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How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Posted November 30, 2010 at 1:12am by iClarified
Italian
These are instructions on how to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone 3G on the 4.2.1 firmware using RedSn0w for Mac.

If you want to use Redsn0w to jailbreak a lower firmware version you can find the appropriate tutorial here.

IMPORTANT FOR UNLOCKERS
During this process you can update your baseband to the 06.15 version. If you are on 05.14 or 05.15 or higher you will need to do this to unlock. You do not need to do this for jailbreak only. Please read the following very carefully before deciding whether to do this. You can find out baseband version here.


1. There is no way to come back down from 06.15, and there’s no hiding the baseband version from Apple. You’ll be voiding your warranty in a very obvious way.
2. If some future baseband comes out with a critical fix, you won’t be able to update to it if it remains down in the 05.xx sequence (then again, you wouldn’t update to it if you wanted to keep your unlock anyway).
3. Starting with FW 4.2.1 if you have 06.15 on your iPhone you won’t ever be able to restore to stock firmware (it will fail). You’ll need to only restore to custom IPSWs (then again, if you’re unlocker you should already be doing that).
4. There are reports that 06.15 may disable your GPS. The iPhone Dev-Team is currently working on a fix.

Don’t update to 06.15 if you don’t need to! Only do this if you need the unlock and you’re stuck on 05.14 or 05.15, and you’re willing to assume the above risks. If your baseband is already unlockable and you are on a lower firmware version then use PwnageTool to update to 4.2.1 without upgrading your baseband.

Step One
Create a folder on your desktop called Pwnage

Download RedSn0w from here and place it in the Pwnage folder. Likewise, download the latest 4.2.1 firmware from below and place it in the same folder.

4.2.1 (3G): iPhone1,2_4.2.1_8C148_Restore.ipsw

Extract the redsn0w app from the RedSn0w zip file by double clicking it.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Two
***If you are already on iOS 4.2.1 you can skip this step. If you are on an unlockable baseband and on a lower firmware you should use PwnageTool instead to update without upgrading your baseband.

Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Select your iPhone from the list of devices on the left. Now hold down Option and click the Restore button. Restore is preferred as it won't create any wasted space on your iPhone.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Navigate to the Pwnage folder on your desktop and select the 4.2.1 firmware ipsw. Click the Choose button to continue.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Three
Once iTunes has finished updating your iPhone to the desired firmware open the Pwnage folder on your desktop and launch the redsn0w application from the redsn0w folder we extracted earlier.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Four
Once RedSn0w opens click the Browse button
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Five
Select the 4.2.1 firmware ipsw we placed in the Pwnage folder on our desktop then click Open.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Six
Once the firmware has been verified click the Next button to continue.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Seven
RedSn0w will now prepare the jailbreak data
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Eight
From this window you can select the jailbreak options you would like.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Verbose boot displays detailed information on boot of your device and is generally only needed by developers and advanced users.

Make sure Cydia is selected. For this tutorial we will also select Custom boot logo and Custom recovery logo.

When you click to select each custom logo option a dialog window will appear asking you to select the image. Locate the image you would like to use then press the Open button.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

*Remember the rules for boot logos are: RGB or Grayscale format with Alpha channel and dimension below 320x480. If you would like to use the iClarified ones they can be found here: Boot Logo, Recovery Logo

Notice that RedSn0w can Enable multitasking, Enable homescreen wallpaper, and Enable battery percentage. If you do not need multitasking we would recommend deselecting it as it makes your iPhone 3G run very slow.

