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Hi. I was told by iFixit to try a new battery. I did, and my phone was recognized on iTunes to get restored. It got as far as the firmware update and then showed an error 29. What is it?
I tried the process about six times and always get the same error 29. Thanks for any help you can give me.
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Our batteries eliminate this issue.
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There is also a workaround you can recommend your customers which involves nano Editor in which you prevent iTunes from communicating with Apple servers. I have used this remedy myself after days of different error messages while trying to restore my phone.
Do you have a link? This sounds very interesting? I hope it's for macs and pcs... Cheers, Jen x
Yes Polly...It's for Mac and PC's. Look at my answer below.
I have a jailbroken iphone 4 and any type of restore is a pain in the arse without this workaround. No other recommended fixes worked for me but this one.
Thanks to Fixit. I have changed the battery on my 3gs with the APN:616-0433 and its cleared the Error 29. My phone now successfully restored. Thanks Again !!!
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This nifty little trick has stopped all iTunes Error messages dead in their tracks. Give it a try. It worked for me after two days of trying to restore a phone in recovery mode.
Step 1. On your Mac, go to your “Applications” folder.
Step 2. Now navigate to the “Utilities” folder.
Step 3. Launch "Terminal".
Step 4. Type "sudo nano /etc/hosts" (without quotes) and hit return.
Step 5. Enter your password
Step 6. Use the down arrow key to find the “gs.apple.com” entries. Once the cursor is in front, make sure you comment out the line(s) by entering “#” in front of the text.
Step 7. Save the file by pressing CONTROL+O.
Step 8. Exit the nano editor by pressing CONTROL+X. I found ctrl X didn't exit for me, so Try "return' key after Control O to save and exit.
Step 9. Restore your iDevice.
Windows:
Step 1. Start –> Programs –> Accessories
Step 2. Run Notepad or WordPad
Step 3. Click “Open..” from File menu.
Step 4. Browse to Windows/System32/drivers/etc
Step 5. In "files of type:" select all documents
Step 6. Open "hosts"
Step 7. Delete all line that has "gs.apple.com" or something like that
Step 8. Hit Save
Step 9. Restore your device
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Can someone receiving the 29 error please try this fix and report the results back.
thanks your majesty! will keep this link...x
No prob. Jen. Hope it helps. ;o)
Polly, being that Error 29 usually points to a hardware issue; can u please report back if this workaround is effective for this quirky battery (Error 29) issue? I don't have a device with this error so I can't do the test myself. While trying to upgrade my software I received a ton of different error messages and for 2 nights I could not upgrade/restore the phone, till I found this. But I don't think I received an error 29.
It may work to get the os booted but if the problem is related to a non-oem battery with 4.0 then the iphone will still have charging problems and shut off every 10 minutes or when you open safari. (or that is at least what happens when you install the battery after the ios 4.x.x update). But thanks for the info, very usefull.
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have done some searching for this( have had my own dramas)... some theories are that the software you have downloaded was corrupt or interrupted whilst downloading .or has it been jailbroken?
you can try downloading an old ipsw from your itunes library instead of trying to upgrade as apple only allow the latest version (iOS 4.0.2??)and this may be why error 29 occurs.
try the oldest version you had for your phone (basically giving it it's original os back)
fingers crossed!
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This battery will work for you: iPhone 3GS Battery
The part number you have is correct. Your problem is probably unrelated to the battery. Here's what Apple recommends doing for error 29: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1275?viewl...
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From the Apple support site it appears that "Error 23, 28, 29, 1011, 1012, 1611: These errors may indicate a hardware issue with your device. Follow the steps in this article and also attempt to restore while connected to a known-good computer and network to isolate this issue to the device. If the IMEI or MAC address is missing or is a default value, this can also confirm a hardware issue."
Have you tried to restore with another computer?
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The answer is the circuit board on the oem battery you're buying. Besides facing error 29 you will also notice the battery percentage on your iphone is not reading correctly.
Use the original circuit board on the new battery you bought and everything will go fine. The problem is you will have a hard time taking out the circuit board from the original battery cos its tag weld to it. The method is to apply heat to the contacts and the battery will slide off from the circuit board.
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Found an inductor near the battery connections on the logic board (flip side) which was damaged (FL1 of 3GS circuit board). This carries messages from the battery and with this inductor gone the battery was no longer reporting. Replacing or shorting this should fix the problem I hope.
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I had this problem on my 4S. Original battery APN 616-0579. Bought a replacement battery APN 616-0580 (said was compatible, couldn't find a way to order a specific APN). Worked fine until I tried to upgrade the iOS version, then got persistent errors (error 29 on restore). Put back in old battery, and the iOS update went fine.
So every time I have to update iOS, I have to swap batteries, and then swap back. What a pain. I wish they would not claim multiple APN #s are compatible because they are not, they should have this info where they sell batteries and let you order a specific APN #.
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If your phone originally came with a battery part number apn 616-0433 and have since replaced your battery with apn 616-0431 you may find that you always get an error 29 when upgrading to ios 4.x Some people have reported that apn616-435 also works as a replacement battery and doesn't cause an error 29. Most vendors, including ifixit.com ship 0431 as their 3gs battery part.
