Last updated on 01/20/2009
Introduction: Jailbreaking is the process of obtaining read/write access to the entire iPhone file-system. This means you can install and use any number of 3rd party applications not allowed by Apple. Most of the iPhone’s advanced capabilities cannot be used as it is against the Apple SDK (Software Development Kit) and if you follow its rules, you can’t make any applications that use all of the iPhone’s full potential. So for the experienced programmers, you can write and distribute applications without any restrictions from Apple if you jailbreak your iPhone. The three biggest uses for jailbreaking are modifying the GUI (the look and feel of the iPhone), applications that use all the cool and advanced features (GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-FI, accelerometer, touch screen, etc) and running applications in the background (which Apple does not permit App Store apps to do).
The following are crucial to the most latest and sucessful jailbreaking method for the iPhone.
Here is a step by step method with pictures of each instruction:
Step 1: Restore






iTunes should now be automatically downloading your device’s 2.2 IPSW firmware. (Download times depend on internet connection speed). If you already have it downloaded, it should start extracting and preparing your Apple device for the restore. Either way your device will restore for about 15-30 minutes. After you finish Step 1, go on to Step 2.
Step 2: Prepare for Jailbreak
You should now have a freshly restored iPhone or iPod Touch with the latest 2.2 firmware.
Now close iTunes and extract the .zip you downloaded earlier and put the files into a folder named QuickPwn 2.2:
Go to the folder where your iPhone .IPSW’s are stored.*
Then drag the 2.2 firmware IPSW into the QuickPwn 2.2 folder.**
*IPSW folder located in:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates (Vista)
C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates (XP)
**If you can’t find the folder, you can download the firmware below but remember to put it into the QuickPwn 2.2 folder.
iPhone1,1_2.2_5G77_Restore.ipsw (iPhone 2G)
iPhone1,2_2.2_5G77_Restore.ipsw (iPhone 3G)
[MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE RIGHT ONE!]
If you have the original iPhone and you want to unlock, download the bootloader files below and put them into your QuickPwn folder:
BL-39.bin
BL-46.bin
Next, unzip QuickPwn and launch it, it should recognize your device immediately.

You will be asked to select your iPhone firmware. If it is the correct firmware, QuickPwn will display a green check-mark. Click Continue


If you have the iPhone 3G, you will now be asked to Add Cydia, Replace your Boot logos or to Add “Installer”. At the very least, you have to select Cydia. The Apple logo shown at your devices start-up by will be changed if you select “Replace boot logo”.

If you have the original iPhone, you will see an option to unlock it. If you wish to do so, check the box next to Unlock phone. Then click next.

Then browse for the two bootloaders you downloaded earlier.

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After you selected the bootloaders, QuickPwn should have verified it and there should be a green check mark. Click next.
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You will now be asked to confirm your device is connected, click the blue arrow to continue.

Quickpwn will now put your phone in recovery mode, you will have to watch Quickpwn’s instructions carefully.

Finally, Quickpwn will let you know that the process was completed successfully.

