iPhone 3G jailbreaking tool goes live

[AppleInsider]

The well-known iPhone Dev Team has released one of the first utilities to jailbreak iPhone 3G and let it run unsanctioned apps, albeit one with more than a few catches.

The group's new Pwnage Tool 2.0 now simplifies the process of removing Apple's restrictions on allowable software for all iPhone models as well as the iPod touch.

What it won't do, however, is unlock iPhone 3G for use with wireless carriers other than those Apple has officially chosen. The different cellular hardware prevents the unlock process for the original device from translating directly to the newer phone. Unlocking is still possible for earlier phones.

The software also breaks backwards compatibility with earlier iPhone and iPod firmware and requires version 2.0 firmware on all of these devices.

Apple has historically been relatively passive in its responses to unlocking tools. While the company warned that its 1.1.1 firmware update risked rendering unlocked iPhones unusable, most other updates haven't created a similar effect and the company has largely kept to thwarting unlocking efforts by patching against security exploits that would also compromise locked devices.

With iPhone 3G, the iPhone maker has primarily relied on controlling the retail experience by requiring that iPhones be activated for a contract in-store, discouraging casual unlocking. The availability of approved third-party apps is also widely believed to curb the demand for jailbreaking and unlocking tools.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[solipsism]

I have had no luck with both original and 3G iPhones.

[Matthew Yohe]

Those of you that are going to use this, what are your primary reasons for its use?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Those of you that are going to use this, what are your primary reasons for its use?

1) Allows people with original iPhones to use v2.0 firmware and the Installer.app for non-authorized apps with a non-partnered carrier.

2) Allows people with 3G iPhones to use v2.0 firmware and the Installer.app for non-authorized apps on the iPhone.

[lundy]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Those of you that are going to use this, what are your primary reasons for its use?

I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch, but I am writing apps for them.

WIth the present app store policy, I can't just post my app for people to test - each of my testers has to get a certificate from me and it gets installed on his phone to deem it an "approved" phone for my app.

This is a big pain in the ass, to ask your testers to install software that might require a re-load of their device once they are done testing.

So removing that would help in that it would be just like any other Objective-C app I write; I can just post the executable in any forum and people can download and test it.

Apple has done several weird things with this app store business. There seems to me to be no reason that I shouldn't be able to upload my app anywhere, have people use it, and then if I want to promote or sell it, pay the $99 and put it on the app store.

Of course, any friend who is running Xcode with the iPhone OS can connect their device and test my app; but that's a lot to ask of a tester also.

[cmason]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Those of you that are going to use this, what are your primary reasons for its use?

I want SSH and Terminal apps at least. So far there's none on the app store. Hopefully these will be coming, otherwise I'll need to jailbreak.

[Matthew Yohe]

Originally Posted by solipsism

1) Allows people with original iPhones to use v2.0 firmware and the Installer.app for non-authorized apps with a non-partnered carrier.

2) Allows people with 3G iPhones to use v2.0 firmware and the Installer.app for non-authorized apps on the iPhone.

Yes, I know what the Pwnage Tool does, that's not what I'm asking.

What will people use it for? Let me be a little more clear. With the App store out now, what will people really use a jailbroken iPhone for now? Is there a huge market for the "restricted" apps that Apple wont sell?

[Matthew Yohe]

Originally Posted by lundy

I don't have an iPhone or iPod touch, but I am writing apps for them.

WIth the present app store policy, I can't just post my app for people to test - each of my testers has to get a certificate from me and it gets installed on his phone to deem it an "approved" phone for my app.

This is a big pain in the ass, to ask your testers to install software that might require a re-load of their device once they are done testing.

So removing that would help in that it would be just like any other Objective-C app I write; I can just post the executable in any forum and people can download and test it.

Apple has done several weird things with this app store business. There seems to me to be no reason that I shouldn't be able to upload my app anywhere, have people use it, and then if I want to promote or sell it, pay the $99 and put it on the app store.

Of course, any friend who is running Xcode with the iPhone OS can connect their device and test my app; but that's a lot to ask of a tester also.

