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5x redux - Fri, 11 May 2012
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iPad(3) Fever! - Fri, 16 Mar 2012
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March Mayhem - Wed, 07 Mar 2012
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Welcome new A5 jailbreakers! - Mon, 23 Jan 2012
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Corona A5 jailbreak nearly ready to pop! - Fri, 20 Jan 2012
- iPhoneJailbreak: I downloaded the Ultra Free Business #WordPress Theme by @WPExplorer - http://t.co/h6hLyR30 - Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:45:49 +0000
- iPhoneJailbreak: コマ落ちしてますでしょうか？ (live at http://t.co/7nwb66Cz) - Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:03:08 +0000
- iPhoneJailbreak: http://t.co/f7iWy3Bc #aprilband (live at http://t.co/7nwb66Cz) - Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:24:17 +0000
- iphone_dev: RT @MuscleNerd: Lost your jailbreak on an A5 device? redsn0w 0.9.11b1 can now downgrade iPad2/3 and 4S... see http://t.co/9Yv07lem for d ... - Fri, 11 May 2012 10:38:25 +0000
- iphone_dev: RT @MuscleNerd: jailbroken iPad3: http://t.co/tbCIdvhN http://t.co/lxR1zcFo (Just a first step, still lots of work to do! No ETA!) - Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:36:16 +0000
- iphone_dev: iPad3 fever: http://t.co/Cjca3Y6b ...the cat & mouse begins again! - Fri, 16 Mar 2012 04:16:40 +0000
add to favorites.
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5x redux - Fri, 11 May 2012
What’s old is new again!
Jailbreakers with devices that pre-date the iPad2 will always be able to downgrade (with SHSH blobs) to previous firmware versions due to geohot’s limera1n exploit, which allows us to bypass the restrictions that Apple places on restores. But until now, that ability has been limited to those older devices (if you have an older device and don’t know how to do that, check the popular tutorial sites or ask in the comments below).
Starting with redsn0w version 0.9.11b1, those with newer devices (iPad2, iPad3, and iPhone4S) can join the downgrade fun too! In a radical departure from previous versions of redsn0w, it now directly supports restoring IPSWs to your device. The first use of this new feature implements a hack that allows A5 downgrades without a bootrom-level exploit.
Some important points:
- The new feature is at Extras->Even More->Restore
- You cannot downgrade without the personalized SHSH blobs for your device at that lower firmware. You need to have fetched those blobs while the signing window was open, using either Cydia’s built-in TSS@Home feature, or with TinyUmbrella. The new Restore screen of redsn0w lets you choose either the remote blobs or local ones (for the earlier firmware). If you don’t know where TinyUmbrella put your blobs, TinyUmbrella has a button that will show you (copy them out of that folder and feed them to redsn0w).
- The A5 downgrade method actually updates to the latest firmware before downgrading to the earlier one. This process updates your baseband to whatever is newest. DO NOT USE THIS METHOD IF YOU RELY ON UNOFFICIAL UNLOCKS of your iPhone4S. Those who used the temporary SAM technique to unlock their iPhones to specific SIMs shouldn’t be affected by this baseband update.
- This method can be fixed by Apple with a firmware update. It’s a (pleasant) mystery why they haven’t fixed it yet, because reverse-engineering of the restore ramdisk indicates they do know about it. It’s possibly too niche to bother to fix right now.
- The least-tested devices with this method are the iPad2,3 and iPad3,2 (because we don’t have those models). If you do and you feel like experimenting, please let us know how it turns out in the comment section below!
- This update involves a bunch of new redsn0w code. We recommend sticking to the previous version 0.9.10b8b unless you’re specifically using this new feature, until all the bugs are worked out! (Note: If redsn0w gets stuck at the “Waiting for device” stage for more than 30 seconds, you’ve hit a pesky GUI bug…that will be fixed in an upcoming version!)
Of course all eyes are on @pod2g for his upcoming 5.1 untethered jailbreak. Watch his blog or twitter feed for the latest updates about that, but in the meantime if you accidentally updated your jailbroken A5 device to something later than 5.0.1, feel free to try this new A5 firmware downgrade feature of redsn0w!
