How to Jailbreak Your iPhone with the 2.2 Firmware Upgrade

How to Jailbreak Your iPhone with the 2.2 Firmware Upgrade
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“New Firmware Available”

The 2.2 update for the iPhone was a big one - it rolled out various changes. The Google Maps streetview has finally been upgraded, public transit options have also been added, and the apps store has greatly been updated to integrate easier options. But perhaps of greatest importance to the lonesome Road Warrior is the ability to download podcasts on the go. All these great options come to you at a price - you’ll have to (temporarily) lose those great jailbreak apps that everyone loves - but more on those apps in another article.

So - you’ve got a taste for technology, you want to expand your iPhone’s current array of capabilities, and you feel like you got some spare time to do this. Lucky for you, you fit the perfect profile of a jailbreaker. First, you’ll need a couple of pieces of equipment and software before you get started, which I’ve compiled into a handy list for you just below:

Things You’ll Need to Jailbreak a 2.2 iPhone

1. Your trusty iPhone

2. A USB cable connector specially made for iPods or iPhones (you can use the docking station if you prefer)

3. The Dev Team’s latest jailbreaking software

4. Fast Fingers and a little patience

First things first, make a list of the apps you currently have on the iPhone - a sort of “backup list” if you will. Then, make sure your iPhone is charged and ready to go - as a rule of thumb, before jailbreaking, you should have it fully charged, but if it’s at least half-charged then there shouldn’t be any major issues.

Now that you have your backup list and a full charge, it’s time to get down to business and get those great firmware upgrades while not sacrificing your jailbroken phone.

Connect your iPhone to either the USB cable directly or to the docking station and get ready. Go to iTunes and begin the longer-than-it-should-be process of updating to firmware 2.2. As a warning, your jailbroken apps and software will be reset and the iPhone will begin to look like it did when you first bought it - not to worry though, you made a backup list, so your software should be fine.

Now, once you’ve updated, make sure the Pineapple software (made by the Dev team) is up and running. You’ll need to follow the on-screen instructions to the letter.

In the first screen, you’ll need to make sure that you have the 2.2 firmware somewhere on your computer - something that should already be done if you upgraded in the first step of this tutorial. Go ahead and let the program find it for itself and click continue. If you don’t see the firmware on your computer, try downloading a copy of it.

Next, you’ll be asked for options on the actual jailbreak. If this is your first time around, make sure to only install Cydia and Installer, don’t go unlocking your phone unless you intend to use it on a different network. If you’ve done this before, just make sure you get Cydia and Installer and click on whatever other options you previously used.

Now’s the part where things can get a little tricky. The jailbreak only works when the iPhone is in DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode and allows the specialized software to essentially “flash” your firmware with a custom version that works with all those cool apps. The tricky part is that in order to get into DFU mode, you’ll need to press and hold combinations between the home button (at the bottom) and the power button (at the top) - the Dev team’s really streamlined this part, so it shouldn’t be a big issue, and I guarantee you won’t get it the first time around, so go ahead and mess up, you can always come back and try again.

Now, assuming you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll have the iPhone display a progress bar for the jailbreak and soon enough, you’ll be using those cool apps like all your friends have been. Next time, we’ll dive in-depth on how to actually use Installer and mostly Cydia to actually get much more out of your iPhone.