So, then are you saying that this will be something you will do until the Ad Hoc distribution comes out? Just something to tide you ever until then?

[Iphtashu Fitz]

Originally Posted by cmason

I want SSH and Terminal apps at least. So far there's none on the app store. Hopefully these will be coming, otherwise I'll need to jailbreak.

Same here. My iPhone is currently on order via the local AT&T store and when I get it I'm hoping to get an ssh client on it. I would LOVE to not have to jailbreak it just for that but I will if nothing shows up in the app store soon. For the time being I've installed WebShell on a linux box I have access to and it looks like that might give me a poor-man's ssh but it's really not what I want long term.

[nagromme]

Good question. I wouldn't risk problems,myself, but one reason to do this is so you can use certain existing apps (and there are some great ones) that aren't yet on the App Store. But it's good to see that previous jailbreak apps are starting to become official iPhone apps. So that reason may not last long.

Certain kinds of apps may never make it the official App Store though, due to the terms of the SDK, and if you need those apps then it's nice to have the jailbreak option. (Pornography gets cited as an example, but the App Store lets developers rate their game content, and adult content in games is allowed, so I'm not sure that's really the issue.)

Now, why you'd do this as a DEVELOPER makes less sense to me: build for jailbroken phones and you reach a tiny audience, with a high probability of piracy, and you have to pay for bandwidth, storage, credit card fees and marketing yourself. Build for the official App Store and you reach a massive audience with very good anti-piracy protection, and Apple markets it for you and covers all financial transactions and server/network needs. Plus with the official App Store, users can buy right to their phone and auto-install without being near a computer. On the flipside, jailbreaking does provide a route for beta distribution and testing.

All of this is NOT the same as unlocking of course:

Jailbreak = install apps without using the App Store.

Unlock = sign up for a mobile carrier who does not officially carry the iPhone.

(But supposedly, unlike with the EDGE iPhone, no other US 3G carrier is compatible with the new iPhone, since only AT&T uses the same 3G network and frequencies as the rest of the world. Plus, if you ditch AT&T, don't expect AT&T to pay for most of your phone up front.)

[cmason]

Originally Posted by Iphtashu Fitz

Same here. My iPhone is currently on order via the local AT&T store and when I get it I'm hoping to get an ssh client on it. I would LOVE to not have to jailbreak it just for that but I will if nothing shows up in the app store soon. For the time being I've installed WebShell on a linux box I have access to and it looks like that might give me a poor-man's ssh but it's really not what I want long term.

Yeah, webshell looks pretty lame. I need the real thing. Besides, I might just want local UNIX access, say to ftp or wget a file and then make a quick shell or perl script to process it.

Not the sort of thing you can do a lot of with the limited keyboard, but still, very useful in a pinch, or if you're sitting in the car (as a passenger) or on the train and you want to try to get some work done.

So, basically, I just need a mobile Terminal.app, and I can use the command-line ssh. Surely someone will develop such an app.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Yes, I know what the Pwnage Tool does, that's not what I'm asking.

What will people use it for? Let me be a little more clear. With the App store out now, what will people really use a jailbroken iPhone for now? Is there a huge market for the "restricted" apps that Apple wont sell?

I want a Skype app that works over the cellular network, not just WiFi, so I can call friends outside the country or when I'm outside the country (though I'll have to wait for a 3G unlock for the latter).

[CAHP19]

does anyone know when, or even if, they plan on releasing this tool for windows?

[solipsism]

If you get Error 1600 from iTunes (or if you see in your log a failure to prepare x12220000_4_Recovery.ipsw), try: mkdir “~/Library/iTunes/Device Support” ; if that directory already exists, remove any files in it. Then re-run PwnageTool.

This resolved issues with both the original and 3G iPhones I tested. Though the 3G iPhone is now jailbroken it longer has any connection to AT&T, but the original iPhone is jailbroken, unlocked and working perfectly on T-Mobile USandA

[8CoreWhore]

people asked,"why write apps for Linix?". (sent from iPhone)

[JeffDM]

Such people that install this are braver than I.

