The iPhone Dev Team was ready when Apple released iOS 5. Thanks to them, iOS 5 can easily be jailbroken. Unfortunately, this is only a tethered jailbreak meaning you have to connect your device to Redsn0w if it has been rebooted. While there is an untethered jailbreak is in progress, this method will currently work with most devices except for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 due to their A5 processor.
iOS 5 Devices Supported:
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4 CDMA
- iPhone 4 GSM
- iPod Touch 3rd Gen
- iPod Touch 4th Gen
- iPad 1
Before getting started, download iOS 5 and update your hardware, keep the IPSW around, but also be sure to have updated to iTunes 10.5.
The Jailbreaking iOS 5 Process: (All links to files at bottom of post)
- Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b7
- Launch Redsn0w
- Select the Jailbreak button
- Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your computer
- Power off your device
- Enter DFU mode by holding down the Power button and Home button at the same time for 10 seconds, then release the Power button and continue to hold the Home button for another 15 seconds.
- You will get a notification from RedSn0w on your screen telling you the device is in DFU mode
- Redsn0w will now download the iPSW file from Apple and perform the Jailbreak (if older version of Redsn0w, you must point it to your iOS 5 IPSW file)
- Be sure to choose “Install Cydia”
Boot your iOS device tethered:
- Open Redsn0w
- Click “Extras” and select the iOS 5 IPSW file you downloaded earlier
- Click on “Just Boot” option and follow instructions on screen to boot your device
Your iOS device should now be jailbroken. You can be sure by finding the Cydia icon on your phone.
If for whatever reason your battery dies, your device reboots, or you power it off, you must connect your device to your computer and launch Redsn0w and click “Extras” and “Just Boot” again.
Redsn0w 0.9.9b7 Files:
