Need help fast please!

[BigDog517829]

This is gonna be a fairly long but detailed description people so please stick with me cause I need help!

I have an iPhone 3G running on iOS 4.2.1 on the 5.15.04 firmware. I have recently decided to jailbreak my iphone in hopes to unlock it because Im moving to Australia in a week and will be there for a few months and would like to use the iphone while Im there. I used Redsn0w to jailbreak my phone and completed the jailbreak successfully. After a little moding and playing around Installing a few things from a repository server, my phone eventually automatically resprung and went into Safe Mode and I got a message saying something about how a mobile substrate saved my phone from crashing, and gave me very vague instructions on how to rectify the problem. Following the directions, I went into cydia and uninstalled my most recent download (cant remember which one it was off the top of my head, I believe infinidock or infiniboard or something) and then reset my phone and the message was gone and everything was back to normal. After about another hour or so of occasional moding (I was watching TV at the time so it was only on commercial breaks) I had installed a couple other things (Most recent being BiteSMS) and again my phone resprung and the message was back. However, this time, I went into Cydia and tried to uninstall the app and Cydia was wiped clean (with the exception of the home page). everything in the "Browse" "Source" and even under Sections and Changes were all blank. I looked online for a solution and couldn't find one so I ended up restoring my phone and rejailbreaking it yesterday. Everything was working fine up until last night when I resprung after a new SBSettings theme (using the normal Cydia "Sections" tab rather than the not-so-legit repository) and of course... the phone resprung again and the message was back. Im starting to think maybe its because of the updated iOS version not working with the jailbreak software? So I have been recently researching possibly downgrading to a lower version of iOS but dont know which version would work best with the jailbreak, as well as allow me to successfully unlock my phone for international usage using Ultrasn0w. Any insight would be great! Thanks guys!

[Orby]

I'm fairly confident that the public version of BiteSMS isn't working on 4.2.1 firmware yet... You should be able to remove it via Cydia in Safe Mode.

You unfortunately cannot downgrade to any 4.x version of iOS (other than the current version of 4.2.1) on the 3G, however, you can go down to 3.1.3 and lower without issue (just put your phone into DFU mode, download the 3.1.3 IPSW, do a Shift-Restore in iTunes, point to that IPSW, and then kick your phone out of Recovery with TinyUmbrella).

Both 4.2.1 and 3.1.3 can be unlocked, but that's more dependent on baseband version than anything. If it's anything 05.13.04 or lower OR exactly 06.15.00, you're set for unlock with 3.1.3.

[BigDog517829]

but thats just it. I have 05.15.04 baseband. so does that mean if I downgrade to iOS 3.1.3 that I cant unlock?

[Orby]

but thats just it. I have 05.15.04 baseband. so does that mean if I downgrade to iOS 3.1.3 that I cant unlock?

Ah.

In that case, use redsn0w 0.9.6rc8 to upgrade to 06.15.00 "iPad baseband" on iOS 4.2.1 after removing BiteSMS...

(at which point you might not even have to downgrade).

[BigDog517829]

Ah.

In that case, use redsn0w 0.9.6rc8 to upgrade to 06.15.00 "iPad baseband" on iOS 4.2.1 after removing BiteSMS...

(at which point you might not even have to downgrade).

I already got rid of BiteSMS when I had to restore. I just dont want this substrate message to keep showing up and having to restart my phone and delete things. Which is why I was considering downgrading. If I downgrade to a lower iOS version, then most JB apps should work with it (meaning I wont get that message right?) But can iOS 3.1.3 be unlocked using Redsn0w on my current firmware up to 16.x?

[Orby]

I already got rid of BiteSMS when I had to restore. I just dont want this substrate message to keep showing up and having to restart my phone and delete things. Which is why I was considering downgrading. If I downgrade to a lower iOS version, then most JB apps should work with it (meaning I wont get that message right?) But can iOS 3.1.3 be unlocked using Redsn0w on my current firmware up to 16.x?