Once your device has booted, you may restore all of your information back on to it. Then, you may begin to customize your device by launching Cydia, where you can download many types of things to make your Apple device unique.
Thanks
what is the true risk of jailbreaking? Is it possible to brick the phone when JBing? Can the phone be restored to the original software if needed?
Thanks!
The iPhone can always be restored with Restore mode and if that doesn’t work you always have DFU Mode. The only real risk is if you have a jailbroken iPhone and upgrade to a new firmware without knowing what it could do. Thus it’s only possible to brick you phone when you upgrade firmwares. I hope this helps you!
Can you use Itunes to sync your music and podcasts after jailbreaking?
@Ric: Yes. If you sync’d your iPhone w/ iTunes and then jailbreak; the next time you run iTunes and connect the iPhone, iTunes will recognize a new phone as ask you if you want to restore from a prior-backed up version. Select that — iTunes will then restore. After finished, check your sync settings (email, bookmarks, music, apps, videos, etc) and sync again. iTunes puts everything back like normal. Cydia installed apps are not backed up/restored. Use AptBackup from the Cydia repository prior to jb’ing and last iTunes backup. Then after the iTunes restore, open Cydia, download AptBackup, and press restore. Now all your jb’d apps are loaded. Just performed this procedure twice in the last 3 days ….. great success. The only thing missing is the exact placement of app icons on the SB …. and passwords for email accounts are missing (probably a good thing).
Will this work for the iTouch 2g using the 2.2 firmware?
No, a jailbreak for the 2nd generation iPod Touch hasn’t been released yet.
I have a out rigth $$$$$ unlocked 3g, and im confused I can jailbreaking my iphone becouse i already have it unlocked rigth? so this does not go for me (It will upgrade the baseband making unlocking in the future impossibly hard) right? or am I confused?
A 3G unlock is coming on New Years Day, so just hold out for a week.
thanks dude
also quick question
I have some apps that i got from a friend copy them and pasted to my pc but they wont install it says can not verify, any way around it?
can anybody help me? when i first bought my iphone 2g it was working fine.but a couple of weeks later a connect to itunes came up on the screen.i restored it and 3 or 4 days later the same connect to itunes logo came up again…i restored my iphone several times and im getting frustrated with this issue…does anybody know whats going on? i need help please..thanks
i found how to get the apps to work easy to do..
@djlooni
It is not a hardware problem that causes that, so it is most likely some bad software that you are installing. Download a fresh copy of the firmware in iTunes. Also, are you installing any apps right before this happens?
I have an unlocked phone and using t mobile if I use this system will it relock my phone to 02 or will it be ok, I use to have cydia on it before but due to the update it has now gone
can anyine help me I have never done this before a newbie
I have an iphone 3g (official carrier) and I recently upgraded to 2.2 firmware via itunes.
The first time I tried to jailbreak, I lost my phone’s signal and could not even modify carrier settings. I was on a 2.0.2 firmware then. I’m scared that it will happen again if I try this.
Can anyone tell me how I can jailbreak without losing network signal please? Thanks!
It was probably just a bad firmware. There is nothing that is irreversible with jailbreaking.
Sorry if this is a newbie question, but qhat’s the purpose of both Cydia and Installer?
im having trouble with my iphone 2g… ive just unlocked/jb with 2.2 but each time i try opening the camera app, it restarts the phone… i have tried restoring via itunes and then jb/unlocking it a number of times, but the same thing keeps happening…
does anyone know what could be causing this???
thanks in advance for any help…
@ZEO2K
Cydia and Installer are basically the same thing: they allow third party developers to distribute applications or mods without the need for Apples consent. Cydia is much more supported compared to installer.
@Nazzy
This also sounds like bad firmware. Download a fresh copy from iTunes.
The steps described above worked like a charm the first time I tried them. Thanks for the detailed instructions.
My next question is this:
Once there is another firmware upgrade from iTunes, how di I ensure that my Cydia apps are backed-up properly? Can I do this in iTunes and just restore from back up to get all my Cydia apps back?
Once you upgrade your firmware, everything is erased. But there is an app on Cydia that records every installed app that you have and automatically downloads them after you upgrade. It is called “AptBackup”.
I just updated to the 2.2 on my 3g and it appears to eat my battery like crazy. I want to also, jailbreak it, so should I restore to the 2.1 or leave it at 2.2 and start jailbrkg? Thank you.
I followed your instructions to the letter and everything worked out perfectly. Thanks so much!! =D
If 2.2 really eats your battery to prevent full use of your iPhone, restore your iPhone to 2.2 again. And then jailbreak.
i have 2.2 firmware already factory installed on my iphone 3g..therefore when i attempted to restore my iphone it didnt ask me to restore and update it simply asked me to just restore…what do i do? continue following the guide and just restore or something different hit me back
Yes, just restore it.
i have a jailbroken iphone 3g version 2.1 i want to upgrade to 2.2 how do i do it or should i stay with 2.1 helpppppppppppp.
I know your all fed up of this question but i just wanted to know if the jailbreak for iPod touch 2g is in development at all at the moment ? thanks
As of now you have to upgrade to firmware 2.2 to unlock your iPhone 3G. Use yellowsn0w to software unlock. There will be a guide up soon. ![]()
