Jailbreak

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RedSn0w 0.9: iPhone 3.1.2 Jailbreak Available

Sébastien Page ∙ January 31, 2010

RedSn0w 0.9 is officially out of beta and is now available to everyone who wants to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2. RedSn0w had been in beta testing for a couple of weeks now and the Dev Team worked on fixing the bugs. Apparently, this release is now completely bulletproof.

This release of RedSn0w supports all iPhone and iPod Touch models (still a tethered-only JB for late-model devices though) and runs fine on Windows and Mac OSX.

At first, this version of RedSn0w was supposed to include the IPCC tethering hack but it seems it was causing issues so it was removed at the last minute.

I was a little confused about the baseband situation so I asked MuscleNerd directly. Here is what he has to say:

redsn0w itself doesn't update the firmware, or the baseband. It just works with whatever firmware is there and ignores the baseband. redsn0w happens to know about both 3.0 and 3.1.2 firmwares, so it can jailbreak (or add logos, etc) to either.

ultrasn0w right now is only for baseband 04.26. If you have baseband 04.26 on 3.0 (which you normally would at that FW version), then that works fine for ultrasn0w. If you have baseband 04.26 on 3.1.2 (you got there through a custom IPSW), then that works fine for ultrasn0w too. And in both cases, redsn0w can be used to jailbreak, get Cydia, and install ultrasn0w.

However if you somehow have baseband 05.11 on firmware 3.0 (you went up to 3.1.2 then tried to come back down), ultrasn0w won't do the unlock, even though redsn0w will work fine. And if you have baseband 05.11 on firmware 3.1.2 (you did a stock apple restore/update), then ultrasn0w won't work there either.

I recently wrote a tutorial on how to use RedSn0w to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2. Check it out if you want to jailbreak your iPhone using RedSn0w, which you can get from our iPhone downloads page.

Jailbreak Your iPhone 3.1.2 Using Sn0wBreeze

Sébastien Page ∙ January 23, 2010

I had heard several times about Sn0wBreeze but I never really paid attention to it because it seemed to be one of these tools that would never get out of beta. I was wrong!

Today I received a couple emails from readers of the blog with more info about Sn0wBreeze, and Thomas even sent me a pretty detailed tutorial (thanks Thomas).

Sn0wBreeze is a jailbreaking tool developed by some underground developer and from what I understand, it's pretty much a rip off of Dev Team's PwnageTool, except it works on Windows. As a side note, it's important to highlight that the Dev Team came up with an update to RedSn0w (see RedSn0w tutorial here).

Just like PwnageTool, Sn0wBreeze will create a custom firmware for iPhone OS 3.1.2. This is the perfect solution for people who want to upgrade to OS 3.1.2 without updating their baseband.

I haven't tried this myself but as I said above, I got reports from 2 different people that it works flawlessly. Obviously, you should be cautious if using Sn0wBreeze...

This version of Sn0wbreeze only supports the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS (non MC) as well as the iPod touch 1G and 2G (non MC) so far.

This step-by-step guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 3.1.2 by creating a custom firmware with Sn0wBreeze.

Step 1: Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your PC. If not, download and install it, then reboot your PC.

Step 2: Download Sn0wBreeze as well as the right firmware 3.1.2 for your device from our download page. To make things easier, I suggest you place these 2 files on your desktop.

Step 3: Launch Sn0wBreeze and select "Simple Mode".

Step 4: SnowBreeze will then ask you to browse for your IPSW file. Click "Browse" and select the 3.1.2 IPSW file you downloaded to your desktop in Step 2.

Step 5: Sn0wBreeze will then verify your IPSW. Click Next to continue.

Step 6: Sn0wBreeze will now ask you if you want to activate your iPhone. If you are on an official carrier (ie. AT&T in the US), say no. If you are not on an official carrier, then click yes.

Step 7: SnowBreeze will now create the custom firmware for your iPhone.

Step 8: Now launch iTunes and we will restore your iPhone using the custom cooked firmware we just created. To do so, hit the SHIFT key on your keyboard while clicking on RESTORE. It's very important that you hold the SHIFT key while clicking! iTunes will ask you the location of the firmware you want to use to restore your iPhone. Browse for the custom IPSW (most likely on your desktop) and select it.

