Mobile Technology

How to jailbreak iOS 6.0.1

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Owners of pre-A5 devices can now jailbreak iOS 6.0.1
Owners of pre-A5 devices can now jailbreak iOS 6.0.1
Instructions are easy and straight forward
You'll need to reconnect to redsn0w every time you reboot
The first step is making sure your device is on iOS 6.0.1
... not that kind of red snow
Millions(?) of iPhone owners can't live without that Cydia icon their home screens
This is what the IPSW file will look like on a Mac
View gallery - 7 images

iOS is beloved by millions of customers, but some of them find Apple's walled garden to be constricting. For them, there is jailbreaking. Though there is typically a gap between the releases of iOS software and their corresponding jailbreaks, iOS 6.0.1 was jailbroken in rapid-fire fashion, and we have the full instructions.

The only caveat is that it won't work on the latest devices, like the recent iPads (iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4), iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, or iPad mini. The A5, A5X, A6, and A6X chips are harder nuts to crack, and jailbreak developers will need some time.

Owners of the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G, and iPhone 3GS (pre-A4), however, are in luck. The instructions below will help you to break down the walled garden of iOS 6, and install the jailbreak app hub Cydia.

Update your device to iOS 6.0.1

The first step is making sure your device is on iOS 6.0.1

If you aren't yet on iOS 6.0.1, this is the first step. If you're already jailbroken, the fastest way is to connect your device to iTunes, and follow the prompt to update. If you're on iOS 6 but aren't yet jailbroken, then you can perform an over-the-air (OTA) update by going to Settings>General>Software Update on your device.

Download Redsn0w

... not that kind of red snow

Redsn0w 0.9.15b3 is available at the following links for Mac OS X and Windows.

Download the firmware for iOS 6

This is what the IPSW file will look like on a Mac

Since this version of redsn0w doesn't officially support iOS 6.0.1, you'll need a copy of iOS 6 (6.0) on hand. If you've already downloaded it to a PC, then you can locate it in Windows at "\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates." If you're on a Mac, it's at "/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates"

If you don't have a copy of iOS 6.0 on your PC, then you'll need to download it from the appropriate link below:

Follow the instructions

Instructions are easy and straight forward

After opening redsn0w, choose Extras>Select IPSW. When prompted, choose the IPSW file that you just located. After selecting the proper build, return to the main redsn0w screen and choose "jailbreak."

From that point on, redsn0w's instructions are straightforward. Make sure your device is connected and follow along. The first thing it will ask is to enter DFU mode, which involves holding and releasing the power and home buttons at precise times. Don't worry, though, as redsn0w guides you through the process.

Install Cydia

Millions(?) of iPhone owners can't live without that Cydia icon their home screens

Unlike in earlier iOS 6 releases, redsn0w now automatically installs Cydia. When redsn0w's process completes, you'll see the jailbreak app store waiting for you.

If you don't see Cydia after completing the jailbreak, go through the steps in the "booting" section below and it should be there.

Booting

You'll need to reconnect to redsn0w every time you reboot

This is a tethered jailbreak. That means that every time you reboot, you'll need to connect your device to a PC and re-run redsn0w. For each tethered boot, just select Extras > Just Boot from the redsn0w menu.

Moving forward

It may be some time until owners of newer (A5 and A6-based) iOS devices are able to jailbreak iOS 6.0.1, but we'll keep you posted as soon as they're available. You can read more at the Dev Team's source link below.

It should be noted that this is a beta release, and that the Dev Team (nor us) provide any guarantees that it is 100 percent stable.

Source: Dev Team Blog

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6 comments
AceJJ
Hi Will,
I tried this but when I get to the step of just boot is displayes a message 'missing plistdata. for this device?
Any pointers? Regards
Waseem Akram
I already did it in my 3GS thanks a lot for this co-operation
Steven Shorts
This aint working for me. It says I'm missing something then it gets stuck at waiting on reboot
Jeff Pullen
Hey guys, this Jailbreak is very unstable. It will flake out on you at a moments notice. Please know that this could cause your Video Playback to be affected as well as some other native apps like Mail and Calendar if the phone is rebooted.
With that being said, if you're stuck during the just boot phase, and it's giving you errors try this:
When you get the error go into DFU mode. It is a little different since you're already kind of in DFU mode...
Hold the "home" and "power" buttons for 10-12 seconds
Then keep holding down the "home" button and release the "power" button. This got me out of the restart loop and allowed Redsn0w to get my phone to boot. I haven't had time to test it out, but it never did re-apply the jailbreak. There's something up with the security in iOS 6.0.1 and this is why you will have to use Redsn0w each time your phone reboots.
Side note: check out the Now-Now app in Cydia. If you have the Google Search app installed the Now-Now app is an activator and you can make the Google search pop up like Siri. It works really good, as long as the Jailbreak holds.
Laji
Hi Jeff, I tried all the steps suggested above. Everything works, except I get 'no service' when the SIM card is inserted. Please suggest. Thanks..
Colin Lawson
Hi. On My iPad 2 When I Do The Process With The Home And Power Button After I Finish It, It Tells Me That My Device Isn't Supported? Please Help!