DFU Mode

DFU or Device Firmware Upgrade mode allows the S5L8900, S5L8720 and S5L8920 to be restored from any state. It resides in the VROM and the S5L8900 variant is vulnerable to the Pwnage 2.0 exploit.

Entering / Exiting DFU

Software cannot be used to reliably enter DFU. Software methods rely on sending a signed WTF file which either calls the "real" DFU mode in bootrom or emulates it. Only ones calling the bootrom DFU is useful for exploiting bootrom (unpatchable) exploits and none exist that work for firmware 2.0 and later. If you are attempting to exploit the DFU, it is advisable to always use the hardware method. If your NOR firmware is corrupted then you have no other choice but to use the hardware method.

How to Enter True Hardware DFU

1. Plug your device into your computer.
2. Turn off the device.
3. Hold Power and Home for 10 seconds
4. Release Power, and keep holding Home
5. Keep holding home for 4-8 seconds or until you are alerted by your computer that it has detected a device in DFU.

If the Restore Logo is present on the screen, you are in Recovery Mode, not DFU.

How to Enter DFU mode on Apple TV (2G)

1. Plug the device into your computer using a microUSB cable.
2. Force the device to reboot by holding down the "Menu" and "Down" buttons simultaneously for 6-7 seconds.
3. Press "Menu" and "Play" simultaneously right after reboot, until a message pops up in iTunes, saying that it has detected an Apple TV in recovery mode.

Exiting DFU

While in DFU, hold the power and home buttons for about 10 seconds (until you hear the "device disconnected" tone on your computer). This should get you out. Note that sometimes if you do this, when the device reboots from DFU, it will go into recovery mode for unknown reasons. To exit out of recovery mode, just use iLiberty.

Revisions

S5L8900 (0x1222)

This is the device ID in the iPod Touch 1G, the iPhone, and the iPhone 3G. For more information about the protocol, see DFU 0x1222.

S5L8720, S5L8920, and WTF mode post-2.0 (0x1227)

This is the device ID in the iPod Touch 2G, the iPhone 3GS, and WTF mode. For more information on the protocol, see DFU 0x1227.