iPhone 3G

Tip: How to Make Your iPhone 3G Faster on iOS 4

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

If you have an iPhone 3G running iOS 4, you know how painfully slow your device can be. This is due to the fact that iOS 4 was designed for more powerful devices like the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4.

iPhone hacker Comex tweeted a link to a MMI article showing how you can easily make your iPhone 3G on iOS 4 faster. Apparently, turning off Spotlight Search does the trick.

To do so, go to Settings > General >Home Button > Spotlight Search, then turn off everything and reboot your iPhone.

I don't have an iPhone 3G so I wasn't able to verify this but looking at all the positive comments over at MMI, I assume this is working like a charm.

Please try it and let us know how it goes for you.

[JAiB - Image]

How to Unlock the iPhone 3G iOS 4.0.1 with UltraSn0w

Sébastien Page ∙ July 15, 2010

The latest firmware update that brought us iOS 4.0.1 did not update the baseband which remains at version 05.13.04. This means that if you have an iPhone 3G, you can jailbreak iOS 4.0.1 and unlock your it with UltraSn0w.

Step 1: You will have to jailbreak your iPhone 3G iOS 4.0.1 first.

Step 2: Then simply add this source to Cydia: http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com. More details here.

Step 3: Finally, search for "UltraSn0w" in Cydia and install the application. Reboot your iPhone, and you're done. You can now use your iPhone on a different carrier.

There is no iOS 4 jailbreak for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 yet but I guess it's just a matter of time now.

How to Jailbreak iPhone 3G iOS 4.0.1 with RedSn0w

Sébastien Page ∙ July 15, 2010

iOS 4.0.1 for iPhone was released a few hours ago and those of you who have an iPhone 3G are already able to update and jailbreak iOS 4.0.1 using RedSn0w 0.9.5b5-5. Note that RedSn0w will jailbreak the iPhone 3G only. At this time, there is no jailbreak for other devices on iOS 4.0.1, which is why you should not update if you rely on your jailbreak.

Instructions to jailbreak your iPhone iOS 4.0.1 with RedSn0w remain the same except you must update to iOS 4.0.1 and point RedSn0w at the 4.0 IPSW even though you're at 4.0.1.

The Dev Team and Comex are expected to release an update to Spirit sometimes soon. This new version of Spirit will most likely jailbreak all devices on 4.0.1.

Stay tuned for more info!

Parody: iOS 4 on iPhone 3G

Sébastien Page ∙ July 14, 2010

Sad, but true... This is what iOS 4 looked like on the couple iPhone 3G I saw it running on.

If you have an iPhone 3G with iOS 4, please tell us if you're iPhone is still as snappy as ever or if it slowed down.

Jailbreak iPhone 3G on iOS 4 With RedSn0w

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 29, 2010

You can now jailbreak your iPhone 3G running iOS 4 using RedSn0w. This version of RedSn0w will only jailbreak the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G.

At the time being the only way to jailbreak the iPhone 3GS on iOS 4 is to use PwnageTool. RedSn0w should be updated soon to jailbreak both the iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 4, so be patient.

According to the Dev Team, "For now, the redsn0w beta release supports only the iPhone3G and iPod Touch 2G at today’s 4.0. It’s still a beta, so you’ll need to let Cydia reorganize, reload, and update after using redsn0w."

This being said jailbreaking the iPhone 3G iOS 4 with RedSn0w is fairly simple.These instructions are to jailbreak the iPhone 3G iOS 4 using RedSn0w. Instructions are the same to jailbreak the iPod Touch 2G.

How to Jailbreak iPhone 3G iOS 4

Step 1: Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed (iTunes 9.2).

Step 2: Download iOS 4 for iPhone 3G to your desktop from our iPhone downloads section.

Step 3: Update your iPhone to iOS 4 via iTunes.

Step 4: Download the latest version of RedSn0w from here.

Step 5: Point RedSn0w to the iOS 4 you downloaded in step 2.

Step 6: Select "Install Cydia".

