3.1 on XT and 2degrees breaks tethering
A quick heads-up. The new OS 3.1, launched this morning, will break tethering for XT and 2degrees users. Do not download it if you require tethering, but go right ahead and update if you don’t.
What’s happened?…Apple now signs the apn’s within the carrier bundles. This means if there is no signature against the Tethering APN it will not work (all other functionality is fine though). We are working on a fix for this and as soon as we have it the bundles will be updated and we’ll let you know.
So if I update to the new firmware I can still be on XT with data etc. but not tethering?
(bush1e has made 11 comments)
Yes that’s right
Sweet thanks.
(bush1e has made 11 comments)
This is a long shot and I haven’t installed 3.1 yet as I need my tethering, but has anyone pointed their iPhone browser to http://help.benm.at/generator.php to set up tethering?
(dangermouse has made 8 comments)
Hi Dangermouse. We just tested that with the carrier bundle installed and it didn't work – i.e. tethering is still disabled. Leave it with us – we're testing other avenues at the moment.
Hi Steve,
Great site! Keep up the good work!
You mention XT and 2 degress, what about Vodafone tethering? I got it working with a downloaded APN profile using 3.0.1, but it’s gone now that I have upgraded to 3.1. I’m using unlocked pre-paid iPhone 3gs on Vodafone.
Cheers
(cableguy has made 2 comments)
Is there anyway to get tethering to work on 3.1 XT? I don’t need tethering but would be nice to have.
(bush1e has made 11 comments)
Update!!!
I just deleted (removed) the customized APN profile and internet tethering is available again-just reminding anyone reading, I'm on vodafone.
Cheers
(cableguy has made 2 comments)
On Vodafone it will work as they are an official carrier. It is only unofficial carriers that don't work.
(Dan has made 610 comments)
No way the moment. It's similar to how you can no longer downgrade an iPhone 3GS to anything below 3.1 (thus, a restore from a broken 3.0 phone would be forced to 3.1) — the IPCC carrier files are signed by Apple which can't be forged very easily at all.
Seemingly they are refusing to sign unofficial carriers (ie. carriers that don't sell the iPhone, even if unlocked).
(Mak has made 41 comments)
@camtab – Yes I can confirm that it is ONLY tethering that is affected by 3.1. MMS, Voicemail, everything else works just like it always did. And yes, you can install our carrier bundle on a phone that already has 3.1 on it.
So just to be clear, everything else works (MMS, Voicemail, roaming etc etc) except Tethering? Can someone please confirm that it is just the tethering that stops if upgrading to 3.1 (or buying a new 3GS that has 3.1 installed already) Actually can someone confirm that we can install the XT Carrier File onto a 3GS that already has 3.1 on it.
(camtab has made 8 comments)
Hi there – on XT too with the .ipcc file from this site. All works well… and understand about thethering disappearing – hope it can be resolved soon.
On another point, my iPhone 3GS seems to have reverted to sending SMS to more than one recipient as an MMS. This was an earlier issue that was resolved, but has now resurfaced with 3.1. Anyone else experiencing this again?
(smw has made 10 comments)
^^^ IGNORE ^^^ My mistake – just reapplied the ipcc file from here and everything is working properly for group SMS. Thanks.
(smw has made 10 comments)
Seems like this is an issue that should be brought up with the commerce commission. Pressure needs to be put on Apple for instituting anti-competitive practices like this.
(moviemichael has made 59 comments)
@moviemichael – I’m not sure it’s a case of Apple being uncompetitive, Moviemichael. The issue is that carriers have different attitudes to tethering – some don’t mind it, some don’t want to allow it on their networks and many want to charge the end-user a monthly fee for it. In that regard it does make sense that tethering is locked down unless there is an agreement with the carrier that it be enabled.
Interesting point. I wonder what Telecom, 2 degrees and B&W think. I wonder if Apple will activate tethering for non-partnered companies.
(moviemichael has made 59 comments)
@Steve
I think this is a question of a “battle” between the old and new ways of carriers looking at the data market.
The old way is to promote “unlimited” data plans (to get as many customers as possible). If everyone uses their data plans to do everything and anything, of course the networks will be slow and unreliable, so to prevent this they want to control the way the end-user can have access, e.g., not allowing tethering (and in some cases, charge separately for tethering).
The new way is to market different data plans, with different prices, which include a specified amount of data a month (and sometimes different maximum speeds), and not care with how the consumers use it – that’s the way we have it here in Portugal, and I guess in a lot of European countries.
The problem is that not allowing tethering is complicated, because it relies on setting specific limits (it’s rumored that AT&T will cut connections if you try to transfer files bigger than 10MB), and shredding the user experience to bits by moves like this latest one.
The iPhone has been the best mobile experience, by far, that I’ve ever had, but I’m very disappointed at Apple for doing something like this, and not finding a better way to match the goals of the different carriers in different markets in a way that wouldn’t hurt consumers who did nothing wrong. I’ll think twice about getting another iPhone when I think of upgrading. Apple has shown that they will remove important features, which other tactics might they employ in the future?
(ppinheiro76 has made 1 comment)
Am confused by Mak’s comment – if my iPhone running 3.0 crashes and needs restore, will I not be able to restore to 3.0 using a downloaded ipcc file? Or are you saying that Apple just won’t supply older firmware files any longer?
(ahmad has made 101 comments)
If you are running 3.0 and you have a copy of 3.0 you can restore to it by doing a shift (option on mac) restore. If you do a normal restore (i.e. not holding down the shift or option button) then you will be forced to go to 3.1
(Dan has made 610 comments)