iPhone 2G users need not wait for an official unlock before upgrading to the iPhone 3.0 OS. Just a few careful steps and you will be done in no time with the final version of the OS 3.0. Since the jailbreak is not yet out, Cydia magic won’t work immediately, but everything else works perfect. We are testing the OS 3.0 and will post a review soon.
How to unlock and activate iPhone firmware 3.0
Things you (will/might)need:
- iPhone OS 3.0. Get it on torrent here
- iPhone Firmware 2.2.1 Custom Pwned version. Get here / or search for “iPhone1,1_2.2.1_5H11_Custom_Restore.ipsw”
- A system with iTunes 8.2
- A system with iTunes 7.x (this is required only if you brick your iPhone in the process)
- QuickPwn 2.2.5-2 (again required only if you brick)
Process to get the iPhone firmware 3.0 unlocked and activated on your iPhone 2G:
- Start with your iPhone 2G being unlocked and running the firmware version 2.2.1
- You need to load the custom firmware 2.2.1 you mentioned above before you go ahead with the 3.0 update. Put the iPhone in DFU mode and once iTunes gives you the option to restore – Press ‘Shift+Restore’ and upload the custom 2.2.1 firmware you downloaded.
- Once the custom firmware is uploaded the iPhone should be back on as normal and still activated+unlocked.
- Now you can simply connect it to iTunes and press SHIFT+UPDATE to load the iPhone OS 3.0.
Simple, Sweet, you must be ready with an unlocked+activated iPhone 2G running OS 3.0. Though no Cydia yet as Jailbreaking is yet to come. But expect that in a weeks time. You can also read instruction on PhoneArena for more help.
Incase something goes wrong, put your iPhone in DFU mode and load Firmware 2.2.1 on it and use QuickPwn 2.2.5-2 to get it live again (this needs to be done on iTunes 7.x). Backing up your data is advised.
Note: This worked for me, but we take no gurantees for any damage done by yourself 
Thx Varun from FoneArena for sending this tip.
How to enter DFU mode? Connect your iPhone via USB. Make sure the iPhone is switched on. Press home and sleep button together for 10 secs, leave the sleep button and continue holding the home button, the iPhone will connect in DFU mode and iTunes will give you an option to restore it.
For more help you can also go to our forums and post there.
iPhone / iPod touch downloads
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iPhone 3.0 FTW !! I am Loving it
Glad to hear it worked
iPhone 3.0 rocks .. Youtube is not working sadly ..
Thx Varun,
guess jailbreak is coming today, should fix things
Hi,
I have an iPhone 1.1.4 Unlocked and Jailbroken with ZiPhone. How could i get the 3.0 update unlocked in my phone??
Please help me with the steps.
Do as of says in the instructions and also, never ever use Ziphone.
is it possible to upgrade an iphone 2g (1,1) running 2.2 which is unlocked and jailbroken directly to 3.0 without loosing my unlock??? and also without downloading 2.2.1???
Yes I too have a 2g running 2.2 but is only unlocked and not jail broken. Can I upgrade to 3.0 usingiTunes 8.2 without losing my unlock and without downloading 2.2.1 ?
@Chris @ wajih : Unfortunately we are required to first upgrade to 2.2.1 and then load the custom pwned version and then proceed to 3.0. I bricked my iPhone trying to jump the line…
Thanks Ankur for that info… You have saved me from the likelyhood of lots of frustration.
Thanks you’ve saved me hours of frustration I’m sure !!
thanks ankur..so let me get this straight..i need to download 2.2.1 then use quickpwn to upgrade and unlock and jailbreak…then just upgrade to 3.0 using itunes?? thanks in advance
hey, anyone else have a problem with “shift+restore”?
i’ve done it when jailbreaking my phone before, but it isn’t working for me.
maybe an itunes update?
iphone 2g
OS 2.2.1
itunes 8.2
15′ mbp
anyone else have a problem with “shift+restore” on itunes 8.2?
i’ve done it before when i unlocked 2.2.1, but its not working for me now.
iphone 2g
15′ mbp
Started with unlocked 2.2.1, went to 3.0 and bricked it
“put your iPhone in DFU mode and load Firmware 2.2.1 on it and use QuickPwn 2.2.5-2 to get it live again”
This doesn’t work – you can’t downgrade.
