Early adopters of iPhone 3G have discovered an updated firmware build hidden from iTunes’ update system that appears to fix several issues, including the yellow screen tint that some believe is a flaw.
Even as Apple itself claims that the shift in color balance on the display to yellow is a purposeful move to improve its warmth and contrast, Ars Technica’s readers and now others claim to have discovered that the golden hue may have been an error after all.
Although clicking “Check for Updates” in iTunes continues to reveal no new firmware, touching “Restore” installs firmware two builds newer than what was loaded on to the new iPhones in the factory, bumping them from 5A345 to 5A347.
Many of those claim the lengthy process brings iPhone 3G’s color point back to a more neutral position, eliminating the tint altogether.
Whether the new build was ever intended as public is unclear, but its existence as a later build suggests Apple may have ultimately chosen to scale back the tinting in a last-minute revision.
Separately, reports have also been received by AppleInsider that the newer build may also fix recurring app crashes experienced by some users, though this may also be due to the nature of the restore process rather than any particular updates in the 5A347 build.