Step 9: Your iPhone will now be restored using the custom firmware. This might take a while so don't stress out.

Done! You have successfully jailbroken your iPhone using Sn0wBreeze. Next step for you might be to unlock your iPhone. Follow this guide to figure out how to unlock your iPhone, depending on what model you have.

Jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 with RedSn0w 0.9

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 31, 2010

This guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 2G, 3G or 3GS running OS 3.1.2 using RedSn0w 0.9.

If you are new to the whole jailbreaking thing, I really suggest you read this information about RedSn0w 0.9. It will tell you everything you need to know about RedSn0w before starting.

I know that some of you won't bother reading the more info link about RedSn0w 0.9 so here is probably the most important information about this jailbreak:

If you have a late-model iPhone 3GS, or if you have an iPod touch 2G whose serial number begins with “MC”, you can use redsn0w to jailbreak but you are currently restricted to “tethered” rebooting. That means you need to connect your device to a computer to complete the boot after a reset. Also, these devices cannot have custom logos.

redsn0w will ask you whether or not you fit in this category when used with the iPhone 3GS or iPod touch 2G. If you have a late-model device and don't give redsn0w the correct answer, you will likely need to do a system restore to recover from the mistake.

To do a tethered boot after your late-model device resets for some reason, either run redsn0w again and select “Just boot tethered right now”, or run blackra1n.

This RedSn0w tutorial was written for Windows but I assume the steps are identical for a Mac.

Step 1: Download RedSn0w 0.9 for Mac or PC as well as the correct 3.1.2 firmware for your iPhone from here. To make things easy, save those 2 files on your desktop.

Step 2: Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer, then restore your iPhone to the latest firmware 3.1.2. Restoring is the preferred way to go about it as simply updating could cause issues later on.

Step 3: Launch RedSn0w and browse for the 3.1.2 firmware you downloaded to your computer in Step 1.

Step 4: RedSn0w will automatically check if you chose the right firmware (IPSW). It will then patch the file.

Step 5: For iPhone 2G only (other please skip to step 6)! You will then be offered several options. If you have an iPhone 2G and you want to unlock, now select "Install Cydia" and "Unlock". You will have to download the bootloaders 3.9 and 4.6 from here. If you just want to jailbreak, disregard this and go to step 6.

Step 6: You will now have the option to "Install Cydia" as well as "Custom boot logo" and "Custom recovery logo". For the purpose of this tutorial, I suggest you only choose "Install Cydia".

Step 7: Make sure your iPhone is plugged to your computer. RedSn0w will now dictate you a few steps to have your iPhone enter DFU mode. Follow the onscreen instructions very carefully.

Step 8: Your iPhone will reboot when successfully jailbroken.

Congratulations! You just jailbroke your iPhone using RedSn0w 0.9. If you want to unlock your iPhone 3G or 3GS, simply install UltraSn0w from Cydia.

Any question or concern, please feel free to ask in the comment section below. Happy jailbreak :)

UPDATE: People have encountered quite a bit of problems when running RedSn0w o.9 beta 3 with an iPhone 3GS. Thankfully MuscleNerd has been updating RedSn0w and the 3GS issues should now be gone. You can download the latest RedSn0w from our iPhone downloads page.

RedSn0w 0.9 iPhone Jailbreak Released

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 9, 2012

Just a few hours ago, MuscleNerd tweeted about the release of the long-awaited RedSn0w jailbreak for iPhone 3.1.2. This version of RedSn0w is actually a beta version (redsn0w 0.9beta3) but it seems very stable from what I hear.

RedSn0w is a safer alternative to BlackRa1n to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone running OS 3.1.2.

Since it's still a beta version, it hasn't been posted on the Dev Team blog yet but more info about RedSn0w 0.9 beta 3 can be found here. If you're too lazy to read the full article, here is a rundown of the most important points:

RedSn0w 0.9 will jailbreak all iPhones and iPod Touch (except iPod Touch 3G) It will jailbreak iPhone OS 3.1.2 It will only unlock the iPhone 2G (install UltraSn0w from Cydia for iPhone 3G and 3GS) RedSn0w will modify your current filesystem, so your existing baseband, data and applications should remain intact If you have a late-model iPhone 3GS or an iPod touch 2G whose serial number begins with “MC”, you can use redsn0w to jailbreak but you are currently restricted to “tethered” rebooting

For full details about RedSn0w 0.9 beta 3, please read the Dev Team's article about it.

