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Using iNdependence with Firmware 1.1.1/1.1.2

Index

iNdependence currently cannot activate or jailbreak a phone which has the stock version of the 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 firmware on it. In order to use the functionality in iNdependence, you must first downgrade to 1.0.2, then perform a special upgrade back to 1.1.1 or 1.1.2. Instructions are included below.

To downgrade the firmware on your phone if you are using 1.1.1 or 1.1.2:

Please note that you can skip this part if you are already using the 1.0.2 firmware.

  1. First, check the firmware version that's reported in the status line at the bottom of the iNdependence window. If it doesn't say Firmware 1.1.1 or Firmware 1.1.2 then you don't need to downgrade.
  2. Download the 1.0.2 firmware file from Apple if you don't have it already.
    • If you downloaded it using Safari, then Safari will have automatically decompressed the file you downloaded to a folder named iPhone1,1_1 and removed it. However, you need to have both the original downloaded file as well as this folder. To fix this problem, open Finder, navigate to where the folder is, select all of the files contained within the folder (Apple-A), right-click (or Ctrl-click) one of the selected files, and then choose the Create Archive of 5 items menu item to recreate the downloaded file again. The file created will be named Archive.zip. Rename it to be called iPhone1,1_1.ipsw
    • If you downloaded it using another web browser, and the browser didn't automatically decompress that file to a folder, then change the file extension from .ipsw to .zip and unzip it yourself by right-clicking (or Ctrl-clicking) it, selecting Open With from the menu, and then selecting BOMArchiveHelper. If you renamed the file to have a .zip file extension, rename the extension back to .ipsw
  3. You should now have a folder which has a name starting with iPhone1,1_1 that contains all of the firmware files as well as a file with the same name as the folder but with an extension .ipsw added to it.
  4. Select the Firmware tab and press the Enter DFU Mode button.
  5. You'll be prompted to choose the folder where you unzipped the firmware files (the one discussed in the previous steps). Ensure that you choose the folder and not the .ipsw file.
  6. If you get an error message saying Error entering recovery mode then quit iNdependence, restart it, and try entering DFU mode again (you don't need to do the firmware steps again).
  7. After you see the success message, click OK and then quit iNdependence.
  8. Launch iTunes. You should see a message saying that iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode .... Press the OK button.
  9. Now, hold down the Option key while you click the Restore button in iTunes.
  10. You should then be presented with a file chooser dialog. Select the .ipsw file this time (not the folder).
  11. iTunes should then begin to restore the firmware on your phone.
  12. If you get an error message from iTunes right at the start saying An unknown error occurred (1), quit iTunes, restart it, and then attempt to restore again (using the same steps). If this continues to happen, and the .ipsw file was recreated by you, then it means you didn't create it properly. Make sure to use the files contained within the firmware folder to create it and not the firmware folder itself.
  13. iTunes should now be restoring your firmware files. This will take a few minutes.
  14. You will get a message from iTunes at the end saying that An unknown error occurred (1013). This is normal (and is expected). The restore actually worked fine, but the error is shown because the modem firmware could not be downgraded (which is ok).
  15. You should now see a yellow triangle on the screen of your iPhone, and iTunes telling you that you need to restore again. Don't do this!
  16. Quit iTunes and then launch iNdependence again.
  17. Wait about 30 seconds for iNdependence to kick the phone out of recovery mode and get it back to the main screen with Activate iPhone message on it.

Congratulations! You've successfully downgraded your phone to firmware 1.0.2.

To upgrade from 1.0.2 to 1.1.1/1.1.2 so that you can activate/jailbreak your phone:

Please note that if you have used anySIM 1.0 or other older free SIM unlocking solutions (anything except anySIM 1.1/1.2 and iPhoneSimFree) to SIM unlock your phone, and you upgrade to 1.1.x, it will wipe out the SIM unlock and render the phone and text message part of your phone inoperable. Everything else will work though.

(Update)You only need to do this if you are upgrading to firmware 1.1.1 or 1.1.2. If you are upgrading to 1.1.3 or 1.1.4, then you can skip all of this directly upgrade via iTunes.

  1. Check the firmware version that's reported in the status line at the bottom of the iNdependence window. If it doesn't say 1.0.2 (or lower) then you'll need to downgrade your firmware using the instructions above.
  2. Activate your phone using the 1.0.2 activation instructions. Note that for activation, you can just reuse the same firmware folder you used when downgrading (you don't need to download again). Also make sure to leave your phone jailbroken after activation.
  3. Install SSH on your phone using the instructions below.
  4. Ensure that your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network (read the iPhone manual for instructions on how to set up Wi-Fi). Also ensure that it's IP address does not conflict with any other devices on your Wi-Fi network (sorry, I can't offer network admin help).
  5. Get the IP address for your phone by launching the Settings application on the phone, navigating to Wi-Fi and pressing the blue arrow beside the name of the Wi-Fi network that your phone is connected to.
  6. Select the Firmware tab and press the Pre Firmware Upgrade button.
  7. Enter the IP address of the phone and the root password (see below for the default root password if you didn't change it when you installed SSH).
  8. Follow the instructions given in the dialog windows. If iNdependence gives you a warning about host verification failure and asks to edit your known_hosts file, choose the Yes option (which is now the default).
  9. Once you are told to upgrade using iTunes, quit iNdependence, and hold down the Option key while you press the Update button in the iTunes window (not the Restore button). Note that the button might be labelled Upgrade instead of Update.
  10. Select the firmware file you want to upgrade with using the file chooser presented (1.1.1 or 1.1.2 firmware file).
  11. Wait for iTunes to finish.
  12. Quit iTunes and relaunch iNdependence. In the status bar at the bottom of the iNdependence window you should see Firmware 1.1.1 or Firmware 1.1.2 (depending on which one you upgraded to).
  13. Congratulations! You are now ready to activate/jailbreak your phone using the instructions below.

