We have received feedback from a number of readers that the video guide to jailbreak iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS running iOS 5 using Redsn0w, wasn’t as good as our step-by-step guides.

So here’s the step-by-step guide to jailbreak iPhone running iOS 5 using Redsn0w.

Here are some important points to note before you proceed.

• This guide is meant for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users. iPod touch 4G and iPod touch 3G users can checkout this guide, while iPad users can checkout this guide.
• Important note to iPhone unlockers: Please note that if you use this guide exclusively then it won’t preserve your iPhone’s baseband, so please follow this step-by-step guide to update your iPhone to iOS 5 without updating baseband and then come back to this guide.
• Please go through our latest status update on jailbreaking iOS 5 to figure out if you should jailbreak iOS 5.
• Redsn0w 0.9.9b6 only supports a tethered jailbreak, which means that you need to connect your iPhone to the computer on every reboot.
• Please note that jailbreaking your iPhone may void your warranty and hence proceed with caution and at your own risk.
• Please do not forget to backup your iPhone before you proceed. You can refer to this post for instructions on how to backup your iPhone.
• If you’ve jailbroken your iPhone then you can use jailbreak apps such as AptBackup, PkgBackup or xBackup from Cydia to take a backup of all the jailbreak apps and tweaks so you can reinstall them easily after successfully jailbreaking your iPhone rather then installing them individually. However, since you’re moving from iOS 4.x to iOS 5, it may be a good idea to reinstall the jailbreak apps to avoid compatibility issues.
• After the jailbreaking process is complete, do not forget to checkout our article on tips to keep your iPhone secure.
• Please ensure you are running latest version of iTunes i.e. iTunes 10.5 or later.
• Known issue: iBooks keeps crashing after jailbreaking iPhone using this method. Dev team is currently working to fix the issue.

You can follow these step-by-step instructions to jailbreak your iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS:

Step 1: Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b7 for Windows from this link and Redsn0w 0.9.9b7 for Mac from this link and save the application in a folder named “Redsn0w” on your desktop.

Step 2: You need to download both the iOS 5 firmware file (use Firefox or Chrome to download the firmware file instead of using Internet Explorer or Safari):

iOS 5 firmware file for iPhone 4 from this link (iPhone3,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw)

iOS 5 firmware file for iPhone 3GS from this link (iPhone2,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw)

Step 3: Double click the Redsn0w zip file and extract the application to the Redsn0w folder.

Step 4: Connect your iPhone to the computer, which should automatically launch iTunes.

Skip steps 5 and 6, if your iPhone has already been upgraded to iOS 5.

Step 5: From the ‘Devices‘ section on the left pane of iTunes, select your iPod touch. Now, hold down the Shift button (Option button for Mac users) and click the ‘Restore‘ button.

Step 6: Navigate to the Redsn0w folder on the desktop and select the downloaded iOS 5 firmware file (iPhone 4 users – please select iPhone3,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw and iPhone 3GS users – please select iPhone2,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw). Click on the ‘Choose‘ button to let iTunes update your iPhone with the required firmware. You will be asked to setup your iPhone either from a previous backup or setup as a new iPhone, select the backup you want for your device (ideally should be the most recent one). Wait for iTunes to finish.

Step 7: Navigate back to the Redsn0w folder and launch the Redsn0w application.

Note:

Windows users will have to manually select the iOS 5 firmware file. After launching Redsn0w, click on Extras, then click on Select IPSW. Here select the iOS 5 firmware file (iPhone 4 users – please select iPhone3,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw and iPhone 3GS users – please select iPhone2,1_5.0_9A334_Restore.ipsw) that you had downloaded in step 2. You need to do this just once. Mac users can skip this step as Dev team has added the public URLs to Redsn0w 0.9.9b5.

Windows 7 users should run the exe in Windows XP compatibility mode (right-click on the Redsn0w exe and select Properties, then select the Compatibility tab and select Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows XP). Windows XP and Windows 7 users should run Redsn0w as ‘Administrator’ (right-click on the Redsn0w exe and select ‘Run as an Administrator’).

Step 8: Click on the Jailbreak button.

Step 9: You will now be prompted plug your iPhone to the computer and switch it OFF. Follow the instructions and click on ‘Next‘ to move to the next screen:

Step 10: You will now need to put your iPhone into the DFU mode. Redsn0w will take you through the necessary steps:

(a) Hold the Power button on iPhone down for 3 seconds:

(b) Now simultaneously hold the iPhone and keep the two buttons pressed for 10 seconds:

(c) Now release the Power button while keeping the Home button pressed until Redsn0w detects the device:

Step 11: Your iPhone should reboot now. Please remember to release the Home button.

Step 12: Redsn0w will now start preparing the jailbreak data.

Step 13: You will now be prompted to select the jailbreak options you would like. Make sure Cydia is selected and select ‘Next‘ to continue.

Step 14: You iPhone will be rebooted again and Redsn0w will now begin uploading the new RAM disk and kernel.

Step 15: You will now be notified once the jailbreaking process is complete. Click on the ‘Finish‘ button to exit the application.

Step 16: Your iPhone will reboot once again (which could take approximately 5 minutes). After it has rebooted, your iPhone should be successfully jailbroken. You should find Cydia jailbreak app on your iPod touch’s home screen.

If you’re new to the jailbreaking world and wondering what to do after jailbreaking your iPhone, checkout our jailbreak apps category page to find out the apps you can install on your iPhone using the Cydia app. Please note that some of the jailbreak apps and tweaks are still not compatible with iOS 5 so please be cautious while installing them.

Note: Once Redsn0w has finished jailbreaking your iPhone, you will need to boot it tethered, which means that if you need to reboot your iPhone it will be stuck on the Apple logo. All you need to do is rerun Redsn0w and this time click on Extras and then click on Just boot from the list of options and follow the on screen instructions to reboot your iPhone.

Troubleshooting:

How to fix the White/Blank Cydia icon issue:

If you notice the white Cydia icon (which fails to launch) after successfully jailbreaking your iPod touch. Then follow these steps to fix the issue.

• Launch Redsn0w again.
• Click on Extras and then click on Just Boot from the list of options.
• You will now be prompted to plug your iPhone to the computer and switch it off. Follow the instructions in the correct sequence and click on ‘Next‘ to move to the next screen:
• You will now need to put your iPhone into the DFU mode. Redsn0w will take you through the necessary steps:
• Hold the Power button on iPhone down for 3 seconds.
• Now simultaneously hold the iPhone and keep the two buttons pressed for 10 seconds.
• Now release the Power button while keeping the Home button pressed until Redsn0w detects the device.
• Your device will reboot and you will see the Pwnage icon on your iPod touch’s screen for few minutes.
• After your iPhone is successfully rebooted, you will see the regular Cydia icon (brown). You should now be able to launch Cydia without any issue.

Hope this helped. Please don’t forget to let us know how it goes in the comments and drop us a line if you hit any issues.

Update:

Download link for Redns0w has been updated with the latest version – Redsn0w 0.9.9 beta 7.