With the iOS 6 availability to masses, the iPhone Dev-team is also making its move. MuscleNerd, in a blog post, has announced a new Re-Restore functionality for iPhone 4S, iPad 3, and iPad 2 users running iOS 5.1.1 or iOS 5.0.1 firmware.
Using this re-restore function, iPad 3, iPhone 4S and iPad 2 users, with iOS 5.1.1/5.x SHSH blobs saved, will always be able to re-restore the same iOS 5.1.1 or iOS 5.0.1 that’s currently running on the device. This feature can become handy if you ever need to fresh restore iOS 5.1.1/5.0.1 for whatever reason and it doesn’t matter if Apple is signing 5.x.x.
So, if you’re at 5.1.1, when the window closes (and you’ve saved your blobs), you’ll always be able to RE-restore to 5.1.1 again using RedSn0w Re-restore feature.
NOTE: Your device must be running iOS 5.1.1 or 5.x.x and SHSH blobs must have been saved for the currently running 5.x.x firmware. Save iOS 5.1.1 SHSH Blobs Now!
This RedSn0w functionality makes the 5.1.1 jailbreak a lot less fragile as long as you don’t go near iOS 6. You won’t lose your 5.x.x jailbreak, because you can always RE-restore from 5.1.1 to 5.1.1 again (or from 5.0.1 to 5.0.1 again, etc). But once you update your device to iOS 6, you’ll be stuck there until the next jailbreak.
The iPhone dev-team also discusses the other jailbreak/downgrade scenarios:
- A4 devices and 3GS will always be downgradable (and jailbreakable) due to limera1n. The tethered iOS6 jailbreak for those devices (and untethered for old-bootrom 3GS) will be out when Cydia and other important pieces are all working properly
- iPad2 owners who have both 4.x blobs and 5.x blobs will always be able to downgrade to those versions, even once you come up to 6.0 and the 5.1.1 window closes (don’t do that yet though!). You need both 4.x and 5.x blobs to qualify for the downgrade even if you only wish to downgrade to 5.x
- iPad3, i4S (and iPad2 owners who don’t satisfy #2) will always be able to RE-restore the current 5.x OS that’s already on their device. So if you’re at 5.1.1 when the window closes (and you’ve saved your blobs), you’ll always be able to RE-restore to 5.1.1 again. This makes the 5.1.1 jailbreak a lot less fragile — you don’t have to worry about messing up your install with funky extensions or getting into a boot loop, because you can always RE-restore from 5.1.1 to 5.1.1 again (or from 5.0.1 to 5.0.1 again, etc). But once you fall off the 5.x train by restoring to 6.x, you’ll be stuck there until the next jailbreak.
To make things more clear for you folks:
iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G, running iOS 6, will always be downgradeable to iOS 5.1.1 or older firmware with saved SHSH blobs and jailbreak will be possible, thanks to the Limera1n exploit. Even a tether iOS 6 jailbreak (untethered for old-bootrom 3GS) for these devices will be out soon.
iPad 2 owners, with BOTH iOS 5.x and 4.x blobs saved, will always be able to downgrade back to iOS 5.x even after the 5.1.1 blobs signing window is closed.
iPhone 4S, iPad 3 and iPad 2(with no blobs saved for 4.x) owners, if you care about your jailbreak, stay away from iOS 6. Because if you update to iOS 6 and Apple stops signing 5.1.1, you won’t be able to downgrade back to 5.1.1. However, if you stay at 5.1.1/5.0.1 with blobs saved, the new RE-Restore function of RedSn0w will let you restore to 5.1.1/5.0.1, even after Apple’s 5.1.1 signing window closes.