3G on 4.0 slow?

Author: BigBoss  //  Category: Jailbreak

If your 3g on 4.0 is really slow, chances are you enabled backgrounds in redsn0w. This causes the icons to get a nice shadow, but this shadow processing is just too much for your little old 3g. You can disable the backgrounds by editing a file. How to edit this file will not be covered here in much detail. I will give SSH instructions expecting users to know how to do this. If you don’t know how, wait a couple days and I will release a tool to do this (or maybe add a switch in sbsettings).

1) SSH in as root and install ericas utilities
2) Navigate to /System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app
3) Convert the plist we need from binary to xml so you can edit it in a text editor:
plutil -convert xml1 N82AP.plist
4) Edit N82AP.plist file, and change this line:

<key>homescreen-wallpaper</key>
<true/>

to this:

<key>homescreen-wallpaper</key>
<false/>

5) Save the file, respring (maybe reboot).

Final suggestion to help get your 3g back up to speed if this isnt enough. Go to settings, general, spotlight and uncheck everything except apps and contacts.

If you want backgrounds after this, you can use bosspaper or winterboard (no javascript themes in winterboard though).


BigBoss Authors: Mark Bruce & Kory Lee

81 Responses to “3G on 4.0 slow?”

  1. benp Says:

    Thanks for the tip! Helps on my iPod Touch 2g, too. A SBsettings toggle would be great for when you want a bit of eye candy :)

  2. German Peter Says:

    Thanks BB,

    but on my 3G under 4.0 I don´t find spotlight under > settings >general.

    Only on 3GS I can see that.

    Hint to other Basic-English-speakers from abroad: “uncheck” means disable.

  3. German Peter Says:

    sorry, now comes in my mind:

    BB, please add at SB-Settings the disable-function for the whole spotlight!

    When wiping over the touch screen often that spotlight pops up unwished.

  4. German Peter Says:

    … small Correction:

    on 3G you´ll find the spotlight-settings here:
    > settings >general > home > (scroll down to:) spotlight

    on 3 GS: > settings >general > spotlight

  5. Marc Says:

    I can’t find the line ‘homescreen-wallpaper’ in N82AP.plist

  6. Jessev Says:

    There is also a new redsn0w tool out. i ran this and just unchecked the enable homescreen wallpaper box and it did the same thing. make sure to uncheck “install cydia” if you do this.

  7. blakepro Says:

    The background toggle would be awesome. Please implement it!

  8. Anonymous Says:

    Ah, thanks for this. Was just planning on living with the slowness until the iphone4 hit Australia but it was getting painful.

  9. Ragnar Says:

    Interesting, I had the wallpaper and multitasking enabled and ended up re-jailbreaking with those features disabled. I figured it was the multitasking that was killing the iPhone. Can anyone who has treid the above confirm that simply disabling the wallpaper speeds up the 3G? I’d love to be able to utilize the native multitasking, but not if it slows my iPhone to a crawl. Thanks!

  10. German Peter Says:

    Hi again, Dear BB:

    If that Spotlight is a “resident prozess” (= takes memory / keeps CPU busy although in background) please create a toggle to disable it.

  11. John Says:

    Yup, I’ve tried it, I disabled the wallpaper and it dramatically speed up my 3G, even though multitasking is still enabled. You can still keep the multitasking

  12. Andre3k Says:

    Thank you. This really helped out alot. Before I was serious considering downgrading because my 3g was so unbearably slow. Disabling the wallpaper made the phone usable again. I can even use the multitasking now with out too much trouble.

  13. JOker_Css Says:

    Hello,
    maybe it is easier for some people without knowlege to just SSH to their phone and execute this command:

    plutil -0 -capabilities -key “homescreen-wallpaper” /System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app/N82AP.plist

    theres no converting needed with this command, and of course no texteditor :)
    just respring after that command..

    hope i could help you

  14. OMEGA Says:

    hey i just disable the wallpaper and really work !!thank you….its just a little more faster….

  15. German Peter Says:

    … in addition from time to time give RAM free by this easy way:

    - open safari
    - press the on on top of the iphone) till slider appears and hold
    - press home some seconds till respring.

    Faster than complete power off/on.

    3G with JB of course are lucky with the respring of SB-Settings.

  16. Bluemint Says:

    You’re partly right. It’s not hardware dependent but depends on whether you have enabled Multi-tasking.

    With Multi-rasking:
    Settings > General > Spotlight Search

    Without Multi-tasking:
    Settings > General > Home > Spotlight Search

    Another way to put it … the Home button option doesn’t exists if you have enabled Multi-tasking; it will be used to activate the Task Switcher and not other short-cuts.

  17. newtoiphone Says:

    I have a 3g Iphone. Can i upgrade it to OS4 and unlock it? if yes, how?
    thanx.

