Welcome to fatboy's strategy guide for IOS5 Jailbreaking 
Followers of the jailbreaking scene will know that with the release of the iPad2, closely followed by IOS5, and then iPhone4S, the jailbreaking world has become a lot more challenging and interesting lately.
Well, it's just been taken up a notch again! As has already been posted in other threads on the forum today, jailbreak developer and member of the Chronic Dev-Team, pod2g, has confirmed that one of the primary exploits they are working with to develop an untethered IOS5 jailbreak for all devices will be patched by Apple when they release 5.0.1 shortly (5.0.1 is already in beta testing with developers).
This means that if you want the best chance of an untethered jailbreak on IOS5, then you must install 5.0 before Apple stops signing it and you must NOT upgrade to 5.0.1 or beyond. A jailbreak for newer versions of IOS5 will likely arrive at some point, but will take longer.
Keep in mind that Apple have changed the way the SHSH Blobs work in IOS5, so they provide you absolutely no protection for 5.0. It is not sufficient to save 5.0gm blobs and use those at a later date. They will not work as things stand. The only SHSH Blobs which are of any value to you now are 4.x (and 3.x if you are so inclined!).
If the chance of an untethered jailbreak for IOS 5 is important to you, then here are my recommendations for folks with different scenarios:
iPhone 4 & 3GS Owners already JB on 4.x or 3.x
iPhone4S, 4, and 3GS Owners on 5.0
If you want the best chance of that untether, then you need to sit tight with on 5.0. Do not be tempted by the update to 5.0.1 when it is released. Once you upgrade and Apple stop signing the 5.0 firmware you will never be able to install it again, no matter what you do.
Beta Testers using 5.0.1b1 or 2
If you are a developer and are testing out 5.0.1 in beta, then you can downgrade provided you initiate the restore process before the signing window is closed for 5.0. But if you are a developer you already know this
5.0.1 Benefits
You should also consider the other side of the coin whereby you are denying yourself 5.0.1. Some users are experiencing poor battery performance with 5.0 (mostly iPhone4S owners), and there are several other fixes included in 5.0.1 for iCloud etc. You need to weigh up the pros and cons. We also don't know for sure when a jailbreak for 5.0 may be released. Whilst I don't want to be too negative at this stage, Chronic did not deliver on their last attempt despite months of apparent effort into the 4.x jailbreak for the iPad2. Giving them the benefit of the doubt and recognising the jailbreak development is a gargantuan task, well beyond anything I could achieve, we could still be looking at weeks or months before a release. Just because they have exploits does not make it a sure thing that the jailbreak will arrive any time soon! Remember, the exploits have been known for many months already.
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I hope this guide helps some of you. These are just my personal thoughts on the subject. Please feel free to chip in with your own thoughts and strategies.
I'll update the post with any additional strategies I can think of, or factual news from the scene as and when it becomes available, but the bottom line is the decision on how far to hedge your 5.0 untether bets is entirely yours. It's your device, your decision, and ultimately your responsibility! Good Luck
Followers of the jailbreaking scene will know that with the release of the iPad2, closely followed by IOS5, and then iPhone4S, the jailbreaking world has become a lot more challenging and interesting lately.
Well, it's just been taken up a notch again! As has already been posted in other threads on the forum today, jailbreak developer and member of the Chronic Dev-Team, pod2g, has confirmed that one of the primary exploits they are working with to develop an untethered IOS5 jailbreak for all devices will be patched by Apple when they release 5.0.1 shortly (5.0.1 is already in beta testing with developers).
This means that if you want the best chance of an untethered jailbreak on IOS5, then you must install 5.0 before Apple stops signing it and you must NOT upgrade to 5.0.1 or beyond. A jailbreak for newer versions of IOS5 will likely arrive at some point, but will take longer.
Keep in mind that Apple have changed the way the SHSH Blobs work in IOS5, so they provide you absolutely no protection for 5.0. It is not sufficient to save 5.0gm blobs and use those at a later date. They will not work as things stand. The only SHSH Blobs which are of any value to you now are 4.x (and 3.x if you are so inclined!).
If the chance of an untethered jailbreak for IOS 5 is important to you, then here are my recommendations for folks with different scenarios:
iPhone 4 & 3GS Owners already JB on 4.x or 3.x
- Use TU to retrieve your blobs from Cydia using our tutorial here - http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/h...ave-your-shsh-blobs-using-tinyumbrella-18924/
- If TU does not show your current version of IOS in the list of saved blobs, use iFaith to extract them from your device - iH8sn0w.com (doing this means you will always be able to go back to your currently installed firmware in the future if somethings goes wrong)
- Before the signing window for 5.0 is closed (usually no more than 48 hours after 5.0.1 is released to the public), install 5.0 on your device. Use the failsafe restore process in this thread to to help you if required - http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/h...afe-method-restore-current-version-ios-26019/
- If you want a JB to tide you over, perform a tethered jailbreak on IOS5 using our tutorial and live with that until the untethered version is released (remember that could still be weeks or months away!) - http://www.iphoneforums.net/forum/h...-ios5-tethered-using-redsn0w-beginners-25943/
iPhone4S, 4, and 3GS Owners on 5.0
If you want the best chance of that untether, then you need to sit tight with on 5.0. Do not be tempted by the update to 5.0.1 when it is released. Once you upgrade and Apple stop signing the 5.0 firmware you will never be able to install it again, no matter what you do.
Beta Testers using 5.0.1b1 or 2
If you are a developer and are testing out 5.0.1 in beta, then you can downgrade provided you initiate the restore process before the signing window is closed for 5.0. But if you are a developer you already know this
WARNING: Once you are on 5.0 you must be VERY careful not to do anything which would cause you to restore your phone. If you are enjoying the tethered jailbreak for 5.0, remember, not all JB apps and tweaks are ready for IOS5 yet. Use the forum and check first before installing things you are unsure of. If you seriously mess up your 5.0 device once the 5.0 signing window is closed, your only option will be to restore the latest IOS (likely to be 5.0.1), or use your saved SHSH Blobs for a 4.x firmware. You will never be able to restore 5.0 again. You have been warned!
5.0.1 Benefits
You should also consider the other side of the coin whereby you are denying yourself 5.0.1. Some users are experiencing poor battery performance with 5.0 (mostly iPhone4S owners), and there are several other fixes included in 5.0.1 for iCloud etc. You need to weigh up the pros and cons. We also don't know for sure when a jailbreak for 5.0 may be released. Whilst I don't want to be too negative at this stage, Chronic did not deliver on their last attempt despite months of apparent effort into the 4.x jailbreak for the iPad2. Giving them the benefit of the doubt and recognising the jailbreak development is a gargantuan task, well beyond anything I could achieve, we could still be looking at weeks or months before a release. Just because they have exploits does not make it a sure thing that the jailbreak will arrive any time soon! Remember, the exploits have been known for many months already.
-----
I hope this guide helps some of you. These are just my personal thoughts on the subject. Please feel free to chip in with your own thoughts and strategies.
I'll update the post with any additional strategies I can think of, or factual news from the scene as and when it becomes available, but the bottom line is the decision on how far to hedge your 5.0 untether bets is entirely yours. It's your device, your decision, and ultimately your responsibility! Good Luck
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