Step 7: Follow the onscreen instructions.

Step 8: Let RedSn0w do the hard work for you. Once jailbroken, your iPhone will reboot.

That's it!

Now as mentioned above, this is just a beta release of RedSn0w, which means you might have a few issues. One of the most common issues is that the Cydia icon appears all white. In order to fix this, simply add the following repo to Cydia and reboot your iPhone: http://apt.saurik.com/cydia-3.7.

If needed, you may now unlock your iPhone 3G running iOS 4 by following these simple instructions.

iPhone 4.0 Beta 4 Things Are Looking Up!

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 27, 2018

Thinking about installing the iPhone 4.0 beta software on your iPhone? Think again! Several weeks ago I made the executive decision to install the new beta software on my precious iPhone. Big mistake! The beta was only in its second stage and nearly unusable on my outdated 3G iPhone model. Not only that but the features that excited me about the new software were non existent. I understand some features will only be for 3GS and later models, but wow.

I couldn't activate my camera most of the time, it would power cycle every time I launched the web browser, and half the time I couldn't tell if the phone was charging or not. Now before you fill the comments section with ridiculous "that's why they call it beta" remarks, I knew that. I just had that "gotta have it now" mentality that I know a lot of our readers can sympathize with as I have read the "help! i upgraded to 3.1.3 and lost my jailbreak" comment more than once throughout our site.

Not only was my phone unusable, but I couldn't revert back to an earlier version either. I didn't do any kind of baseband umbrella so of course, my baseband could not be downgraded.

Well, after version 3 of the 4.0 software was released and I installed it, I saw a lot of improvements on the above mentioned bugs. Now that version 4 is out, they are almost non existent. The best part of this version is that they finally made available the 'folders' feature.

The best implementation of a 'folder' system I think I've seen on a mobile device. A folder is created simply by dragging one icon on top of another, and you are instantly offered the chance to edit the name of the folder. I'm definitely excited to see what the next beta will reveal as we are still weeks away from any official announcement on a consumer-ready iPhone 4.0 download at WWDC in June.

Jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 3, 2009

Since the release of OS 3.1.2 last week, there has been a friendly competition to release a jailbreak for the iPhone 3.1.2. GeoHot was the first to release the iPhone 3.1.2 jailbreak called BlackRa1n, followed by the Dev Team and their PwnageTool.

If I can make a suggestion, do not use BlackRa1n. It is buggy and unstable. PwnageTool is much more stable and "clean".

This article is a summary of the options you have to jailbreak your iPhone 3.1.2 depending on your model.

Jailbreak iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS 3.1.2 with PwnageTool

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

This step-by-step guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 3G or 3GS OS 3.1.2 using PwnageTool 3.1.4 for Mac OS X. PwnageTool is a Mac and Mac only tool. There is no equivalent for Windows and no one knows yet when such a tool for Windows will be released.

If you updated your iPhone via iTunes to 3.1.2 or if you bought your iPhone with 3.1.2 pre-installed, you will be able to jailbreak it, however, you will not be able to unlock it. On the other hand. if you are still on 3.0 or if you have updated to 3.1 using PwnageTool, you preserved your baseband and you will be able to unlock using UltraSn0w.

This tutorial is written for both the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The steps are identical. The only thing that changes is the file you have to download in order to create your custom IPSW.

How to jailbreak iPhone 3G/3GS 3.1.2:

Edit Videos On Your iPhone 3G

Sébastien Page ∙ September 21, 2009

Last month, we talked about a simple hack to let you edit videos on your iPhone 2G or 3G the same way the iPhone 3GS does. iPhone OS 3.1 just made this hack obsolete for 3G users as it is now possible to edit videos on the iPhone 3G without hacking the phone.

If you updated your iPhone 3G to the new 3.1 firmware, you should now be able to trim videos and save them in your camera roll. In order to edit a video, you should have someone email you the video and save it to your camera roll first. From there, you can access the video, edit it, and save the changes.

That's a nice little upgrade for the iPhone 3G. Though I still think it's scandalous Apple didn't allow the 3G to get video recording.