i need help unlocking/jb my ipod touch 2.2 2g?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!
The iPod Touch 2G is not supported yet, and probably wont be for some time, sorry.
Happy new year all…:)
Just wondering if anyone knows how installer is going..? Has the instability been fixed for 2.2? I’m to worried to try again…Had to do a restore last time i checked installeron 2.1…..
thanks
the_topcat
i remember reading that when you upgraded a jailbroke phone from 2.0 to 2.1 you had to do something special or you would loose like 500 mb of storage space. Does this apply to upgrading from 2.1 to 2.2 or not?
ok so i upgraded without getting an answer but i think i screwed up somthing else. i had most of my apps in folders using “categories” including cydia and the categories. I dont see any of the apps that were in folders. Are they still in the folders and i just cant see them? How can i get them back? I did a restore before i upgraded to 2.2 so i didnt think i would have any issues.
for some reason when i try to jailbreake my iphone 3g 2.2 it stays on wait for iohine to connect to recovery mode what should i do on windows pc
You are not following the timing instructions that QuickPwn gives you exactly. Exact timing and the right combination of buttons will get you into recovery mode.
“you may restore all of your information back on to it” help? how? restore from itune?
Yes, from iTunes. That is the only way to backup and restore your iPhone and iPod Touch data.
ok it stays on wait for iphone to go to recovery and never tells me the rest of the instructions it hangs on the connect to recovery. it shows a image of a usb and itunes. i really want to jailbreak been restoring and trying agian like 5 times. should i activate and then do it. should i do ir while it is on
I have jailbroken 1.1.4 iPhone 2G. I upgraded to 2.2, but lost all my contacts, notes, etc. Is there a way to reverse upgrade and re-get all my stuff?
@ Boggs
No, you cannot get back anything that was overwritten during an upgrade, just like a computer. You should have backed up everything before you did it. Also, you cannot go back after you upgraded to the 2.X software. (its pointless anyway)
@John
Follow the instructions in light gray in the second-to-last screenshot in the guide.
Hey could anyone help I have the iphone 3g will this jail break damage my phone change the settings or delete some of my data like contacts or something
ok i have a ipod touch 3g firmware 2.2.. i havent yet JBin it but would like to know.. should i restore it factory settings.. and JB it then update. or should i JB and leave it.. id like to the updates but would like to know if itd be safe to do so.. plz email me with full instructions so i can do this safely.. ty everyone
jail broke my iphone 3g
the phone was already unlock from o2
no problems have came up everything works fine
if you browsing for celluar data does not work this is because you have restored it back to factory default and you need to do this
only for pay as you go
In the APN box, change mobile.o2.co.uk to payandgo.o2.co.uk - you don’t need to change the user name and password
@Alex
Back up all of your data through iTunes and the restore your iPhone.
@Peter
Do you mean your iPod Touch 2G? This is not supported yet, and probably won’t be for awhile.
Anyone have any ideas when the jailbreak is coming for the ipod touch 2G.. or if there is a way to do it
Nope, the developers probably have just started working on it… it should be out within a month.
help please. i have an ipod touch 2g with 2.2 firmware and trying to use quickPWN. i downloaded iPod2,1_2.2_5G77a_Restore and quickPWN doesnt recognize it. Please help. much appreciated.
Hi,
I followed your instructions and it went fine.
I now want to install BSD Subsystem but I can’t find it through installer. How can I install it?
Again THIS WILL NOT WORK FOR IPOD TOUCH 2ND GEN USERS YET
im using a 2g phone WITH TMOBILE that currently has 2.0. if i follow this guide will it lock my phone back to att only? i know jailbreaking is not unlocking so im just making sure this guide will keep my phone UNLOCKED AND UPGRADED JB TO 2.2. thank you
If it is not in Installer, then it is not compatible with 2.2 .
right now my phone has the app store and cydia on it..no installer on the springboard. what tutorial would i use then? i have done days of reasearch and i cant find the right stuff
^^with my previous post…..it sayd you can select installer when you do the upgarde. would i just need to make sure that the check box is selected for installer? and then it would work?
hey i followed the instructions and it worked , but there is an issue, that is the iphone couldn’t see the domestic network i am in !!!!
what should i do ??
@hussein badran
This is used to pwn the device only, not to unlock it. In order to unlock it, you must use Winpwn. The problem is, is that the current version only supports 2.1, so you will have to look for a pre-pwned and unlocked .ipsw on the web.
@scott
Yes, you must check installer for it to be put on your phone.
quickpwn is not picking up my itouch 2g wats wrong? thee need help
i know it would put it on the phone for me but would it make it work?
im looking for the same answer as “badran”…..im woried if i do this tutorial…step by step. it will lock phone back and make it UNABLE to USE WITH tmobile. …..or am i wrong?
This program does not unlock your phone, you must use Winpwn or Pwnagetool for that.
which one would work and be the easiest to do along with this tutorial so i can have the 2.2 upgrade…..winpwn or pwnagetool??
also could u post a link for the tutorial on those programs. i have been looking for this answer for sometime now and have done much research and cant find it myself.
after much looking i just found this.
would i just need to follow this tutorial for what im looking to do?
