Sprint Carrier Update Hack (for iPhone 5 Only)

[kory108]

Over the past month or so there has been hacked/tweaked carrier updates released for all the major carriers in the US. iTweakiOS just released the latest one for Sprint. It supposedly increases 3G (not LTE) speeds. I'll be trying it out when I get home tonight and will report back my results.

 

Note: This will work on iPhone 5's that are not jailbroken!

 

http://www.itweakios.com/apps/blog/show/27511053-sprint-carrier-update-hack-iphone-5-only-

 

 

 

This hack enables 1x Advanced and EVDO Rev. B on the iPhone 5 enhancing EVDO 3G data speeds. Though Sprint is limited to EVDO Rev. A, the device itself becomes more open to an increased amount of bandwidth thus allowing for better throughput of data and data connection. Already intact coding within the carrier files also showed signs that Sprint has 1x Advanced support on their network. So, how knows? This may actually enable something new. Throttling code was put in place to limit users to a certain amount of bandwidth on 3G only as well and has now been removed. As for LTE, no throttling codes were put in place to limit users' bandwidth nor was any band preference coding put into place to limit users on coverage. This won't increase signal so don't expect it to like the AT&T version of this hack nor does it increase LTE as it was not limited in the first place.

 

 

[jroepcke51]

Over the past month or so there has been hacked/tweaked carrier updates released for all the major carriers in the US. iTweakiOS just released the latest one for Sprint. It supposedly increases 3G (not LTE) speeds. I'll be trying it out when I get home tonight and will report back my results.

 

Note: This will work on iPhone 5's that are not jailbroken!

 

http://www.itweakios.com/apps/blog/show/27511053-sprint-carrier-update-hack-iphone-5-only-

i don't understand how it works but i will try it.

 

Also i will do speed tests pre and post (i will make it a sample).  I will average the speed tests and see if hack worked.

[xenadu]

What I want to know is whether this is a signed profile or he just found a way to install an unsigned one, because this is just a compressed bundle and it contains the PRL, etc. If this works unsigned, then it means we can change the PRL without jailbreaking.

[Sonic13]

If only I had an iPhone 5. :/

[drir]

What I want to know is whether this is a signed profile or he just found a way to install an unsigned one, because this is just a compressed bundle and it contains the PRL, etc. If this works unsigned, then it means we can change the PRL without jailbreaking.

This isn't a PRL. It is a carrier update file which is what allows for some low level customization of the phone (such as FaceTime over cellular, hotspot functionality, and things like that).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[cognitivel0gic]

I just applied this to my iPhone cant test at my house as i have LTE in my area (South St. Louis/ Tower Grove Area) but i'll post updates tomorrow! I work at sprint in Ofallon and 3G data speeds out there are terrible as of the past couple months so im hoping this helps!

Edited June 6, 2013 by cognitivel0gic

[digiblur]

I never believe these fixes as there isn't a problem with the device being limited if it can max out the Evdo airlink or LTE without mods. The problem is due to having to share the airwaves with all the folks running speedtests.

 

Sent from my little Note2

 

 

[juant87]

I tried it on my jb iphone using ifile..my carrier settings went from 14.0 to 13.0 ....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone5 using Tapatalk 2

[IsaiahL]

Can someone post a speedtest , I want to see if this is worth me doing .

[digiblur]

Can someone post a speedtest , I want to see if this is worth me doing .

 

I can bet you it's a big fat negative...placebo affect.  Plus what's a speedtest going to tell you with all the variables in place?  You'd have to do this in a controlled environment.

[IsaiahL]

I can bet you it's a big fat negative...placebo affect. Plus what's a speedtest going to tell you with all the variables in place? You'd have to do this in a controlled environment.

..... Anyways back to what I had asked before.

Edited June 6, 2013 by IsaiahL

[digiblur]

..... Anyways back to what I had asked before.

 

Nice to hear you base your facts on pure opinions.

[koiulpoi]

So, it enables Evdo Rev B, which will do nothing for Sprint. It enables 1XA, which does nothing currently.

 

So the tweak does nothing?

[digiblur]

So, it enables Evdo Rev B, which will do nothing for Sprint. It enables 1XA, which does nothing currently.

 

So the tweak does nothing?

 

1xA should already be enabled.  Or maybe that's why the iPhone is shunned from using 800SMR first like all the other phones.  The funny part is 1xA is going to absolutely zero for your speeds.

[koiulpoi]

 

 

So, it enables Evdo Rev B, which will do nothing for Sprint. It enables 1XA, which does nothing currently.