Tutorial: Jailbreak iPhone 3G on 3.1 Using PwnageTool

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated October 3, 2009

This guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 3G running firmware 3.1, using PwnageTool for Mac OS X. So far, only PwnageTool is available for jailbreaking the 3.1 iPhone 3G and it is only for Mac. I believe a RedSn0w method for both Mac and PC will be available soon.

1. Make sure you have installed the latest version of iTunes (iTunes 9).

2. On your desktop, create a folder called "jailbreak" or whatever name you want to give it. It doesn't really matter. Download PwnageTool 3.1 and the 3.1 IPSW (iPhone1,2_3.1_7C144_Restore.ipsw) from here and save them into the "jailbreak" folder. Note that you should download the firmware using FireFox as Safari often brings up issues. Also note that the PwnageTool download link is a torrent and you will need a torrent downloader (ie. uTorrent) to download it.

3. Launch PwnageTool. It will give you some sort of warning. Just click OK. On the next screen, choose the "Expert Mode".

4. Select your iPhone model and click the blue arrow to continue.

5. Browse for the IPSW you downloaded in step 2. You should then get a green check mark.

6. You will now be offered several options. Choose "General". Make sure the "Activate the phone" box is left UNCHECKED if you use an official carrier (such as AT&T in the US, Roger in Canada, etc...). This is very important. If you are not using an official carrier, then CHECK "Activate the iPhone".

7. Increase the root partition size to 700 MB. This is not necessary but it is safer. Then click the blue arrow to continue. Click the blue arrow one more time to skip the bootneuter settings, which aren't available for the iPhone 3G.

8. You will now have the possibility to pre-install a few packages from Cydia so you don't have to do it manually later. I will skip this part. Click the blue arrow to go to the next step.

9. You will now be in the "Custom packages settings". Make sure Cydia is selected and you may want to select Icy as well. For what it's worth, I do not use Icy. I only use Cydia but you're free to select both if you want. Whatever you do, make sure at least Cydia is selected. Click the blue arrow to continue.

10. You can now set your own "Custom logos settings". I don't use any but again, you can choose the one pre-selected or you can even upload your own. If you choose to upload your own, remember the logo mustn't be bigger than 320 x 480. Click the blue arrow when done to continue.

11. It is now time to start the pwnage process. You should be on the main options screen offering you 6 different options. Choose "Build" and click the blue arrow to continue.

12. You will now have to save your custom IPSW file. Save it in the "jailbreak" folder we created in step 2.

13. Your custom IPSW firmware will now be built, which may take up to 15 minutes, so be patient.

14. You will most likely be asked for your administrator password. Fill in the blanks and click OK.

15. You will then be asked if your iPhone has been pwned before. Just answer "No".

16. Now is the most important step. You will first be asked to turn off your iPhone. Follow the instructions on your computer screen to put your iPhone into DFU mode. Basically, you have to hold the home and power buttons together for 10 seconds, then release the power button but still hold the home button. If done correctly, PwnageTool will tell you you successfully entered the DFU mode.

17. If iTunes hasn't launched automatically, open it. iTunes should tell you it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. Click OK.

18. In iTunes, hold the "Alt/Option" key and click Restore at the same time. DO NOT click "restore" without holding the "Alt/Option" key! A window will pop up and you'll be able to choose the custom IPSW file you created in step12 that you saved in your "jailbreak" folder.

19. iTunes will now work on restoring your iPhone using the custom firmware.

20. Done! You will now be offered the option to set up your iPhone as a new phone or restore from a previous backup. I personally like to start fresh and I always choose to set it up as a new phone, but it's your choice.

21. You should now see the Cydia icon on the second page of applications on your iPhone. Congratulations, you just jailbreaked your iPhone 3G 3.1 with PwnageTool.

If you have any question or concern, please leave a comment.

Tutorial: Jailbreak Your iPhone 3G 3.0 With PwnageTool For Mac

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

This tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 3G using PwnageTool for Mac. Following this guide is the first step to take in order to unlock your iPhone 3G later on using UltraSn0w.