@meme use iTunes 7.2 for downgrading, iTunes 8.2 wont allow that.
@Ankur I can’t get iTunes 7.2 to even recognise that the iPhone is attached. I’ve tried on 2 PCs
If I go to iTunes 7.5, then it recognises the iPhone but puts up a dialog saying that the phone requires iTunes 8.2
I tried 7.3 which is the earliest version supporting iPhone. It also gives the “requires 8.2″ message
hi ankur muje ek bat batao ke mere pas old iphone 2g hai . i am using 2.2 jail break throught quick pown . now what i have to do to get os 3.0
Hi i got my iphone 2g (on firmware 2.2.1) upgrade to 3.0 by following the steps. However after the process my phone is stuck in the restore screen (itunes symbol with the USB cable). However am able to make and receive calls (just from the emergency dialing screen itself). The operator signal is fine and it even displays the operator name. Am not able to downgrade it to 2.2.1. When i try to downgrade i keep getting error 1601 / 1602. Please please please help me out.
@Coolguy The mistake you made is that you didnt load the pwned firmware first. secondly you need to use an older iTunes to downgrade as iTunes 8.2 wont work.
@Ankur – I’m beginning to think you’re deliberately trying to brick iPhones. Older iTunes won’t downgrade.
@meme you have to use older itunes to downgrade. 8.2 wouldnt do it for me, had to install 8.0.2 then it worked fine
Hi i have done all the aboth the iphone 2g 3.0 software working fine but can’t seem to get the the utube to work can anyone share any light on this.
I am having same problem. But in itunes I get 1600 error. I have 2g and I tried upgrading it to 3.0 yesterday. Now I am stuck at USB trying to connect screen. I think I have 3.0 firmware on it since I upgraded it. I don’t have any way to check it because the iphone is not in homescreen. previously I had 2.2.1 firmware and I unlocked and jailbroke it with quickpawn.
Thank you and please help.
Hi ankur, you are advicing coolguy to downgrade using older itunes? Can you please show the steps with all the require downloads…
thank you in advance..
Is there any way to get around this problem.. ??? I think i had a pwned 2.2.1 firmware on my phone hence i went ahead with the upgrade…!!! I even tried using itunes 7.7 while downgrading but it doesnt work. There are people who say they were able to downgrade am wondering how they got it, i have tried so many things written in different forums but everything is ending up with the same 1601 / 1602 error.. am back using a bloody crap primitive nokia phone because of this..
@Puffy1980: Please read my earlier posts. Just repeating that one should use earlier iTunes is pointless.
Versions earlier than 8.2 will NOT work. When you connect the phone, iTunes puts up a message saying that version 8.2 is required and will not show any iPhone sync UI. I’ve gone back to iTunes 7.3 which is the first version to support iPhone.
I installed the 2.2.1 pwned os and I still had an unlocked iPhone. Then I did the 3.0 upgrade and iTunes told me it didn’t like my SIM, and all I got on the phone was the connect to iTunes screen. After some searching I found iTunes 7.5 and I started the downgrade process. Three hours later I can’t get it to accept either the 2.2.1 offical or pwned version, or the 3.0 that is already loaded on the phone. Every other time I open iTunes it takes the phone out of DFU, but still reports that it’s in DFU. Now it’s at the point where I can’t get any firmware to load, and I’ve gotten errors 1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 20 and 21. There’s no consistency with any of this. If I could just get this thing back to the 3.0 I could use a legit AT&T SIM to activate and maybe be able to use ultrasn0w.
Any advice would be so greatly appreciated.
Happened the same to me (20, 1600,1602). Then, I uninstalled both 7.5 iTunes AND Apple Mobile Device (some program named like that), installed 7.5 again and finally I was able to load 2.2.1. Hope it works. Cheers!