To upgrade from 1.1.1 to 1.1.2 so that you can activate/jailbreak your phone:

  1. Check the firmware version that's reported in the status line at the bottom of the iNdependence window. If it doesn't say 1.1.1 then these instructions aren't for you.
  2. Activate your phone using the activation instructions below. Make sure to leave your phone jailbroken after activation.
  3. Install SSH on your phone using the instructions below.
  4. Ensure that your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network (read the iPhone manual for instructions on how to set up Wi-Fi). Also ensure that it's IP address does not conflict with any other devices on your Wi-Fi network (sorry, I can't offer network admin help).
  5. Get the IP address for your phone by launching the Settings application on the phone, navigating to Wi-Fi and pressing the blue arrow beside the name of the Wi-Fi network that your phone is connected to.
  6. Select the Firmware tab and press the Pre Firmware Upgrade button.
  7. Enter the IP address of the phone and the root password (see below for the default root password if you didn't change it when you installed SSH).
  8. Follow the instructions given in the dialog windows. If iNdependence gives you a warning about host verification failure and asks to edit your known_hosts file, choose the Yes option (which is now the default).
  9. Once you are told to upgrade using iTunes, quit iNdependence, and hold down the Option key while you press the Update button in the iTunes window (not the Restore button). Note that the button might be labelled Upgrade instead of Update.
  10. Select the 1.1.2 firmware file you want to upgrade with using the file chooser presented.
  11. Wait for iTunes to finish.
  12. Quit iTunes and relaunch iNdependence. In the status bar at the bottom of the iNdependence window you should see Firmware 1.1.2.
  13. Congratulations! You are now ready to activate/jailbreak your 1.1.2 phone using the instructions below.

To activate your phone:

  1. Ensure that you've upgraded to 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 using the special upgrade method mentioned above.
  2. Select the Activation tab and press the Activate Phone button. On occasion, iNdependence will give an error message saying that it failed to enter recovery mode. If this happens, just quit and restart iNdependence and try it again.
  3. You should see a message saying Waiting for jail break.... Please be patient as it will take a while to do this. It may appear that iNdependence is locked up, but it's not, it's just working very hard.
  4. Wait for the success message. Note that the activation process will also enable YouTube, 3rd party application installation, and custom ringtone installation for you.

To jailbreak your phone:

Note that this will be done automatically if you activate your phone.

  1. Ensure that you've upgraded to 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 using the special upgrade method mentioned above.
  2. Select the Jailbreak tab and press the Perform Jailbreak button. On occasion, iNdependence will give an error message saying that it failed to enter recovery mode. If this happens, just quit and restart iNdependence and try it again.
  3. You should see a message saying Waiting for jail break.... Please be patient as it will take a while to do this. It may appear that iNdependence is locked up, but it's not, it's just working very hard.
  4. Wait for the success message. Note that the jailbreak process will enable 3rd party application and custom ringtone installation.

Installing and Configuring SSH

Installing SSH is a breeze once your phone is jailbroken. Just choose the SSH tab and press the Install SSH/SCP/SFTP button. Then follow the instructions.

The default accounts on the phone are:

username: root
password: dottie

username: mobile
password: alpine

Remember to change the default passwords after installing SSH using the Change Password button. I'm not responsible if someone hacks your phone.

If you want to later remove SSH, you can do so using the Remove SSH button. iNdependence will ask you if you want to also remove certain files which might be shared with other applications on your phone at that time. Please read the description of those files carefully before you choose to remove them.

SIM Unlocking

SIM unlocking allows you to use your phone with any digital cellular service provider (as opposed to being tied to one provider and a long contract).

To perform a SIM unlock, simply select the Activation / SIM tab and press the SIM Unlock Phone button. It'll take a couple of minutes, so please be patient.

Customization

The Customize tab uses a Finder-style interface and allows for drag and drop installation of ringtones, wallpapers, and applications. You can also use the Add and Delete buttons.

Third Party Applications

Please note that in order to install/remove applications, you'll need to have SSH installed on the phone as you'll be asked for the phone's IP address and root password.

To find the phone's IP address, launch the Settings application, navigate to Wi-Fi and press the blue arrow beside the name of the Wi-Fi network that your phone is connected to.

Once SSH is installed, you can install third party applications by either dragging and dropping the applications from Finder into the System/User folder, or you can press the Add button to select the application from a file chooser. To remove an application, simply select it and press the Delete button.

Ringtones

Ringtone installation is different based on whether you are using firmware 1.1.1 or firmware 1.1.2.

If you are using firmware 1.1.1, ringtones must be MPEG-4 audio (.m4a) files as the file chooser will only allow you to choose .m4a files. Also note that you can only put custom ringtones into the System folder (not the User folder).

If you are using firmware 1.1.2, then you cannot install custom ringtones using iNdependence. Instead, you can use iTunes to do it by simply renaming your .m4a files to .m4r and then importing them into your iTunes library. Once your .m4r file is in iTunes, it will show up in the Ringtones tab where you can select it to be synced over to your iPhone. Thanks Apple for making things easy.

Wallpapers

Wallpapers must be 2 PNG (.png) files (the main image and the thumbnail image). The wallpaper image sizes I use are 320x480 for the main image and 75x75 for the thumbnail image. These seem to work well for me.

Have fun!