Mobiles Download

While we’ve extensively covered issues with disablement of third-party native applications, unlock issues and undocumented improvements with the iPhone 1.1.1 software/firmware update, there are a number of issues afflicing vanilla, unhacked, AT&T locked iPhones that were upgraded from firmware/software revision 1.0.2. Note that if you are experiencing dire issues or want third-party applicaitons back, you can downgrade to version 1.0.2.

Among the issues users are experiencing:

Update not shown in iTunes Some users are reporting that they do not see the 1.1.1 update when clicking the “Check for Updates” button in iTunes. iPhone Atlas reader Ralph Patterson writes:

“When I do a ‘Check For Updates’ in iTunes, I get a message saying my firmware, 1.0.2, is up to date.”

Note that you must have iTunes 7.4.x to receive the iPhone Software/Firmware 1.1.1 update. If you are running iTunes 7.3.1 or earlier, you will receive a message indicating that your iPhone’s software is already up-to-date with software/firmware revision 1.0.2.

Sync problems: “Unable to read from or write to” Some users are experiencing severe sync issues after the 1.1.1 update, including receiving the error message “unable to read from or write to,” when attempting to sync music and other data.

If you are experiencing similar issues, read through our special report on troubleshooting sync issues for a potential fix. In particular, the following solutions have proven successful for some readers:

Restore the phone Click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc.

Uninstall then re-install iTunes

On a Mac:

Delete the following files (if they exist on your system):
o The iTunes application (located in /Applications)
o ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iTunes.plist
o /Library/Receipts/iTunes.pkg
o /Library/Receipts/iTunesX.pkg
o /System/Library/AppleMobileDevice.kext
o /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DeviceLink.framework
o /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework
o /Library/Receipts/AppleMobileDeviceSupport.pkg

Then restart your Mac. Next, download iTunes and re-install it.

On a Windows PC:
o Quit iTunes if it is open
o From the Start menu select the Control panel
o In Windows XP, choose Add or Remove Programs. In Windows Vista, choose Uninstall a program.
o Select iTunes from the list of applications then click Remove (XP) or Uninstall (Vista). Also remove any other items with the word “iTunes” in their names. Also remove any iPod-related entries.
o Restart your PC.
o Delete the iTunes program itself, if it still exists after the steps you’ve already taken (by default it’s located in the “Program Files” folder)
o Again restart your PC.
o Download the latest version of iTunes for Windows and install it.

Connect directly to computer Try connecting the iPhone directly to a computer’s USB port rather than through a USB hub.

Rebuild/delete files from iTunes library First try re-creating the iTunes Library, as discussed in Apple Knowledge Base article #93313.

Failing that, you may need to actually delete then re-import the Library, via these steps:
o Quit iTunes
o Backup your iTunes library (~/Music/iTunes under Mac OS X, \Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\ under Windows XP and 2000 and \Users\username\Music\ under Windows Vista) to a separate location (can be on the same volume)
o Launch iTunes while holding down the option key under Mac OS X, or the Shift key under Windows and follow the steps to create a new library
o In iTunes, choose Import from the File menu
o Select the backed up iTunes music folder as a source folder
o Restore any deleted preferences

Failing that, try deleting streaming music files.

Failing that quit iTunes and navigate to your iTunes music folder (~/Music/iTunes under Mac OS X, \Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\ under Windows XP and 2000 and \Users\username\Music\ under Windows Vista). Move all the folders therein to another location. Now launch iTunes and re-attempt synchronization with the iPhone. Make sure that the crash does not occur. Next, move the individual music folders folders back into the music library folder in separate groups (i.e. a few folders at a time), launching iTunes and re-attempting to sync after each attempt. (Quit iTunes, move more folders back, re-launch iTunes, re-attempt sync). You should eventually experience the crash again, and you can then pinpoint the problematic music/podcast files and remove them permanently.

