New RC33 G1 Firmware Update Begins Rollout

It appears that a new G1 firmware update is currently being rolled out to T-Mobile users. The new update is RC33 and sadly is not the Cupcake update we’ve all been waiting for.

With only a handful of users so far having received the update, it is still not certain what new functionality (if any) and fixes the new RC33 update brings.

“To ensure a great experience with the T-Mobile G1 with Google, customers with these devices will receive an Over the Air (OTA) update to their devices between February 5 and February 15. This OTA will include new system enhancements such as the ability to save pictures or files to file by long-pressing an item, check for system updates, and use the Google Voice Search feature. The OTA will also fix a number of known issues. New G1 activations will receive the OTA up to three days after service has been activated.”

If you’re one of the lucky few to have received the new firmware already, let us know in the comments.

T-Mobile G1 Updating firmware manually

Generally, T-Mobile provides OTA updates to the OS, but if you have unlocked G1 or not in US/UK, you can still perform firmware update. Here, we will update firmware from RC-19 to RC-29. The firmware version( or Build Number) can be seen at Settings > About phone > Build number

As required with any phone mods, make sure the battery is fully charged or atleast more than 50%.
IMPORTANT : This update is known to work only on US G1 (TC4), don’t try this on your UK G1 (TC5)

Steps ::
1. Download the update zip archive.

2. Rename the archive to update

3. Copy the file to the SD Card.

Note : Connect the phone to desktop and then transfer the file. Don’t take out the SD card and use the card reader.

4. Turn off the phone. Hold the HOME button while turning on the phone. The phone will start in bootloader mode. You should see an exclaimation sign when it starts.

5. Press Alt + L, it will take you to the boot menu,

6. Press Alt + S, to start the update process. It will take a while so be patient.

7. When the update completes, it will prompt you to press HOME + BACK to reboot.

8 . After you reboot, the update will finalize and automatically reboot.

Thats it !