Jailbreakers Should Update to iOS 6.1 Using iTunes, Not Using Software Update

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Posted January 28, 2013 at 7:07pm by Shalom Levytam

Pimskeks of the Evad3rs Dev-Team reveals that those looking to apply the new iOS 6.1 jailbreak should update to the firmware using iTunes.

If you people plan to upgrade to iOS 6.1 please don't do an OTA upgrade. Please make a full restore using iTunes.

Just moments ago Planetbeing confirmed that their untethered jailbreak works with new iOS 6.1 final firmware released by Apple today and MuscleNerd hinted that the jailbreak will be released this Sunday.

Update:
MuscleNerd offers some insight as to why this is necessary, "a few reasons: OTA is more time consuming for us to test, and it gives you different SHSH blobs than normal restore."

To be informed as soon as the jailbreak is released please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.

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Jailbreakers Should Update to iOS 6.1 Using iTunes, Not Using Software Update

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Comments (111)

Comments are closed for this article.

Theo - April 22, 2013 at 12:20pm

If I do this upgrade through iTunes, will my baseband change?

edg724 - February 4, 2013 at 5:04pm

I GOT IT !!!! WOOT !!!

MightyZy - January 30, 2013 at 5:17pm

What program is being used to jailbreak? Is it just the most up to date version of RedSn0w? Sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm just emerging from Master's thesis writing world.

joekilledme - January 30, 2013 at 5:20pm

follow @Evad3rs....they will let you know when the time comes where to download it from. if you dont have twitter then im sure this website will inform you the non-scammy site to visit to get a legit jailbreak

Thatcher - January 31, 2013 at 11:13am

The Jailbreak is called 'Evasi0n' and will be available through the Evad3rs website

Geo - January 30, 2013 at 2:06pm

If I already did the update on my phone , is there any way to go back so i can do the update from my computer on iTunes..... or is it to late

joekilledme - January 30, 2013 at 4:54pm

just download the 6.1 firmware to itunes and you should be fine. the reason they want you to do via itunes is because it downloads it for you so the jailbreak can work clean. if you update via WiFi then the 6.1 firmware wont be on your computer which is necessary to jailbreak. hope this helps.

Geo - January 30, 2013 at 4:57pm

Thank you for your explanation, I will try it.

joekilledme - January 30, 2013 at 5:00pm

if you cant download thru itunes then there should be websites where you can download to your desktop. i even think there is a thread on this website where you can download it from. good luck!

Derek - January 30, 2013 at 7:12pm

I do have the latest firmware 6.1 downloaded from here - iClarified. But my iTunes still says that the most up to date version available is 6.02 and when I try to do the Shift-Restore with the 6.1 firmware, it says it is not compatible with my iPhone 5. I could do an OTA upgrade but this is not advised. So I'm stuck.

joekilledme - January 31, 2013 at 3:28pm

if i were you, i would back up my phone thru itunes to your computer (since im not on icloud). then go on your phone to setting>general>>reset>erase all contents and settings. this will bring your phone back to factory settings. from there plug into itunes and see if the latest update is available. i know it sounds time consuming and this may not even work but its an alternative idea if you are between a rock and a hard place. good luck!

abdullah kamran - February 2, 2013 at 2:56am

no .. that is not the case .. OTA upgrade done through wifi actually changes the SHSH blobs therefore it is advvised to do the restore via itunes .. Doing so will keep the normal blobs saved in cydia server and for that jailbreakers won't have to do extensive testing

Derek - January 30, 2013 at 11:03am

Any idea why iOS 6.1 is not showing as the latest version in my iTunes (10.7)? 6.02 is still listed as the most up to date. I am on 6.01 on an iPhone 5 but when I try to do a Shift-Restore with iOS 6.1, it says that version is incompatible with my iPhone 5? What gives?

Thatcher - January 30, 2013 at 11:11am

Have you checked your hosts file to see if gs.apple.com is present and if so deleted it? You can download the firmware files from iClarified here: https://iclarified.com/750/where-to-download-iphone-firmware-files-from Once downloaded hit shift and press restore if you can't update automatically.

