iPhone Dev-Team Releases Major Update To Redsn0w With New iOS 5.x To iOS 5.x Restoring Features

If you are one of those users who had upgraded their iOS devices to iOS 6, the latest version of the mobile operating system from Apple, and are now looking to get back to the earlier firmware after finding that the newest version is not that satisfactory as it was acclaimed before, here’s some big good news.

The iPhone-Dev Team released a new version (v0.9.15b1) of the popular Redsn0w jailbreak tool Sunday and announced that it would have new features supporting restoring to older firmware, no longer being signed by Apple.

Now if you want to restore your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch from a firmware like OS 5.x to iOS 5.x, the new version of Redsn0w will be at your service.

In addition, Redsn0w 0.9.15b1 also brings good news for A4-based device users as Cydia is now included in the iOS 6 tethered jailbreak, meaning there’s no SSH work anymore. Users can now restore their devices to earlier firmware without the stitching process.

Here’s what you need to know about the Redsn0w 0.9.15b1 and its new features (via the iPhone-Dev team blog):

New Features

- Restore from any 5.x iOS to any other (up, down or the same) 5.x iOS on all devices as long as you have the correct blobs (see more below)

- Cydia now included in the tethered 6.0 jailbreak on A4 devices

- Automatically "Just Boot" tethered when qualifying A4 device connects in DFU mode

- Untethered 6.0 jailbreak on old-bootrom 3GS

- Untethered 6.0 hactivation on any 3GS or iPhone4

- Directly restore pre-A5 devices to earlier firmware - no more complicated 15-step how-to's with stitching, iTunes errors and "hosts file" concerns

- Fetch new signed blobs for any IPSW (present or future - no redsn0w update required) using Extras->SHSH Blobs->New

- Block the BB update for any 3GS or iPhone4 restore (past, present, or future - no redsn0w update required) using Extras->Even More->Restore

- Deactivate any iPhone, useful for testing your "official" unlock status through iTunes. (Please only deactivate your own iPhone!)

- Activation status shown on "Even more" page

- Significantly more (very nerdy) info returned by "Identify" button when device is in Normal mode

- Tethered jailbreak of ATV2 supported (but the only thing available for it is the SSH2 custom bundle available here - no Cydia yet. Must use "Select IPSW" for tethered boot of ATV2 for now).

- Auto-exit WTF mode for older devices with broken buttons

- Any time a set of blobs is fetched remotely (from Apple or Cydia), redsn0w also saves them locally (and will check there first if you click "Local")

- For your future restoring convenience, you should also submit all of your past and present TinyUmbrella blobs to Cydia if you haven't done so yet. Resubmitting is okay and won't cause conflicts.

More details on iOS 5.x to iOS 5.x restores for A5+ devices

1. Redsn0w now lets you restore an A5+ device from any iOS 5 to any other iOS 5 as long as you have correct 5.x blobs for the starting (current) and ending points of the restore.

- APtickets eliminated “higher-version only” comparison of firmware restores (just like BBtickets did for the baseband)

- Example restores supported by redsn0w if you have the correct blobs: 5.1.1-to-5.0.1, 5.0.1-to-5.1.1, 5.1.1-to-5.1.1, 5.0.1-to-5.0.1

- If you don’t have the blobs locally, let redsn0w try to fetch them remotely (redsn0w always tries both Apple and Cydia). Any successful remote fetch also saves a local copy too.

2. You do not qualify for iOS 5-to-iOS 5 restores if you got to your current 5.x via an OTA update.

- The tickets saved by Cydia, redsn0w, and TinyUmbrella do not cover OTA update ramdisk images

- Even if they did, it’s the “wrong kind” of ramdisk (you’d need to start at that earlier pre-OTA FW)

- Devices fresh from factory or refurb may fall in the “does not qualify” category (your results will vary)

- It’s okay if you previously got to 5.x via an OTA update, as long as your current 5.x was installed via a normal iTunes restore. All that matters is how you got to your current 5.x most recently

- Redsn0w detects an OTA/normal-restore APticket mismatch very early, so if you don’t know your status there should be no harm in trying. Any device in recovery mode after such a mismatch can boot normally again just by going back to “Even More” screen from the “Restore” screen (or use “Recovery Fix” if you quit redsn0w before doing that).

3. Unlike the A4 devices, redsn0w can't (usefully) prevent the baseband updates of A5+ iPhones and iPads.

- And so, redsn0w automatically flashes the currently signed baseband when it does A5+ restores, even if those basebands didn't come with the original firmware

- Stay away from this if you have an unofficial unlock that isn't supported by the newest baseband

- The least-tested baseband update code in redsn0w is for iPad 2,3 and iPad 3,2. Please give any feedback on those iOS5 restores in the comments section below.

4. iPad 2 owners (all three models) with saved 4.x blobs can use those instead, even from 6.x

- If you have both 4.x and 5.x iPad2 blobs, you can always get to 5.x via the 4.x blobs, even if you’re currently on 6.x

- You cannot get to 5.x from 6.x without the 4.x blobs (but you may still qualify for the iOS5-to-iOS5 restore described above)

- If somehow you have 4.x blobs but no 5.x blobs, you can still go down to 4.x from 6.x

- This only applies to iPad2 owners (they’re the only A5+ devices that ever had a public 4.x FW)

- Redsn0w still supports (but doesn’t require) jailbreaking A5+ devices at 5.0.1 and 5.1.1. Just head back to the first page after re-restoring to 5.x. It’s always much faster to jailbreak those FW versions with a freshly-restored device, before letting iTunes restore from a saved userland backup.

Click here for a step by step guide to restore your iPhone 4S, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPod touch from iOS 5.x To iOS 5.x using Redsn0w 0.9.15b1.