PS: I don’t believe this is working. There’s no comment saying it does.
i have a iphone 2g whihc i upgraded from 1.1.4 to 2.2.1 using qwkpwn 225-2
do i still need to download the iPhone1,1_2.2.1_5H11_Custom_Restore.ipsw
@vasu yes we cannot avoid the iPhone1,1_2.2.1_5H11_Custom_Restore.ipsw download
hey ankur that was really quick…
also pls tell me how to get os 3.0.. i clicked on here and it says at demoniod i am not registered so i cant download the torrent from there..
also do you promise that my iphone will not brick…sounding very neeedy but need reassurance
thanks ankur that was really prompt…pls also tell me how to download the OS 3.0. the demonoid link says i am not registered and new reg are closed, also r u sure this will not brick my phone..scared
@Ankur, Thanks for the help. I managed to get it back to 2.2.1. I used iTunes 7.5 and that helped me to wipe off everything from the phone and it was put to recovery mode. I just used SHIFT+RESTORE and used firmware 1.1.4. Then i got iTunes 8.1 which allowed me to restore back firmware 2.2.1.
I was able to load iTunes 8.0.0.35 on a Windows box and downgrade from the locked 3.0 to the normal 2.2.1. This got the phone working in a way that I could unlock it using quickpwn, which is the only app I’ve found so far for Windows that works for me. I have not been able to load the 2.2.1 custom firmware using iTunes 7.6, 8.0.0.35, 8.1 or 8.2. Any help on getting the custom firmware loaded would be greatly appreciated.
I need some help with my unlocked iphone 2g… I tried to update to 3.0 on a friends computer not knowing it wouldnt update because of my tmobile sim card… I am now stuck at a screen where there is an itunes logo and a usb cable and i can only make and receive calls. I have a passcode on the phone so when I connect it to itunes it doesnt exactly connect it tells me to enter the passcode which i cant do due to the current screen on my phone…. please help me
Hi,
I had an unlocked iphone 2g. I wanted to upgrade the same and did it successfully once. However, by some mistake of mine, I locked my phone yesterday. I used all methods (via Google) like pwnage tool, winpwn etc etc etc..atleast 15-20 methods but nothing seems to be working. Varun, here I see some hope to make my phone alive….Its kind of hell without the phone you see…I would have spent my entire sunday figuring out how to unbrick this…but alas!!!
Let me know if you can help me in any case.
please email the solution or post it here for everyone else\’s use.
Best,
Gagan
@matt, I totally understand you. I am in need of some help. I have a 3g iphone and tried to up grade to 3.0 firmware on itunes and it gave me the same thing, (bricked I believe its called) when there is only an itunes logo and usb cable with the slide bar words on the bottom in different languages. I have T-mobile and it wont recognize my SIM anymore. I need help.!!! Anyone???
have a 2g iphone and tried to up grade to 3.1 firmware on itunes and it gave me the same thing, when there is only an itunes logo and usb cable with the slide bar words on the bottom in different languages. I have T-mobile and it wont recognize my SIM anymore. I need help.!!! Anyone???
Restating the problem because i had not mentioned earlier that i was upgradin an unlocked iPhone running 1.14
So here it goes again:
- Have an unlocked iPhone running 1.14
(should be saying “Had” since its been dead for a week now)
- Ensure all 3 services (Messenger, Telnet & Terminal Services ) on my PC are running
- open iTunes ver 8.1.1.10
- Power on the iPhone (now in hung state) and set it to DFU mode
- iTunes recomends the restore and i press shift and restore to then select iPhone1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
- The restore DOES NOT END CLEAN and i keep gettin the message “Verifying iPhone software…”
If i then run redsn0w 0.72, iTunes shuts off
so i browse the IPSW used to restore and redsn0w detects it correctly
From here on the steps go on till the last step where it says “Rebooting” but does nothing!!
and i then get the “Done” message, but the iPhone keeps showing the “Downloading Jailbreak Data…” and stays there. Nothing happens afterwards.
Please tell me where am i missing a step – this is getting frustrating
Can you try using iTunes 7 and upgrade to firmware 2.0?