Yes. But Pwnagetool is for Mac only and Winpwn is for Windows only. I recommend Pwnage tool if u can get it because Winpwn does not support 2.2 . If you don’t, look online for pre-pwned and pre unlocked firmware for your iPhone.
that link says it is for windows users. and it says it upgrades to 2.2
i dont mean to second guess anything …im just looking for a clear answer… thankyou very much for all your help
i just followed these instructions and then restored my phone.. everything worked great except now i have no service and cannot make phone calls. what went wrong ? how can i fix this?
No, it says to jailbreak it, not unlock it.
what happens if i accedently release the home button or do not press power button on time, while quickpwning it, will i totally screw up or just have to start over, thank you
@teresa
Are you using the phone with an unofficial carrier?
@brad
No, just relaunch the program and try again.
Is the dev tem relesing the ipod touch2nd gen tommorow. Any one now. The cerrent date is 1/17/09.
So if the jailbreak comes will I hafe to download a diffrent quickpwn or restorer file.
How long should the program take. I have been waiting on the (Wait for your iPhone to connect in Recovery Mode) screen for at least 10 minutes.
You should be on the “Wait for your iPhone to connect in Recovery Mode” for like 10 seconds.
Try using a different USB cable or connect it into another USB port on your computer.
I jailbroke 1 iphone with no problem, but the 2nd iphone keeps getting stuck in the last step for jailbreaking it says waiting for your phone to connect in recovery mode. It wont give the steps to hold the home or power buttons for the jailbreak. Please help.
i went through all theses steps but i didnt have service. what is the deal with that? then i restored it back and it still didnt have service. please help asap!
Are you using the phone with an authorized provider? (i.e AT&T). If you want to unlock your phone for use on other carriers, use Pwnagetool for Mac or Winpwn (or equivalent) for PC.
Everything went well. Put in my sim and my carrier appeared - but it is now in emergency mode - then it says different sim detected, connect to iTunes - I do that and it says that my sim is not supported - how do I get the phone to work?!
Did you do anything prior to the emergency screen being shown? My iPhone did that a few weeks ago for no reason, after it wouldn’t turn on or charge. I finally had to restore it. Try a fresh restore.
Is the jailbbreaking instructions also includes activating and unlocking?
i’ve successfully JB my iphone to version 2.1 tnx to step by step procedure here..
my question is this, i have a iphone 2.1 UNLOCK and JB and i’m planning to upgrade it to version 2.2. Since i need to restore and update it, will it LOCKED my iphone and not be able to use a ,local network(SIM) in the Philippines,not an official carrier? or do i still need to Unlock it again so that i can use any sim i want?.
tnx in advance
@marcky
No, this is only a Jailbreak guide, hence the title. If you want to unlock it, you must use Jailbird (not released) or find a pre-unlocked firmware on the internet. If you have a Mac, use Pwnagetool.
@tummy000
Yes, it will lock again, but you can still unlock it. If, you have a 1st gen iPhone, you must follow my instructions I gave above. If you have an iPhone 3G, you must follow the guide on this site for unlocking it.
I tried to update the software on my already jailbroken phone. I have a carrier other than AT&T and now I can’t use my phone because it says I have an unsupported SIM. What do I do?
Jailbreaking and unlocking is software based so when you update the software, it relocks and is un-jailbroken. If you want to unlock it, you must use Jailbird (not released) or find a pre-unlocked firmware on the internet. If you have a Mac, use Pwnagetool.
When I click on restore it wants to restore it and then install the latest firmware 2.2.1. Is this still going to work with 2.2.1?
Ok, well the answer is that it does not work. Since no one responded I tried it and it will not work.
rob i had the same problem my phone was jb prior to the 2.2.1 update after the update it went back to factory mode everything i had through jailbreak was gone but all the apps threw apple were still there i dont think they have a program written yet for the 2.2.1 i am waiting patiently also
I had the same problem reported several times in this thread — my network settings after the jailbreak disappeared (null)(null). I spent hours trying to get my iPhone restored and working again. I used Quickpwn for Windows and it works for some people and not for others. Any more thoughts on this issue? (I’m not a jailbreaking noob btw.)
Worked perfect and now on t-mobile
Thanks a million
i have a problem. it’s saying “the IPSW file you selected(iPhone1,2_2.2.1) does not match the firmware version of your device(iPhone1,2_2.2). Please note that QuickPwn does not upgrade your firmware, it only jailbreaks whatever firmware you currently have on your device.” what am i supposed to do? i see this after i connect my iphone and open quickpwn.
It means that you need to upgrade your phone via iTunes to 2.2.1 .
but my firmware is up to date and it is 2.2.1
According to the message, it isnt. But incase it is a fluke, try downloading the firmware for your iPhone again.
i got to step two and tried to launch quickpwn, it just says the application encountered an error and had to close?
It works fine for me
yeah i’m not sure the program won’t open on both my laptop or my desktop
ah figured it out, you need the newest net framework.
lol now i get to the firmware select screen, my firmware ends in 5g55 instead of 5g77. when i load it i get a filestring name error, when i load the one downloadable on the site i get firmware doesnt match your phone.
tried unlocking my iphone.but got hoked when i got yo opening the quickpwn file.its saying fireware error string please help
when i browse for the IPSW it tells me the following: “Firmware error string”.
why? what should i do??