Dudleydogg - January 30, 2013 at 12:32pm

Mine was doing the exact same thing only available was 6.0.2 Then I went to iTunes menu and told it to search for Software Updates and it started to do that it also prompted me to update my iphone to 6.1 kick it and it will respond.

erick - January 30, 2013 at 4:02pm

I had the same problem with my 4s and a ipod . sorry i cant give any other info . but i did an OTA, then this problem went away. I do think you can do a itune restore after an OTA . but wait for more info. this problem lasted for me for almost a year, on my ipod

Rob - January 31, 2013 at 5:56am

Derek, you must download the correct firmware files. In my case I had to restore using http://appldnld.apple.com/iOS6.1/041-6487.20130128.Ihb56/iPhone5,2_6.1_10B143_Restore.ipsw Which is 6.1.0 GSM CDMA (For mac users....Hold down the option key then press restore in iTunes and select the ipsw you just downloaded. For pc users hold down shift and select restore)

Bchccc - January 31, 2013 at 8:34am

You must upgrade your itunes... the current version is 11.01

John - January 30, 2013 at 6:04am

Do I have to hit restore or can I just update regular via itunes?

Thatcher - January 30, 2013 at 8:45am

You can just hit update in iTunes.

Aleksandr - January 30, 2013 at 9:49am

You have to destroy your iPhone/iPod and then get it restored and only after that you can jailbreak it!

Thatcher - January 30, 2013 at 11:12am

Either you're trolling or don't know how to update. You just hit update in iTunes when your device is connected.

Timmy O-Toole - January 29, 2013 at 11:46pm

Does iOS 6.1 offer any actual new features ?

Aleksandr - January 30, 2013 at 2:57am

Yes it's like a whole new user interface!

Thatcher - January 30, 2013 at 8:45am

No it's mainly bug and security fixes.

Timmy O-Toole - January 30, 2013 at 10:04pm

Your Mum needs a whole new interface

Dave - January 29, 2013 at 9:06pm

I did an OTA update but apparently all I have to do to fix that is restore correct? If I press restore on iTunes, once my phone is erased, can I restore my data from iCloud? Or does it have to be a restore from my computer?

unixes - January 29, 2013 at 9:32pm

I think, if you have all your data stored on iCloud you can restore it from there. If you have only contacts or only one part of your iphone storage on iCloud, it's better to make a backup on your computer and then restore it from there.

Dave - January 29, 2013 at 9:38pm

Thank you, I do have all my data backed up on iCloud.

iMike - January 29, 2013 at 7:32pm

"make a full restore using iTunes" - not update. We have to download 6.1 manually and than shift + restore.

James - January 29, 2013 at 11:11pm

Or you can just press restore. It does the same thing but has itunes download the restore file and then I think itunes deletes it. Which is a pain. DFU + Restore is generally the best course of action.

Carlos - January 29, 2013 at 4:28pm

What if I updated via itunes with no restore. Can I do a restore and everything will be ok for the jailbreak?

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 4:39pm

If you updated to 6.1 with iTunes then you're fine. If you updated OTA then do a restore with iTunes.

Tk. - January 29, 2013 at 6:53pm

So the Update via iTunes is Fine? No restore needed? I also did the normal Update via iTunes 900 MB Package but Not a complete restore as this takes way to much time.

Thatcher - January 30, 2013 at 8:51am

If you did a full update through iTunes you're fine. You don't need to restore.

Paul - January 29, 2013 at 3:22pm

Will I need to download the 6.1 firmware to jailbreak?

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 3:58pm

If you plug your device into iTunes and choose the update option iTunes will download it for you.

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 1:05pm

This issue is also caused by a hosts entry that needs to be removed. If you are using Windows it's saved here: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc If you are using Mac it's saved here: /private/etc/hosts once you have found your hosts file open it with a text editor (Notepad on Windows and TextEdit on Mac) and remove the entry: 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com Once removed save your hosts file and close iTunes. Reopen iTunes and update your device.

suraj001 - January 29, 2013 at 2:56pm

Dude i am not able to save the host file as error occuring' you can't save file you required administrator permission' as how to get through this pls help....?