(Windows) Create a new user account

Log off original user and log on to new user account. Create new library for iTunes on new user account, and attempt sying your iPhone. You can then try the aforementioned steps to identify problematic files or rebuild your library/

Incorrect SIM message Some AT&T users who never attempted to unlock their phoens are receiving the error message “Incorrect SIM” after applying the iPhone 1.1.1 software/firmware update. As previously noted, this can sometimes be resolved by removing the iPhone’s SIM card, then connecting the phone to your computer (sans-SIM card) and restoring. iTunes may then reload the iPhone software successfully, after which you can re-insert the SIM card and attempt synchronization with iTunes. If that fails, try removing the SIM then putting your iPhone in recovery mode and restoring, via these steps:

1. Disconnect your iPhone from your Mac or Windows computer.
2. Press and hold the sleep/wake and home buttons simultaneously for about 20-30 seconds, until you see a graphic of a USB cable with an arrow pointing to iTunes.
3. Connect your iPhone to your computer and launch iTunes if it does not automatically launch.
4. Now proceed to restore your iPhone. Click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc.
5. Re-insert your SIM and attempt activation.

iPhone Atlas reader Jack Vizelter writes:

“I’m one of those victims who now have an iBrick as after upgrading to latest firmware, getting an invalid SIM card message. I did not attempt to hack or install any 3rd party apps on the phone or try to unlock it. Resetting iphone and reapply firmware does not resolve issue with or without the SIM card being in the phone. Cleaning of dirt on the SIM does not help.

“I tried calling Apple iPhone support yesterday at about 11:55pm EST got me no-where as the greeting got stated that they’re closed and to call back during normal business hours, but did not indicate what those hours are and I called our educational support line that we’ve always used.

“I then called AT&T support and they couldn’t do anything. Their only suggestion was trying a new SIM card which I haven’t had a chance to go to an AT&T store to do so. And, now I have to shell out out of pocket to buy the SIM card which is not right. In the next few days, I’ll try to make my way to an AT&T store to buy that SIM card.

“AT&T believes it may be a faulty SIM card.”

Also, make sure that you are running the latest version of iTunes (7.4.2 for Mac and 7.4.3 for Windows).

Finally, you can try removing the SIM card and re-inserting it, making sure it is free of debris and properly seated.

Sync before updating If something goes wrong during the iPhone 1.1.1 update process and your iPhone needs to be fully restored, you will lose some information you can sync (photos, videos, songs) as well as passwords. Make sure to sync this information to your computer before applying the update so it can be restored later.

Note that other data, including mail settings, text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, and widget settings, are backed up to your computer each time you sync, and can be pushed back to the iPhone through iTunes during the restore process.

Battery life shorter? Some users are experiencing an apparent reduction in battery capacity/life after the update to 1.1.1. iPhone Atlas reader William Timberman writes:

“I seem to be experiencing a significant reduction in standby time after the v. 1.1.1 update. Is this just a recalibration of the battery charge status thermometer, or a genuine issue? Has anyone else noticed the same thing?”

Note that the increased earpiece/speaker volume may be having an effect on battery life, though it should not be dramatic.

The issue, in some cases, may be an overly eager battery indicator. Some users have reported that the battery indicator will suddenly jump ~20% immediately when connected to power. As such, users may think they have a full battery, when the unit actually carries a more shallow charge. If your iPhone is fully charged, it should display a plug icon instead of a lightning bolt icon in the upper-left corner. Remedies for this issue are not definitive, but some users have reported success with the following:

Restore the iPhone Click the Restore button under the Summary tab in iTunes. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc.

Restore the iPhone but don’t restore backup Some users have reported that restoring the iPhone, but not restoring custom settings a data from the computer-stored backup alleviates this issue. Note that you’ll lose text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc with this method, though you can restore them anytime by simply doing another restore and choosing to push the backup to the phone.

No pauses allowed in tel: tag, breaks calling card functions As noted by iPhone Atlas reader Matthew Montano, HTML links using the tel: identifier could previously contain commas (,) that invoked pauses, allowing calling cards to be automatically dialed in one fell swoop. However, commas no longer function in the same manner after the 1.1.1 update, making this mechanism impossible.

As described by Matthew:

“In 1.0.1 you could create an HTML page with a tag such as: “a href=’tel:8886289006,,90155512342 — Name of person,” That when clicked would prompt your iPhone to call: 8882689006,,9015551234 i.e. dial the calling card access number, wait about 6 seconds, then send the DTMF tones for the phone number 9015551234.

“It meant that after creating a little HTML you could email yourself the message or host a web page that allows you to call any number using your choice of calling card/dialing service. You could pay 3 cents a minute versus 25+ cents a minute at AT&T’s outrageous rates.

“1.1.1 eliminates this feature. The same HTML now prompts the phone to call: 88826890069015551234 i.e. the comma’s are removed. Which when dialed causes AT&T to only pickup and dial the first ten #s.

“Note, 1.1.1 also strips out other standard ‘pause characters’ such as w’s (for waits) and p’s (for pauses)”