Update #1:
We accidentally left out one of the two flavors (“9A406”) of 5.0.1 for iPhone4S. It’ll be in the next update, but in the meantime check if Cydia or TU saved your blobs for the other 5.0.1 for iPhone4S (“9A405”).Version 0.9.11b2 adds support for that second “9A406” flavor of 5.0.1 for the iPhone4S.Update #2: Version 0.9.11b3 should fix the spurious “Restore failed” messages people were sometimes getting, and it behaves better with nearby devices that have wifi syncing enabled!
Update #3: Version 0.9.11b4 completes the tethered JB support for 5.1.1 on A4 devices and earlier, including proper “Stitching” and “Custom” creation of NO_BB IPSWs.
Here are the redns0w download links:
- redsn0w 0.9.11b4 for OS X
- redsn0w 0.9.11b4 for Windows (be sure to run in Administrator mode)
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iPad(3) Fever! - Fri, 16 Mar 2012
Despite the awkward name Apple announced last week for the new iPad (we’ll continue to call it iPad3!), by all signs it’s going to be another big hit. We suspect many of you are lined up at this very minute, and so it’s a good time to give you some info for maximizing your chance to eventually jailbreak the iPad3.
There are a few bits of good news already.
- We can confirm that the method used to jailbreak the iPad2 4 months ago (before corona) still works even in 5.1. That means we’ll at least be able to get our foot in the door to get the required kernel dumps on the iPad3. That’s an important step, but by no means is it the end of the story.
- Those of you following @i0n1c may have noticed he’s already tweeted pictures of his iPad2 jailbroken at 5.1. As far as we know, he’s using a method completely unrelated to the one mentioned above. That would be great news!
- We’ve also seen bits and pieces of an entirely different jailbreak method being investigated by someone close to the Cydia repo scene: @phoenixdev
That’s three different angles, and we’re not even including the continuous work @pod2g makes towards a new jailbreak! As always, keep in mind this is very preliminary progress, and it’s impossible to predict how or when these things turn out. The only thing you need to remember is the golden rule:
Don’t update your new iPad3 past whatever iOS it comes shipped with
By the way, it’s rare but entirely possible that some of you may find your iPad3 comes with an iOS version that’s not quite 5.1. If you do, be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Update #1: It turns out that all three of the jailbreak methods mentioned above have had great success today! We’re off to a good start (but remember there’s still lots of work to do)!
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March Mayhem - Wed, 07 Mar 2012
As the whole tech world waits for today’s Apple Event, it seems like a good time to remind both veteran and amateur jailbreakers about the fundamental rule of jailbreaking: Avoid firmware updates!
In all likelihood we’ll see the GM “gold master” version of 5.1 this week. DO NOT UPDATE TO 5.1, because you may lose your jailbreak! The rest of this post details the subtleties with this rule, but if there’s only one message to take home, it’s the overall “do not update” message! Now for the nitty gritty exceptions:
- Soon after 5.1 appears on Apple’s public servers (i.e. iTunes starts to offer it), Apple will stop signing 5.0.1 SHSH blobs.
- If you have an iPhone4S, the basic rule above is really the only rule: you cannot restore back to 5.0.1 once the 5.0.1 signing window is closed, no matter what (even if you saved your SHSH blobs).
- If you have an iPad2 with saved 4.x hashes, you can in fact downgrade to that 4.x but you won’t be able to get to 5.0.1 once the 5.0.1 signing window is closed (even if you saved your 5.0.1 SHSH blobs).
- If you have a device earlier than the iPad2, you can downgrade to whatever version you want, as long as you have saved SHSH blobs for that version. You’ll need the assistance of geohot’s limera1n exploit with tools like redsn0w to get into “pwned DFU mode” and bypass the downgrade restriction.
As you can see, it really is a nuanced landscape so it’s sometimes hard to drive the message home to new jailbreakers. But the basic rule is the simplest (and it’s better to be safe than sorry!): If you update to 5.1 you’ll very likely lose your jailbreak, so don’t do it! Exceptions are noted above.