Failbreak - January 29, 2013 at 3:06pm

Just right click on the file and click on run as administrator then save it After that go and learn the basics of computer

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 4:01pm

First of all you need to make sure you are an administrator of the machine you are using. The best way to change the setting is to copy the hosts file on to your desktop and edit the copied version on your desktop using the method i posted above. Once you have the modded version on the desktop just drag and drop the file into the original hosts directory. If you are using OSX it will ask you to authenticate (put in your password) and if you are using Windows the account validation window will appear, just click accept or whatever it says (not at my machine so can't tell exactly)

Jan - January 29, 2013 at 12:49pm

See what type of crap is that OTA or iTunes??? Its the same.. lool

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 12:56pm

It's not the same. Updating via iTunes creates a backup of your device so that if anything goes wrong it can be state restored. OTA does no backup at all.

Jan - January 29, 2013 at 1:02pm

Ok did you read what muscleherd said he said OTA is not same as updating iTunes.. He didnt say anything about backup..

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 1:08pm

OTA only patches the firmware files on the device and doesn't do a full backed up restore. Why do you think he said use iTunes if they're the same. Look at the file sizes of the different updates....iTunes 900MB and OTA 80MB. So the 800MB+ is for nothing?

Jan - January 29, 2013 at 1:15pm

Ok thats for the full firmware DOWNLOAD not restore on itunes there is a difference thats why its huge but over the air should not affect the JB no matter what.. I work in programming fyi there is NO difference...

Jan - January 29, 2013 at 1:29pm

CORRECTLY what im saying.. Cause i been doin OTA for awhile and then do the JB with NO problem at ALL... See you play around in programming, but my job is programming....

Jan - January 29, 2013 at 1:31pm

Plus muscleherd had never DONE a JB at all, all he has ever done is PLUG in the JB in redsnow.... So I def can say he dont know jack..

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 1:44pm

LMFAO are you serious? Really, honestly? Do you really think all MuscleNerd does it put the execution package into a Windows/Mac app?

liam - January 29, 2013 at 11:53am

i accidentally updated 6.1 OTA , and want the jailbreak-- any chance to revert back to 6.01 and re-update over itunes?

jk9357 - January 29, 2013 at 11:59am

You can still restore using iTunes, then it should be fine.

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 12:57pm

OTA isn't as safe to Jailbreak but as long as the signing window is open (which it will be for a while) you can restore using iTunes on your PC/Mac

Nitro - January 29, 2013 at 11:48am

is there gonna be a 6.0.1 jb?

Thatcher - January 29, 2013 at 12:59pm

No, you n need to update to 6.1 asap.

Ian - January 29, 2013 at 10:19am

Im just wondering, why is it that on iTunes the size of the update to be downloaded is around 900+MB while on OTA the update file is only 86MB? (iphone4s)

Sakib - January 29, 2013 at 10:31am

That's because when you do an OTA update, it only adds the changes which is the reason it updates so quick. If you want to jailbreak you need a full, fresh and clean copy of iOS 6.1 so you have to do a backup then restore using iTunes.. RESTORE not UPDATE; There's a big difference :)

Ian - January 29, 2013 at 10:40am

im still quite new to iOS. im done with the backing up, now im downloading the ipsw file for backup. Don't I need to update my phone? (windows: shift + click update, then ipsw file) or restore? what do I need to know to do a restore to 6.1? just click restore? thanks anyway

ian - January 29, 2013 at 10:45am

im sorry, the guy below said the solution already -face palm- thanks rob

Rob - January 29, 2013 at 8:12am

Anyone having problems restoring via iTunes with it saying device not compatible... you must download the correct firmware files. In my case I had to restore using http://appldnld.apple.com/iOS6.1/041-6487.20130128.Ihb56/iPhone5,2_6.1_10B143_Restore.ipsw Which is 6.1.0 GSM CDMA (For mac users....Hold down the option key then press restore in iTunes and select the ipsw you just downloaded. For pc users hold down shift and select restore)

Elizabeth - January 29, 2013 at 11:28am

Rob ,,,,thanks so much ! worked like a charm !! xoxo Now I know exactly what to do with my ipad 2 ,,, will wait till friday though cuz I didn't let go of jb,, still o 5.1.1 :) have a wonderful day cuz you just made my day :D