 

So the tweak does nothing?

 

 

1xA should already be enabled. Or maybe that's why the iPhone is shunned from using 800SMR first like all the other phones. The funny part is 1xA is going to absolutely zero for your speeds.

I've heard conflicting reports as to whether or not the 800 MHz signal I'm connecting to is 1xA.

 

Either way, my point stands. If it's not enabled, this tweak does nothing. If it is, it still does nothing without an appropriate signal to connect to, as you mentioned before about the iPhone 5 lacking SMR in its PRL.

 

Sent from my SCH-l900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[digiblur]

Either way, my point stands. If it's not enabled, this tweak does nothing. If it is, it still does nothing without an appropriate signal to connect to, as you mentioned before about the iPhone 5 lacking SMR in its PRL.

 

Sent from my SCH-l900 using Tapatalk 2

 

Not lacking.  It finally has the ability to use 800SMR but someone at Sprint decided they didn't want the iPhones sitting on the 800SMR channels like other phones.  So the iPhones only use the 800SMR if there is no PCS signal at all.

[IsaiahL]

Nice to hear you base your facts on pure opinions.

I guess so .

[Mobilesolutions]

Can someone post a speedtest , I want to see if this is worth me doing .

No hack can speed up Sprint's 3G. 3200kbps is the full on theoretical max data rate over the channel. 

Hope that answers your question. 

[IsaiahL]

No hack can speed up Sprint's 3G. 3200kbps is the full on theoretical max data rate over the channel.

Hope that answers your question.

Thanks that pretty much answers it .

[xenadu]

What I want to know is whether this is a signed profile or he just found a way to install an unsigned one, because this is just a compressed bundle and it contains the PRL, etc. If this works unsigned, then it means we can change the PRL without jailbreaking.

 

This isn't a PRL. It is a carrier update file which is what allows for some low level customization of the phone (such as FaceTime over cellular, hotspot functionality, and things like that).

 

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

 

How many times do I have to tell people, I'm an iOS developer. The file is in fact an OS X compressed bundle, which you can open to find carrier.prl among other files. Normally, the phone will only accept the bundle if signed by Apple, ensuring none of the files are corrupt or tampered with. This "hack" simply appears to use a debug loading mechanism to bypass that check, so in theory we can modify the PRL. I will try it later and report back.

[juant87]

Great...  now i'm stuck on 13.1. Big waste of time

[maximus1987/lou99]

I never believe these fixes as there isn't a problem with the device being limited if it can max out the Evdo airlink or LTE without mods. The problem is due to having to share the airwaves with all the folks running speedtests.

 

Sent from my little Note2

 

What about this?

 

"The hack is said to enable Release 9 DC-HSPA+ on the iPhone 5, opening the device to an increased amount of bandwidth for better throughput of data even though T-Mobile has not upgraded its network to support Release 9. The coders claim their hack bumps up HSPA+ speeds by 3 Mbps to 8 Mbps on the downlink. According to Brown, T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is capable of Release 8 downlink speed of 42 Mbps and Release 6 speed of 5.76 Mbps on the uplink."

 

Read more: T-Mobile iPhone 5 users get faster HSPA+ speeds via hacked software - FierceBroadbandWireless http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/t-mobile-iphone-5-users-get-faster-hspa-speeds-hacked-software/2013-05-13#ixzz2VRpFcos1 

Subscribe at FierceBroadbandWireless

[Deval]

How many times do I have to tell people, I'm an iOS developer. The file is in fact an OS X compressed bundle, which you can open to find carrier.prl among other files. Normally, the phone will only accept the bundle if signed by Apple, ensuring none of the files are corrupt or tampered with. This "hack" simply appears to use a debug loading mechanism to bypass that check, so in theory we can modify the PRL. I will try it later and report back.

 

So what's your findings good buddy?

[WiWavelength]

What about this?

 

They are likely seeing higher speeds not because of any upgrade but because their hack puts them on the less burdened PCS W-CDMA carrier(s) instead of the long standing AWS W-CDMA carrier(s).

 

Correlation ≠ causation.

 

AJ

[maximus1987/lou99]

 

 

What about this?

 

 

They are likely seeing higher speeds not because of any upgrade but because their hack puts them on the less burdened PCS W-CDMA carrier(s) instead of the long standing AWS W-CDMA carrier(s).

 

Correlation ≠ causation.

 

AJ

Shouldn't TMO's network automatically do this?