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i faced the same problem... wanted to install the 4.2 bet of iOS on my 3GS, and got the -29 code.
fortunatly, i had the original battery still somewhere in my desk drawer: after replacing the new fixit battery with the original one, i was able to install the newest firmware without any problems.
@fixit: are you aware of this problem?
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I can confirm this issue. I had an APN:616-0431 installed into my 3GS, and it wouldn't install iOS4.x. Restore always terminated with error 29 (forget everything you read in forums about DFU mode etc., it doesn't work anyway). Got an APN:616-0435, and my 3GS is back online :o)
Regards,
Frank
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Hi
I had the error 29 for days and tried all sort of things, in the end I decided to try changing the battery as described by many forums, I bought a proper Apple battery APN 616 0435 and one of these from ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IPHONE-3GS-MOB.... ichanged it to the apple one first and still got error 29!! GRRR so i thought what the heck I might as well try the gold business battery....guess what! it worked and is working perfectly now!
hope this helps Wombatt
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I have a 3GS 16Gb (old boot rom and original battery was a 616-0431) that was working fine with a generic battery (616-0433) off Ebay on ios 4.1 for a long time but then I updated to 5.1.1 and ONLY AFTER A FEW DAYS it started rebooting every few minutes and my battery charge % would not go above 80%... Spent over a day trying to fix (restore) it - no luck - always ERROR 29 and stuck on Itunes recovery screen.
I even downgraded to 4.1 and forced it to recover using tinyumbrella (it crashed error 29 right at the end of the restore process) and now it reboots every few minutes even on 4.1!!!! Sooooo, I just ordered one of these ifixit batteries and will let you guys know if it works out ... I think its total bs that the Apple upgrade causes this battery issue...
UPDATE 7/18 : **** The ifixit battery did not do anything for my 3GS - still the same exact issue.... ****
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did you try the fix suggest by Majesty?
Oldturkey I did try that, step by step and even tried it again, still no go. I emailed ifixit and Scott is replacing the battery :) I hope that there is nothing else gone wrong with my 3GS after ios 5.1.1 :/
Personally I think its #%^^ ridiculous that because of the latest ios you cannot have a generic battery. I am glad that Apple does not make cars lol.
UPDATE : After trying several batteries (ALL OEM Apple and 2 of these ifixit batteries) the iPhone still did not work. I have given up on it and sold it. I think it is a bunch of bullshit that an "update" can do this. I wonder sometimes if its Apple's idea of forcing people to get newer phones??? Not me!! I will NEVER buy an Apple product ever again and neither recommend it to ANYONE.
Hi I tried the fix suggested by Majesty about deleting the gs.apple addresses in the hosts file but it didn't have any affect. Wish it had. This is getting me down. I'm reluctant to buy another battery until I know it will work with my 3GS phone. Unfortunately I do not have the original battery anymore so am not quite sure what to do. I was hoping for a software fix.
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Beware! The battery you bought is fake. Only fake batteries cause iPhones to get sudden shutdowns, wrong battery status and the error 29 which happens during restores.
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I had the problem with eternally rebooting iphone 3gs after replacing the battery with a non original replacement battery. reboot every minute or so, no update on battery loading etc.
Opened the phone and the label said "Battery for Iphone 3G". It was raining and I didn´t want to go to the store and I thought f*****g drm issue. But probably solvable with a soldering iron.
I disassembled the original battery with some caution. Then I measured what was + and - on the tabs spot welded to the PCB. Marked out was was + and - and did the same for the replacement battery. Then I transferred the PCB from the original battery and attached it to the new. Problem solved! no rebooting. now i have a 1600mah battery in my 3gs, wonder if it will work better than the original, Exciting but nothing has exploded yet ;)
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This only seems to be a problem for iPhone 3GSs that have had a replacement battery.
The iPhone I fixed was perviously repaired by an amateur, screws missing, antenna spur bent etc.
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as above, i get to step 6 but done see a gs.apple.com line guess i am stuck with a paperweight
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I don't see it either
Majesty..can you explain to me what you mean by this step for restoring with Windows:
Step 5. In "files of type:" select all documents
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yes I am wondering also
hard reset, put out your sim card, connect to itunes and restore.. fix my problem. thx
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One iPhone 4S with earlier restore error code 29 started working after battery replacement. Back panel was ruined so no hope for battery warranty. There was indications of battery failure beforehand because battery ran out quite quickly.
Low cost and easy maintenance process with right tools is in my opinion worth of trying.
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I had this problem on my 4S. Original battery APN 616-0579. Bought a replacement battery APN 616-0580 (said was compatible, couldn't find a way to order a specific APN). Worked fine until I tried to upgrade the iOS version, then got persistent errors (error 29 on restore). Put back in old battery, and the iOS update went fine.
So every time I have to update iOS, I have to swap batteries, and then swap back. What a pain. I wish they would not claim multiple APN #s are compatible because they are not, they should have this info where they sell batteries and let you order a specific APN #.
by dovo329