[DWS-2]

Well I just unlocked my first gen iPhone with the 2.0 software and my wife is currently playing Bedazzled 2 on her T-Mobile service iPhone. Meanwhile I'm using the new iPhone 3G. Color me impressed!

The process is not super easy, but it's better than most hacks. Good instructions can be found at: http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/arch...ne-3g-now.html

After a false start or so, I found the above website and things worked perfectly. The iPhone Dev Team truly deserves a lot of thanks.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by DWS-2

Well I just unlocked my first gen iPhone with the 2.0 software and my wife is currently playing Bedazzled 2 on her T-Mobile service iPhone. Meanwhile I'm using the new iPhone 3G. Color me impressed!

The process is not super easy, but it's better than most hacks. Good instructions can be found at: http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/arch...ne-3g-now.html

After a false start or so, I found the above website and things worked perfectly. The iPhone Dev Team truly deserves a lot of thanks.

No, it's not the simplest thing to do but after spending the last several hours trying various methods there is no way I can find that will not get any iPhen up and running on v2.0

IF you tell Pwnage Tool that you are 'not' a legit subscriber when using the 3G iPhone you will not have access to at least AT&T when the install is complete. This can resolved by saying you are legit or by using WiFi to conenct the iPhone and installed OpenSSH via Cydia. From there use Terminal on your Mac to execute the following command:

code:

---

rm -rf /var/root/Library/Lockdown

---

After a reboot it should find your AT&T carrier.

[userone]

<snip>

[nagromme]

Originally Posted by cmason

Not the sort of thing you can do a lot of with the limited keyboard, but still, very useful in a pinch, or if you're sitting in the car (as a passenger) or on the train and you want to try to get some work done.

That's exactly why I have wanted a "pocket Mac" for years. Also--what if a client HAS to have something done, and you don't have your laptop with you?

Now, many of my tools will never run on an iPhone: Photoshop, Flash, and access to my whole hundreds of GB of archived project files. Yet the iPhone WILL do the trick VNC to the rescue! Mocha looks good, and TouchPad Pro looks good too (though it's not on the App Store yet). If I need to make an emergency logo change in Adobe Illustrator, iPhone + VNC will meet the need.

That seems needlessly complex for SSH, but it's a solution that would give you SSH AND more.

[ap780]

i was wondering, with the old iphone jailbreak 1.1.4 you could change the background of the home screen, do u rekon you could do that with the 3g?

and what apps are worth jailbreaking the 3g? cause i dont realy want to do it unless it has INTENSELY-AWESOME-INSANELY-WIKKED apps... lol

cheers AP

[meeksdigital]

Originally Posted by CAHP19

does anyone know when, or even if, they plan on releasing this tool for windows?

Another reason you should have a Mac.

Sorry you still live in the stone age.

[Hutcho]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Those of you that are going to use this, what are your primary reasons for its use?

Because the apps on the Appstore are BORING as hell. Apple is only interested in releasing apps that will make it money somehow or not encrouch on its business somehow.

When I crack my iPhone, I'll be able to:

* Have a shell that I can use for logging into my servers.
* Skype/VoIP/SIP client that works over whatever the hell network I want.
* A decent messenging client that works with MSN, Yahoo etc.
* I'll be able to copy files where ever I want on the device and can stop using iTunes, which is probably the worst piece of software I've ever used.
* I'll be able to use the camera as a video recorder.
* I'll be able to run emulators, so I can play old Genesis/SNES titles on the phone.
* Use a VNC client to connect to my desktop

The list goes on. These applications are also free!

Almost all this stuff above is never going to happen through the Apple Store. The iPhone is crippled by Apple's restrictions. I'm going to wait a couple of days before I crack mine, but really, I can't wait to break it free and use this incredible bit of hardware to it's fullest.

[sapporobaby]

Originally Posted by Hutcho

* I'll be able to copy files where ever I want on the device and can stop using iTunes, which is probably the worst piece of software I've ever used.

What would you consider a good piece of software that performs the same function as iTunes?

