Canadians! Check Your iPhone Firmware Before Buying

Before I bought my iPhone I wanted to make sure that I was going to be getting a model that had the 1.0.2 firmware. At the time, only the 1.0.2 versions could be unlocked. Low and behold, of course when I picked up my phone for $399US, it was the 1.1.1 firmware! DOH! Well, I waited a couple weeks and by then the unlock had been cracked.

This constant “cat and mouse” game played among Apple Hackers and Apple will just keep going and going (like the Energizer Bunny!). So if you are Canadian and you are looking to buy an iPhone, it is important to check your firmware before you do so because right now, 1.1.2 cannot be unlocked (the phone part)! It is especially important to check your firmware if you buying a used phone or a new one. It will make all the difference if you plan on upgrading your firmware or installing 3rd party applications, or even just unlocking. You don’t want to make a mistake and brick your precious iPhone!

Here are some tips on how to check your iPhone’s firmware, courtesy of the Wiki from Howard Forums:

Checking Firmware Version

[edit]

Opened iPhone

To Unlock your iPhone or to upgrade one that is already unlocked, you must first find out what Firmware you are running. Follow the instructions below that apply to you.

Activated iPhone

Its very easy to find the Firmware version on a phone already activated, just touch the Settings button, then General and then About. Scroll down the page to where it says “Version” and jot down what it says.

Unactivated iPhone

Its a bit more difficult to do here. Ok, we are assuming that the iPhone is brand new here as if you just upgraded, you should know what firmware it is.

On the activation screen, slide to make an emergency call, then dial the following:

*3001#12345#*

and hit the call button. This will take you into field test mode, from here, click on “Versions” down the bottom. This will give you some information on the iPhone. It will tell us the Modem Firmware Version and the LCD Panel ID. Use this information to determine what Phone Firmware you are running from the table below.

Modem Firmware & iPhone Firmware

03.12.06_G » Firmware Version 1.0.0

03.14.08_G » Firmware Version 1.0.2

04.01.13_G » Firmware Version 1.1.1

04.02.13_G » Firmware Version 1.1.2

Sealed (Unopened) iPhone

A typical iPhone Serial number: 7T727XYZWH8

Using the above as an example

  • digits 1 to 3 (7T7) = Year / Batch code
  • digits 4 to 5 (27) = Week of manufacture
  • digits 6 to 8 (XZY) = Unique identifier part of the S/N
  • digits 9 to 11 (WH8) = 8Gb model

You are only interested in digits 4 to 5 which is the week the phone was manufactured and we already know that v1.1.1 started shipping part way through week 39.

If you order a phone online, you can check you invoice online and already see what serial number you are getting before the phone even arrives!

Retrieved from “http://wiki.howardforums.com/index.php/IPhone_Firmware_Guide

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