I just wrote a tutorial on how to use RedSn0w to jailbreak iPhone OS 3.1.2. Make sure to check it out if you're not sure how to use RedSn0w. In the meanwhile, you may download RedSn0w 0.9 beta 3 for Windows and Mac from our download page.

10 Jailbreak Apps for iPhone to Boost Your Productivity

Sébastien Page ∙ January 13, 2010

You thought your iPhone could do just about anything? Think again! I handpicked 10 applications for jailbroken iPhones that will boost your productivity and unleash the real potential of the iPhone. You won't find these applications in the App Store. You'll have to jailbreak your iPhone in order to install any these apps.

If you don't have these apps on your iPhone, you're missing out on 10 must-have features.

Xpandr

Xpandr is a shortcut expander for the iPhone / iPod touch. It allows you to define an unlimited number of shortcuts to save time and make your life easier. It works in every application, even on App Store applications. More about Xpandr.

ProSwitcher

ProSwitcher is a multitasking app for the iPhone that kinda replicates the Palm Pre “cards” feature by adding a very nice UI to Backrounder, the jailbreak app that allows you to run apps in the background. More about ProSwitcher.

AttachmentSaver

AttachmentSaver gives you the ability to download attachments of all types, whether supported by the Mail.app or not, and save them into a folder on your iPhone disk. More about AttachmentSaver.

Find in Page

Find In Page is an application that will help you find any text on any web page in Safari. Now every time you visit a page in Safari and you’re looking for a specific word, simply open your bookmarks and tap “Find In Page”. More about Find in Page.

mQuickDo

Originally, mQuickDo lets you set up gestures to perform predefined actions (ie. slide left to right to close an opened application; or slide right to left to shut off the phone, etc…). The real power and most exciting feature about mQuickDo is the App Switcher. As its name suggests, the app switcher allows you to quickly switch between apps. More about mQuickDo.

QuickScroll

QuickScroll is an application available in Cydia that lets you scroll through documents and web pages very quickly. Once you have installed QuickScroll, simply tap 3 times anywhere on the page and a dialog will show up. Drag the scroller (see on the right of the image above) up and down to quickly go wherever you want on the page. More about QuickScroll.

GriP - Growl for iPhone

GriP tries to strike a balance between being unobstructive while still being able to give out clear information. With GriP, messages are (by default) shown as small floating windows in a corner, which will automatically disappear if you ignore it. In this way, you can still continue your process without missing anything. More about GriP.

Orbit

Orbit brings you an instant way to switch between pages on your home screen. Based on the “iPhone Expose” concept, this modification gives you an icon that, when tapped, animates your home page into Orbit. More about Orbit.

Action Menu

Action Menu is one of those mods that once you try it, you simply can’t live without it anymore. Action Menu takes a stab at enhancing the copy/paste function of your iPhone by adding a bunch of add-ons to it. More about Action Menu.

MultiIconMover

This app is very simple yet very practical. It allows you to select multiple icons to move them to a different page on your springboard. So instead of moving your icons one at a time, you can select many of them and move them all at once wherever you want. More about MultiIconMover.

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple implemented some of these applications' features in the next iPhone OS.

I Guess Geohot is Not Working on an Untethered Jailbreak After All

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

It seems that I missed a tweet by Gehot a few weeks ago in which he made it clear that he was not going to work on an untethered version of BlackRa1n.

I don't know if you remember but Geohot said a few weeks ago that he would give us an untethered jailbreak if he won some kind of contest. Well he lost! And we all lose too!

I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, the kid is completely in his right to not develop an untethered jailbreak. But somehow, I feel like when you have such a great gift as he has, you kinda have a responsibility towards the community.

Again, he's free to do whatever he wants but I think it's very childish to say "I''l give you what you want IF I win this stupid contest" and have us hold our breath. Then of course we're all disappointed when we realize that he lost the contest and he's not going to give us what we want.

One thing is sure: the Dev Team will not let us down. The Dev Team will not play game with us and they will not have us wait and hope in vain. As I said in an article a few weeks ago, I believe the Dev Team is up to something and might very well surprise us.

What do you think about how Geohot is acting?

