Today we are going to cover how to successfully downgrade the iPhone from OS 4 beta (iPhone 4.0) back to iPhone 3.1.3. If you're a small developer who installed the iPhone OS 4 beta then realized you had to troubleshoot problems for an existing app under 3.1, it can sometimes come down to this or having to quickly go shopping for a second iPhone or iPod touch. Luckily, downgrading can be done pretty easily a majority of the time, even though things sometimes go downhill, like DFU loops, errors, etc.. We will cover these scenarios right now and hopefully get a lot of people where they need to be.  I'll show you two ways to downgrade, through XCode (Mac only) and through iTunes (Mac and PC).

And as always, if you are even a little scared you may mess up your phone during this process, stop right now.  What you do to your phone is always on you.  These guides are there for your convenience, but we hold no responsibility for any bricked iDevices of any kind.

If that didn't scare the pants off of you, hit the jump for screenshots, a written walk-through, and a video!

First of all, we need to differentiate between firmware and a baseband as a lot of people seem to get those confused.  Firmware is the actual software your phone is running, which in most cases can be downgraded easily.  A baseband however can NOT be downgraded as easy.  This is part of what makes a phone unlockable (when the baseband is cracked).

Currently, iPhone firmware 3.1.3 and above can not be unlocked as the baseband version changed.  So if you are trying to downgrade in order to get your unlock back, don't bother with this process.  Your baseband will currently remain at the 4.0 baseband.  Even when you downgrade successfully, your baseband will remain the same, ruining your chances at having your unlock back.

What I'm getting at here is, do not downgrade in hopes of getting an unlock back.  If you've installed 3.1.3 and higher, there is no unlock released.  The only way you can unlock 3.1.3 is to have an older bootrom that was not upgraded (meaning you upgraded to 3.1.3 from a custom firmware ipsw, not the official 3.1.3).

XCode Downgrade

The easiest way to downgrade is going to be to go through XCode on a Mac.  If you're just going through XCode, simply choose 3.1.3 from your available firmwares, and voila, your phone will restore.  If you are a licensed dev, you should have no problem going this route. No errors, nothing.  You will not need the packages listed above (at least you shouldn't). Open XCode and go to Organizer...

Then choose 3.1.3...

If you do get stuck in a DFU loop or get an error, jump down to the iTunes directions and continue from there (typically error 1015 or a DFU loop, which is where you need iRecovery - covered below and in video).  I did not include an XCode walkthrough in the video as it's extremely simple and painless if done correctly.

iTunes Downgrade (Mac and PC)

Even though I am covering a PC downgrade, you should NEVER ever install a beta OS through a PC. That is not the way they were meant to be installed. Betas should NEVER be installed through iTunes, always through XCode on a Mac. Especially with 4.0. The file system changed and iTunes will install the old way, creating crashes and all kinds of other nastiness. Even though I am giving instructions for PC downgrade, I have no way to test them, if there are issues, please let me know so I can correct them.

Alright, now on to what you'll need to have beforehand -

Here is what you need to download to your computer (to your desktop is easiest):

• libusb (Mac Versions, PC Package including iRecovery)
• Faster iRecovery (Mac Version <-- scroll all the way to bottom of page, there are 2 versions, this one's easier)
• iPhone firmware 3.1.3 (All versions, make sure you download the correct one for your phone model)

Wait for your phone to go through the restore process (I would normally of told you to backup before doing any of this, but as 4.0 does not support backups yet, that isn't possible. Hopefully you backed up your data before 4.0 so you can restore from that).

Your phone will not complete the downgrade, it will give you an error like below, that's OK.

Next, open iRecovery.  There are 2 versions of iRecovery.  One you have to manually enter commands, the other, fast version is a button click.  So for Mac users, open the faster iRecovery and click the button.  iRecovery will reboot your phone and you "should" be done and able to sync and restore like normal through iTunes (you are done if you have a screen showing "Slide for Emergency", if you still have "Connect to iTunes", skip to the section titled "Still Stuck").  For PCs who need to enter commands into your command prompt, type the commands in this order:

• iRecovery -s
• satenv auto-boot true
• saveenv
• reboot (by holding home and power down until you see Apple logo - about 10 seconds)

Here is what you don't want (but may get)...

Still Stuck

When I decided to downgrade, my phone was stuck in a hopeless loop of DFU fail.  I found a way around this with blackra1n.

First, download blackra1n to your computer.  Launch it, and click "make it ra1n".  Wait about 30 seconds, your screen should be black but not off.

