hold down the OPTION key and press restore – then look for the file created in step 11 – select the file and then click on open – works like a charm!!! Thank you Simon –

    Used iTunes 8.0.2

    Javier G

  • Joe

    Michelle, sorry for the delay….glad you got it working!

  • kevin

    hey when i get my iphone into DFU mode and start itunes i get an error message : “An ipod has been connected but it could not be identified correctly. Please Disconnect and reconnect the ipod, then try again. An unknown error has occured (2001)

  • http://www.graphitegirl.com Jennifer

    Hi,

    I downloaded the Pwnage tool a couple of times and every time it comes up with ‘unable to mount’. any one got any ideas of what i’m doing wrong?

    thanks

  • Carlos

    I have a 2G iPhone with version 2.1 on it using our directions. I tried to add the facebook app and it says “This app is not compatible with this iPhone. Help! And when I try to surf the net without wireless it says Could not activate cellular data network: You are not subscribed to a cellular data service…help please

  • Caroline

    Hi Simon,

    I just went through the process with my 1.1.4 iphone. Everything went ok until step #20, when the iphone’s supposed to boot by itself and bootneuter’s supposed to kick in and do its job. My phone did boot by itself but nothing started. I can only make emergency calls now and whenever I plug my iphone back into the computer, itunes says that the sim card isn’t supported! What can I do now to make the phone work?

    Thanks so much!!!

  • Caroline

    Hi again! I found my mistake, it’s working great now!! thx a bunch!!

  • Al

    Caroline- what did you do to may yours work? b/c im running into the same problem. i can get it into dfu mode, but then my itunes doesnt see it, and if i plug it in when its not in dfu mode it says ‘need official sim card’…

  • Caroline

    My mistake was quite stupid actually! At step 18 I didn’t select the custom firmware file, instead I selected the original firmware file, so when itunes restored the iphone it went back to the default factory setting. When I found out the mistake I just went back to step 1 and did it all over again, this time with the right custom firmware file, and it works perfectly now. hope it helps!

  • mueed

    heyy people im trying to update my 2g iphone with firmware1.1.2 to 2.1 but using pwnage tool it says wrong firmware..any solutions too that?

  • mueed

    and currently my iphone is using a turbo sim and if i get it updated..wil i stil need the turbo sim?

  • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

    @mueed, you do not need turbo sim once jailbreak completes. Are you download the correct firmware file? Also, you may check out the updated guide and upgrade your iPhone to firmware 2.2 directly.

  • josephine

    Great thank you very much for the explanation. Read the instructions, don’t miss anything and it’s easy…. now i’ll check out the new software…

    Thanks again.

  • struthers

    I love you with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns.

  • TGP

    If iTunes 8 won’t recognize one’s SIM card then how is it possible to select the custom restore file? When I take the SIM card out of the iphone, iTunes then gives an error message saying there’s no SIM card installed.

    I read that a number of people are having this same problem but I have yet to find a solution.

    Thnx.

  • Tina

    I’ve downloaded Pwnage Tool 2.1, bootloader and iPhone firmware 2.1. When I open the Pwnage all goes well until I click “build”. When I do a red box comes up saying that “no bootloader v3.9 file found! Would you like to search the web for this file? Yes or no”. Is my itunes too current? It’s 8.0.2. If so how can I downgrade it?

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @Tina, you might forget to download bootloader v3.9 file. You can refer to step 2 to download. After download, unzip the bootloader.zip and extract the files to the same folder as PwnageTool.

  • Tina

    I downloaded bootloader v3.9 file using step 2′s link. How do I unzip and extract the files? I doubleclicked bootloaders.zip and a folder opened called bootloaders. Then I doubleclicked the folder and I saw BL-39.bin and BL-46.bin so I doubleclicked both and BL-39.bin.cpgz and BL-46.bin.cpgz came up. Am I doing something wrong?

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @Tina, you should extract the files (i.e. BL-39.bin and BL-46.bin) to the same folder of PwnageTool that you’ve downloaded. I’m not sure the unzip tool that you’re using. But you can probably right-click on bootloaders.zip and you can select something like “Extract to…” option in the context menu.

  • Tina

    Where can I find a free unzip tool that can extract files? I don’t think I have a tool that does this. I have a mac so I don’t know how to right click which is why I just double clicked BL-39.bin and BL-39.bincpgz appears.

  • torey

    so i am on 10.5.6 i had to restore my 2G iphone. I was running 2.2. I Dled the 10.5.5 USB pkg from the phone-devblog team. I DLed 2.2.1 from iTunes 8.0.2. I restored. then i ran pwnage 2.2.5 and used ipsw 2.2.1. my iphone is currently bricked. Im getting errors 16 and 2001. I can get into recovery mode, and then when i try to restore from my 2.2.1 ipsw i get an error. before i downgrade to 1.1.4 I wanted to get more advice. Basically I updated the firmware instead of just restoring from the ipsw. and now i cant get my macpro to recognize DFU mode, just recovery. and when attempting to restore from custom ipsw made from the 2.2.5 pwnage it gives me an error. mainly the error is ‘not reconized’ or unable to restore. any help would be nice. I have an automator workflow that is supposed to help the USB10.5.5 problem. oh yea, I applied the pkg to get me back to the 10.5.6 USB famliy thing… in an attempt to get my machine back to the state i had it in.