Dev Team to Release RedSn0w 0.9 to Jailbreak iPhone OS 3.1.2 on Windows

Sébastien Page ∙ January 8, 2010

I knew they were up to something... Some great news coming from the head of the Dev Team, MuscleNerd announced that they are working on releasing an update to the famous RedSn0w, the fast jailbreak method for Windows users.

RedSn0w might be the solution for frustrated BlackRa1n users who are having troubles with their jailbreak. While RedSn0w 0.9 might not be as fast as BlackRa1n, it's most likely going to be much more reliable.

As soon as RedSn0w is available, I will write a tutorial on how to jailbreak your iPhone with it, so stay tuned :)

Everything You Need to Know About Jailbreaking And Unlocking Your New iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

If you just got a new iPhone for Christmas, then congratulations, you are going to love it. Next step now is to jailbreak your iPhone in order to release the full potential of it. If you're not sure what jailbreaking is, I suggest you read a bit more about it. As you will see, there are many reasons to jailbreak your iPhone.

Now if someone offered you an iPhone and you don't want to use it on an official carrier (like AT&T in the US), then you will have to unlock your iPhone. Unlocking is fairly easy, even for non techy people and there are very few risks of doing any damage.

Brand new to this whole jailbreaking and unlocking thing? I understand it might be a little confusing. I wrote an article about the difference between jailbreaking and unlocking that might help you understand both better, so feel free to check it out if want to learn more about it.

Let's get into it now. This article aims at giving a quick overview of possibilities for jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone. For both jailbreaking and unlocking, the method used depends on what iPhone model you have and what software (firmware) is currently installed on it. At this time, I will assume that your iPhone comes with firmware 3.1.2 preinstalled on it.

First things first. Before unlocking an iPhone, you first have to jailbreak it.

GeoHot Working On Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 3GS?

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Is GeoHot really going to work on an untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 3GS? That's what he mentioned in a tweet yesterday.

As usual, in order to get him motivated, you have to do something in exchange. He wants you to make #dudeitsaballoon a trending topic on Twitter. I haven't really looked into it as I don't have much time while traveling, but it has something to do with red balloons in the sky.

Some of you may be interested in this untethered jailbreak as it is a pain the the butt to always have to plug your iPhone every time you want to reboot.

So, what are these red balloons about?

“Why I Jailbroke My iPhone” From An Anti-Jailbreaker

Guest Author ∙ Updated February 5, 2016

I have to say I'm a very patient man. I tend to wait for products to come on sale rather than make a rash purchase. That's also how I approach the iPhone. Instead of jailbreaking my iPhone 3G or buying workaround apps for functionality that will eventually be free, I am usually good at waiting. But, my patience with Apple reached a breaking point and I decided to jailbreak.

The changes I made to my 16 GB iPhone 3G may seem small, but I now feel like I have a brand new phone!

So, here are my reasons for jailbreaking:

Customization - I've been told that themes are Microsoft Windows-centric and Apple is not into themes. Skins are not available for iTunes, unlike Winamp (remember that program?). But, isn't Apple supposed to be the "fun" computer company? After 16 months of looking at the same basic home screen, I'm ready for a change. Enter WinterBoard. With a stock iPhone, you can only change the wallpaper on your lock screen. With Winterboard, you can change your home screen background, add a percentage for your battery meter (for non-3GS users), as well as change the logos for your carrier, 3G and Wi-Fi icons. The theme I chose is called Blue Thunder. It also changed the stock icons of the apps that came with your iPhone and a number popular apps in the App Store. I kind of understand Apple not wanting to give us the power of customization, lest our iPhones turn into obnoxious MySpace pages. But, I'm tired of being a slave to Big Red.

Home Screen Managing - I've always thought folders on your iPhone home screen would be incredibly useful. And, again, this thinking may have originated with my Windows upbringing. But, wouldn't you think it would advantageous to Apple to have the iPhone and iPod Touch be able to max out the number of apps possible by internal storage rather than home screen real estate? I know you can install apps that will no longer show up on the home screen but that's counterproductive. With Categories, I trimmed down 10 pages of apps to 4 pages and everything is easy to get to. Spotlight Search also works well with Categories.

