UPDATE: Apple latest firmware is iOS 5.1.1. Apple has stopped signing all other firmwares, including iOS 5.0.1, iOS 4.3.3 and iOS 4.3.5. This means you can NOT restore to 5.0.1/4.3.3/4.3.5 any more (both original and custom), unless you have saved your SHSH keys for it.
If you have decided to perform an untethered jailbreak and unlock, you need to get the following information:
What type of device do you have (iPhone 3G/3GS/4, iPod Touch 3G/4G, iPad 1/2, Apple TV)?
Do you need unlock (if your iPhone locked to one carrier and you want to use it with another)?
The answer is NO, if the device is not iPhone, if it was purchased as factory unlocked and can be used with any cellular carrier (f.e. in Canada, France, etc).
If the answer is YES, you need to find out your modem version (Setting-General-About-Modem).
What firmware version do you have? Take a look at Setting-General-About-Version. For example it could be iOS 4.3.3.
What operating system do you use on your desktop (Windows, Mac OS)?
How to perform jailbreak, when you do NOT need an unlock
For iPhone 3G the latest is iOS 4.2.1. You can perform jailbreak with any utility. For iOS 4.2.1 you can also use them or GreenPois0n (Windows, Mac OS).
iPad 2 jailbreak is available only for iOS 4.3.3 via JailbreakMe and and iOS 5.0.1 via Absenthe.
iPhone 4S jailbreak is available for iOS 5.0 / iOS 5.0.1 via Absenthe.
iOS 4.3.3
Apple stopped signing iOS 4.3.3, so you cannot update to iOS 4.3.3 without SHSH keys saved (in advance some time ago). If you have iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, iPod Touch 3G or iPod Touch 4G that run iOS 4.3.3 – use JailbreakMe or RedSn0w to untether jailbreak your device.
If you have saved SHSH keys for iOS 4.3.3 you can use PwnageTool (Mac OS) or Sn0wBreeze (Windows).
iOS 4.3.4/4.3.5
For iOS 4.3.4/4.3.5 only tethered jailbreak is possible with redsn0w. Tethered means that each time you restart your device you will have to connect it to a computer and run redsn0w. The untethered iOS 4.3.5 jailbreak is possible only for iPhone 3GS with old bootrom. You can detect your bootrom version using this tutorial.
iOS 5
To jailbreak and unlock iOS 5 use latest version of redsn0w 0.9.9 or sn0wbreeze 2.8. You can jailbreak tethered or semi-tethered.
The untethered iOS 5 jailbreak is possible only for iPhone 3GS with old bootrom. You can detect your bootrom version using this tutorial.
iOS 5.0.1
For iPhone 4/3GS, iPad 1, iPod Touch 3G/4G an untethered jailbreak is available for iOS 5.0.1. For untethered jailbreak use the latest redsn0w 0.9.10 or Corona – package from Cydia to untether currently installed tethered jailbreak.
Tutorial how to untether installed tethered jailbreak is available here.
For iPhone 4S and iPad 2 use Absenthe.
For tethered iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak you an use redsn0w 0.9.9 and sn0wbreeze 2.8.
iOS 5.1 / iOS 5.1.1
For now only tethered jailbreak is available for iPhone 4/3GS, iPad 1 and iPod Touch 3G/4G for iOS 5.1 and iOS 5.1.1.
We are receiving more and more questions about JailbreakMe supporting particular iOS version and device. Here is a useful table that shows which firmwares can be jailbroken by JailbreakMe and which are not supported. Take a look:
iH8Sn0w released Sn0wBreeze 2.8b7, which adds jailbreak support for the latest iOS 5 beta 7 firmware.
Sn0wBreeze creates custom firmware and allows users to preserve baseband for unlock (ultrasn0w doesn’t work with iOS 5 yet). This new version also adds hacktivation and removes UDID developer check. This means that you can try iOS 5 without developer account from Apple.
You can download Sn0wBreeze 2.8b7 for Windows here.
sn0wbreeze v2.8b7 – Release Notes
———————————
* Now jailbreaks iOS 5 beta 7.
* Still removes UDID Developer check + Beta timer.
* Still has the ability to hacktivate.
* Still preserves the baseband (as always!).
———————————
Tethered?
———————————
* iPhone 3GS (old bootrom)…..NO
* iPhone 3GS (new bootrom)….YES
* iPhone 4 (GSM)…………..YES
* iPhone 4 (CDMA)………….YES
* iPod Touch 3G……………YES
* iPod Touch 4…………….YES
* iPad 1G…………………YES
———————————
** REMEMBER TO BOOT WITH “iBooty” **
———————————
iH8Sn0w released Sn0wBreeze 2.8b6, which adds support for the latest iOS 5 beta 6 firmware.
Sn0wBreeze is a quite useful jailbreak utility. It creates custom firmware and allows users to preserve baseband for unlock. This new version also adds hacktivation and removes UDID developer check. This means that you can try iOS 5 without developer account from Apple.
You can download Sn0wBreeze 2.8b6 for Windows here.
sn0wbreeze v2.8b6 – Release Notes
———————————
* Now jailbreaks iOS 5 beta 6.
* Still removes UDID Developer check + Beta timer.
* Still has the ability to hacktivate.
* Still preserves the baseband (as always!).
———————————
Supported Devices and Tethered?
———————————
* iPhone 3GS (old bootrom)…..NO
* iPhone 3GS (new bootrom)….YES
* iPhone 4 (GSM)…………..YES
* iPhone 4 (CDMA)………….YES
* iPod Touch 3G……………YES
* iPod Touch 4…………….YES
* iPad 1G…………………YES
———————————
As you might know hacker Comex has found a new PDF vulnerability and released JailBreakMe tool that uses it. These were great news. The bad ones is that your iPhone and iPad and iPod Touch is at risk. Bad guys can use the same vulnerability to take control of your device and do whatever they want with it.
Apple will fix it in iOS 4.3.4firmware some day. Fortunately Comex has already released a patch for his JailbreakMe 3.0 exploit to protect already jailbroken devices from any malicious use of the exploit.
The package called ‘PDF Patcher 2′ can be downloaded and installed from Cydia. To jailbreak please use our step-by-step instructions.
The main difference compared to the old Gevey unlock method is that you don’t have to dial 112. dialing 112/911 and hanging up is illegal in most countries, now this problem is gone.
Gevey Ultra works with
iOS 4.0, 4.1, 4.2.1, 4.3, 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3
Basebands 1.59, 2.10, 3.10.1, 4.10, 4.10.1
Some sources claim that Gevey Ultra works even with the latest iOS 5 beta 1.
If you have 01.59 baseband you can still use free software ultrasn0w unlock. For everything else -- just buy Gevey Ultra for $35 here.
The installation is simple, but requires jailbreak. Good luck iOS 4.3.3 is jailbreakable. See our jailbreak instructions here (Mac OS) and here (Windows).
Hacker iH8Sn0w released Sn0wBeeze 2.8 beta 2 with ability to perform untethered jailbreak of the old bootrom iPhone 3GS on iOS 5.0b1. For other devices the jailbreak is still tethered.
Sn0wBreeze is a Windows application that creates a custom ipsw with jailbreak. It also preserves your baseband if you need unlock, but UltraSn0w has not yet been updated to work with iOS 5.
New tutorials are on it’s way. For now you can still use our tutorials for iOS 4.3.1. Just download iOS 4.3.2 here, update in iTunes, point redsn0w to it, everything else is the same: