As is always the case with beta releases of Apple’s mobile operating system, the update is only available to registered developers who are enrolled in the iOS development program. But the additional good news that goes hand-in-hand with the release is that those same developers can also enjoy a tethered jailbreak on iOS 6.1 beta 4 thanks to the always reliable Redsn0w.
The latest beta seed can be jailbroken – just like the previous builds – using Redsn0w and will immediately benefit those who have installed, or are planning to install the update on their A4 device or older. Compatible devices include the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS and the fourth-generation iPod touch, all of which are susceptible to the longstanding Limera1n exploit. Owners of the iPhone 5 or the iPod touch fifth-generation will need to keep that patience going while the relevant dev teams find a solution that will provide a tethered or untethered jailbreak on those new products.
Although a large number of people have already taken the plunge and upgraded their iOS devices to an iteration that is not currently supported by this jailbreak. It is always nice to know that those who are clutching onto older Apple hardware will always have at least a tethered jailbreak solution no matter what, all thanks to the historical bootroom exploit which Apple have no ability to patch due to its hardware nature. At this moment in time, Redsn0w hasn’t received an official update to offer support for the fourth beta release, but the tried and tested method of pointing the software to the older 6.0 firmware file will do the trick for this latest beta.
For those who are going to immediately embark on the path to a tethered jailbreak on this latest preview release of iOS 6.1, then you can follow our previous guide to achieve that. It is also worth reiterating that Redsn0w will only provide a tethered jailbreak for pre-A5 devices. This effectively means that all compatible devices that are jailbroken on iOS 6.1 beta 4 will need to be connected to the PC or Mac and have Redsn0w ran over them again to reboot into a jailbroken state, if they are ever hard rebooted or powered down.
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