Hackers continue to tweak Apple's obsolete iOS 3.1.3 for legacy iPhones, iPods
Even as Apple's first- and second-generation iPhone and iPod touch gain "vintage" status, intrepid programming group "whited00r" is working to bring many of iOS's latest features, like Control Center, to the geriatric devices.
The group is responsible for production of the eponymous "whited00r" firmware, a heavily-modified version of Apple's iOS 3.1.3 that mimics the look-and-feel of newer iOS versions on devices that Apple no longer officially supports. Whited00r's firmware is targeted at Apple's first-generation iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the first- and second-generation iPod touch.
Whited00r 7, the cabal's most recent release, is designed to emulate many of iOS 7's standout features. Control Center makes an appearance, as does a new iOS 7-style camera app and multitasking view.
The firmware's push notification feature has been updated to mimic Apple's latest "windowshade" design, and iOS's legacy Voice Control feature has been brought back. Most of iOS 7's other visual tweaks, like flatter icons and new menu designs, have also been backported in whited00r 7.
Users who find a specific item performs poorly on their device can enable and disable individual features with a special settings menu.
Installing whited00r on a supported device is a relatively straightforward three-step process. After jailbreaking their device with the popular Redsn0w utility, users load whited00r's custom firmware using iTunes, and restarting the device completes the installation.
Whited00r first appeared in 2010 as a project to backport new iOS 4 features to devices running iOS 3, and has maintained a small but devoted following since that time. According to download statistics from open source code hosting service Sourceforge, the whited00r 7 firmware has been downloaded tens of thousands of times since its release.
The group is responsible for production of the eponymous "whited00r" firmware, a heavily-modified version of Apple's iOS 3.1.3 that mimics the look-and-feel of newer iOS versions on devices that Apple no longer officially supports. Whited00r's firmware is targeted at Apple's first-generation iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the first- and second-generation iPod touch.
Whited00r 7, the cabal's most recent release, is designed to emulate many of iOS 7's standout features. Control Center makes an appearance, as does a new iOS 7-style camera app and multitasking view.
The firmware's push notification feature has been updated to mimic Apple's latest "windowshade" design, and iOS's legacy Voice Control feature has been brought back. Most of iOS 7's other visual tweaks, like flatter icons and new menu designs, have also been backported in whited00r 7.
Users who find a specific item performs poorly on their device can enable and disable individual features with a special settings menu.
Installing whited00r on a supported device is a relatively straightforward three-step process. After jailbreaking their device with the popular Redsn0w utility, users load whited00r's custom firmware using iTunes, and restarting the device completes the installation.
Whited00r first appeared in 2010 as a project to backport new iOS 4 features to devices running iOS 3, and has maintained a small but devoted following since that time. According to download statistics from open source code hosting service Sourceforge, the whited00r 7 firmware has been downloaded tens of thousands of times since its release.
Comments
I'd be happy if apple just brought back the PLAY symbol in the top bar when I'm playing a track (in iOS7). Without it, I can't tell if I've successfully double-clicked to the next song and it's just a quiet track or if I clicked poorly and the damn thing is paused! Dammit, Apple! Why can't you leave good things alone and stop changing for the sake of change?
Then, I remembered ... well ... so many their freaking devices still run froyo ... gingerbread ... honycum ... ROFLAMO
WHOO! ALL RIGHT!
I’ve been waiting for this. Now to install it.
You’re darn tooting! I’ve been using whited00r since 5.
Can you then install apps form the app store? As I bought an iphod touch 2nd gen to work with my apple Hi-fi.
Only to find none of the apps were compatible with 3.1
Or is there another process to download earlier app versions?
Would be interesting to know
Can you rollback from iPhone OS 4.x back to 3.1.3? That would be great for many of the iPhone 3G models still out there that are barely usable on 4.x.
Can you then install apps form the app store? As I bought an iphod touch 2nd gen to work with my apple Hi-fi.
Only to find none of the apps were compatible with 3.1
Or is there another process to download earlier app versions?
Would be interesting to know
The App Store should recognize which device and OS you're running and install the last supported version. That's happened several times with my original iPad. A message will pop-up and say my OS is too old for the latest version of the app, so it downloads the last version of the app that was compatible with iOS 5 and the original iPad.
Cheers thats brilliant, must be a new feature rolled out with ios7 and Mavericks
Only if you kept your SHSH blobs of an earlier OS installation for a particular device.
I have a 3rd gen iPod Touch. Their website says that they have a developer preview out for that model, too.
That's pretty awesome. We have a couple of those lying around.