You should be in better shape software-compatibility-wise, yes (and MobileSubstrate should stop throwing you into Safe Mode as often). Though lots of stuff requires iOS 4.x in some manner, so be forewarned.

Unlocking is entirely dependent on baseband version. 05.15.04 is NOT unlockable, 06.15.00 IS. Baseband firmware can (for all intents and purposes) only stay the same or increase in version number--so you have to go to 06.15.00 to keep your cell unlock. Only redsn0w 0.9.6rc8 (and some earlier versions) can get you that baseband version, and therefore, the unlock.

[BigDog517829]

You should be in better shape software-compatibility-wise, yes (and MobileSubstrate should stop throwing you into Safe Mode as often). Though lots of stuff requires iOS 4.x in some manner, so be forewarned.

Unlocking is entirely dependent on baseband version. 05.15.04 is NOT unlockable, 06.15.00 IS. Baseband firmware can (for all intents and purposes) only stay the same or increase in version number--so you have to go to 06.15.00 to keep your cell unlock. Only redsn0w 0.9.6rc8 (and some earlier versions) can get you that baseband version, and therefore, the unlock.

Right right I know that. I was under the impression that only select low baseband versions could be highered to 06.15.00 in order to be unlocked. I was asking if 05.14.04 was one of the lower basebands CAPABLE of raising to 06.15.00 for the unlock but I get it now. As for the iOS version.. what kinds of things would be gone/unusable/unavailable after the downgrade?

PS youve been a HUGE help

Right right I know that. I was under the impression that only select low baseband versions could be highered to 06.15.00 in order to be unlocked. I was asking if 05.14.04 was one of the lower basebands CAPABLE of raising to 06.15.00 for the unlock but I get it now. As for the iOS version.. what kinds of things would be gone/unusable/unavailable after the downgrade?

PS youve been a HUGE help

And could I possibly downgrade to iOS 4.0.1 and have better function?

[Orby]

Any baseband version currently released can be raised to 06.15.00 without issue. So you're covered.

With 3.1.3 you'd lose things like multitasking (if you had it enabled via tweak), folders, in-app SMS, iBooks, unified threaded Mail, etc. However, you make up for it with vastly improved performance and battery life.

Unfortunately, because Apple instituted SHSH signing with iOS 4.0 and onwards for the 3G, you cannot restore to arbitrary versions of 4.x firmware. Then again, if you were already jailbroken before 20 June 2010, Cydia should have your blobs anyway, so you should be covered.

PS: iOS 4.0.x should only be put on your iPhone 3G if you're a masochist, want to smash the thing into many pieces, or are giving it to someone you really want to make miserable (the performance is unbearably bad in my opinion).

[BigDog517829]

Any baseband version currently released can be raised to 06.15.00 without issue. So you're covered.

With 3.1.3 you'd lose things like multitasking (if you had it enabled via tweak), folders, in-app SMS, iBooks, unified threaded Mail, etc. However, you make up for it with vastly improved performance and battery life.

Unfortunately, because Apple instituted SHSH signing with iOS 4.0 and onwards for the 3G, you cannot restore to arbitrary versions of 4.x firmware. Then again, if you were already jailbroken before 20 June 2010, Cydia should have your blobs anyway, so you should be covered.

PS: iOS 4.0.x should only be put on your iPhone 3G if you're a masochist, want to smash the thing into many pieces, or are giving it to someone you really want to make miserable (the performance is unbearably bad in my opinion).

Okay got that. this (should be) my last and final question lol. seeing as I wasnt jailbroken by then and Cydia will not have my blobs. I did not have multitasking anyway. If you were in my situation (since you now have pretty much my iphone life story and my future plans) what would you do? downgrade to iOS 3.1.3, jailbreak, and unlock? or leave it at 4.2.1 and unlock? OR wait alltogether until god knows when Apple releases a higher software and wait for that jailbreak? (not really leaning towards this one, but looking for your opinion)