UNPLUG your phone and hard reboot it.  When it comes back on, you should now have "Slide for Emergency" and be able to sync like normal. blackra1n will not jailbreak your phone, so if you want a Jailbreak, use Spirit afterwards (see my Spirit Jailbreak for iPhone 3.1.3 walkthrough).  But it will get your phone out of DFU mode.

That's it!

Just a side not: Anytime you restore you may have to repeat this process as a clean restore may still fail (at least until 4.0 official drops and you upgrade to that).  Forcing your iPhone out of DFU mode can cause restores to act funky, so just save these steps for further reference.  You should now be able to backup and sync like normal though.

Questions, problems? Let us know in the comments or in the TiPb Jailbreak Forum!

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For most of us today, email is a major part of our lives. Whether it be for business or personal reasons, one thing we all look for in an email service, especially if we are paying for it, is reliability. So what if you're not having the best of luck with Apple's MobileMe service or any other IMAP alternatives? Maybe it's time to consider a hosted Exchange account. Not familiar with Exchange? Then be sure to check out Rene's excellent article from a while back, Walkthrough: Exchange ActiveSync On Your iPhone 2.0. That article can give you a great understanding of exactly how Exchange works on the iPhone.

Don't have a corporate solution or your very own Exchange server, though? No problem! I'm going to be giving you some very reliable hosted Exchange services as well as some tips on getting it up and running for the flawless email you have been seeking!

More after the jump!

Finding the right service for you

The first step in setting up a hosted Exchange account is finding the service provider that best suites your needs and that is reliable. A good place to read some reviews for all of the services available to you is www.exchangehostingreviews.com. If those service providers seem like overkill to you and you do not want to spend any money take a look at this article, Want Exchange Activesync for FREE?

Now instead of me going through that whole list, let me just jump to my personal favorite and the service that I recently started using, Sherweb. For $8.95 a month ($107.40 a year -- competitive with Apple's MobileMe pricing!) here is what Sherweb offers you:

A few main reasons I switched from a MobileMe account to Exchange is due to the fact that I could not sync all of my data with a Windows Mobile device along with my iPhone. The second reason being that a lot of my mail was never reliably pushed to my phone with MobileMe. During the past two months of using Sherweb, however, I've experienced nothing but top notch service. There was one one night when I had a single hour of downtime that was announced well ahead of time, and that was not a issue at all. More importantly, I get every single email sent to me on time with no issues what so ever.

So whichever provider you choose, choose wisely. You want to make sure you select the provider that can increase efficiency and productivity for your business or pleasure. For me it's Sherweb (and no, I do not work for them or know anyone that does.)

Setting up Hosted Exchange on the iPhone

Setting up your Exchange account is relatively simple process on the iPhone. Just follow the below steps. Please note that the server information that I have filled in is for Sherweb members only. Check with your host for their specific settings.

WARNING - Before you set up your Exchange account, please know that any contacts and calendar events currently on your iPhone will be erased. They will be replaced with what is in your Exchange account. So please make sure that you transfer all of your data to Exchange before going through the setup process on your iPhone.

First, from the device’s main screen, go to: Settings ->Mail, Contacts, Calendar ->Add Account -> Microsoft Exchange.

Under account info, in the Email address box, enter your hosted Exchange email address.

Leave the Domain field blank (unless your specific hosted Exchange provider tells you otherwise).

In the Username box, type in your email address. This needs to be the main email address for your account (i.e. the one you are using when logging into Outlook Web Access).

In the Password box, type in your account password.

Tap on the Next button at the top of the screen.

NOTE: Your device may fail stating "Unable to Verify certificate." If this is the case, tap Accept.

A box labelled Server will appear. Enter: webmail.ihostexchange.net (or the server name of your specific hosted Exchange provider)

Tap on the Next button at the top of the screen.

The device will then verify the server saying "Account has been verified."

A new screen will appear asking you to "Select info to synchronize using Exchange." It will display Mail, Contacts and Calendars. Turn the features ON if you desire to have them synchronized with your Exchange account. Once satisfied, select the Save button.

You will then be taken back to the default Mail, Contacts and Calendar screen. You can adjust the mail settings preferences here as you wish.

By default the iPhone will only sync the last 3 days of mail. To sync older messages, Please do the following:

Go to : Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendar.

Tap on the Exchange account. Tap on Mail days to sync and select from No Limit (which will sync all messages) to 1 Month.

Congratulations, you have just successfully setup your very own Hosted Exchange account! Enjoy the most reliable email you can have on your iPhone!

(Thanks to Cory for introducing me to Sherweb!)