Free on iPhone

iPhone Firmware

iPhone OS or the iPhone Firmware is the piece of software that is running above the iPhone hardware and the capabilities of the the phone slightly differ across different version of Fimrware though the hardware capabilities are the same.
Apple officially releases FREE firmware upgrades which also includes security patches. In some cases the user might also need to downgrade the firmware versions for some applications to work.

How to check firmware version ?

On Unactivated Phones

1. Switch ON your phone to display Emergency Calls Only Mode
2. Dial *3001#12345#* and ‘Press Call’ to enter the ‘Field Test Mode‘
3. Tap on Revisions
4. The Firmware Revision that is preinstalled out of the box will show up.
5. The table below shows the mapping between Firmware revision and the Firmware version.

Firmware Revision	Firmware Version
03.12.06_G	1.0.0
03.14.08_G	1.0.1 or 1.02
04.01.13_G	1.1.1
04.02.04_G	1.1.1

NOTE: If you downgrade your firmware from 1.1.1 to 1.0.2, this 04.01.13_G value will not change. Be aware of this!

On Activated Phones

Tap Settings > General > About

You can also view the firmware version once you connect your phone to the computer to iTunes

You can also predict your iPhone firmware version from the Packaging Box Serial Number

7T727XYZWH8 is a sample serial number which is composed of

Digits 1 to 3 (7T7) = Year / Batch code Digits 4 to 5 (27) = Week of manufacture

Digits 6 to 8 (XZY) = UID Digits 9 to 11 (WH8) = 8Gb model

It has been known that iPhone version 1.1.1. started shipping to customers from week 39 onwards. So if your 4th and 5th digits in iPhone serial number is less than 39 (38 or lower), it’s almost certain that the iPhone as firmware 1.0.2. If the number is greater than 39 (40 and higher), it’s also almost certain that the firmware in iPhone will be 1.1.1 or newer.

How to officially update the firmware via iTunes

When you connect your iPhone to your computer it automatically checks for update by default.
Or else you can select Check for Update in iTunes.

Step 1

Click Download and Install in the dialog box that appears.

Step 2

Click Next in the dialog box that appears and Agree to the Software license agreement to start the download as shown.

Step 3

When the progress bar is complete iTunes will have a local copy of the update firmware in the computer and your iPhone will automatically get restarted after which the new firmware will be flashed into the device.

How to manually upgrade/downgrade/restore the iPhone firmware

To manually upgrade/downgrade/restore the firmware of your iPhone you have to activate the Restore Mode. Make sure your iPhone is connected to your computer with iTunes open.
Press and hold the Power button (on top) and the Home button (on bottom front) simultaneously for 15 seconds when the phone will turn OFF and then release the power button . After about 15 seconds phone will appear to turn off, release the Power button but keep holding the Home button for another 15 seconds after which iTunes will detect the phone in Recovery Mode.

Firmware installation

Once you are into the Recovery Mode,
Click the Restore button that shows up on iTunes to restore to the latest firmware for the corresponding phone.
SHIFT key (Windows) or Option/ALT-key (Mac) when clicking the Restore button, and it will let you choose firmware file.

You will get an ERROR if you download the firmware version. You can ignore the error. But to complete the downgrade you have to run after which your phone will display its Activation Screen.

Windows: AppTappInstaller.exe

Macintosh: iNdependence_v1.3_beta2.dmg

Firmware download links

First Generation iPhone

1.0.0: (03.11.02_G)

1.0.1: (03.12.08_G)

1.0.2: (03.14.08_G)

1.1.1: (04.01.13_G)

1.1.2: (04.02.13_G)

1.1.3: (04.03.13_G)

1.1.4: (04.04.05_G)

2.0.0: (04.05.04_G)

2.0.1: (04.05.04_G)

2.0.2: (04.05.04_G)

2.1: (04.05.04_G)

iPhone 3G

2.0.0 3G: (01.45.00)

2.0.1 3G: (01.48.02)

2.0.2 3G: (02.08.01)

2.1.0 3G: (02.11.07)

Firmware Features

iPhone Firmware 1.0.1

Released: Aug. 1, 2007

iPhone Firmware 1.0.2

Released: Aug. 22, 2007

Increased speaker volume,Improved EDGE and WiFi reception,Closing user-created ringtone.

iPhone Firmware 1.1.1

Released: Sept. 27, 2007

Tunes WiFi Music Store,New Calculator icon,Double-tap functionality on Home button,TV in/out features,Bug Fixes.

iPhone Firmware 1.1.2

Released: Nov. 13, 2007

International Keyboard Support,Bug Fixes,Tacit approval for user-created ringtones.

iPhone Firmware 1.1.3

Released: Jan. 15, 2008

Location awareness,Customizable home screen and multiple home screen pages,Multi-recipient SMS,Lyrics display in iPod,Chapters in iPod movies,Web clips,Support for iTunes Movie Rentals.

iPhone Firmware 1.1.4

Released: Feb. 26, 2008

iPhone Firmware 2.0

Released: July 11, 2008

Support for iPhone 3G,Support for App Store and third-party applications and games,Support for Microsoft Exchange,Support for 3G data and GPS.

iPhone Firmware 2.0.1

Released: August 4, 2008

iPhone Firmware 2.0.2

Released: August 18, 2008

iPhone Firmware 2.1

Released: Sept. 12, 2008

Decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls,Significantly better battery life for most users,Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes,Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accountsFaster installation of 3rd party applications,Fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes for users with lots of third party applications,Improved performance in text messaging,Faster loading and searching of contacts,Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display,Repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages,Option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts genius playlist creation.

Author: Kuberan, PSG Tech, Coimbatore.

November 19th, 2008 Posted by admin | iphone | 4 comments