IPhone 4 how to flash? Instruction and methods of firmware

The software of any device becomes obsolete with time. This is a normal process, as any company continues to work on its software, constantly improving it.

The firmware for "iPhone 4" is not an exception. The device itself in its technical configuration can not be called too backward - with it you can look stylish even today. Plus, the technical parameters of the model (camera, processor and other indicators) are high enough that the phone functions normally.

Nevertheless, the operating system on which the device works is morally obsolete - Apple released its 9th version, while the 4th generation model was shipped with iOS 5. Of course, the OS for these updates has become more productive, convenient and attractive externally. Therefore, some users do their best to bring your phone to the same state. Simply put, they will learn how to patch the phone "iPhone 4". However, it may be necessary to reflash not only for this.

In this article, we will try to maximally reveal what kind of procedure it is and why it is needed.

What is the firmware?

Each smartphone works with a certain version of the operating system. The firmware procedure means changing it, which can include both a transition to a newer generation, or simply upgrading the existing one to the state in which the phone was released from the factory.

Perhaps someone will think that the firmware for "iPhone 4" is a very complicated process, which can only be done by hackers or qualified employees of service centers, but this is not so. In fact, this is a fairly simple action. And Apple has made sure that everyone can easily handle it, almost at home.

Why is it needed?

As already noted, one of the options for updating the software of your device may be the desire to simply switch to a newer version of its OS. This is normal, because, as we already mentioned, it can be due to the extended functionality.

So, in addition, the user can search for information about his "iPhone 4" (how to flash it yourself) in order to reduce the model to the factory settings. It can take place if you find someone else's phone or, say, when a smartphone was given to you by a person who used it before. So, you just want to erase all the information from the device that belongs to other users, and get your hands on an absolutely clean model.

Ways of carrying out the firmware "iPhone 4"

Well, whatever your desire to learn how to flash the "iPhone 4" (this also applies to the s-modification), the ways of carrying out this procedure will be described in this article. There are only two of them - the "Update" and "Recovery". Both are conducted through a computer with a pre-installed iTunes program and a cord that connects the smartphone to the PC; Or directly on the device itself, using a local WiFi connection.

Each of the two methods of how to reflash the "iPhone 4s" (or simply 4) implies some individual features. On the differences between them, read further in the text, in sections on these methods.

Recovery

First, let's talk about the restoration. It can be accessed only if you work under the scheme "Computer + iTunes + Phone". The "Restore" tab can be found after your smartphone is recognized by the PC, then a menu for managing it will appear on the monitor.

By itself, the recovery procedure is more complex than the update, since it involves the removal of personal data from the phone. It is aimed at the way it was said above to get a "pure" mobile phone. Conduct it, for example, in the case of the transfer or sale of "iPhone", as well as when the user is looking for how to flash the found "iPhone 4".

Save information

Describing this procedure, you can not fail to mention that you need to be careful and save all your files in advance. To restore them after this step will not be possible, all information from your "iPhone" will be lost forever. Therefore, it is not recommended to restore the device unnecessarily, as an experiment, or when you are not worried about making a backup copy of all your files (especially photos) on other media. Because, as shown by user feedback, this is a fairly common problem and error, when a person confuses a process with a simple update and loses all content.

Update

So, as you may have guessed, this procedure does not include the deletion of the user's personal information by the device, since it is aimed at just migrating to a more recent version of the operating system.

The instruction on how to perform this operation depends on which method of updating the user chooses - through the computer and iTunes or via WiFi, working with the phone itself. Those who think how to flash the "iPhone 4 s" can not worry. The first and the second methods are not particularly complicated. It just depends on the conditions in which the flashing will take place. This is access to the Internet, the existence of an already downloaded operating system file and, of course, a cord for connecting the smartphone (you should take care of availability).

Step-by-step instruction

If you paint everything step by step, then we have the following picture. If we need to restore the device, we simply connect our "iPhone 4" to the computer with a cable (how to flash it without access to the PC - we'll describe it later).

Next, open the iTunes program, where in the right upper part of the screen you will see the menu of your phone. You must click on it. Before you open the phone status bar on which will be located the "Restore" and "Refresh" keys, by the names of which it becomes obvious what they are intended for.

If you are unhappy with the work of your iPhone 4, how to flash it - a natural question. Performing this operation using a PC, remember the possibility to tell the program on the previously downloaded version of iOS and that the software can independently search for a more recent build. If this is really available, iTunes will prompt you to install it. And remember that the answer to the question is, can I flash "iPhone 4", negative if you wanted to return to the old OS. The developers of the device took care that you can not choose again the older version of the operating system. This brings inconvenience to users who have switched to iOS 8 generation, who note that it works incorrectly, hangs and periodically podtormazhivaet. This was not observed on older versions of the OS.

After all this, you just need to wait. The process of downloading and installing a new system will be displayed on the phone screen, so the user at this time can just go for a coffee, for example. Actually, nothing is required from him during this process - the phone conducts all the actions independently.

Via WiFi or on the computer?

Comparing these two procedures, we only note that it will take longer to download the distribution itself. Downloading to PC is faster. This depends on the WiFi data transfer module installed on the "iPhone 4" (how to flash the latter, we have already described in the instructions). Its transmission speed is less than that of a full-fledged computer. However, in some situations, when there is simply no access to the PC and it is necessary to carry out the firmware, this helps. So choose a method based on what you have at your fingertips.

Warnings

That's how "iPhone 4" works. How to flash it, you already understand. Now let's talk about some caveats. The first is addressed to the owners of non-original devices. If you are looking for how to flash Chinese "iPhone 4", then you got the wrong address. Most often, fake smartphones (in particular, copies of iPhone 4) run on the Android operating system (and in some cases - generally without one). Accordingly, the entire procedure described in this article is not applicable to them. Most likely, the developers who released the copy, did not take care of how to do updates, so the owners of such phones are unlucky.

Another remark should be made to those who are looking for how to reflash the "iPhone 4s", which was "unlocked" (or "jailbroken"). If your phone has been unlocked from any operator (for example, AT & T, Verizon or Sprint), then, by updating its operating system, you most likely will lose this jailbreak. To reset all phone settings to factory settings, you can use special programs, for example, SemiRestore. However, you should not resort to the procedures described here.

In this regard, there are many different instructions and manuals. They describe that working with such programs is usually quite simple - you need to connect the device with a computer, run it on such software and wait until the removal of all information. Upon completion, you will also receive a clean iPhone 4, though, "jailbreak" on it should stay - and this is important.

Why pay more?

As you can see, the procedure for flashing the iPhone 4 is quite simple even for an inexperienced user. With it, anyone who minimally owns a PC can easily cope, since all actions are reduced to an elementary one.

This makes a visit to the service center in order to completely delete data from the phone meaningless. Each of us knows how to reflash "iPhone 4s", update his iOS to the most recent version, reset all the settings and at the same time not to be distracted from their affairs. So, it is asked, why pay more?