P.S. Zibri and GeoHot are also working on an Unlock.

[irnchriz]

Worked fine on my old iPhone v1

Downloaded the boot files, ran the pwnage tool.

Selected the ipsw file for 1.2.2.0
selected the boot files
selected not legitimate and then followed the onscreen instructions to place the iPhone in DFU mode.

Then alt clicked the restore button in itunes and pointed it to the custom firmware file.

10 mins later the iPhone booted up, unlocked the network lock, rebooted and done.

Now it is the new home for my BT Broadband anywhere sim card and my son uses it now while I have my new 16GB iPhone 3G (not going to touch the firmware as there is no need, O2 is ace for me)

[teckstud]

Oh please dear god- grant us one non-iPhone thread today- pleez oh pleez!

[jasong]

Originally Posted by lundy

WIth the present app store policy, I can't just post my app for people to test - each of my testers has to get a certificate from me and it gets installed on his phone to deem it an "approved" phone for my app.

This is a big pain in the ass, to ask your testers to install software that might require a re-load of their device once they are done testing.

But it's not a PITA to have your testers jailbreak their phones to test your application, which might require a re-load of their device once they are done testing?

[FullGaz]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Those of you that are going to use this, what are your primary reasons for its use?

I need Hebrew on my 1st gen iPhone and unlock it to use it in my country where, incredibly, Apple doesn't import it...

[cmason]

Originally Posted by nagromme

That's exactly why I have wanted a "pocket Mac" for years. Also--what if a client HAS to have something done, and you don't have your laptop with you?

Now, many of my tools will never run on an iPhone: Photoshop, Flash, and access to my whole hundreds of GB of archived project files. Yet the iPhone WILL do the trick VNC to the rescue! Mocha looks good, and TouchPad Pro looks good too (though it's not on the App Store yet). If I need to make an emergency logo change in Adobe Illustrator, iPhone + VNC will meet the need.

That seems needlessly complex for SSH, but it's a solution that would give you SSH AND more.

Yes, I saw the VNC tool, that will be very useful. However, that's a lot of overhead just to use SSH. For example, if I'm remotely logged into a server with SSH, each character I type just sends a byte or two. If I'm using VNC, the entire graphical desktop session (which happens to have a Terminal, or xterm, open with ssh running) is sent over the link. That can often be very slow, and sometimes it can hang and you need to wait. If you just need to quickly run a few remote commands, this can be a major PITA.

Anyway, I'm happy to wait for a couple weeks or so to see if someone makes some useful apps. If not, I'll be care and do a jailbreak.

[Ireland]

Running smoothly now. Though mobile me has yet to sync and add my data to the iPhone.

[aplnub]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Oh please dear god- grant us one non-iPhone thread today- pleez oh pleez!

Get out of the iPhone forum then. It just makes sense you are going to find threads about the new iPhone in the iPhone forum.

[Ireland]

Mobile me is not working on the iPhone for me right now, at all.

I suggest you delete and do it manually for the time being. I like having contacts on my phone thank you very much.

If you too are having the same issues, turn some of these switches off and check the boxes down the bottom of iTunes in the info tab (advanced). Should tied you over until Mobile-me finally works one day.

[Buck]

When I crack my iPhone, I'll be able to:

No you won't. At least, not now, not on 2.0 firmware. None of the installer apps work at the moment.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Hutcho

* Use a VNC client to connect to my desktop

Also, there is a VNC client for the iPhone on the App Store and it's free.

Originally Posted by Ireland

Running smoothly now. Though mobile me has yet to sync and add my data to the iPhone.

In your Mac System Preferences under Mobile Me Sync how often is it set to sync? I ask because Mine and other's MM is working fine. In fact my iPhone will vibrate before I get an email in Mail , which is set to every minute. And Mail has my Gmail account, while MM on the iPhone is getting Mail forwarded from my Gmail account.

[Ireland]

Originally Posted by solipsism

In your Mac System Preferences under Mobile Me Sync how often is it set to sync? I ask because Mine and other's MM is working fine. In fact my iPhone will vibrate before I get an email in Mail , which is set to every minute. And Mail has my Gmail account, while MM on the iPhone is getting Mail forwarded from my Gmail account.