  18. saspjr Says:

    Hey Bigboss my iphone won’t come up period i had two iphone 3gs one with the os4 i bought it from someone it accidently update then he did not want the phone anymore cause he has t-mobile also before posting that post about the 3g slow my phone was acting up and won’t turn back on i try everything to fix then i couldn’t and i accidently restore to 4.0 now all my jailbreak is gone i’m so upset right now i hate apple wondering i have my shh on file is it possible i can downgrade my iphone cause my iphone has the shh on file for 3.1 3.1.3 but not the other all i want is to be able to reverse one of my iphone just a suggestion bigboss what do you think i can do to get my iphone back or do i have to wait

  19. sven Says:

    hey BB, great advice.
    one question: ist there a way to disable multitasking, but still use the apple taskmanage i.e. with backgrounder???

  20. john Says:

    do u have any plan to bring us bootloader and baseband downgrading software with new versions compatible

  21. Jo7n Says:

    My iPhone 3G is still slow slow slow slow and I do NOT have wallpapers or multi-tasking enabled. I have really regretted upgrading to 4.0. I tried coping with slowness for a few days but now I feel that I have no choice but to restore my iPhone and forget about Jailbreak in the future.

  22. Donza Says:

    Woo just tried this and it has made my iPhone 3G faster. No jitter or lag when scrolling in contacts and loads contacts and settings quicker.
    Is there anyway to enable wallpaper and disable the icon shadowing ?

  23. Donza Says:

    Dont worry I found out how, going to try it out now :)

  24. Marli Says:

    Ok um I can’t figure this out. where are the instructions?? Grrrr!!

  25. Jo7n Says:

    Restored iPhone 3G.

    Jailbroke again without wallpapers or multi-tasking [or anything else other than Cydia for that matter].

    And once again the memory drops down to 4MB and less when using the Internet.

    So not happy with the update when all I gained was a few crummy folders.

  26. tataulee Says:

    worked…thanx

  27. nelfox Says:

    yes u can, there is already a jailbreak for iphone OS4. i just update mine to OS4 and jailbroke and unlock it with ultrasnow 0.93.in this page, go to the jailbreak table and look for iphone 3g. download the os4 firmware and the latest redsnow.

  28. nelfox Says:

    I’m having a hard time unlocking OS4 iphone coz whenever i typed repo666.ultrasnow.com on add repositories, it says that its invalid. but anyway i found a solution and just ssh ultrasnow 0.93 to my iphone and its unlocked. guys, if u have problems unlocking ur iphone 3g OS4, give me a msg and ill teach u how…THANKS to the DEV TEAM. your the greatest DUDES….

  29. Sanjay Says:

    My problem with iOS4 and the 3G is stability.

    The phone freezes and hangs frequently.

    I disabled all the extra features in redsnow and did a fresh JB but that still didnt make any difference.

    At this point looks like I will be going back to 3.1.3

    /sanjay

  30. Jo7n Says:

    Is it possible to go back to 3.1.3? I am honestly sick of the slowdown and freezes, and I’m thinking about upgrading to an iPhone4. I don’t know how anybody here can claim that their 3G phones are running fineon 4.0 JB, it’s just not possible.

  31. Rick Says:

    Hey donza how did u disable the icon shadowing?

  32. Sanjay Says:

    well this post claims it is possible.

    http://lifehacker.com/5572003/how-to-downgrade-your-iphone-3g%5Bs%5D-from-ios-4-to-ios-313

  33. German Peter Says:

    Generell advice: do maintance periodically by

    >settings >Safari >Clear History / Cookies / Cache

  34. Dan Says:

    It seems that the 3G is fine when the free memory is above 8MB. It’s a pain to do, but enable Free memory on the status bar and when it gets close to 8MB open SBSettings tap Processes and tap Free Memory. Rarely even this doesn’t work and I need to respring then it’s fine.

    Anyone here anything about a jailbreak for the iPhone 4. I want to upgrade, but will not until jailbreak is available.

  35. MadMan29729 Says:

    on and iPod Touch 2g you would use this

    plutil -convert xml1 N72AP.plist

    the N82AP.plist isn’t available!

    hope this helps someone!

  36. Isam Says:

    Still waiting for the tool or the switch … or if anyone can explain in detail how to do this !!!

  37. MadMan29729 Says:

    easiest way is to download iFile and edit file!

  38. louise Says:

    err yea hi i was downloading things of cydia and part of it i had to plug my ipod in and then i accidentally clcked to donwload the new ituness :’( which i dident want to cause it deleted my cydia and all my games i donloaded and now it wont let me donwload it again how do i get the old itunes on it or how can i download cydia back on it ? x

  39. Reynacat Says:

    Hi guys! I need help! I am not a programmer and I am new to the iphone. I have 3G iphone with 4.0 firmware. It is unlocked and jailbroken. I purchased it this way. I am also on the T-mobile carrier. I have not been able to get MMS and now my call history is blank and stays blank. It does not show missed or recent calls. I do not know how to fix this and could really use any help someone can send me. I really love my phone and can do with out the MMS but I NEED to see my call log. Thank you so much for ANY info you guys can give!!