1. Make sure you have downloaded the latest version of iTunes 8.2 and that you have updated your iPhone to the latest 3.0 firmware.

2. Create a folder on your desktop. In this folder, download PwnageTool 3.0 and your iPhone 3G 3.0 firmware from our iPhone downloads page.

3. Launch PwnageTool, agree to the warning, and select the "expert mode".

4. Select your iPhone model (iPhone 3G) and click the blue arrow to continue.

5. Now if your computer doesn't automatically detect the iPhone 3G 3.0 firmware you downloaded in step 1, browse for it.

6. You will then have a menu with 6 choices. Choose "general", which will allow you to set your own root partition size. Click the blue arrow to continue.

7. You will now have 3 checkboxes. Make sure only "enable baseband update" is checked. You will also need to increase the root partition size. Usually setting the root partition around 700MB is enough. Click next to continue.

8. When you get to the "bootneuter settings", simply click the blue arrrow to continue.

9. The "Cydia settings" allow you to choose packages to download now so you don't have to download them from Cydia later. Choose any of the packages you want and click next.

10. You will now have the possibility to choose your own boot logo. I will skip this step as it is useless.

11. After setting your own boot logos (if you chose to), you will now be able to build your own IPSW file. Click the blue "build" button to start.

12. Choose a folder to save your custom firmware (ie. desktop).

13. Your custom firmware will now be built, which may take up to 15-20 minutes. Be patient.

14. Enter your administrator password.

15. When asked if your iPhone has been pwned before, say "no", even if it has.

16. Make sure your iPhone is connected to your computer and turn it off, as prompted.

17. This is the tricky part. You will now have to follow directions to enter DFU mode. It will ask you to hold the home and power buttons for 10 seconds. Then, you will have to release the power button and hold the home button for 10 seconds.

18. If done correctly, you will get a message saying that you successfully entered DFU mode. Close PwnageTool and launch iTunes.

19. iTunes will give you a message saying it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. Click OK.

20. In iTunes, hold the Alt/Option key and click "restore" at the same time. It will open a window where you will have to select the custom firmware that you built a few minutes before.

21. iTunes will then restore your iPhone 3G using the custom firmware. This step may take 15-20 minutes so again, be patient.

22. Once done, you will have to "set up your iPhone", either as a new phone (which I recommend), or from backup.

23. Reboot your iPhone and you should have a Cydia icon on the springboard.

24. Congrats! You just jailbroke your iPhone 3G using PwnageTool 3.0 :)

Dev Team Demos UltraSn0w – iPhone 3G Unlock

Sébastien Page ∙ June 16, 2009

As announced yesterday, Dev Team member MuscleNerd did a demo of UltraSn0w, the new software unlock for the iPhone 3G (skip to 2.20 min on the video below). Unlike its predecessor YellowSn0w, UltraSn0w will unlock your iPhone 3G no matter what firmware, bootloader or baseband you have, as long as you have the new 3.0 firmware installed.

The actual program that UltraSn0w injects into the baseband to accomplish the unlock is the exact same one the Dev Team developed for YellowSn0w. What changed is that the Dev Team found a new "hole" to inject the unlocking payload.

During his demo, MuscleNerd successfully jailbroke his iPhone 3G and proved it by inserting a T-Mobile SIM card.

UltraSn0w won't be available until Friday and like YellowSn0w, it will be downloadable through Cydia. Your iPhone will obviously have to be jailbroken and the Dev Team will release the necessary tools for that (QuickPwn and PwnageTool) soon.

Again, just to make this clear, there is no baseband downgrade needed. You can just upgrade to 3.0 tomorrow and wait for the Dev Team to push its unlocking tools and UltraSn0w on Friday.

Note that this unlock is only valid for the iPhone 3G. According to the Dev Team, this hack may be applicable to the new iPhone 3G S if it can be jailbroken, which should happen sometimes soon. Go Dev Team!