  • http://www.nicoledurant.com ::kallisti::

    The entire process was flawless! Thank you so much for making such an easy to follow guide for unlocking my iPhone.

    Thank you!

  • jay

    Hi Simon,

    While trying to upgrade my iphone to 2.1 using guide, i accidentally pull the usb cable connection while the phone is in DFU mode. I reconnect and try to redo the whole process again. While trying to put the phone to DFU mode (using the instruction from PwnageTool), it wouldnt continue further. I guess the phone is still in DFU mode.

    What shall I do?

    Please help, my phone is still connected and waiting for something to happen.

    Your prompt response will be highly appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    JAY

  • Vlad

    Thank YOU so much !!! You helped me out with iPhone 4gb!!!
    God bless you ! ! !

  • Jona

    couldnt have been any easier!
    i tip my hat to you sir

  • Arial

    Simon, i followed your instructions. Now I am stuck on step 18. I dont see the “option” button, but only “restore” button. I clicked the “restore” button, then the window popped up saying “Are you sure you want to restore the iphone”iphone” to its factory setting? all of your media and other data will be erased, and the newest version of the iphone software will be installed”. I dont dare to click on “restore and update”. I am afraid my phone will be relocked again. what i am gonna do? please help.

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @Arial, the “option” button is a key of your Mac keyboard. Just hold it and click the “restore” button to pop up a dialog for choosing the firmware file.

  • Nick Tyrrell

    Many thanks for this. I had only one hiccup, which it may be useful to share. After putting the phone into DFU mode (successfully according to Pwnage), instead of iTunes detecting a phone in recovery mode it claimed to have detected a damaged phone! Worrying… but here’s how I sorted it out. The phone seems to be totally bricked, but it isn’t. Remove the iPhone from the dock. Hold down the power and home keys together for ten seconds and the iPhone will restart (phew). Now turn it off again. Then hold down the home button and, keeping it held down, re-dock the phone. After a few seconds the phone’s screen will show the iTunes logo and the USB cable. Release the home button. Now iTunes should detect the phone in recovery mode. Continue from step 17.

  • Nick Tyrrell

    @Arial, the “option” button is labelled “alt” on recent Mac keyboards

  • Arial

    @Nick Tyrrell, thanks, i made it already. :P mY iphone was successfully upgraded to 2.2.1 after taking Simon’s advice.

  • Rohit

    hey simon,i jus bought the iphone but it has got the firmware 2.0 …i want to jailbreak the phone so bad n want to use all the awesome applications…plz tell me where will i find the guide to jailbreak 2.0 firmware…

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @Rohit, I recommend you to upgrade to firmware 2.2 and follow this jailbreak guide for the upgrade.

  • Terry

    Hey Simon,
    So I followed the steps completely, got to the part where I wait for it to do its thing and its now stopped. The screen on the phone says iTunes with a picture of a usb and an arrow pointing at it, iTunes says the sim in this phone doesn’t appear to be supported. What do I do now?

  • PT

    Had already sucessfully pwned my 2g iphone a while back, but when I tried to upgrade again to the new 3.0 FW my phone gets stuck with the cartoon guy speaking russian. I’ve tried putting into DFU mode & connecting to itunes, but I get the message “The Ipod software update server could not be contacted”. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

  • Arial

    Hi Simon, I have a jailbroken iPhone OS 2.1. A few days ago i saved some pictures from my email message. Those pictures were larger and were actually taken by a iphone 3gs. After that i noticed my old pictures which were taken before by my own iphone were fuzzy and the size was skrunk from 52kb to 16kb. I have done some research on internet and found out this is a saved image bug and some other people also have the similar problem. I wanna reset my iphone but not sure if this will work. Have you heard of any solutions to fix this problem? It is very irritating coz it means i cannt use my iphone to take pictures any more. :(

  • Kasandra

    Will this work with the new version of itunes (itunes 9)?

    I got to step 19 but it said error 1602.

    what do i do?

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @kasandra, I suggest to use the latest version of PwnageTool and upgrade to iPhone 3.0. You can refer to this jailbreak guide.

      • Kasandra

        I don’t use windows. how do i go abut doing this for mac? thank you so much again.

  • Genesis

    will this work with itunes 9?

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @Genesis, this guide is for firmware 2.1. You can check out the latest jailbreak guide for PwnageTool here. The latest one can work with iTunes 9.

  • Genesis

    wait…i just noticed this..this site is more than one year!!!

  • debbie

    Simon… I got through the jailbreak process. Is there something I need to do to change my iPhone from AT&T to Verizon? I no longer have AT&T service but have Verizon on another phone. Please help. Thanks.

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @debbie, from what I know, Verizon supports only CDMA mobiles. So, even you unlock iPhone, which only works on GSM network, it won’t work on Verizon.

  • Debbie

    Simon,
    I had thought that I had seen blogs where the iPhone was unlocked and they had Verizon. Is this just TMobie?
    Any help would be much appreciated.
    Thanks. Deb

  • venk

    Simon,

    Everything went good ,when i started installing the custom restore file in the tunes
    pineapple came and it getting loaded at the end it shots error message 1611 .u have any solution for this problem.iam upgrading from 1.13 v using itunes 9.

    thanks

    • http://www.simonblog.com Simon Ng

      @venk,

      I suggest you to check out the updated guide and follow the procedures to upgrade. It may resolve the error.