Now let’s see what Apple unveils today!
Update #1: First, please read and re-read the above warnings! With all of that in mind, we realize that some of you non-A5 jailbreakers are itching to get to 5.1, even though there seems to be no compelling new feature there. Because of geohot’s limera1n exploit, those with devices earlier than the iPad2 can test the 5.1 jailbreak waters if they really want to, using redsn0w 0.9.10b6. Here’s what you need to know:- This is a *tethered* 5.1 jailbreak for non-A5 devices. You’ll need to use redsn0w to “Just Boot” your device every time it power cycles, otherwise jailbreak apps won’t work (neither will Safari).
- If you use ultrasn0w for your carrier unlock, be sure to use a custom IPSW to get to 5.1 first! Don’t ever restore to a stock Apple IPSW! Use redsn0w’s “Custom IPSW” button to create a NO_BB_* version of the 5.1 IPSW and restore to that instead of the stock one. (That option is available only to 3GS and iPhone4-GSM owners.) ultrasn0w itself will be updated for 5.1 in the next few days (same baseband support, not 5.1’s baseband).
- If you’re lucky enough to have an old-bootrom 3GS, this jailbreak is actually untethered (redsn0w will figure that part out automatically).
- While we were at it, we added @pod2g’s steaks4uce exploit to support MC models of the iPod touch 2G (whose last firmware was 4.2.1). So now redsn0w will auto-detect and jailbreak both MB and MC versions of that older device.
- iBooks won’t work until a future update of redsn0w
Update #1b: The OS X version of redsn0w has been updated to fix an issue for those running OS X 10.5.x or earlier.Update #2: Version 0.9.10b7 of redsn0w adds a collection of useful features: It finally implements the corona-A5 jailbreak for iPhone4S and iPad2 devices still at 5.0.1. It can also re-install that jailbreak for those who accidentally uninstalled the untether. When stitching an IPSW, it can now grab your blobs directly from Cydia. It now shows a lot more info about your device (for instance, whether your iPhone3G has the vulnerable baseband boot loader, or whether your iPhone3GS has the old exploitable bootrom. (And the next new feature to be added will be built-in restore support, to provide an alternative to iTunes restores.)Update #3: redsn0w 0.9.10b8 adds the ability to backup arbitrary directories or files from your device into a zip file on your Mac or PC. The new button is Extras->Even More->Backup and it requires your device to be jailbroken with the afc2 service enabled (most jailbreaks include that). By default it will backup your activation records from /var/root/Library/Lockdown, which is useful for everyone taking advantage of today’s SAM unlock using Loktar_Sun’s trick (more on that in a later post!).Update #3b: The 0.9.10b8b update to redsn0w makes the zip files more compatible with the native Windows explorer (which doesn’t like leading slashes in the filenames).Here are the redns0w download links:- redsn0w 0.9.10b8b for OS X
- redsn0w 0.9.10b8b for Windows (be sure to run in Administrator mode)
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Welcome new A5 jailbreakers! - Mon, 23 Jan 2012
Here’s a quick breakdown of how many A5 owners have jailbroken their devices since Friday morning. The numbers as of Monday afternoon are:
- 491,325 new iPhone4,1 devices
- 308,967 new iPad2 devices
- 152,940 previously jailbroken (at 4.x) iPad2 devices
Total: 953,232 new A5 jailbreaks in a little over 3 days
The reason these numbers can be so precise is that one of the housekeeping activities that happens when you launch Cydia is a query to @saurik’s server for the list of available SHSH blobs. (Even if you have none on file, the query is still made).
Welcome to the jailbreak family!
P.S. Remember the cardinal rule of jailbreaking: never update your firmware until a new jailbreak is available. This is especially true for A5 owners, who currently have no way of restoring to 5.0.1 once the 5.0.1 SHSH blob signing window is closed.
