How to jailbreak your iPhone 3G

First things first: Jailbreaking your iPhone 3G nullifies your handset's warranty. It's not illegal in any way, but if anything goes wrong, you're on your own.

Jailbreaking helps you hack into your phone's system so you can manipulate certain features and functions as well as install third party applications that are not available on Apple's AppStore.

Step 1: Which version are you on?

You need to make sure that you're running the latest version (8.*) of iTunes. To check the version number, click the 'Help' option and then the very last sub-option which is 'About iTunes'.

Before you begin, back up all the data you have on your device via iTunes or any other software you might be using. Next, check the firmware version of your handset as well as the Baseband (Modem Firmware). If the base band is higher than 02.28.00 (i.e. 02.30.00), even if the firmware has been upgraded to 2.2.1, you'll have a problem jailbreaking the device as a solution for downgrading the baseband isn't out yet.

Step 2: Downloading the tool

You'll need to download — QuickPwn. 'To be Pwned' helps you open up the iPhone 3G to run third party applications and is also the means to jailbreak it.

You may also need to download the .ipsw (iPhone/iPod Software) file. This file restores the device to an appropriate version that can be jailbroken.

Create a folder on your desktop. Download the appropriate Pwnage or jailbreaking tool that's been developed by the clever guys down at the iPhone Dev-Team Blog. Place the .ipsw file along with the Pwnage Tool — QuickPwn2.* — in this folder. After you've done all of this, connect the iPhone 3G to your PC and fire up iTunes.

Step 3: Restore the handset

Don't just simply click the 'Restore' tab. You'll need to first keep the 'Shift' key on the keyboard pressed and then click 'Restore'. When the box opens, locate the .ipsw file and let iTunes do the rest.

After that's taken care of, run QuickPwn (

http://tech2.in.com/go/62732

) and simply follow the instructions on the screen. The software does everything for you. You'll only need to interact with the handset in the last stage when you'll have to press the 'Home' and 'Power' buttons for the designated time and in the sequence described.

Step 4: Wait for handset to reboot

Once the software has done its job, a message appears telling you to wait till the handset reboots. This may take a couple of minutes and when it starts up, you're good to go. You'll see the Cydia and Installer icons on the first page through which you can get a load of applications.

Always back up your data in advance, make sure you check your connections properly and just be patient, it's worth it.

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