It’s really amazing, jaw-droppingly so, how people who have hacked/unlocked iPhones still go through with the 1.1.1 update even after Apple explicitly told them that they might brick their unit. I can understand developers/hackers who intentionally do it to test their unlocking software, I can even understand it for people who have bought iPhones with the 1.1.1 firmware already pre-installed (though they can’t do anything about that but wait for a newer update).
But for regular 1.0.2 users who have read the press releases – it’s beyond me why they would even try it. The “features” the new firmware gives, as impressive (or not) as they may be, are useless if you can’t get your phone to work in the first place. I don’t feel sorry for these people at all, if you lack common sense, then you deserve to get your unit bricked.
I can probably say this because I had a friend purchase an iPhone, and will be coming home early October. I did my homework about unlocking the thing; all the current effective methods require you have 1.0.2. Furthermore, all guides almost always suggest a “restore” before performing the unlock.
Having said that, everyone knows that a restore will make iTunes check for (and download) the most recent software version and use that, so as soon as Apple announced the 1.1.1 iPhone update, the first thing I did was to research if there was a way to force iTunes use the 1.0.2 during a restore. Really people, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice the implications (and possible concerns) of the release of the new firmware.
Anyways, this post is for the people who still got 1.0.2 (or older) and would like to unlock their phone nowadays.
Download the 1.0.2 firmware (I’m not posting a link for legal reasons, but you can find it, trust me. It’s approximately a 92MB download) Usually named
iPhone1,1_1.0.2_1C28_Restore.ipswHold the
shift(oroptionfor Macs) key when clicking on the “restore” button; find your downloaded 1.0.2
Something optional but worth mentioning is that you disconnect your computer from the internet to be on the safe side. There’s always the possibility that you end up clicking the “restore” button without the modifier keystroke – and make iTunes update your phone with the latest firmware. At least with no internet, even if you do make that mistake, it won’t be able to get the new firmware because it can’t – and will just abort the operation and spit out an error… allowing you do start over properly.