How to Downgrade Your iPhone 3G[S] from iOS 4 to iOS 3.1.3
A lot of iPhone 3G owners—myself included—have discovered that upgrading to iOS 4 has slowed their devices to a crawl. If you decide the new features and shortcuts just aren't worth the glacial performance, here's how to downgrade your iDevice.
Note: The process should work nearly the same on Windows and OS X, so unless we say otherwise, you can follow the same steps on each. The main difference between Windows and OS X is RecBoot, so Windows users, make sure you pay close attention to the RecBoot process before diving in. The same basic steps should likely work for iPhone 3GS, according to our 3GS-toting intern Adam Dachis, who's used a similar method in the past. Lastly, you should read through the entire guide before you dive in, just so you know what you're getting into. Image remixed from drewm.
Step 1: Find or Download iOS 3.1.3 and RecBoot
The first thing you need to do is get a copy of the iPhone OS 3.1.3 image. There's a good chance you've already got a backed up copy of the 3.1.3 release on your system, so let's check there first. On OS X, check in
~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates. On Windows, your iPhone OS updates should be stored inC:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates(or to get there more quickly, type Win+R and paste%appdata%\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates). If you see a file inside this folder corresponding toiPhone1,1_3.1.3_7E18_Restore.ipsworiPhone1,2_3.1.3_7E18_Restore.ipsw, those are likely the restore images you need.If you don't see anything that resembles the 3.1.3 OS or you just want to download a fresh version for good measure, web site iClarified has maintained a list of iPhone firmware files. Just find 3.1.3 for your phone (the 3G version points here and it's what I used successfully) and download the 228MB file.
Next, download RecBoot from here (available for Windows and Mac). This handy little utility plays an important role in finishing off the downgrade.
Step 2: Put Your Phone Into DFU Mode
You need to put your iPhone into Device Firmware Update (or DFU) mode in order to downgrade to 3.1.3. The video above demonstrates the process, but in case you prefer a little text:
- Plug in your iPhone.
- Power it down by holding the sleep/lock button and sliding to power off.
- Once it's powered down, press and hold both the sleep/lock button and the home button for ten seconds.
- After ten seconds, release the power button but continue holding down the home button.
- If you did it right, iTunes will pop up a window (like the one below) telling you that it's detected an iPhone in recovery mode and your iPhone's screen will be black. If it didn't work, start from the beginning and try again.
Step 3: Restore iOS 3.1.3
Now that you've done all the legwork, it's downgrading time. You can either follow the video above or follow along with the instructions below.Dismiss the iTunes alert that told you you're in recovery mode, make sure you've clicked the iPhone under the Devices sidebar in iTunes, then hold Shift and click the Restore button (if you're on OS X, Alt/Opt+Click). iTunes will pop up a window prompting you to choose a file. You want to navigate to the 3.1.3 OS you located or downloaded above. Select that file, and iTunes will start the OS restore process. Expect this to take around 10 minutes or so.
When it's finished, you'll likely receive an error message like the one above (error 1015) and your iPhone will boot up with a "Connect to iTunes" screen. This is where the utility you downloaded above, RecBoot, comes in handy. Open RecBoot, and click Exit Recovery Mode. In a few seconds, RecBoot should kick you out of plug-me-into-iTunes recovery mode and you'll boot right into your freshly downgraded 3.1.3.
Note: I used RecBoot in OS X, and from what I've read, the Windows version may have some peculiarities. First, you'll need .NET 4.0. Second, you may need to run the application in Compatibility mode if you're not running Windows XP (Right-click the EXE -> Properties -> Compatibility -> Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows XP). You'll also need to download libusb, which may also be peculiar on 64-bit systems. Read up on using RecBoot on Windows here.
Step 4: Restore Your Backup
At this point, you've got a fresh 3.1.3 installation, but you probably want to sync your apps and data back to your phone as they were before you downgraded. If you're lucky, you've got a backup saved from before you upgraded to 4.0 (you can select different backups from the drop-down menu). If you don't have a pre-4.0 backup, you're unfortunately out of luck—iTunes won't let you restore data from a 4.0 backup to your downgraded 3.1.3.
This method worked like a charm for us, but your mileage may vary. If you had a different experience, can offer more insight to the Windows downgrade process (particularly with RecBoot), or know of a better downgrade method, let's hear about it in the comments.
Send an email to Adam Pash, the author of this post, at tips+adam@lifehacker.com.