  40. cosimo Says:

    I’ve solved installing redsn0w deselecting wallpaper e multitasking options

  41. Ichinisan Says:

    Can you explain the syntax of the plutil command? What does the “-0″ do?

  42. Reynacat Says:

    This will not cause me to lose my carrier unlock will it?

  43. lisdavid89 Says:

    i want to do the same but backgrounder doesnt work on iOS4 (or more like you cant install it).

  44. Jo7n Says:

    I finally tired of 4.0 and followed the instructions on the link..

    …it works perfectly now i am back on 3.1.3

  45. sven Says:

    backgrounder works on 4.0… what´s your problem? it works even fine with apples multitasking together.

  46. wavesurfer Says:

    Okay, I have jailbroken my 3G on iOS4.0 already 3 times now to find out the optimal option config for Redsn0w v0.9.5b5-3, and my result is:

    Just enable Cydia and homescreen wallpapers, and leave the rest disabled.

    The little 3G with 400 MHz proc and ridiculous 128 MB RAM is not strong enough to support multitasking, and numeric battery percentage is already shown by SBsettings, which I am permanently using in addition to ultrasn0w 0.93.

  47. Vik071 Says:

    It does not matter if you enable or disable multitasking/wallpaper when installing iOS 4; your 3G WILL slow down. If not immediately than in a few days. There is also a huge memory leak when using Safari: RAM always drops to 4-5 Mb. Word of advice: stay on 3.x.x and use jailbreak apps to enable same features. Or like me, profit from the launch of iPhone 4 and get 3GS for much cheaper than ever before.

  48. Stephan23 Says:

    Hey thanks for the tips it really helps

  49. Spiky1987 Says:

    Hi, i tried many options, from iOS4 to jailbreakes without multitask and background iOS4,
    - its fast the first hour, until you install some program
    - it become slower after
    SO, i now downgraded to 3.1.3 to see what’s happening. With BOSS backgrounder and winterboard, you got all the stuff of the OS4. Look in cydia to find what you are looking for but don’t put os4 on a 3G. I won’t recommend it cuz it slow all down.

    IF you are stuck in recovery mode, use Recboot ( if you are using Win7 and 64bit system, USE A VIRTUAL MACHINE or XP, or it’s hard to leave the recovery mode )

  50. JDH1088 Says:

    Any word on the SBSettings toggle for switching this on and off?

    Or anyway to simply disable the shadows only?

  51. jDSL Says:

    Dear BigBoss, I have updated sbsettings to 3.1.0-1
    , then my 3G connectivity lost on my iphone 3GS 3.1.2, it was the only update I did from cydia yesterday, then 3G conectivity fail. Have you another regret/concern about it?

  52. Jay Says:

    Can anyone tell me if enabling just the home screen wallpaper will lag my iphone 3G?

  53. wavesurfer Says:

    Hi Jay,
    I am using iOS4 now for several days with only Cydia and homescreen wallpaper enabled, and don’t sense any speed difference compared to OS 3.1.2. Just better eye candy due to iOS4 wallpaper ^^

    (I always kill processes, I don’t need any more, and free up memory with SBsettings, so that I always have at least 30MB free memory)

  54. German Peter Says:

    @wavesurfer: on 3G (not 3GS) ???

  55. wavesurfer Says:

    Yes 3G …

  56. SurferX Says:

    BigBoss, I have updated SBsettings and were has the Edge button gone? Could you please add it?

  57. Skoty Says:

    go to ‘Settings’, ‘General’, ‘Reset’ then choose ‘Reset Network Settings’.

    I had the same problem
    :o)

  58. Moey Says:

    Same prob

  59. Moey Says:

    As louise

  60. German Peter Says:

    >>> GOOD NEWS ! <<<

    4.01 “dis-slowed” -;) my 3G:

    - catching Mails fast again
    - Safari faster
    - “waiting-second” when settings pops up is faster than under 4.0 but slower than under 3.1.3
    - time till camera-shutter opens is faster than under 4.0 but slower than under 3.1.3
    - power off-time is fast as under 3.1.3
    - power on-time still slower than under 3.1.3

  61. 4.0 Says:

    just use SBSettings and kill safari no need for all that extra stuff.

  62. 4.0 Says:

    For now also go into Settings and under Spotlight remove the check mark from everything so spotlight isnt indexing all the time

  63. 4.0 Says:

    You shouldn’t have any problem, my 3G runs great. You need to install SBSettings and kill the standard Apple apps that are running in the background when you are not using them to free your memory or the 3G will run slow when you have iPod, Mail, Safari, ect. all running in the background.

