The Rockbox iPod port page

---

Install

Full installation and uninstallation instructions for all supported devices are in the Rockbox manual.

---

Bootloader

There is a working bootloader that can load and run Rockbox. For more detailed information please visit this page. The iPodPatcher is what installs the bootloader on the device, and more information on that can be found here, and here is a list of the iPod bootloader error codes.

---

Simulator

There are currently simulators for all Rockbox compatible devices. A simulator can be useful for seeing what Rockbox looks and feels like before installing as well as testing out your homemade themes before putting them on your player. They can be found here.

---

Hardware Details

• IpodHardwareInfo

---

Rockbox Status

iPod	SVN Builds?	Status
1st and 2nd Gen.		Rockbox works nicely, but more work is needed on these ports. These iPods cannot be shut down physically, and Rockbox doesn't implement suspend yet. NOTE that some 1st gen iPods do not get identified correctly and as such do not work properly (no wheel), this is under investigation.
3rd Gen.		Rockbox works nicely, but more work is needed on this port.
4th Gen. Greyscale		Most (but not all) Rockbox features and plugins are working, but there are still a small number of important features unimplemented.
4th Gen. Photo/Color		Stable.
Mini 1st Gen.		Rockbox works with audio playback, but some more optimization is still needed.
Mini 2nd Gen.		Stable.
Nano 1st Gen.		Stable.
Nano 2nd Gen.		Mostly working, but still considered unstable. See IPodNano2GPort.
Nano 3rd Gen.		Not supported, different hardware. See IpodNano3GPort.
Nano 4th Gen.		Not supported, different hardware. See IpodNano4GPort.
Nano 5th Gen.		Not supported. Still need a way to execute code.
5th Gen. (Video)		Very stable, but lacking support for the video decoder chip.
5.5th Gen. 30 GB (Late 2006 Video)		Very stable. Battery life has been improved, but there is still room for improvement and is lacking support for the video decoder chip.	.
5.5th Gen. 80 GB (Late 2006 Video)		Works as of 23 May 2007. Very stable; more work on optimising the disk writing code is needed and adding support for the video decoder chip.
1st Gen Classic (80GB / Thick 160GB)		Not supported, different hardware. See IpodClassic1G. Probably similar to the 3rd gen Nano, just a different kind of storage.
2nd Gen Classic (120GB)		Not supported, different hardware, but probably very similar to the 1st gen Classic.
3rd Gen Classic (Slim 160GB)		Not supported, different hardware, but probably very similar to the 1st gen Classic.
Shuffle 1G		Not supported. Some information has been gathered here.
Shuffle 2G		Not supported.
Shuffle 3G		Not supported.

---

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Rockbox for the iPod series can be found here.

---

Other Pages Of Interest

• IpodManualRestore - How to restore a completely broken iPod (requires Linux on your PC).
• UseOldiPodsWithBadFirewirePort - How to use a 1G or 2G iPod which has a damaged Firewire port.
• IpodStatus - Information about the major known bugs/unimplemented features.
• IpodAccessories - A table of iPod accessories and how well they work with Rockbox
• IpodRuntime - A table of reported battery life - Please submit yours!
• ConvertiTunesDBtoTagCache - Unofficial tool to convert the iTunes database to the Rockbox database.
• IpodConversionToFAT32 - How to convert your iPod drive to FAT32.
• IpodLinux - A brief description of it and a comparison with Rockbox.
• MiniCF - Info on replacing the iPod Mini microdrive with a Compact Flash card.

---

Obsolete pages

• IpodEightyGB - What held up the port to the 80GB iPod Video (5.5G)

---

CategoryFrontpage: iPod port index [Ports]