The iPhone Dev Team has released the updated version of their Redsn0w tool which was teased a while back on Twitter by MuscleNerd. The update as you’d expect is a very significant one, and brings with it the support for downgrading the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and the new 3rd-gen iPad to an earlier version of iOS 5 from iOS 5.1.1.
All the A4-based devices can be downgraded swiftly at this point in time, and the whole process is a piece of cake. The only major requirement being; you must have your SHSH blobs+APTicket saved in a safe place, either locally on your PC or Mac, or on Cydia.
The iPhone 4S, the iPad 2 and the new 3rd-gen iPad have been out of the downgrading scene for quite a while, courtesy their “secure” hardware. But, the latest release of Redsn0w changes all that, and allows the average Joe to downgrade their devices smoothly, without even requiring iTunes.
At this point however, it’s worth noting that the iPhone 4S can be downgraded all the way to iOS 5.0 from 5.1.1, same goes for the iPad 2, which means that you can essentially use Absinthe to untether jailbreak both iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on 5.0.1, but the new 3rd-gen iPad can’t be downgraded beyond iOS 5.1, since it is the version of iOS it originally shipped with. This, combined with A5X processor in iPad 3 means that you unfortunately cant jailbreak it as yet. And like I mentioned before, if you have SHSH blobs saved for the version of iOS you want to downgrade to for your device, only then the downgrade process is possible.
Before we begin, let’s go through the things you’ll need for the whole process:
- An iPhone 4S, iPad 2 or a 3rd-gen iPad whose SHSH blobs are saved on Cydia, or locally.
- The latest version of Redsn0w [Windows/Mac]
- 30-pin USB connector cable.
Note:
- If you don’t have your blobs saved for the version of iOS you want to downgrade to, then following the this guide won’t do you any good. Having your SHSH blobs saved is a key requirement for the whole downgrade process to take place, otherwise it’s a no-go. If you ever launched Cydia on iPhone 4S or iPad 2 while Apple was still signing iOS 5.0.1, then Cydia server could have them automatically saved for you.
- Due to the way this method works, it first upgrades your device to the latest firmware version available, which in turn upgrades the baseband too. Therefore all iPhone unlockers are advised to stay away from this downgrade method.
- This Redsn0w version is designed to downgrade A5+ devices only. If you have an A4-based iOS device, then simply follow this guide on how to downgrade from iOS 5.1.1 to 5.1, 5.0.1 and 5.0, and this one to JB the said devices.
All set? Let’s begin:
Step 1: Launch the new Redsn0w 0.9.11b1 (Windows / Mac).
Step 2: Connect your iOS device to your PC or Mac using the 30-pin USB cable.
Step 3: Now, click on Extras.
Step 4: You will be taken to a new screen, now click on Even More.
Step 5: Click on Restore.
Step 6: You should now see three different options on the screen; IPSW, Local and Remote. Click on IPSW, and point Redsn0w to the firmware file to which you want to downgrade to (download links to iOS 5.0.1). Redsn0w will then ask you for the stock iOS 5.1.1 firmware.
Step 7a: If you have your blobs saved locally, then simply click on Local and point Redsn0w to the .plist file containing the SHSH blobs for your device. Move on to Step 7b if you don’t have your blobs saved locally.
Step 7b: Click on Remote if your blobs are saved on Cydia. Redsn0w should automatically put your device into Recovery mode to fetch the necessary files from Cydia’s servers.
Step 8: Click Next.
Step 9: At this point, Redsn0w will automatically stitch the SHSH blobs to the IPSW firmware file which you provided, and then it will automatically restore to it. Sit back, the process might take a while depending on your PC or Mac.
Step 10: That’s it, you’re done.
The whole purpose of downgrading is to roll back to the version of iOS which can be easily jailbroken untethered using existing tools. In the case of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, both said devices can be jailbroken using Absinthe, you can follow the complete step-by-step guide posted here on how to do so.
The new 3rd-gen iPad can’t be jailbroken at the moment, but if you’re lucky enough to save your SHSH blobs + APTicket for iOS 5.1, then we recommend that you downgrade and wait for an untethered jailbreak to come out, and avoid any further iOS updates unless we give you the green light ourselves.
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