Apple has been on a roll during the past few weeks, it has released iOS 6 – its latest mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, which includes more than 200 new features, launched the hotly anticipated iPhone 5 and also released the 5th generation of iPod touch and a redesigned iPod nano.
So we’re quite sure that many of you want to know about if there is a jailbreak for iOS 6 and the new iOS devices.
We thought instead of responding to individual emails or comments, it may be a good idea to create a FAQ that answers all your questions. So here we go:
Which iOS 6 compatible devices can be jailbroken?
It is currently possible to jailbreak the following iOS 6 compatible devices:
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4
- iPod Touch 4G
The jailbreak supported is a tethered jailbreak, so you will need to connect your device to the computer to reboot your jailbroken iOS device using Redsn0w.
You can check out our step-by-step tutorial to:
If you are on iOS 5.1.1 or lower, then check out our How to jailbreak page, which is updated with the links to the latest tutorials to jailbreak an iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Which iOS 6 compatible devices cannot be jailbroken currently?
There is currently no way publicly available to jailbreak the following iOS 6 compatible devices:
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 4S
- The new iPad (iPad 3)
- iPad 2
- iPod touch 5G
What about jailbreaking Apple TV running Apple TV Update 5.1 (iOS 6)?
The 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV running Apple TV Update 5.1 (iOS 6) cannot be jailbroken currently. But, we hear that Apple has not stopped signing Apple TV Update 5.0.2, so you can downgrade to it and Apple TV 2 users can used Seans0nPass to jailbreak it.
Can I downgrade my iOS device from iOS 6 to iOS 5.1.1?
Currently it is possible to only downgrade from iOS 6 to iOS 5.1.1 the following iOS 6 compatible devices if you have an SHSH blob for iOS 5.1.1.
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4
- iPod touch 4G
Check out our step-by-step guide on how to downgrade from iOS 6 to iOS 5.1.1.
This means that if you have an iPhone 4S, iPad 3 and iPad 2, it is not possible to downgrade to iOS 5.1.1 to jailbreak your iOS device again even if you have SHSH blobs. You will have to wait for the jailbreak dream team to release a jailbreak for iOS 6.0 or for someone to figure out a hack to downgrade from iOS 6 to iOS 5.1.1.
Can I downgrade my iOS device from iOS 6 to iOS 5.1.1 without SHSH blobs?
Unfortunately, since Apple has stopped signing the iOS 5.1.1 firmware file, it is not possible to downgrade your iOS device from iOS 6 to iOS 5.1.1 without the SHSH blobs.
If you’re on iOS 5.1.1, then we will strongly recommend you to take a backup of the SHSH blobs using TinyUmbrella by following this step-by-step guide.
When will the untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 be released?
The goods news is that jailbreak developer Grant Paul aka chpwn has managed to jailbreak iPhone 5 on iOS 6.
But unfortunately, while there seems to be a way to jailbreak iOS 6 on new iOS devices like iPhone 5 and should work with older iOS devices like iPhone 4S, iPad 3, iPad 2 etc., it doesn’t seem to be untethered and there is a lot of work to be done before it can be released to the public.
Apple also has a history of releasing a minor update within a month of releasing a major update. So we don’t expect the jailbreak dream team will not release a jailbreak before iOS 6.0.1 is released. Last year, Apple released iOS 5.0.1 on November 10th, almost a month after releasing iOS 5.0 on October 12th.
So please be patient and don’t expect the jailbreak to be released anytime soon. Based on the jailbreak dream team’s track record it is a matter of when and how rather than if.
Are the jailbreak apps/tweaks compatible with iOS 6?
The jailbreak developers have been working hard to make their jailbreak apps and tweaks compatible with iOS 6. You can check out this post to find out the list of jailbreak apps and tweaks that are compatible with iOS 6.
What are the new hacks and tweaks for iOS 6?
While a few jailbreak tweaks have been released since iOS 6 release, there hasn’t been jailbreak tweaks specifically for iOS 6 except for Unlock iOS 6 Maps that allows iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users to enable turn-by-turn voice navigation and 3D Flyover feature that are not available.
But we can’t wait to see the jailbreak apps and tweaks for iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5G’s bigger 4-inch screen.
Can I use Ultrasn0w to unlock my iPhone?
Ultrasn0w is currently not compatible with iOS 6, so if you’re on iOS 5.1.1 or lower and depend on the software method to unlock your iPhone, then you should avoid updating to iOS 6.
We’ve also heard that it is not possible to unlock iPhone on iOS 6 using hardware based solution like Gevey SIM.
As always, we’ll let you know as soon as we get any further details about the iOS 6 jailbreak, so stay tuned here at iPhone Hacks or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or subscribe to our RSS feed.
We hope that this FAQ has answered your questions. Please feel free to ask us any other questions in the comments below and we’ll be happy to respond to it.
Update 1:
Updated with information about the jailbreak status for Apple TV.
Update 2:
Updated with links to the latest jailbreak tutorials.