If you read the warning above and you would like to update your baseband to the 06.15 iPad version for unlock then check Install iPad Baseband. Click Yes when prompted to confirm your decision.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Click the Next button to continue
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Nine
Please plug your iPhone into the computer and make sure its OFF then click the Next button
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Ten
RedSn0w will now guide you through the steps to get into DFU mode. You can find more help with DFU mode here
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Hold down both the Home button and the Power button for 10 seconds.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Release the Power button and continue holding the Home button until RedSn0w detects the device.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Eleven
RedSn0w will now download the iPad baseband and your iPhone will now reboot
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1] How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Twelve
RedSn0w will then begin uploading the new RAM Disk and Kernel.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]

Step Thirteen
Once this is complete you will be notified that RedSn0w is done. Click the Finish button. When your iPhone finishes rebooting (5 minutes or so) it will be jailbroken with Cydia on the SpringBoard.
How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac) [4.2.1]


Unlock
You can now follow this tutorial to unlock if so desired.

*As usual a big thanks to the iPhone Dev-Team for their hard work and contribution to the iPhone community.
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Comments (42)
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iTwe4kz
iTwe4kz - November 27, 2014 at 2:16am
For those users that are planning to Jailbreak on iOS 4.2.1 then I highly recommend adding this Cydia Source into Cydia after you jailbreak so you don't have to manually input all the Cydia Sources manually. This will automatically add all the best Cydia Sources and give you access to all the best Cydia Tweaks, Themes and Apps for FREE with just a push of a button. Follow the steps below. 1. Open Cydia 2. Tap Sources 3. Tap Edit 4. Tap Add 5. Type this url in the box (cydiasource,n e t) without the spaces and switch coma for a dot in the url. 6. Tap "Add Source" 7. Install the package labelled "All Sources". This will give you all the best Cydia Sources to have access to all the best Tweaks, Apps and Themes for FREE.
BEHNAM
BEHNAM - August 31, 2013 at 1:49pm
TNX TNX TNX TNX TNX ;XXXXXXXXXXXX
sugarjubs
sugarjubs - June 16, 2013 at 11:23am
I did all this and it worked perfectly on my iPhone 3g until it refused to show my sim network. The phone was originally locked to telstra then unlocked properly and I still have a telstra sim. But it only shows 1 bar with no data network like it normally does. I have it in a place where I would normally get 5 bar full reception and I still have only 1 bar. Removing and re-inserting sim does not work, it just shows "no sim". Anyone able to help??
Gloria Crues
Gloria Crues - November 10, 2012 at 10:09pm
baby scratch
JohnLa
JohnLa - October 18, 2012 at 10:19pm
Link for redsnow is broken :(
Zach
Zach - May 2, 2012 at 10:01am
On an iPhone 3G, Is it possible to upgrade to a higher firmware than 4.2.1 once you have gone to a baseband of 06.15.00?
Alvin Rymash
Alvin Rymash - February 19, 2012 at 5:59am
Thank You so much! I've been wanting to jailbreak my iPhone 3G for a very pong time and I tried using other softwares but I couldn't. This helped a lot. Thanks
EB
EB - September 27, 2011 at 9:56am
The "install ipad baseband" is nowhere to be seen
Adrea
Adrea - September 14, 2011 at 7:21pm
I did this and it all worked, but the phone is saying sim card failure, but the sim card works in another unlocked phone, any ideas what to try next?
Alex and Tyler
Alex and Tyler - September 9, 2011 at 9:30pm
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fritz
Fritz - August 22, 2011 at 5:29pm
this worked better for me. http://www.techsliver.com/2010/11/29/unlock-guide-iphone-3gs-3g-pwnagetool-413-unlock-edition/
scar
scar - August 12, 2011 at 12:18am
this didn't work for me. my phone is stuck with an apple logo and the spinning wheel (stopped) on the screen. i tried holding down the power for quite some time but nothing happened