Video Recording - I thought that since the iPhone 3GS gained video recording capabilities Apple would make video recording possible for the 3G. Nope. Instead, you have to choose between buying a new 3GS starting at $199 with a new 2-year contract or jailbreaking your iPhone. Easy choice there. So, I got Cycorder. And I bet Apple was also behind the gimped version of Qik in the App Store which cannot do live streams. Another reason to jailbreak.

I have at least another 7 months to wait for the next iPhone announcement. I'm going to spend those months with my jailbroken iPhone 3G. And I wouldn't have done it if Apple was on its game.

Tutorial: Jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 with BlackRa1n RC3

Sébastien Page ∙ November 3, 2009

Ealier today, GeoHot unveiled BlackRa1n RC3, his latest jailbreak for iPhone OS 3.1.2. BlackRa1n RC3 is very similar to RC1 and RC2. The difference is that RC3 includes BlackSn0w, the unlock for iPhone baseband 05.11.07.

This step by steps guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone OS 3.1.2 with BlackRa1n RC3. The steps are strictly identical to BlackRa1n RC1 and BlackRa1n RC2 but I figured it might be good to write a tutorial for novices.

This BlackRa1n RC3 iPhone jailbreak tutorial will work on both Mac and PC. If you already jailbroke your iPhone using BlackRa1n RC1 or RC2, there is no need for you to run BlackRa1n again.

How to jailbreak iPhone firmware 3.1.2 with BlackRa1n RC3:

Step 1: Update iTunes to the latest version available and reboot your computer. If your iPhone is not running OS 3.1.2, update your iPhone to firmware 3.1.2 in iTunes.

Step 2: Download BlackRa1n RC3 from our iPhone Downloads page.

Step 3: Plug your iPhone to your computer and make sure iTunes is closed. Run BlackRa1n RC3 and click on "make it ra1n".

Step 4: Your iPhone will enter recovery mode and you will see the usual recovery image replaced by a picture of GeoHot.

Step 5: BlackRa1n will run on your iPhone and it will reboot when done.

Step 6: A message will show up asking to donate. If your jailbreak is successful, I think it's the right thing to do to donate $5 or more. It's a good way to keep GeoHot motivated.

Step 7: After your iPhone has rebooted, you will notice a new BlackRa1n icon on your springboard. Make sure you have an internet connection and launch BlackRa1n.app on your iPhone.

Step 8: You will now have the option to install Cydia, Rock, or both if you choose to, then tap "install". You will also notice that Icy is gone and it's been replaced by "sn0w". Run "sn0w" only if you want to unlock your iPhone.

Step 9: Once the packages are installed, your iPhone will respring and you should see Cydia (and Rock if you chose it) on your springboard.

Step 10: Once Cydia and/or Rock are installed on your springboard, you can now uninstall BlackRa1n from your iPhone. Uninstalling BlackRa1n will obviously not remove the jailbreak. It will simply remove the BlackRa1n.app that was used to install the packages. To do so, simply launch the BlackRa1n.app and select "uninstall BlackRa1n".

Step 11: After uninstalling BlackRa1n, I suggest you reboot your iPhone.

Done!

The whole process shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. It definitely is an easy jailbreak.

If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

BlackSn0w is Out!

Sébastien Page ∙ November 3, 2009

BlackSn0w is now available for download from BlackRa1n.com! BlackSn0w comes as an addon to BlackRa1n.

Here is what’s important to note:

BlackSn0w will unlock baseband 05.11.07 BlackSn0w will enable tethering

I will write tutorials on how to use BlackSn0w, but here is a quick overview of how it works, depending on your situation:

If you previously jailbroke your iPhone using BlackRa1n and you kept the blackra1n.app on it, then run BlackRa1n. The Icy icon should be replaced by the “ra1n” option. Select “ra1n” to upgrade BlackRa1n to RC3. After upgrading, run BlackRa1n and you should see the “sn0w” option. Just select “sn0w” and it will unlock your iPhone. If you were waiting to update to 3.1.2 or if your iPhone was stuck locked, then download BlackSn0w, run it, reboot, and choose the “sn0w” option from the BlackRa1n.app. If your iPhone was previously jailbroken using PwnageTool or if you deleted the BlackRa1n.app from your iPhone, BlackSn0w will be added to Cydia later during the day.

UPDATE: BlackRa1n RC3 and BlackSn0w tutorials are up:

BlackRa1n RC3 tutorial BlackSn0w unlock tutorial