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Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.Surely the slowdown on 3G phones with iOS4 is more to do with how many apps and content you have on your phone, than simply an issue with iOS4 itself. It'd be interesting to hear from people with and without problems if they could state how full up their phone was and how many apps they had installed. Reply
Well yeah, it worked fine, but my backup was for 4.0, not 3.1.3, so none of my data was backed up. So I'm just going to stick with 4.0. Reply
I dont think this will work for iPhone 3Gs, unless you have the SHSH blobs backed up. ReplyTycho Vhargon promoted this commentDylan Pratt approved this comment
So how do we downgrade the 3gs 3.1.3 to android 2.2?Oh wait, there it is...
[www.androidoniphone.com] ReplyTycho Vhargon approved this comment
now I feel very fortunate. after upgrading my 3GS to iOS4, I noticed an overall improvement in speed. Am I the only one happy with the upgrade? Reply
Has anyone else run into performance problems on a 3GS?For the most part I really like the upgrade, but I have run into a few problems with the keyboard being really slow to respond or an app slow to start up.
At least once it was while I was also listening to music through the iPod. Haven't quite nailed down if that's always the case or not. Killing some of the background apps also seems to help. Reply
Did I do something wrong? My 3G performs better with OS4. Consistently and across the board, it's more responsive, especially on the home screen. Reply
Don't listen to the blasphemy everything Apple does is perfect.The Jobs is omnipotent and perfection. ReplyTycho Vhargon promoted this comment
I for one feel like I got lucky.I upgraded my 3G iPhone to iOS4 (using PwnageTool in order to keep preserve my jailbreak + unlock for T-Mobile) and it's been a very smooth experience.
Granted, I'm using the 16GB capacity, which may have some sort of advantage to those filling up their 8GB iPhones to capacity (I know I did before upgrading to 16GB).
At first, it did seem a little sluggish, but I soon figured out that it was because I had wayyy too many apps running. So I just make it a habit to keep only a certain amount of apps running in the background. It's really not a hassle at all to manage it. I simply keep the essential ones running constantly (Safari, MMS, Phone, Mail, Settings, Maps, iPod, and Facebook :P)
If I have many more apps than that running, it starts to get slow...
But other than that, I feel like my iPhone 3G is running like a champ!!! But of course, if I did have a way to get my hands on an iPhone 4 without paying $600 for the unsubsidized version, I'd be all for it. Reply
The problem with downgrading is not being able to use the apps on the App Store. Soon most of them will require iOS 4.Different OS versions for each device is... fragmentation. Apple, don't let that happen! Android suffers enough from it. Fix that damn thing! Reply
OK, if it's as bad as you're making it out to be, then I'd imagine they'll patch it ASAP. However, I guess downgrading it now and re-upgrading it later works as well.I mean, I don't have an iPhone, but that's what I would do if I were Apple... Reply
You might want to add that little note about the pre-4.0 backup somewhere up the page, in case someone decides to give this a shot without reading all the way through first. That could be a pretty big problem.I'm one of the lucky ones, backed up my 3G and then restored it to default factory settings with iOS4 firmware, then restored from my previous backup, rather than just going straight through the update method in iTunes. My phone is running a lot more quickly now than it was with 3.1.3. Reply
Steven Callas promoted this comment
"iDevice"I have an idea for Best Buy!
"iDevice Squad" ! Now they'll steal it and I'll get no money. :( Reply
Friday, June 25, 2010
How to Downgrade Your iPhone 3G[S] from iOS 4 to iOS 3.1.3
![How to Downgrade Your iPhone 3G[S] from iOS 4 to iOS 3.1.3](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_twIRYReW4oBAOGm0cSqaYeS4uGJASyvJWli3ez7kl0gMxziBlZ0vhA3dJoJ5mzixIAO_70llRXvU09CGCQk0cTgBc-n-HOyovLy7rPD5ygLHA-LZSWkXOD0hsvQMsWR4LPS_PKuQRtrUWsEJGddg=s0-d)
![How to Downgrade Your iPhone 3G[S] from iOS 4 to iOS 3.1.3](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ufMoBCbR6L_02uvyGYHZ-n116NS7w0uoWTsKCB2ntraVaWiHqBy5ylNfAJkI6fL3tomzbx69nEqq5Z0CJkHreqnvqHOA3n3mx_ZdM_ZYLdLAtQP42HtMD1azMTvUyiGpgFbypgvlaarSeuQA=s0-d)
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