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Corona A5 jailbreak nearly ready to pop! - Fri, 20 Jan 2012
Ever since the December release of @pod2g’s “corona” untether for iOS 5.x on A4 and earlier devices, all eyes have been on the attempts to extend it to the A5 devices: the iPhone4S and iPad2. Due to the combined efforts of @pod2g and members of the iPhone Dev Team and Chronic Dev Team, we’re nearly ready for a general release! All technical hurdles dealing with the underlying technique have been overcome, and it’s now all about making the jailbreak as bug free as possible.
On his blog, @pod2g playfully nicknamed the combined effort a “dream team”. It’s an ironic name, because the past few weeks have left everyone involved with very little sleep and the opportunity to dream :) But we’re now near the final stages of testing the public version of the jailbreak. Please allow time to clean up any remaining bugs in the jailbreak clients.
Jailbreak programs:
To be as flexible as possible, the A5 version of the corona jailbreak will take multiple forms:
- Chronic Dev have incorporated the overall flow into a GUI that runs on your Mac or PC. The goal is for the GUI to be enough for most cases.
- iPhone Dev have also incorporated the exact same flow into an alternative command-line interface (CLI). This will allow us to help users through individual steps of the jailbreak manually, to both help the user and help improve the overall flow. Although the CLI will also allow the user to perform the entire jailbreak from beginning to end, we anticipate it will be more useful in debugging the occasional errors. The CLI currently has over 20 individual options (in addition to the single “jailbreak” option) that should be useful during debug after the GUI release.
- Once all the bugs in the flow are worked out, we’ll also incorporate it into the redsn0w GUI (but still leave the CLI freely available too). In order to maximize the chances of the jailbreak working for everyone, the redsn0w GUI will use native Apple iTunes libraries — this technique is slightly different than how the Chronic Dev GUI handles communications, and should provide nice combined coverage for all the odd computer configurations out there.
Paypal Contributions:
Because there were so many different people and teams involved in the A5 corona release, we all felt the most equitable approach to any Paypal contributions should involve a single shared account. If you do feel the desire to contribute to the “dream team” Paypal account, it will be distributed to the members according to internally agreed-upon proportions :) (Please refer to this blog post for that specific http://is.gd/39YMWg link, to avoid frauds!) The same link will be on both the Chronic Dev and iPhone Dev versions of the GUI. This method seemed like the fairest to everyone involved!
Firmware:
The supported firmware versions will be:
- iPhone4S: 5.0 (9A334), 5.0.1 (9A405) and the “other” 5.0.1 (9A406)
- iPad2: 5.0.1 (9A405)
iPhone4S owners looking to maximize their chances of achieving an eventual software-based carrier unlock should be staying at 5.0. Everyone else should be at 5.0.1. If you’re an iPhone4S owner who already updated to 5.0.1, it’s too late to go back down to 5.0, but if you’re on 9A406 it is possible to downgrade the BB by going to the 9A405 version of 5.0.1 while the window is still open.
Support:
The overall flow used by the GUI and CLI to inject the A5 corona jailbreak has never been done before, and there may be unforeseen problems once it’s released to the public. It’s very important for you to sync your data, photos, and music before attempting any version of this jailbreak. We’ll be watching the comments section below for signs of any widespread problems, but please be aware that you jailbreak at your own risk!
When:
As mentioned at the start of this post: when testing has shown most of the bugs have been fixed!Updates:
- If the Absinthe webclip shows “Error establishing a database connection”, please go to Settings, turn on VPN and wait instead.
- Toggle VPN only AFTER Absinthe says it’s done, or it will not work.
- VPN SHOULD error and then reboot soon. If it does not, rerun Absinthe!
- If you get a strange problem, we advise you to restore your iPhone with iTunes, if you can (i.e. if you’re not on 5.0 waiting for an eventual 4S unlock).
- The OS X version of the CLI mentioned in the post can be downloaded here. It’s primarily to help us debug specific issues, but tinkerers might like to play around with some of its advanced options! More info is here.
- Version 0.4.3 adds support for Windows users. It also makes the “-j” jailbreak option much more functional :) See the README.txt for usage.
