Apple have decided to strike back at jailbreakers today and have stopped signing the OS 3.1.2 firmware for the iPhone and iPod Touch. That means that users who DID NOT save their TSS using Cydia TSS saving feature will no longer be able to restore to any firmware BUT 3.1.3.
It is OK for iPhone 2G & 3G and iPod Touch 1st and 2nd gen users as they can jailbreak with the new version of Redsn0w but for iPhone 3GS users and iPod Touch 3rd generation users this is bad.
For example, if you were to accidently mess up something on your iPhone 3GS and need to restore, you would not be able to restore to the jailbreak-able 3.1.2 firmware, iTunes would only allow you to restore to the OS 3.1.3 firmware.
From Saurik:
Apple’s TSS server stopped signing 3.1.2 today, so if Cydia does not state that you have 3.1.2 SHSH’s on file yet you are now “too late”.
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(If anyone had trouble using an “on file” SHSH from Cydia’s TSS server today, please try again: I am in the middle of a database migration.)
BigBoss has recommended currently jailbroken iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3rd gen user to be VERY careful with what they do on their devices until the next jailbreak-able firmware to avoid having to restore.
If you are a jailbreak user running a 3gs or ipod touch 3 (or later generation ipod touch 2) that has not stored the TSS in cydia, you should be very careful with what you do from now until the next jailbroken firmware. You will want to be careful in what you install to make sure you don’t have to restore for any reason.
If you have already stored your SHSH on Cydia before the past few days you should be OK as Cydia is currently storing the signature which allows you to restore to other firmwares that OS 3.1.3.
BigBoss’s also recommends users to learn how to SSH or use iPhone Folder to access your iPhone/iPod Touch’s filesystem and be able to fix problems yourself. If you need help fixing something, check out the AllTechRelated helpcenter.
Basically the bottom line is be careful with what you install on OS 3.1.2 if you have a jailbroken iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch 3rd generation and DO NOT RESTORE at any costs or else you will loose your jailbreak possibly forever. As I said, if you need help fixing something (instead of restoring) contact the AllTechRelated helpcenter and we will try and fix it together.
[...] from Cydia Posted by psp2468 February – 4 – 2010 – Thursday In light of Apple stopping signing the OS 3.1.2 firmwares, you now need a saved SHSH file that Cydia has been backing up for a while now. If you have allowed [...]
but surely this only counts if you have already upgraded to the 3.1.3 firmware?
if you are still running (a jailbroken) 3.1.2, couldn’t you just do a restore with the old 3.1.2.ipsw that is stored on your system?
or is this an apple hatch built into iTunes instead of the 3.1.3 firmware?
(although I haven’t updated iTunes in like, forever, either. if it ain’t broke: don’t fix it. especially when jailbroken)
As long as you have a stored SHSH file in Cydia that was stored before the past few days you should be fine.
You cannot just restore because whenever you install an update on your device, it uses Apple’s signature to install. The signature is downloaded from Apple’s server and since they removed it, it cannot download the signature and therefore can install OS 3.1.2. What this guide does is changes the location of the signature (each signature is unique btw) so iTunes will allow you to downgrade. Sorry if that isn’t explained very well
ok, let me explain myself:
the 3.1.2 that is on my iPhone is already an update (be it from 3 months ago)
when ever I installed it last I used that same ipsw, having little snitch block any contact that iTunes tried to make with “the outside world”.
so if, in case of a crash, I restore the phone in iTunes, but I won’t let iTunes look for the ipsw online, but instead direct it to the older ipsw on my computer (cmd+click), how would this have a different signature?
the signature for this specific ipsw is already on the phone.
so as long as I use my old (already accepted and currently on the phone) ipsw it should be fine? it will just restore the phone to my current 3.1.2 firmware, making it possible to jailbreak with blackra1n again?
just to be clear: the phone currently runs 3.1.2 and I have no intention to upgrade to 3.1.3
Hmmm that may be true. Are you planning on restoring any time soon and could check it out for us?
I would also like to say, this only really affects the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3rd gen as other devices can be jailbroken with Redsn0w. What device do you have?
Here is another explination found on another forum:
iTunes doesn’t sign the files on it’s own. It phones home to gs.apple.com and signs a few blob files to customize your firmware using your ECID. All Apple has to do is tell it’s servers to stop accepting ECID sign requests from certain firmwares and when iTunes phones home it will be denied the request and the restore fails.
Saurik’s servers use gs.apple.com to grab your ECID files, and does this automatically for each firmware release, whether it’s installed on your device or not. All you have to do is allow Cydia to do so, if you haven’t done so you will see a prompt on the page that shows when Cydia first loads. You can’t miss this.
I have a 3Gs and I don’t let iTunes talk to apple unless I need something from the appstore. and ehrm: I’d rather not be the test case and restore my iPhone, if you don’t mind
I’d be willing to try with my touch, but that is an older generation.
I usually don’t wait for Cydia to load up, but click to “search” right away, so I guess that makes me a retard then
I might try it on my iPod touch 2nd Gen, as I’m selling it soon, and I need it un-jailbroken for the buyer, but i can quickly see if that works?
That would be great! If it doesn’t work, it will immediately give you error message.
[...] iPhone/iPod Touch firmware OS 3.1.3 (which contained only bugfixes) and the fact that they suddenly stopped signing the OS 3.1.2 firmware. This means users who needed to restore, couldn’t restore to OS 3.1.2 any more but only to OS [...]
Hi,
I just bought ipt3g 64 gb and it came with the 3.1.1 firmware.
Is there any way to jailbreak 3.1.1 for ipt third gen, because I can’t upgrade to 3.1.2 and don’t want the new 3.1.3!
Ya you can using Blackra1n to do it: http://blog.alltechrelated.com/2009/11/03/blacksn0w-has-been-released/
But the jailbreak WILL be tethered meaning you will have to plug it into your computer and run a program everytime you restart your iPod.
Thanks!
I guess I’ll try Blackra1n. I reckon the worst thing that can happen is that I’ll have to restore if blackra1n doesn’t work, and might as well have 3.1.3 if there’s no way to get the 3.1.2.
Haha don’t worry about it.
PS: Your not a retard, I should probably edit that bit out