  64. 4.0 Says:

    I dont have this problem. When you restored did you then select a backup? If so you need to restore then set your iPhone up as new only dont restore from a backup.

  65. 4.0 Says:

    My 3G runs pretty good and I’m happy with iOS4. I’m jailbroken and multitasking is enabled. I use SBSettings to kill apps and free memory when needed. iPhone 3G runs great

  66. 4.0 Says:

    I agree. I really only see problems when my free memory is like around 4MB. Just kill some apps and free memory in SBSettings and you are good to go.

  67. German Peter Says:

    I strictly recommend to stay on 3.1.2 / 3.1.3 till BigBoss tells, yes an 4.1 is OK for JB !!!
    Und little to do is to use the Cydia-like-folders.

    For those who errored in upgrading a 3G to 4.0, “error forward” -;) to 4.01.

    Cause it fixes some bugs and at 3G: it makes it faster again!
    But not as fast as the 3.1.2 /3.1.3.

  68. 4.0.1 Says:

    4.0.1 is purely a cosmetic signal bar reporting fix

  69. JOker_Css Says:

    Hello,

    -0 will set the key to false

    -capabilities is the parent of the -key “homescreen-wallpaper”

    when you use this command you dont need to convert anything because plutil will do everything for you :)

  70. Cris Says:

    I downloaded 4.0 and my iphone has been so slow and frustrating and crashed on a lot of apps. I just reran redsnow again and unchecked the cydia app, multitasking and wallpaper and my phone seems like it was before uprading to 4.0

  71. Turismo Says:

    Anyway to disable custom boot logo without restore, or using redsn0w? i used redsn0w and my device went into a continuous recovery loop and whenever i attempted to restore it, iTunes gives a 1611 error. Im scared to restore it because the issue may come again.

  72. Sanjay Says:

    Got fed up with 4.0 on the 3g.

    Went back to 3.1.3 on the 3g and am happy again

    /sanjay

  73. Anonymous Says:

    Cool story. You might think it runs perfect, but I restored and jailbroke/updated more than once. The problems don’t start for a couple of days. Just because you made your SN “4.0″ doesn’t mean that anybody has to believe your bs sorry.

  74. Anonymous Says:

    hi could anyone simply how to get rid off background shadows?
    thanks in advance!!

  75. Dylan Says:

    Cydia

  76. Nasir Says:

    Hi all – READ THIS!!!

    Had the same slow 3g on OS4. HERE’S WHAT I DID!

    1. REMOVED LAUNCH DAEMONS
    2. REMOVED LANGUAGE PACKS EVERYWHERE
    3. DELETED SPRINGBOARD SHADOW PNG FILES
    4. MOST IMPORTANTLY – CHANGED THE CPU CLOCK TO 600 MHZ. Turns out default clock is 400 for a 600 cpu to save battery. THIS TWEAK ALONE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN EVERYTHING. I’m not detailing everything, just the pointers, google it, its all out there.

  77. Anonymous Says:

    Or u can now jailbreak without using your computer simply go to safari on ur fone and visit jailbreakme.com just slide to jailbreak and ur done

  78. buyurown Says:

    I jailbroke my iPhone4 and I believe SBSettings is turning my in call sensor off. Not sure, but please look into the issue.

  79. SueBeFree Says:

    Hello. Thank you for bosspaper! I am a recent first time JB’er. I was excited to be able to set my own image (still playing with it- and learning) behind glasklart. However bosspaper seems to have broken multitasking…the screen pushes up but nothing is there. I guess can re-jailbreak and deselect multitasking. Please let me know if there is a fix.

    Many thanks!

    Sue

  80. German Peter Says:

    If unlock is not necessery for you, it is a good advice to update our 3G’s to 4.1

    4.1 is bugfixed and dis-slows -;) the 3G.

    OK: 3.1.3 still is a little bit faster than 4.1, but 4.1 has perfect folders and Safari is little faster. It´s simply the most advanced iOS.

    JB: Use Redsn0w 0.9.6 (see BB’s Jailbreak-table)

    Wenn installing that and Cydia, wou will be asked tro save the shsh blobs. Allow that!

    But I repeat: Up to now no unlock possible!

  81. iPhoner25 Says:

    I dont know, where else I can post it. I have a Bug to report for SBSettings 3.1.0-1 in combination with my iPhone 3G and Software 4.1
    I am unable to use any dock, e.g. my iPig and my griffin Roadtrip, after I installed SBSettings.
    Whenever I open iPod App it freezes and wont play music. Deinstallation of SBSettings has no effect.
    I have to make a full recovery with iTunes to get it going again.

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