Is it, or is it not the “GM” release that we’ve all been waiting for? That’s still up for debate, but, regardless if it is or not, it’s unlikely that we’ll see an iOS 6.1 jailbreak released until iOS 6.1 goes public.
In the meantime, if you happen to be a developer, you can enjoy a jailbroken version of iOS 6.1 beta 5 on your pre-A5 device. This jailbreak is a tethered jailbreak only, unless you happen to be rocking an old-bootrom version of the iPhone 3GS.
Take a look inside as I walk you through the step-by-step process of jailbreaking iOS 6.1 beta 5…
Video tutorial
How to jailbreak a pre-A5 device running iOS 6.1 beta 5
Step 1: Download iOS 6.1 beta 5 from Apple’s developer portal. Again you must be a developer in order to do this.
Step 2: Download iOS 6.0 for your particular pre-A5 device from our downloads page. This could be the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, or the iPod touch 4th generation.
Step 3: Download RedSn0w 0.9.15b3 from our downloads page.
Step 4: Connect your device to your computer, and place it into DFU mode.
Step 5: Open RedSn0w 0.9.15b3, and ensure it detects your device in DFU mode at the bottom of the windows.
Step 6: Click Extras > Select IPSW > and select the iOS 6.0 IPSW that we told you about in step 2. RedSn0w should successfully identify the iOS 6.0 firmware. If not, you have the wrong version of RedSn0w, or the wrong firmware. Click OK.
Step 7: Click back, and then click Jailbreak. Once everything finishes loading, ensure that Install Cydia is checked, and click Next. The jailbreak will start, assuming you placed your device into DFU mode correctly as asked in Step 4.
Step 8: Once your device is back to the Lock screen, place it back into DFU mode.
Step 9: Click OK on the Tethered Jailbreak notification if you have not already done so, and again click Select IPSW.
Step 10: Again, select the iOS 6.0 firmware for your device. Once it successfully identifies the firmware, click Just boot.
Step 11: If you successfully placed your device into DFU mode, and followed all previous steps correctly, RedSn0w will tether boot your device. You should see the infamous pwnapple logo as your device boots, which indicates you were successful.
Step 12: Once back at the Lock screen, unlock the device, and swipe to the second page. Once there, you should see Cydia.
That’s pretty much all there is to it. You are now in possession of a jailbroken device running iOS 6.1 beta 5. Again, let me remind you that this jailbreak is for developers only, seeing as the firmware is beta firmware that can only be acquired via Apple’s development portal.
It should also be reiterated that this is a tethered jailbreak, meaning that you must perform a tethered boot like we did in Step 10 and 11 to reboot your device if needed.
If you’re waiting for an untethered jailbreak, then it should be noted that you won’t have to wait much longer. It’s widely expected that hackers will release an untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 5, the iPad mini, and any other device capable of running the public edition of iOS 6.1.
In the meantime, if you’re a developer, enjoy your jailbroken version of iOS 6.1 beta 5, and let me know what you think in the discussion below.