Apple manufacturers are constantly striving to bring improvements to the operating systems of iPhone and iPod devices. New functions are introduced, the battery life is increased, the speed of the devices is growing. These ideas are embodied in the form of periodically released new firmware. The main disadvantage is that updating the iPhone firmware using small separate files will not succeed, since releases are only released as whole new operating systems. OS size varies from 220 to 250 MB.
How to update iPhone firmware: it can be downloaded either from the links of specialized Internet resources, or via iTunes.
There are only four generations of the iPhone (this fall the fifth generation devices will go on sale), and, accordingly, separate firmwares have been released for each of them. If you have a 2G model, then it is impossible to install an OS suitable for 3G on it. Therefore, before updating the firmware on the iPhone, you must carefully check the name of the downloaded file.
For example, a file sounds like this:
iPhone2,1_4. 0_8A293_Restore.ipsw
How to decrypt it?
The first figures of 2.1 is the model of the phone. Then comes the firmware version - 4.0 and the build number - 8A293.
There are two ways to update iPhone firmware:
- full update;
- restoration (restore).
What is the difference between these methods? With a full update, all settings and data are saved as they were, and with a restore, all previous information is completely erased, and new information is written in its place.
At first glance, a full update will seem to be the best option, if not for one “but”: all the problems that have accumulated in the previous firmware will also remain. And this is unlikely to have a positive impact on system performance. Therefore, it is still better before updating the iPhone firmware, create a backup in iTunes, then make a firmware restore, and then restore all your settings and information from the saved copy.
On unofficial iPhones, updating firmware is quite dangerous. Before updating the iPhone firmware, it is almost impossible to find out if the phone’s modem will be updated or not. If this happens, then the functionality of the phone will be disrupted seriously and permanently. Because of such problems, a concept arose as custom firmware (from the word custom - configure for the user). The original firmware in this case is processed using the Pwnage Tool program, which allows you to get all sorts of additional features:
- dangerous for unofficial versions, the modem update is cut out of the firmware yourself or you can use ready-made firmware without updating the baseband;
- automatic activation code is added - also useful for unofficial iPhones;
- jailbreak (which gives access to the file system of the phone and allows you to install a lot of additional software) can be done before reinstalling the firmware. That is, Cydia and / or Icy will appear in the iPhone after the first restart. With a regular flashing, the jailbreak is automatically deleted, and it will have to be reinstalled. An independent jailbreak is fraught with problems with WiFi, a black screen, iTunes failure to reflash the phone to restore the system;
- on a computer, you can immediately select and fill in the firmware all the necessary Cydia programs;
- if you don’t like the standard apple when you turn on the phone, then it can be easily replaced with any other picture.
As a result of Pwnage Tools, a file with the same .ipsw resolution is obtained, which is installed on the phone using iTunes.
In general, custom firmware has many advantages, and the owners of unofficial iPhones simply can not do without it.
We tried to give you general ideas on how to update iPhone firmware. And more detailed instructions along with firmware files can be easily found on many Internet resources.