Dev-Team: Jailbreakers Beware of iPhone 3.1 Update

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

Anticipating Apple releasing the iPhone 3.1 update at or following tomorrow's "It's only rock and roll, but we like it" special music event, the Dev-Team has posted a reminder:

If you update to Apple’s new software using the normal iTunes process, you will lose your ultrasn0w unlock. In fact you may lose it permanently, because for most people the baseband firmware cannot be reverted to a previous version (unlike the main application CPU firmware).

Rather, their PwnageTool should allow you to update the firmware without updating the baseband, preserving ultrasn0w for the "best of both worlds".

So, jailbreakers and unlockers, no rushing to out to download that shiny new 3.1 software via iTunes. You've been warned.

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

57 Comments
  • Thanks for the heads up. I will avoid clicking the update button by accident!
  • any idea what the update will contain?
  • @Anders
    MMS update which AT&T will be unlocking on the 25th. I believe...
  • And some bug fixes like the scrambled icon issue among others.
  • Confirmed features of 3.1 can be found here: http://iphonepulse.com/2009/07/more-iphone-3-1-features/
    I like the speed enhancements, improved battery life, and bug fixes. Also other improvements to the rendering engine should improve games. And no doubt you will have to have 3.1 for AT&T mms to work.
  • It's a point release so it's a pretty big one not just tiny bug fixes. Feel sorry for the jailbreakers. I'll be updating tomorrow.
  • A friend of mine who decided to jailbreak his iPhone has been very happy with the performance and extra options he's had... but he is worried enough about 3.1 that he has reversed the jailbreak (or unjailbreak) and given up the extra app's he loaded.
    It will be interesting to hear comments after Apple releases the update!
    Kick Butt
  • Still confused as to why people think a new firmware is needed for MMS on AT&T.
    It's been working on 3.0 in the UK since it was released, you don't have a different firmware just a different carrier file!
  • we'll, at least there is a work around :) either way I've learned to live w/out MMS and would much rather keep my jailbreak. Let me tether w/out having to jb then MAYBE.
  • Why why why are the bloggers of things iPhone STILL incorrectly referring to the unlock as "jailbreak"???? Ultrasn0w is not redsn0w/pwnage, people!
  • Click on the link on the post for iPhone 3.1 and you'll get everything including our walk though. Http://www.theiphoneblog.com/iphone-31
  • I am jailbroken, using ATT, and have had my MMS working flawlessly for months. Not doing the update until I give time for dev team to figure it all out. I don't use ultrasnow as that has nothing to do with jailbreaking.Ultrasnow is for unlocking,not jailbreaking. Yes, you need to be jailbroken to unlock. But just because you are jailbroken does not mean u want to or needed to or did the extra step to unlock. Those who write these posts need to make sure to use the correct terminology.
  • In the past the devteam has been pretty quick about adjusting to the updates. any idea when they will release a new jailbreak to deal with 3.1?
  • People also say jailbreaking is for illegally downloading apps and music. Not true
  • Unless the post has been changed, it appears to say unlock with UltraSnow not Jailbreak.
  • People: this is ONLY IF YOU UNLOCK, NOT JAILBREAK. Unlocking is making the phone work with other wireless carriers (such as T-Mobile), jailbreaking is only modifying the phone so that it will run non-apple-approved apps. Jailbreaking and unlocking are 2 separate things. If you are not unlocking the phone, this does NOT apply to you.
    Note that ultrasn0w is the program used to unlock the phone. To jailbreak, use another program called redsn0w.
  • So if you have a jailbroken iPhone running under AT&T... this firmware 3.1 won't delete the jailbreak modification?
    Only unlocking will be deleted correct?
  • Chaos24,
    yes, that is what this article appears to say. However, I believe this is incorrect. I believe you will lose your jailbreak as well. It has been this way for all previous firmware updates. The suggestion is to wait until dev team updates redsnow. Then you can do the update and then re-jailbreak using the updated redsnow. If you use an app like " packagebackup". you can then reinstall all you jailbreak apps " relatively" painlessly.
  • The article is fine, but I likely erred in not getting into a full explanation (though in my defense, neither did the dev team).
    If you are simply jailbroken and update to 3.1 immediately, you'll lose your jailbreak until the Dev-Team releases an updated toolset.
    If you are unlocked, you'll lose your jailbreak and unlock, and may not be able to ever unlock again because the baseband will be updated and who knows if the Dev-Team can/will crack the new baseband, or how long it will take.
    Either way, jailbroken or unlocked, wait on the Dev-Team before updating to 3.1 or you may be unhappy for a while...
  • So will the 3.1 update be avaliable tomorrow the 9th??
  • I have runing 3.1 beta 3 jailbreaked since 2 weeks ago, just use iH8snow-iREV v2.1
  • sorry I mean jailbroken esl...
  • Lol. You guys are soooooo confused about Jailbreaking/unlocking :)
    happy jailbreaker.... Since 2007
  • Cj- your the fag
  • when will the red snow update be available?
  • Hi ! I have an iPhone 2G with 3.0 firmware. Before 3.0 I used ziphone to unlock and used PWNAge to unlock/jailbreak to run 3.0. Can I update to 3.1 only using iTunes, or I need to reuse PWNage ?
  • Dont do anything at the moment Weber!!!
    You will upgrade the baseband and potentially lose the ability to jailbreak - at least for a while...
  • DEV TEAM PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP I UPDATED WANTIING THE NEW MMS FEATURE BUT NOW I AM SOOOOO UNHAPPY I DID. NO CYDIA NOTHING. I HAVE NOTHING.... I HATE SAFARI...
  • TAKE UR TIME BUT HURRY UP D-TEAM...... IM BETTING ON YA...
