The iPhone Update: FAQ

So the dust is settling after yesterday's iPhone update, and we thought we'd answer a few of the common questions about it we are getting. Here's the answers to the frequently asked questions on the iPhone update.

I don't want to unlock or run third party applications on my iPhone. Should I install the update?
    Yes; it adds lots of new features and makes the iPhone more flexible. The new iTunes WiFi music store in particular is great; it really does take just a few touches to buy a song, download it and play it.

I've installed a couple of third party applications/have set up my own ringtones with iToner. Should I install the update?
    If you are attached to you programs or ringtones, no. Neither will survive the update, so it's a question of if the new features are more important to you than the new features. If the features are more important, install the update. If you're attached to your programs or ringtones, don't.

I've unlocked my iPhone using AnySIM. Should I install the update?
    No. It either won't work or will render your iPhone unusable. We tried it, and one of our iPhones is now doing a nice job holding down pieces of paper on a desk until we can work out a way to fix it, because that's all it can do. So do what we say, not what we do.

Can I install it, then run the unlock to run it on networks other than AT&T?
    No. None of the current unlocking and hacking applications work on the iPhone after the update is installed. If you really want to unlock the iPhone, you'll have to do so with the 1.0.2 version of the firmware, ignoring the offer to upgrade every time you connect the iPhone to iTunes.

Can't I revert the iPhone to a previous firmware version to run applications or unlock it?
    No. The upgrade is a one way process; we haven't heard of any way of reverting it back to a previous firmware version. That's fine if you haven't (and don't want to) hack your iPhone, but it's a pain if you want to run any of the cool third party applications out there.

Can I use the hacks to install my own ringtones on an updated iPhone?
    No; the existing programs that allow you to convert songs for free don't work after the update. The only way to get custom ringtones is to buy them through iTunes.

Will the existing hacking tools be updated anytime soon?
    Probably not. The iPhone hacking community is working on it, but it seems that Apple has fixed most of the ways that they used to get into the iPhone (iPhone hacker Erica Sadun described it as being “locked down tighter than a WWE Half Nelson”). They will probably find ways around it, but it will take some time. I wouldn't expect to see updates for a few weeks, but I hope that the iPhone hackers will prove us wrong on this.

Do any of the iPhone unlocks still work?
    No.  IphoneSimFree are reporting that phones with their unlock applied still work to a limited degree, but they are not fully functional. All of the sellers of this service are reccomending that their users not install the update, and we would suggest that you follow their advice.

So why did you install the update on your  unlocked iPhone?
    Hey, someone had to try it. There was a chance that Apple were being, erm, economical with the truth about the update, so we wanted to find out. But they weren't; the update does render the unlocked iPhone unusable. Whose fault this is is a damn good question, but that's a whole other article.

Do you have any other questions about the iPhone update? Our comments are not working at the moment, but you can email us here, and we'll post answers in a future article.