iFixit - Active Questions With Device "iPhone 3G"

iPhone 3G: My iPhone boots to the Apple logo and then turns itself off.

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 01:52:37 -0700

When I press the power button, the Apple logo comes on for 10-15 seconds, and then my phone switches off automatically. Please tell me what has happened to it and how to fix this problem without losing the data in my phone. I'll be grateful. Thanks

⟐ Commented February 22, 2026 at 1:52 MST

iPhone 3G: iPhone 3G Cydia certificate issues

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 03:46:19 -0700

I just jailbroke my iphone 3G but I get this error

when I try to open Cydia and I can't use it properly. I need a fix if there is one. I already tried changing the date and time and yet still this is here

iPhone 3G: Would it be worth trying to fix it

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:36:40 -0700

The screen of my device is like lifted up in two different ways, there are parts rattling inside, and my fairly certain it has some sort of water damage. My mom just wants the photos off of it so if its not fixable would that be possible? Genuinely no idea what to to at all

⟐ Answered January 13, 2026 at 10:36 MST

iPhone 3G: iPhone 3G software problem

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 10:09:34 -0700

I just got an iPhone 3G. Unfortunately the seller accidentally wiped the software on the phone while trying to factory reset it.

When I try connecting it to iTunes, it says it needs to be put in DFU mode. So I do that and iTunes recognizes DFU mode. Then I try to restore it and is says again that It needs to be put in DFU mode event though I already did. Is this a error with iTunes or something else?

⟐ Commented January 12, 2026 at 10:09 MST

iPhone 3G: Uploading a photo to forum

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 05:15:58 -0700

How do I upload a photo to these forums? Thanks am very new at this

⟐ Commented September 24, 2025 at 5:15 MST

iPhone 3G: iPhone 3G Glass/Digiter Replacement: Screen Now Black

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 18:21:06 -0700

Ok, so I replaced the glass and put it back together only to get a black screen. I took it back apart and I think the #3 ribbon was pulled out but I'm not certain. The whole time, the phone functions (iTunes sync, mute button toggle causes vibration).

So here's what I've done with no success:

1. Changed back to the old (cracked) screen

2. Attempted hard reset (power + home). I'm not certain the home button was working at this point.

3. Discharged battery, recharged, hard reset

4. Discharged, re-seat cables 1, 2, 3. Charge. Hard Reset

5. Discharged. Pull logic board from battery to allow full power down. Reassemble. Charge. Startup. Hard reset.

Its sitting on the wall charger now in some hope that it needs a full charge for a proper hard reset.

Any ideas?! Help would be greatly appreciated as Google's not giving me much at this point.

Oh, I've tried to swipe the unlock button several times, but I've never heard the unlock sound so I'm pretty sure both the LCD and the digitizer aren't being recognized.

Thanks in advance....

Lucas

⟐ Commented July 13, 2025 at 18:21 MST

iPhone 3G: Charger keeps connecting/disconnecting

Wed, 21 May 2025 09:09:23 -0700

When I plug it in it shows that its connected and then disconnected and connected and so on but when I unplug it it dies right away, when I try to restart it by holding power/home the screen flashes and then goes back to the same thing, its weird because when I first got the phone I few days ago it was working normally with the battery and everything, I took out the vibrator out of the phone because it was broken but I’m not sure if that’s the problem, and it’s not the charger because it works fine with the other devices.

⟐ Commented May 21, 2025 at 9:09 MST

iPhone 3G: How to fix iPhone screen if it looks like a negative print?

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 10:19:01 -0700

My iPhone fell from my hands. When I picked it up, the screen lost the real colors. It looks like a negative print photo!

What can I do to fix my iPhone?

⟐ Commented February 26, 2025 at 10:19 MST

iPhone 3G: Won’t turn on, replaced batter

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 06:44:22 -0700

As the title, one shop replaced the battery many years ago and it didn’t turn on, the next shop said it wasn’t salvageable and the motherboard and or memory board was broken. Would love for there to be a way to have fixed because many of my moms memories are on it. Also, mom said that she had try to plug it into a computer to get photos but nothing came from it. Would appreciate any help.

⟐ Answered January 20, 2025 at 6:44 MST

iPhone 3G: wifi connection- "Unable to connect"

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:49:08 -0700

Hi my iphone 3g-8gb black had a problem.

Before i can enjoy our house' wifi signal but now, i cannot connect anymore. I never dropped or any incident before it happened. But i can remember turning the wifi router once (saving electricity purposes. And then after turning it on again, i can't receive any wifi signal anymore. I tried to reset the wifi router thrice. And all of my family's laptop can receive the wifi signal after resetting the wifi router thrice, but my iphone 3g is not receiving it anymore. It see's the router but it keeps on alerting "UNABLE TO JOIN NETWORK"

I also tried to go

1. into Settings -> General -> Reset - then tap on Reset Network Settings

2. jailbreak my iphone

3. and before resetting my wifi router, i tried clicking the "forget this network"

***all of this didn't help at all, can somebody help me?

for details of my iphone 3g here it is,

iphone details: iphone 8gb- black

Software version: 4.2.1 (8C148)

Model: MB489PP

⟐ Answer edited December 28, 2024 at 23:49 MST

iPhone 3G: I locked myself out of my iPhone a1241

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 02:03:14 -0700

Need to unlock my iPhone or told how to master reset it. Please.

