iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak

A quick note ...

A new jailbreak was recently released for iOS 5.1.1 for all iDevices - this jailbreak is an unthered jailbreak. 

Note that if your iPhone is currently software unlocked and you need to keep it that way, it is possible to upgrade to iOS 5.1.1 via custom firmware upgrade.

Also note that this new jailbreak does not support any new baseband version for an unlock, sorry.

iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak

iPhone owners received a nice Christmas gift from the iPhone hackers, an untethered jailbreak for iDevices ( 3GS, iPhone 4, original iPad, iPod touch 3G and 4G ) on iOS 5.0.1. Still nothing for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, sorry.

Note that this DOES NOT mean that there is an unlock for the corresponding 5.0.1 baseband.

This gift means that you get all your favorite Cydia tweaks and do not have to worry about having to re-run the jailbreak program everytime your iDevice requires a reboot.

The best thing with this present, though, is that if you have an unlockable baseband on your 3GS or iPhone 4 you can now safely update ( via custom firmware ) to 5.0.1 and unlock your iPhone. I have successfully done this to about 15 3GS models now with NO issues.

Note that the hackers, particularly pod2g, is currently looking for an untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

Unlock and jailbreak update

iPhone 4 models running iOS versions 4.1 or above continue to be unlockable - hardware unlock kits ( Gevey ) appear to be the only solution for now. Hopefully with the recent release of iOS version 5 the hackers have an unlock solution for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S ( as well as the 3GS ).

Just released last night was a semi-tether jailbreak for iOS 5, with an update released today. This will allow you to jailbreak your device ( running iOS 5 ) and still be able to use it, with limited function, after an accidental restart. You can make calls, texts, etc. ( the important stuff ) but some functionality will be missing ( mail app, Safari, etc. ) until you can get to a PC and re-run the jailbreak program to perform a "boot tethered" operation.

This semi-tether jailbreak seems to be a good compromise for those wishing to run iOS 5 on your iPhone and have it jailbroken. Currently it has only been tested on an iPhone 4 but more testing ( and other updating ) is planned for this week.

That's it for now.

Unlock status

With iOS 4.3.5 currently available unlocking a 3GS model is still possible, but with a challenge. Version 4.3.5 can be jailbroken but the jailbreak is a tethered jailbreak. A tethered jailbreak is one in which the jailbreak program must be run against the iPhone every time the iPhone is restarted. The iPhone is unusable until the jailbreak program is re-run against the iPhone.

This situation is unacceptable, in my opinion, so I don't recommend it. Instead, I recommend ( for the 3GS ) that it first be downgraded to iOS 4.1 ( a rare ability, the downgrade ). Then a "good" jailbreak can be performed, and then the iPhone can be unlocked ( iPad baseband is still the only unlock option if your iPhone 3GS starts out on iOS 4.1 or higher ).

For the iPhone 4, if it is on iOS 4.1 or higher, the hardware unlock solution mentioned in the previous post is still the only option available.

Note that no one is talking about what is available for iOS 5.x ( though I have read that a tethered jailbreak currently works with beta versions of iOS 5.x ).

That's it for now.

iPhone 4 unlock update

Currently iPhone 4 models on iOS 4.1 and above are still out of luck for the standard software unlock. There has been no word of an unlock in progress or even if anyone is working on one.

For this reason I started to look at another solution a few weeks ago, a hardware unlock solution that has been around for a long time but has been unreliable ( IMO ) and unwieldy ( and sometimes illegal ).

More recently a hardware solution has been released that has reasonable requirements and is no longer illegal. However it does have some requirements :

- Your micro SIM must be trimmed to accommodate the hardware fix.

- Every time you turn off/on your iPhone 4 you will need to follow four steps in order to re-unlock your iPhone 4. The steps are fairly simple, in my opinion, and take no more than two minutes to complete - you DO NOT need to connect your iPhone 4 to your PC, you can perform these steps anywhere.

I have purchased seven kits and am satisfied that this is a good solution for those iPhone 4 owners who have been longing for an iPhone 4 that they can use.

Two items to note :

- FaceTime will not work with this unlock solution

- It is not known if this unlock will work for firmware versions above 4.3.4 ( testing of beta versions of iOS 5.0 suggest that it will not )


If you are interested in this solution please let me know. I have three kits remaining. Based on interest, I will purchase more to meet demand.

Thanks!

iOS 4.3 released today ( March 9 )

Today Apple released 4.3 of iOS.

Currently no iPhone hacker has announced a jailbreak or unlock for this firmware version. However one hacker has noted that the iPhone 4 unlock is taking longer than expected ... so at least they are currently working on an unlock.

As for a jailbreak ( required in order to install an unlock ), my guess is that one will come soon, possibly within two weeks. But note that this is just a guess, based on comments/hints that hackers have made.

For the time being, I would recommend that you DO NOT upgrade to 4.3, stay on the lowest version firmware ( and baseband ) that you can for now.

Furthermore, I'd recommend that all people use Tiny Umbrella to back up their SHSH blobs ( see my previous post for instructions ).

Use Tiny Umbrella to determine firmware version, serial number, etc.

Often when I am contacted for unlock assistance I need specific information in order to determine if a device can be unlocked : iPhone model, firmware version, and baseband version. I will often also need the first five digits of the serial number in order to determine when the iPhone was manufactured.

If the iPhone is activated and the apps are accessible this information is easy to retrieve :

- Firmware version, see Settings -> General -> About -> Version

- Baseband version, see Settings -> General -> About -> Modem Firmware

- The first five digits of the serial number, see Settings -> General -> About -> Serial Number

However, if the iPhone has not activated and the iPhone is stuck in the emergency call screen, the information cannot easily be determined. This is where Tiny Umbrella can save the day.

Navigate to this URL

Depending on your operating system ( Windows or Mac ), download the appropriate version of Tiny Umbrella, located at the far right of the page, in the middle :



Run Tiny Umbrella with your iPhone plugged into your PC ( note that iTunes must be installed in order for Tiny Umbrella to work ). Your operating system may give you some notifications about ports, security, etc. - simply accept/allow the access and continue with Tiny Umbrella.

In the small left pane your iPhone should show up under "Connected Devices", left click on your iPhone.

In the large right pane information about your iPhone will show up. There you can determine the following information :

- iPhone model ( see "Saved SHSHs for " ) ... information here will only show up once you have saved your SSH, see below.

- Firmware version ( see "Installed Firmware Version" )

- Baseband version ( see "Installed Baseband Version" )

- Serial number ( see "Serial Number" )



If you have not saved your SHSH information now is a good time to save them, simply click on "Save SHSH" - saved SHSH information will show up in the "Saved SHSHs for " field. Saving your SHSH information will allow the firmware on your iPhone to be downgraded ( normally Apple does not allow this ). Downgrading your firmware is useful should you "accidentally" upgrade your iPhone to a firmware version that cannot be jailbroken. After the firmware downgrade you can then re-jailbreak your iPhone.

Tiny Umbrella has other excellent uses, it's a good tool to become familiar with.

p.s. This works for the iPad and iPod Touch as well