How to jailbreak iOS 5.1.1 on Pre-A5 devices using backup and restore

We’ve been stressing how many new features were packed into the new RedSn0w, and we weren’t kidding. Another under the radar feature that’s been added to the new RedSn0w is the ability to jailbreak iOS 5.1.1 untethered on Pre-A5 devices in A5 Non DFU style.

This is accomplished using the same method used for jailbreak tools like Absinthe, which utilizes backup and restore instead of the typical DFU ramdisk method. This is a great feature that speeds up the jailbreak process on Pre-A5 devices running iOS 5.1.1. Check inside as we give you a video demonstration and tutorial showing how it works.

Note: as recommended by the iPhone Dev Team, it is best to assess your device’s current state before decided whether or not to use the backup and restore method, or the typical DFU ramdisk method. If you have a lot of media, apps, and games on your device, it’s best to stick with the traditional DFU method. If you have minimal data on your device, or better yet, of it’s a new install, then the backup and restore method should be fine.

Another point of note is that you must be running iOS 5.1.1 on your device. This will only work with iOS 5.1.1.

Step 1: Download RedSn0w 0.9.15b2 from our downloads page and open it.

Step 2: Connect your pre-A5 iOS device running iOS 5.1.1 to your computer. Ensure that RedSn0w recognizes your device after it is connected.

Step 3: Click jailbreak, and you should be prompted as to which mode you want to use. To select the backup and restore method click No, and the jailbreak process will begin.

Step 4: Three steps will then begin: preparing, processing, and cleaning up. This process performs a backup. Once the process is complete, you will notice your iOS device go into restore mode, which restores the custom backup created in the first three steps.

Step 5: Once the restore is complete, you should receive a Restore Complete message on your iPhone’s screen, which will appear only briefly. You should also see a pop-up message on RedSn0w reporting that the jailbreak succeeded. You can click OK on this message, and then click Quit to close RedSn0w.

Step 6: Next your device will respring, and show an Apple logo with a loading bar underneath. Once this loading bar is filled, the Lock screen will be shown. Do not touch the device just yet. Wait a few more seconds, and you will notice the device respring again. After the second respring you may safely unlock your device, and you should see Cydia on the second Home screen page.

As you can see, this method is a lot simpler than the DFU mode jailbreak methods that pre-A5 devices have grown used to. It’s nice to just be able to plug your device in, click jailbreak, and essentially be done with the whole process.

Again, this pre-A5 backup and restore jailbreak is only available with the latest versions of RedSn0w, which you can find on our downloads page using the link above, and you must be running iOS 5.1.1 to qualify. Otherwise, you’ll have to stick to the DFU mode for jailbreaking for the time being.

Be sure to visit our dedicated RedSn0w page for more details on the many features of this great jailbreak tool.

What do you think about this new pre-A5 jailbreak method?