how to fix Error 3194 or "This device isn't eligible for the requested build" in i5 using Windows

Hello OmPRakash69,

Thank you for your question!

It sounds like you are trying to update the phone to the latest version of iOS but are getting an errorr message saying the phone is not eligible for the requested build. Try out the troubleshooting in this article named:

Error 3194 or "This device isn't eligible for the requested build"

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts4451

These steps will get you started, and there are additional troubleshooting steps if needed in the article:

Important: If you see one of these messages and need help updating or restoring your iOS device, Install the latest version of iTunes and try to update or restore again. After that, follow these steps if you need more help.

Check your "hosts" file

After you've updated iTunes to the latest version, you can check the hosts file to be sure your computer can contact the update server. Use the numbered steps below if you’re on a Mac.

If you’re using a Windows computer, follow steps in this Microsoft support article, noting that resetting the hosts file will affect software services that rely on hosts file redirects. If you're using Windows on a business computer, consult your IT department to be sure applications will still work correctly after resetting the hosts file.

1. In the Finder, choose Applications > Utilities.
2. Open Terminal.
3. Enter this command and then press Return:
   sudo nano /private/etc/hosts
4. Enter the password you use to sign in to your computer and press Return. You won't see text appear in the Terminal window when you enter the password. Make sure you use a nonblank administrator password.
5. Terminal will display the hosts file. Navigate using the arrow keys and look for an entry containing “gs.apple.com”.
6. Add the # symbol and a space ("# ") to the beginning of the gs.apple.com entry.
7. 
8. Press Control-O to save the file. Then, press Enter when prompted for the filename and Control-X to exit the editor.
9. Restart your computer.
10. Try to update or restore your iOS device again.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

All the very best,

Sterling

This is a problem faced by most of the users with a outdated itunes application software and a misconfigured hosts file on the Windows or the Mac. What the host file is causing a block to the update server due to the configuration made by old itunes application at the time of installation. You can change the entry in the hosts file or delete it, but it is safe to make it irrelevant. By putting the # symbol before the ip address in the hosts file, the line is bypassed when accessing internet and you will be able to access the update address wthout going through the hosts file.

For more details you can watch the below video.

http://bit.ly/1qC7Won

UPDATE ON iOS 7.1

hi guys i think i found another solution to the situation , you can't now upgrade or downgrade or restore to iOS 7.0.4 or 7.0.6 or any other versions before 7.1 since apple stopped signing them after the release of 7.1.Now the only thing you can do is to upgrade to 7.1.

Apple will stop signing 7.1 soon after the release of iOS 8 and you will get the same error in the future. You can read more about it below.

What is error 3194? iTunes error 3194 Fix.

ERROR 3194 FINALLY SOLVED !!!!!!!!!! 🙂

Hello guys i guess the problem is finally solved , i made some error in the above post i don't know how that happend and Apple doesn't allow to delete a wrong post so if there is anyone who still haven't got the solution, can find it below.

So guys if you are using iOS versions below 7.1 don't try to update, downgrade or restore to the versions you presently have, it won't work. Editing the Host file won't fix the solution, i came to know about it lately so don't search the internet for any other solutions none of them will work. If you are having an iPad, iPhone 5 or iPhone 4 or any other devices the reason is the same = Apple won't sign older iOS versions.

There is a full report on error 3194 in the below article which includes solutions to both Jailbroken and non-jailbroken devices.

What is error 3194? iTunes error 3194 Fix

🙂 😉 😁 😉

thank you , it worked .

i tried the Hosts file fix which didn't work since i haven't used any tools to jailbreak my device , i was trying to restore my device to 7.0.6 so it failed and now i updated it to 7.1 and it finally worked. 🙂

me too was searching the internet for this **** error , and did try all the solutions but nothing worked and i came to know in a forum that you can't downgrade iPhone.😢

But iPhone 4 users lucky and they can downgrade their devices using the iFaith tool and solve this error

Downgrading iPhone with iFaith tool

The Hosts file solution only works to those who are using Jailbreaking tools like TinyUmbrella on their computer which modifies the Hosts file and results in error 3194.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHb1vdU6ReM

this would help... it helped me a lot.. u just need to delete something from (host) file.. and replace it.. then open itunes again and restore..

What if I don't have the entry of "gs.apple.com"?

Thank you!

i have ipod touch 5g ios 7.1.1 but my ipod battery timing is not good on ios 7.1.1. now i want to restore to ios 7.0.4 but error occure 3194 the device can't be restored...... plzz help me ?? what can i do to remove this error ???
i am using windows pc and there is not any file like
gs.apple.com ????

Tried this but doesn't help, I update and downgrade my iTunes, used 6.x and 7.x IPSW, tried in DFU mode but error keeps on popping.

Now my iPHONE 4 is under stucked iTunes logo, anyone can help?

While updating my iphone4 to ios7.1.1 an Error 3194 or "This device isn't eligible for the requested build" has occered so i can't restore my iphone am using my itunes in Windows 8. So what can i do to recover my iphone

There are 3 reasons why you will get a 3194 error

1. Network connectivity issues
2. Not being able to communicate with Apple servers (hosts file issue)
3. Not updating/restoring to the latest iOS version

The reason can be 1 of them or all 3. Plenty of people have already explained how to solve the hosts file issue. If you want more details you can check this link http://www.blog.dressmyphone.in/how-to-solve-iphone-error-3194/

Hi!

I am also getting this error message and my hosts file does not show this gs.apple.com entry. What should I do?

I am trying to downgrade from 8.4.1 to 8.4

Please can somebody help me?

thank you