iPhone iOS5 Upgrade Unknown Error -23

iOS5

Everyone seem to be upgrading to iOS5 without any problems, but I was plagued with “Unknown Error -23”. Searched online for a few days, asked a few friends and finally found a solution which was to update it manually.

  1. Download the iOS5 manually. See iOS 5 Now Available [Download Links]
  2. For Mac users, copy the iOS5 file to “~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates“. Win XP users “\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Update” and Win Vista / 7 users “\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates
  3. Go back to iTunes and hit “Update”.

Yay. iOS5-ed. Next up iPhone4S.

9 Replies to “iPhone iOS5 Upgrade Unknown Error -23”

  1. Hi,

    saw your post on the IOS5 error. I do have the same error – 23. Can you elaborate more on your step 2? I cannot find “~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates. Im using Vista XP.

    Thanks!

  2. Hi. Unable to find “~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates”. Kindly advise. Btw i should be downloading iPhone 3,3_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw for iphone4 right cos the other one is for 4S?!

    Hope to hear from you soon.

    Thanks & regards.

  3. Yeah, same problem. In osx lion, ~/Library/iTunes/ has only one thing in it, “iTunes Plug-ins”

    I’ve tried “option-update” from itunes, where I get to specify the location of my download .ipsw file, but as it tries to use it, it throws download error 3002.

    Absolutely maddening. Singtel sucks.

  4. update: I simply created the ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates directory and dragged the ipsw file into it. Worked fine and now my phone is updated.

  5. To Angeline, MDS and Melissa

    For Mac OS , goto finder and type library. A search will show u a library folder and when accessed, goto iTunes folder.
    In that you will find the iPhone software updates folder.

    Hope this helps. Not sure for Vista but a search in library may help.

    Kudos to Nickpan for this go around.

  6. Windows7/Xp
    Iphone Software Updates are located in
    Users\\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

    if no folder found create one

  7. For those we are not on Mac, these are the locations you should place the file.

    Mac OS X: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

    Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

    Windows Vista & Windows 7: \Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

  8. Windows 7/ Vista
    Iphone Software Updates are located in
    Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

    Probably u need to show hidden files, my AppData folder are hidden.
    if no folder found create one.
    Good Luck

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