  • please please do something im stuck with 3.1 i have a 3gs iphone 32 i love it but know locked locked looocked ,, you mean , no soultion at all ??? come on .... every one do mistakes :(
  • Same here, stupid me, got lured by the iTunes request to give the new 3.1 update. Same troubles, no cydia, can't call or sms anymore, none of my 40 games and GPS software are working,... I really hope DEV TEAM comes up with a patch for those who already upgraded to 3.1. You will notice it on your paypal account when you do DEV TEAM ;)
  • I was an idiot and updated my unlocked / jailbroke iPhone to OS 3.1. Now..... I know there isn't an updated redsn0w break out yet to fix my solution. I am using a SIM card from a different phone, but it's a SIM that is from the same cellular provider. Correct me if i am wrong, but I should be able to still use the SIM with my iPhone considering unlocking only allows you to use it with other providers.. correct? I am asking this because after updating, I tried running Redsn0w again, but can not get my SIM to work with my iPhone. Bear in mind that my SIM (from my PDA) and my iPhone are both from the same provider.
  • My apologies..... I said "solution" when i really meant "problem"
  • does anyone know when the unlock software 3.1 is going to be released??
  • try this to doown load os 3.0.1 http://www.benm.at/downloads/...it may help restore
  • woops download i mean
  • hey i updated my jailbroken iphone 2g from version 1.1.4 to 3.1, all is cool but then it asked me to insert a recognisable sim card and i dont have one! everytime i connect my iphone to itunes it says "this iphone cannot be used because the apple mobile device service is not allowed" pleeeease help!!!
  • Hi Alex, I have the same problem :(
    I have a 2G iPhone originally use in USA with AT& T as the provider...and I bought the iPhone to use it here in Montreal Canada with another provider (FIDO). After I accepted the upgrade 3.1 it was over...cannot go/see/restore my iPhone...nothing is working. iTunes 9.0 says that the sim card is not valid and that I should insert a sim card from the orignal provider...which I dont have unfortunatly... HELP ME TOO!!
  • I accidentally locked my iphone by Downloading patch 3.1. The release of pwnagetool was pretty fast but unfortunately im using windows...anyone know when pwnagetool 3.1 for windows will be released ?
  • I am a jack ass for upgrading. I found out that I cant tether or jailbreak it. PLEASE help!!!
  • Hey ! I m using iphone 2g OS 3.0 and now wanted to upgrade it. Please show me the ways ! I mean how can i do it??? I've cydia inside and the boot logo shows apple. Any hints please ! My mail suresh_dahal12@yahoo.com
  • I want to know how im ganna keep pda net and upgrade to the mms firmware? some 1 plz tell me!!??
  • Guys, I have a iphone 3g Its jail broken with redsnow, But not Unlocked. If i upgrade to 3.1 will i have problems?
  • thank U , so how can i download os 3.1 ? and update my 2G iphone ???
  • Please help me , please :( , can u tell me how can I update my 2G iphone to 3.1 and jailbreak it again , or how update it with out need to jailbreaking , and send me the links of software that i nees to download and install ?
    I need your help and thank U so so much .
  • I have a 2g. I accidently updated to 3.1. Now emergancy calls only. Anyway to do a restore yet to get it to work? It was jailbroke and worked on tmobile
  • I stupidly updated to 3.1 and now have a iphone 3g sitting there starring at whilst i cannot use it, pleassssssssssseeee Dev-Team could you find a way to unlock it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • I jailbroke my iPhone and I have 3.1 look it up on YouTube it was pretty easy
  • ^^^^ i know how to jailbreak it but becausae of the baseband update i can't unlock it with ultrasnoew :(
  • guys who have tried to jailbreak 2g with 3.1 and get the "emergency call" thing...heres what u need to do. You have to restore your iphone through itunes, and then re-jailbreak, but this time do it under expert settings. click on the first customization step, i think its called general, and uncheck the first box. unchecking this box will keep your current phone carrier settings or whatever...just check the box. its called "activate" something. hope this helps. PEACE!
  • Ugh I updated without looking up all of this,I regret it. Well tonight I'm gonna downgrade just for the tethering. Fuckin apple pissed me off.
  • Now don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate the work that dev team has done for getting jailbreaks out in the past... And I do understand that since most of the work to figure out jailbreak is done in a MAC OS X, but i am a dedicated windows user (as is most of the world) and I have been anticipating the release of the jailbreak software for iPhone 3.1( the official software, not that useless garbage that is "supposed" to jailbreak 3.1) and I just want to know when...? Whhhheeeen our we gonna have what we need. Ya dig?
  • I stupidly updated to 3.1 and now have a iphone 3g sitting there starring at whilst i cannot use it, pleassssssssssseeee Dev-Team could you find a way to unlock it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Hi
    I accidently upgrade my 3GS on itunes and now i Can't use it anymore.It doesn't read my sim.Can dev team at list unlock it for the use only of the sim until we will be able to jailbrake it.
    If anyone know haow to do that plss contact me at dangelotommy@yahoo.com
    Thnks
  • GeoHot has done it again!
    Blackra1n.com
    jailbreak for all phones and iPods
    comes out tommorrow oct.8, 2009
    ten second jailbreak
  • hi i accidently updated my 2G 3.0 to 3.1 but didnt realise i had to jailbreak/unlock it.... now i cant use it... wont connect with itunes to reset because it says sim isnt supported... do you know what files are available for windows to unlock/jailbreak and where i can get them from. or how can i go back to 3.0
    please help!
  • please help! i upgrade my iphone 3g 3.0 to 3.1 and now its lock.the screen shows itunes with usb in the bottom? what shall i do now? pls. help.. thank you!!