It's set up fine, I'm 100% sure. It's just not working yet in this part of the world. I'm not the only one, in fact you're in the minority. Are you contacts set to Push? Are they on your phone?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Ireland

It's set up fine, I'm 100% sure. It's just not working yet in this part of the world. I'm not the only one, in fact you're in the minority. Are you contacts set to Push? Are they on your phone?

Everything is set to push on my iPhone. I have 4 other people on my MM Family account that also have iPhones new and old style on AT&T and T-Mobile that are getting their items Pushed fine. But like you said, different part of the world, which I had not considered.

I do wish that the iPhone wold save the contacts in a file so that if turned off push you wouldn't lose them all. I can see this as being a real PITA. They could at least have a popup that said "You have turned off contact syncing, would you like to delete the contacts? Yes/No"

PS: I just removed all the contacts from my Address Book and synced with MM. My contacts on the iPhone vanished. What if this was a system glitch that wasn't allowing Address Book to read m .ABCDDB file or some other issue that was out of my control? I think I having a local version of my contacts and having the option to disallow an update that affect hndreds of contacts need to be in place.

[wizard69]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

Yes, I know what the Pwnage Tool does, that's not what I'm asking.

What will people use it for? Let me be a little more clear. With the App store out now, what will people really use a jailbroken iPhone for now? Is there a huge market for the "restricted" apps that Apple wont sell?

It remains to be seen what Apple will and will not allow to be sold on app store. So there remains the possibility of doing a jail break for me.

Now onto your question what sort of apps? How about:

1.
A tethering app for those times when you really need to get on the net with a laptop. This is an important one even if the expectation of use is low. It is likely the one thing to cause me to jail break though if Apple or app store doesn't offer up something.

2.
This one is likely to be a lot harder for the hackers but I'd like to see better Bluetooth support. Especially communications profiles. Frankly this is something that Apple should be placing a high priority on as it makes a huge number of apps possible.

3.
Python. Actually an IDE that allows the running of Python scripts. This for the little hacked together scripts that everyone needs from time to time.

4.
An app to emulate a storage device like a flash dongle. Though the more I think about it an app that could act like a mini file server would be even better. It is just a bit frustrating that I now have all this storage in my pocket but no way to replace me cheap ass USB dongle.

5.
Support for a common file storage area. Again I understand Apple security approach but some times it makes life difficult, especially if you want to download and save data to flash.

6.
Apps that support saving and reading locally stored files. In other words a web browser and a pdf reader.

7.
One good work around to the above issues would be the installation of a micro web server. This would allow for the use of Safari in place of the item above.


Well that is a few items. If you are wondering about my thinking here it is fairly straight forward, the idea is to be able to access important data / documentation when out in the field away from network access. IPhone and Touch could be huge for people that work away from the desk if it can be made easy to carry and access data.


Dave

[lundy]

Originally Posted by Matthew Yohe

So, then are you saying that this will be something you will do until the Ad Hoc distribution comes out? Just something to tide you ever until then?

Sure. I can test on the simulator, and I can get friends to test on their simulators, or on real devices tethered to Xcode, but I need people with real devices and iTunes to make sure the thing works. The only way to get that, since Apple took my $99 but did not send me anything in return, is to ask them to bypass the certificate signing.

If this was just uploading to VersionTracker, it wouldn't be that big a deal. If the first version had some bugs, people would tell me and I would try again. But uploading to the app store implies that Apple is going to compile and test it, and I don't want the hassle of them finding some problem that I might have found with testers.

[johnthebaton]

Does anyone know if there is a Jailbroken app that enables A2DP? If there is, that would be reason for me to jailbreak my iPhone 3G.

[lundy]

Originally Posted by jasong

But it's not a PITA to have your testers jailbreak their phones to test your application, which might require a re-load of their device once they are done testing?

I'll only ask people who have already said that they used the jailbreak tool, rather than ask people to install something just for me.