Increase T-Mobile iPhone Download Speeds With This Hack, No Jailbreak Required
by Joe White
May 11, 2013
While T-Mobile has poked fun at AT&T's "overcrowded" LTE network, iPhone users have found that T-Mobile's own cellular data speeds aren't so impressive. Numerous reports have indicated that a carrier update released prior to T-Mobile's sixth-generation iPhone served in some cases to limit cellular download speeds, and particularly affected the carrier's reframed PCS 1900MHz network. Fortunately, however, one new iPhone "modification" makes it possible for T-Mobile iPhone 5 owners to increase the amount of bandwidth available to their smartphone, thereby effectively "allowing for better throughput of data and data connection."
The mod, which takes the form of a hacked T-Mobile carrier update, does not require a jailbreak, and can be applied on either a Windows- or OS X-powered computer. Developed by two well-known cellular programmers, @joe012594 and @cooldayr2, the modification will allow T-Mobile iPhone 5 owners to enjoy faster speeds when connected to the carrier's cellular data network.
Below, we've included a full list of instructions, via TmoNews. Remember to back up your iPhone before attempting to apply the hacked carrier update, and be sure to proceed with caution.
Since many unlocked iPhone 5 users report weakened signal on the refarmed [sic] 4G HSPA+ and many iPhone users (unlocked or official T-Mobile versions) report slower data speeds, I have done many hours for many days doing research on what could be done to fix the issue. After partnering with @cooldayr2, we both have come up with the best possible solution to this issue. Below is a fix we have provided for all iPhone 5 users on the T-Mobile network. This will not take away any features added by the official carrier update nor does it require a jailbreak, however, we have made user friendly for both jailbroken and non-jailbroken users. If you have any issue, please tell Joe at twitter.com/joe012594. Thanks!For further T-Mobile related news, see: T-Mobile Launches Impressive iPhone 5 Trade-In Offer For Mother's Day, T-Mobile Sold 500,000 iPhone Handsets In Less Than One Month, and T-Mobile's New iPhone 5 Ad Attacks AT&T's "Overcrowded" LTE Network.Non-jailbroken users:1. Plug your iPhone 5 into iTunes and backup the device so you won’t lose anything.2. In the device itself, tap the “Settings” app and navigate to “General > Reset > Erase all content and Settings”3. Once you have done that, the iPhone will auto reboot.4. Download the hacked carrier update here:http://dc372.4shared.com/download/WF0uqJL-/TMobile_US_iPhone_Hack.ipcc?tsid=20130511-014618-1518f9675. Once downloaded, your iPhone will boot up into iTunes. Before you do ANYTHING, make sure to decline any and all prompts to update carrier settings. Just choose to “Restore from backup” and let it run.6. Once your iPhone has booted up once again, it will place all of your personal content back into the Phone. While it’s doing this we’re going to go ahead and enable iTunes to except custom carrier bundles, if it’s not already.7. Windows users, you will need to open command prompt and type the following and enter it in:64 bit:cd “C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes” then type: iTunes.exe /setPrefInt carrier testing 132 bit:cd “C:\Program Files\iTunes” then type: iTunes.exe /setPrefInt carrier testing 1Mac users you will need to open terminal and type the following and enter it in:Mac:defaults write com.apple.itunes carrier-testing -bool true8. After this has successfully been entered in, click on the tab for your iPhone 5 and click “Update” or “Check For Update” while holding down the Alt / Optionkey for Mac users and the Shift key for Windows users. Navigate to where you downloaded the hacked carrier update file named “TMobile_US_iPhone.ipcc,” and select it then click Open.9. The carrier update should now successfully be installed. Restart your iPhone 5 for any changes to take effect.10. If you encounter any problems or wish to revert back just download the file below and repeat the above steps only with the default file instead.Default File:http://dc372.4shared.com/download/M3vMO7Pe/TMobile_US_iPhone_Default.ipcc?tsid=20130511-014357-883dcc09Jailbroken Users:1. Download the file to your device through iFile here:http://dc372.4shared.com/download/WF0uqJL-/TMobile_US_iPhone_Hack.ipcc?tsid=20130511-014618-1518f9672. Unarchive the files and copy the file name “overrides_N41_N42.pri” then navigate to var/mobile/Library/Carrier Bundles/TMobile_US.bundle and paste it into the folder replacing the original .pri file.3. Reboot your device for changes to take effect.4. If you encounter any problems or wish to revert back just download the file below and repeat the above steps only with the default file instead.Default File:http://dc372.4shared.com/download/M3vMO7Pe/TMobile_US_iPhone_Default.ipcc?tsid=20130511-014357-883dcc09Tech talk:This hack enables Release 9 DC-HSPA+ on the iPhone 5. Though T-Mobile has not yet upgraded their network to support these speeds, the device itself becomes more open to an increased amount of bandwidth thus allowing for better throughput of data and data connection. The average increase has been 3mbps to as high as 8mbps on the downlink. This hack also includes a fix to any and all iPhone 5 users who have experienced degraded/weakened signal over the past couple of months on the PCS and/or AWS bands, though a lot of this could be due to the eminent release of LTE in many upcoming markets as this is normal. The issue was due in part to the carrier update. It set the band preference for HSPA+, even if your iPhone 5 doesn’t support it, to AWS which can cause conflictions and problems for the devices that don’t support that band. The setting has been set to the default “auto” setting and should help the 4G signal perform a bit better, whether you’re iPhone 5 is PCS only or dual PCS/AWS. For those with an iPhone 5 that supports AWS, this hack will also help you as well as it will connect to the strongest tower (PCS and AWS) rather than the preferred type of tower. Enjoy!
