Home » HowTo: iPhone 2G/3G Firmware 3.1 Downgrade OS X

HowTo: iPhone 2G/3G Firmware 3.1 Downgrade OS X

After downgrading to Firmware 3.0 you can use the help.benm.at Mobileconfigs to enable Tethering again!

Direct Link to the Video Tutorial.

For  a successfull downgrade of your iPhone 2G/3G Firmware 3.1 to Firmware 3.0 you need:

iTunes 9

  iRecovery OS X (9.5 KiB, 19,239 hits)
iRecovery OS X

  LibUSB OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (310.0 KiB, 12,396 hits)
0.1.13 beta 2009-09-10

OR

  LibUSB OS X 10.5 (430.0 KiB, 7,759 hits)
0.1.13 beta 2009-09-10

OR

  LibUSB OS X 10.4 Tiger (250.0 KiB, 2,634 hits)
0.1.13 beta 2009-09-10

  iPhone 3G Firmware 3.0 (1.2 KiB, 35,538 hits)
iPhone 3G Firmware 3.0

  iPhone 2G Firmware 3.1 (240.8 MiB, 5,540 hits)
iPhone 2G Firmware 3.1

HowTo:

  1. Download LibUSB, iRecovery and the iPhone 3G Firmware 3.0
  2. Install LibUSB for your OS X Version
  3. Install iRecovery
  4. Your iPhone needs to be in the DFU Mode
    (Pwnage Tool 3.1 helps you to get into the DFU Mode)
  5. Press the ALT-Key on your Keyboard while clicking on “Restore” in iTunes
  6. Install the Firmware 3.0
  7. iTunes will show you a “1015 Error” – thats ok!
  8. Close iTunes
  9. Open your OS X Terminal.app which you can find under /Applications/Utilities
  10. Type in the following commands. Hit Enter after every single command:
    1. iRecovery -s
    2. printenv
    3. setenv auto-boot true
    4. saveenv
    5. reboot
  11. Your iPhone 3G should now reboot
  12. Now you see the “Activation Screen” with the Emergency Slider
  13. Open iTunes again and wait till iTunes has activated your iPhone 3G – if your iPhone is official unlocked or you use it regularly with your iPhone-Provider (AT&T for example)
    If you need to Unlock/Jailbreak your iPhone 3GS you dont need to open iTunes to activate – iTunes wont activate your iPhone.
    Download redsn0w and Jailbreak your Device

/Edit: There is a lil mistake in the video. After downgrading from Firmware 3.1 you cant unlock your iPhone 3G – for now – cause your baseband has been updated with the upgrade to Firmware 3.1.

This tutorials doesnt work on Windows and it doesnt work with an iPhone 3GS. This need its own more difficult tutorial which im writing right now.

If your iPhone is officially unlocked, your iPhone will remain officially unlocked after downgrade!

Help me helping you! Support BenM.at with a donation.


/Update It seems the comments sections has an error and the comments are not showing up. I’m checking this right.

  • Mark P.
    Thanks for your help, it worked perfectly.
    Mark
  • JacobB
    iTunes won't let me select the ipsw for the restore. It views it as a folder it wants to open, not as a file. Please help
  • Jefferson
    ^^ Danke möge dich Allah belohnen dafür.
  • dt78
    Hi Ben,
    Thanks so much for your easy to follow directions. This is fantastic.

    However, like 3 or 4 posts from last September, I've managed to successfully install everything to Step 10, including LibUSB, iRecovery and the iPhone 3G Firmware 3.0,
    where I get stuck on the Terminal stage with the "Bus error" message.

    I am using iTunes version 9.0.2 (25). Please help!
  • des22
    hi Ben, great site and advice...

    I keep getting the error box, in iTunes9, telling me the firmware is wrong, whichever one I try. So stuck on point 5.
    please advise.

    my Iphone: 3G 8G with o2 contract, un-jailbroken.

    thanks

    Des
  • Elijah
    Ok, this process worked perfect and I am set up. Now, after I have tethered, how do I restore my iPhone with my old info that is backed up on iTunes 9 on my mac? It’s telling me I have to upgrade back to 3.1 on my firmware.
  • Hanwei
    THis is the best solution I got, it never fails, the black rain in 3.1.2 will lock up my iPhone every 3days, sucks.
  • Hugo Simoes
    Hello there.

    I thank you so much for this information.

    Can I downgrade my iPhone 3G-S or no? Do you have a different tutorial for the iPhone 3G-S firmware 3.1.2?

    Your profile seems super easy, but I can't make it work for 3G-S.

    Can you help me get tethering working on my phone? MMS already works...

    PLEASE HELP. Your tutorial is awesome. I just donated too :)
  • Francis
    Any news on tethering for 3GS with 3.1.2 ? I think a lot of people would be more than thankful....
  • john
    Im having a problem, when I try to load the irecovery software in the terminal screen it just reads bus error
  • Bob
    Any suggestions to fix Visual Voicemail after downgrading? Voicemail works on server but no visual alert on 3G iPhone. Thanks in advance.
  • HarryD
    Very nice Ben, at least I can finally use my iPhone again to tether again with my MBP without nokia hassle.
    But it kinda shocked me that a lot of the data I collected had gone because I had to tell iTunes that the iPhone should be treated as a new one and could not put back the old data (iTunes complaining the software on iPhone needs to be updated first to be able to do that and I went tru the hassle to downgrade it only and not go back to faulty 3.1 :b )
    Anyway, I'll survive and am happy I can tether again and that's thanks to you, Ben, with your clear tutorial. Perhaps you should spend a few words on data lost after downgrade so that people are aware
  • Aro
    I found a place for window users if it helps...
    http://www.redmondpie.com/downgrade-iphone-3.1-to...
    and then i just downloaded the firmware verison from this site ^_^, pretty simple hope it helps!
  • peng vang
    y cant i install the irecovery and the Liusb's using the above link???? i got the 3.0 firmware installed though but thats it. any solutions ben? i would love to donate and support you supporting US! Thank you!
  • I need help I have Iphone 3g with firmeware 3.1.2 and base band 5.11 I unlock the phone using blackra1n then I install snow and cynthia but it does not work is in the same stage no service with my im of cable / wireless and movilstar what can I do please help me
  • Rob
    Do you currently have a way to get tethering on my 3Gs .
    Please let me know ,If not now ...When
    Rob
  • Jan
    I only miss tethering on my iphone - will there be a fix for that or a windows patch?
    I sadly don't have a mac anymore (except for an imac with OS 8.6 ;) )
  • Molotoff
    After downgrading from 3.1.2 to 3.0.1 I kept getting the "software too old" error too.
    The solution is just to go to ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/yourbackupdirectory/ and edit the Info.plist:
    Find the key "Product version" and change the value to 3.0.1 (or 3.0.0) and save.
    Restart iTunes. Right-click on your iPhone in "Devices" and restore from your backup.
    Just make sure not to backup your phone right after the downgrade, since iTunes keeps only one backup per device and would thus overwrite your old files.
  • JoBu
    Thanks you!!
  • Jason
    when can we expect the "more difficult tutorial" tutorial for the 3gs?
blog comments powered by Disqus