⟐ Commented December 07, 2024 at 2:03 MST

iPhone 3G: What is the that metal ring around the camera lens?

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 09:04:09 -0700

I’m was trying to replace my iPhone 3G with a new rear case and when I was taking the camera holder cap out of the old housing, the little metal ring fell out from the frame and lost it. I looked everywhere online for a replacement but couldn’t find anything about it.

⟐ Answered October 31, 2024 at 9:04 MST

iPhone 3G: Error 6 fix?

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 05:42:10 -0700

I've been trying to reinstall iOS 4.2.1 on my old 3G iPhone, but it throws back error 9 or 6 every time. I've already tried most of the common solutions. Can anybody offer any assistance? Thanks!

I also forgot, it's stuck in DFU mode, and the iOS was corrupted when I got it.

⟐ Answered August 01, 2024 at 5:42 MST

iPhone 3G: iPhone Error 23. How to extract my photos in the iPhone?

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 15:06:11 -0700

Hi,

My iphone was charging and the auto-update function kicked in and it hanged. It gave the error 23 code and there is no way to reboot the phone unless I connect to iTune and do a reset.

My question is, HOW CAN I RESCUE MY PHOTOS IN THE PHONE, as I learnt that a factory reset would erase all data on the phone, including my photos. I have photos of my brother who passed away and it is something that we are not able to let go. I really hope to be able to recover my photos and have kept the phone till now. It was since 2018.

I appreciate any help and guidance.

Sincerely,

Adrian

⟐ Answer edited July 18, 2024 at 15:06 MST

iPhone 3G: How do I recover my info on my iPhone?

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 05:36:31 -0700

Hello,

So recently, the battery in my iPhone 3g decided that it would not hold a charge anymore, and when I plugged it in to power, the iOS 6 setup menu appears. I was devastated, because I did not back up my iPhone, and I probably lost a whole bunch of old photos. Is there any way that I can restore my iPhone so that I can get the photos, if at all possible?

⟐ Commented March 15, 2024 at 5:36 MST

iPhone 3G: horizontal 'lines' on screen, after a slight 'knock' to back

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 23:59:33 -0700

Hi, I recently managed to knock my phone against a low post in the street. I knocked the back of the phone whilst it was in my pocket.

I've now noticed that there 'lines' at the bottom of the screen - I assume this is possibly due to a dodgy connection to the LCD matrix?

1. Do you think it's fixable [no other visible 'damage' to the screen?

2. or is it possible damage to the logic board?

The 'lines' are on every screen and have the same colour - dark blue? They are even getting longer, though I don't use the phone now?

Thanks in advance for any help - compassion ;^)

⟐ Commented February 05, 2024 at 23:59 MST

iPhone 3G: My display screen is white after changing my battery

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 19:21:04 -0700

Following the great instructions here for changing my dead battery, I re-assembled my iPhone 3G and connected it to my mini to charge. All that came up was a white screen. When the phone beeped and I saw my phone on iTunes, I figured it must be a malfunction. I reset the phone but the screen still stays white (occasionally with black stripes like a bad TV set). The screen was working before I changed the battery. Any suggestions would be welcome.

⟐ Answered December 31, 2023 at 19:21 MST

iPhone 3G: Is there a place to find apps that work?

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:15:34 -0700

Ok, I know this isn't a "fix-it" type question, but I think it fits in with the general philosophy. I unlocked my wife's old iPhone 3G, thinking that I'll give it more life and finally join the smartphone world, only to find that almost all the apps in Apple's app store have been upgraded to ios 4.3 or 5. Still, I'm sure there are apps that will add value to this phone, yet there is no way to search for them by supported OS version in the store. Is there any kind of Wiki or other database that keeps track of currently workable apps for older iPhones available at the app store?

⟐ Commented October 17, 2023 at 11:15 MST

iPhone 3G: Why won't my iPhone 3G turn on?

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 22:21:59 -0700

A few weeks back, my iPhone 3G went dead out of the blue. Ever since, I have been trying to switch on my iPhone and the system doesn't start.

I have plugged in the power to recharge the battery, synced it with iTunes, but it doesn't start at all.

I would appreciate any suggestions/solutions pertaining to this problem.

⟐ Answered October 08, 2023 at 22:21 MST

iPhone 3G: Does Apple know if I opened the case?

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 09:37:22 -0700

Is there a way for apple to know if I opened the case of my iPhone 3G or even a 3GS? I know there is a sticker, but other than that is there something in the OS or any other place that tells them I opened it? I don't want to get blind sided at the apple store.

Thanks in advance,

Alex

⟐ Commented September 02, 2023 at 9:37 MST