Main Page

This is the wiki for the freemyipod project. Freemyipod is a project aimed at reverse-engineering non-iOS iPods (all models other than the Touch) and creating tools and documentation so that other people can port alternative firmwares to them such as Rockbox or Linux. Freemyipod is a relaunch of Linux4nano.

FAQ

I'm not an embedded software developer, what can I do with my iPod?

• If you have an iPod nano (2nd generation), iPod classic (6th generation) or an older iPod, you can install Rockbox.
• If you have an iPod nano (6th generation) or iPod nano (7th generation), you can install a theme.
• If you have an iPod nano (7th generation), you can install NanoApps. ✨
• If you have another model, there's nothing you can currently do to help us add support and/or speed up the process, since it requires a lot of time and effort. Keep an eye on our wiki and social media for any updates!
• If you use AI/LLM tools and you believe you can help by sharing their output with us, we'd like to kindly remind you that we also have access to these tools ourselves. These tools bring no new/useful information, they just iterate over and over on things we already know, and then summarise them.

I'm an iPod enthusiast/power user, and I'm not afraid of bricking my iPod

• There's an experimental iPod nano (3rd generation) Rockbox port, you can try it out.

I'm an embedded software developer, what can I do with my iPod?

• There's a U-Boot port, and Linux boots with an initramfs on iPod nano (2nd generation), iPod nano (3rd generation), iPod nano (5th generation) and iPod nano (7th generation)
• wInd3x allows untethered and safe code execution (no permanent modification) on iPod nano (3rd generation), iPod nano (4th generation), iPod nano (5th generation), iPod nano (6th generation) and iPod nano (7th generation)
• Rockbox bootloader has been published for iPod nano (4th generation), but the Rockbox port is not yet completed.
• Tethered code execution using S5Late (a vulnerability in DFU_DNLOAD packet parsing code) for iPod nano (6th generation), iPod nano (7th generation) and iPod shuffle (4th generation).
• Untethered code execution using ipod_sun (CVE-2010-1797) for iPod nano (6th generation) and iPod nano (7th generation).
• There's a set of earlier tooling (emCORE/emBIOS/iBugger) for iPod nano (2nd generation), iPod nano (3rd generation), iPod nano (4th generation) and iPod classic (6th generation) which was exploiting other vulnerabilities and was a lead-up to a port of Rockbox, but it's mostly abandoned.

Gallery

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  Patched retailOS on iPod nano (6th generation)
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  fastfetch on iPod nano (7th generation)
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  fastfetch on iPod nano (2nd generation)
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  Linux 7.1.0-rc3 on iPod nano (7th generation)
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  Linux 6.14.0 on iPod nano (7th generation)
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  S5L8702 under an EM
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  S5L8701 under an EM
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  Patched retailOS on iPod nano (7th generation)
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  Wayland on iPod nano (5th generation)
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  neofetch on iPod nano (5th generation)
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  Patched disk mode on iPod nano (5th generation)
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  Linux on iPod nano (5th generation)
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  Linux 6.2.0-rc4 on iPod nano (5th generation)
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  emCORE r779 on iPod nano (2nd generation), iPod nano (4th generation) and iPod classic (6th generation)

Updates

• 2026-09-14 - Andrew Rice submitted a Rockbox port of iPod nano (3rd generation) that has a working NAND/FTL driver! ✨
• 2026-03-30 - Some of us will be at GPN24 in Karlsruhe! Let us know on IRC/Discord/Matrix if you're also there!
• 2025-12-28 - Hug0 made a lightning talk at 39C3 on iPod Nano reverse engineering.
• 2025-12-26 - Some of us will be at 39C3 in Hamburg! Get in touch with q3k and/or Slackware if you're around!
• 2025-06-12 - Some of us will be at GPN23 in Karlsruhe! Let us know on IRC/Discord/Matrix if you're also there!
• 2024-12-25 - Some of us will be at 38C3 in Hamburg! Come say hi!
• 2024-12-16 - S5Late, a tethered iPod bootrom/DFU exploit for iPod nano (7th generation) (and possibly iPod nano (6th generation)), is released.
• 2023-12-28 - ipod_sun, a tool that enables code execution on the iPod nano (6th generation) and iPod nano (7th generation), is released.

Older updates archive

Follow our X feed to get status updates automatically. See the Status page for more detailed information. Check our GitHub repositories for the latest changes to our source code.

Getting an account

Due to spambots, registration is closed. For an account contact User890104 or q3k.

AI/LLM indication

A project marked with ✨ indicates heavy AI/LLM use.

Project info Status Contact Contributing Released Software wInd3x ipod_sun U-Boot port Linux port Legacy: iBugger iLoader emCORE

Basic skills Working with binaries Dumping firmware Extracting firmware Firmware downgrading Troubleshooting Reverse engineering results Firmware BootROM Boot Process Firmware decryption Flash Translation Layer retailOS retailOS Options GUID table JTAG Nano 2G Nano2G clock gates‎ Nano2G LCD init Nano2G HW analysis S5L8701 analysis Nano 4G Nano4G firmware upgrade process Nano 5G General

Hardware Hardware iPod nano (1st generation) iPod nano (2nd generation) iPod nano (3rd generation) iPod nano (4th generation) 920-0614-03 iPod nano (5th generation) iPod nano (6th generation) iPod nano (7th generation) iPod classic (6th generation) Chronology S5L8700 datasheet Modes Exploiting wInd3x Pwnage 2.0 Notes vulnerability Address bruteforcing Nanotron 3000