scar
scar - August 12, 2011 at 12:32am
if i hold down power & home the phone will shut off, but i cannot get it back into DFU mode. if i let it sit it just freezes again.
scar
scar - August 12, 2011 at 12:40am
i had to have itunes open before it would detect and restore it. restoring the official firmware now and will try again. what a PITA. not sure what went wrong because the guides here have always been flawless...
scar
scar - August 12, 2011 at 1:13am
after freshly restoring to 4.2.1 i tried jailbreaking again. again didn't work. everything seemed fine and i saw the pineapple logo but after reboot it just freezes. i waited way longer than 5 mins. going to drop it for now and let my comments stew for a few days. write back if you have any suggestions.
scar
scar - August 21, 2011 at 11:13pm
no responses? so i tried jailbreaking with PwnageTool, worked perfectly
Pronojit
Pronojit - June 17, 2011 at 2:19pm
Hi, Thanks for the extensive post. I am having a iPhone 3G with 4.2.1. I want to know whether running this jailbreak will wipe my data or not? Also if I want to revert to factory settings, will I be able to do that after jailbreaking? How to do the same, any links. Look forward to the above two answers. Thanks.
xjpro
xjpro - September 1, 2011 at 3:45am
It did erase all my data, and at the end of the day, it did not work. After a couple of attempts, it just stays in the reboot screen!
Gianpaolo
Gianpaolo - May 29, 2011 at 7:09pm
Monumental guys! Dev-Team u r my heroes! This is incredible good job! ;)
Geeber
Geeber - May 27, 2011 at 4:06am
May 27, 2011 Here is how I finally did it. For a 3G 4.2.1 with baseband 05.15.04 How to Jailbreak and Unlock Your iPhone 3G Using RedSn0w (Mac 0.9.6rc17) [4.2.1]. Jailbreak opens the phone so you can install non-apple software. You will use Cydia to install a program in the unlock phase. I couldn't follow the directions as written. Instead I had to use RedSn0w in a 3 step process rather than the 1step described. Instructions at: https://iclarified.com/12947. Following the instructions always resulted in the program turning off in the last phase before downloading the changes and restarting the phone. How I modified the instructions and got it too work. First use RedSn0w to boot tethered. Second use RedSn0w to add Cydia. Third use RedSn0w to change the baseband to the iPad 06.15 version (this has significant implications make sure you understand them first). After the jailbreak you have to unlock your phone. How to Unlock the iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G Using UltraSn0w Unlock uses a program you download to your phone from Cydia called UltraSn0w. Instructions at: https://iclarified.com/4253
DNA64
DNA64 - May 6, 2011 at 5:42pm
This article states that if you have firmware 4.2.1 and you install the 6.15.00 iPad BaseBand that "you won’t ever be able to restore to stock firmware (it will fail)." This is in fact not true. Perhaps at the time of writing, but it is now possible to restore to stock firmwares, however I advise against it, you should always use compatible custom.ipsw firmwares.
randall
randall - January 6, 2011 at 10:35pm
I havea 3G, everything worked and had it unlocked....someone updated it on itunes and now its stuck on connect to itunes......i tried to jailbreeak and unlcok again but after the pineapple shows and does its thing it goes to apple then to connect to itunes....NOW what??? Can i correct this? thanks
Daniel Sartiala
Daniel Sartiala - January 3, 2011 at 8:57am
Hi! I'm on a jailbroken iPhone 3G 4.0.1 (8A306), baseband 05.13.04. If I want to jailbreak and unlock it to 4.2.1, how should I do it? With the iPad baseband or not? Thanks in advance!
jewelstones
jewelstones - December 14, 2010 at 11:22pm
I've Updated my iPhone 3G to 4.2.1 Baseband 6.15 and trying Jailbreak with RedSn0w and it doesn't work on Mac OSX 10.5. Please guide me.
Mauricio Andrade
Mauricio Andrade - December 1, 2010 at 8:38pm
Mine is taking too long in step 11... did you guys took too long as well... about 5 mins fething the iPad data and then it's still sutck in waiting for reboot for the past 10 mins or so.... not sure what to do... any ideas????
Mauricio Andrade
Mauricio Andrade - December 2, 2010 at 9:19am
I've got it done! Had to cancle my first attempt that was taking too long and tried again... the second time it worked well....
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