The iPhone Dev Team introduces new RE-Restore functionality into RedSn0w

Hot on the heels of the iOS 6 official release, the iPhone Dev Team, headline by its most prominent member, MuscleNerd, is making moves as well.

Today they introduce new RE-Restore functionality that will allow users on iOS 5.1.1 to restore their devices to a fresh install iOS 5.1.1. This can come in handy if you ever need a fresh install for whatever reason, i.e. a bad jailbreak install, etc.

For those eligible to use the RE-restore, this means that you never have to worry about losing your 5.1.1 jailbreak, as long as you don’t go near iOS 6. Check inside for the details…

The Dev Team lists 3 different scenarios for jailbreakers to be aware of:

  • A4 devices and 3GS will always be downgradable (and jailbreakable) due to limera1n. The tethered iOS6 jailbreak for those devices (and untethered for old-bootrom 3GS) will be out when Cydia and other important pieces are all working properly
  • iPad2 owners who have both 4.x blobs and 5.x blobs will always be able to downgrade to those versions, even once you come up to 6.0 and the 5.1.1 window closes (don’t do that yet though!). You need both 4.x and 5.x blobs to qualify for the downgrade even if you only wish to downgrade to 5.x
  • iPad3, i4S (and iPad2 owners who don’t satisfy #2) will always be able to RE-restore the current 5.x OS that’s already on their device. So if you’re at 5.1.1 when the window closes (and you’ve saved your blobs), you’ll always be able to RE-restore to 5.1.1 again. This makes the 5.1.1 jailbreak a lot less fragile — you don’t have to worry about messing up your install with funky extensions or getting into a boot loop, because you can always RE-restore from 5.1.1 to 5.1.1 again (or from 5.0.1 to 5.0.1 again, etc). But once you fall off the 5.x train by restoring to 6.x, you’ll be stuck there until the next jailbreak.

What does all of this mean? Basically, if you’re on an A4 device like an iPhone 4, you’re good. You will always be able to downgrade and jailbreak thanks to the limera1n exploit, and you can expect a tethered jailbreak for iOS 6 soon.

For A5 users and above, things get a bit more dicey. iPad 2 (A5) owners who have blobs from 4.x and 5.x saved will always be able to downgrade to those versions, even if you upgrade to 6.0 and the 5.1.1 window closes. But you will need your 4.x and 5.x blogs, even if you just want to downgrade to 5.x.

FOr iPad 3, 4S, and iPad 2 owners who don’t have blobs saved for 4.x and 5.x, things get even more stringent. First of all, if you care at all about a jailbreak, do not upgrade to iOS 6. If you do, and the 5.1.1 signing window closes, you’re stuck until an iOS 6 jailbreak is released. The good news is, is that if you stay on 5.1.1, there is a new RE-Restore function that will be built into the latest version of RedSn0w that will allow you to continuously restore to 5.1.1, even after Apple’s 5.1.1 signing window closes. This make staying jailbroken on 5.1.1 a lot less stressful, since you won’t have to continuously worry about installing some bad piece of code that forces you to restore back to 6.0, and in the process loosing your jailbreak.

Here is a video I made a while back, outlining how it was possible to downgrade an iPad 2. This new Re-Restore method plays off of soem serious deficiencies in the restore process. But again, once the 5.1.1 signing window closes, this particular method below will no longer work.

So in a nutshell, save your SHSH blobs while you still can for 5.1.1. Don’t upgrade yet if you want to keep your jailbreak, and most importantly, be patient. These guys are on it when it comes to releasing an iOS 6 tethered jailbreak for A4 hardware, and hopefully providing an iOS 6 jailbreak for A5 and A6 devices.

The Dev Team says that the new version of RedSnow with RE-Restore support should be out soon.

Clear as mud?