'Absinthe A5' Brings First Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2

Friday January 20, 2012 9:20 am PST by Eric Slivka
Noted iOS jailbreak author pod2g has teamed up with the Chronic Dev Team to release "Absinthe A5", an enhancement to the popular Greenpois0n jailbreaking tool which adds the ability to perform an untethered jailbreak of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 for the first time.

A related effort from the iPhone Dev Team will include a command-line tool for more control over the jailbreaking process and to assist with diagnosis and repair. Absinthe is currently available only for Mac OS X, although versions for Windows and Linux are set to follow shortly.

Jailbreaking is the process by which users can open up their iOS device systems to load third-party software and hacks not authorized by Apple. Procedures for jailbreaking iOS devices are typically divided into two categories: "tethered" tools that required the device to be connected to a computer each time it is booted, and "untethered" tools that allow the device to be booted independently.

Untethered jailbreaks are obviously the more highly desired of the two forms, and Absinthe represents the first of these untethered jailbreaking tools for iOS devices such as the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 that run Apple's A5 system-on-a-chip.

Device and iOS version combinations that can be jailbroken using Absinthe include the iPhone 4S running iOS 5.0 (9A334) and 5.0.1 (9A405 and 9A406) and all models of the iPad 2 running iOS 5.0.1 (9A405).

Apple warns that jailbreaking can void a device's warranty, and users should be aware of the potential implications of jailbreaking their devices, but most issues can be resolved using common jailbreak tools and devices can be reverted to their non-jailbroken states if necessary.

Update: The Greenpois0n site is currently seeing intermittent availability issues undoubtedly related to high traffic coming from the new release.

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roadbloc
103 months ago
iOS 5.0.2 that includes fix for 'security flaws' on iPhone 4S in 3... 2...
Rating: 30 Votes
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i hate phones
103 months ago

The only remaining reason really is that people want to pirate things.


congrats on being ignorant and uneducated :D
Rating: 24 Votes
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Bartboy919
103 months ago

The only remaining reason really is that people want to pirate things.


Really, if I recall correctly, Apples stock SMS app is HORRIBLE. I gladly paid the Bitesms Developers $8 to use their App BitseSMS. It's just SO MUCH BETTER. There is really no comparison.

People like you are why I dislike some people in the tech community, I really have no interest in pirated apps, what I'm interested in is a platform that is not full of BS only apple "approves". I'll gladly use my data how I choose, whether it be on my phone or on my computer, thank you very much. Which means I will have a tethering app on my phone relatively soon.
Rating: 19 Votes
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guywoodman7
103 months ago

This is a serious question and i hope someone could answer it. I dont get why people keep jailbreaking their iPhone instead of just getting an android? Im an iPhone user and i like it the way it is. if i wanted a jailbroken one, i would simply get a (cheapier) Android..

is it because of the apps? I really just want to know.


It's the best of both worlds.
Rating: 17 Votes
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guywoodman7
103 months ago

OK, so what actually do you change in your iOS?


SBSettings

Love having the quick toggles and I have it set that when I press both my volume buttons at the same time my light turns on. I use it constantly.
Rating: 13 Votes
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robdam1001
103 months ago
Dear Apple Haters, please keep this thread on topic. Start your own "Why do people jailbreak? I don't get it? Why not just get an Android phone?" thread.
Rating: 10 Votes
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NT1440
103 months ago

This is a serious question and i hope someone could answer it. I dont get why people keep jailbreaking their iPhone instead of just getting an android? Im an iPhone user and i like it the way it is. if i wanted a jailbroken one, i would simply get a (cheapier) Android..

is it because of the apps? I really just want to know.


Some of us don't like using android, and like iOS+ a bit more. Simple as that seeing as android != jailbroken iOS in the slightest.
Rating: 10 Votes
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Menopause
103 months ago
Meh.. I used to be a jailbreak freak but I stopped ever since it took ages for JBs to come out. I quit pirating apps and learned to live without themes and some of the rather nice utilities like SBSettings. When 5.1 comes out it'll (probably) be a long wait again. Nevertheless appreciate the effort that the JB team puts in every time.
Rating: 9 Votes
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Renzatic
103 months ago

The only remaining reason really is that people want to pirate things.


I never pirated a single app when I had my iPhone jailbroken. I used it for the neat features I couldn't otherwise get, such as the weather icon changing to reflect the weather outside, 5 icons on the dock, and SBSettings.
Rating: 8 Votes
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darwin022
103 months ago

I'm not being arrogant, so please try to help me understand why people jailbreak?

Besides being able to tether without dealing with your cell provider, I see that as a big positive but what else?

There are HUNDREDS of apps already available, no need to jailbreak.

Customizable? Doesn't really interest me, that's mostly a cosmetic thing.

What are the real benefits? Plus I hear more stories of people go back because they had more problems having the phone jailbroken.

Thanks

The reasons, benefits, and detractors for jailbreaking vary from person to person. The reasons I jailbreak are probably different than why a lot of other people jailbreak. It's up to you to find a reason YOU want to jailbreak, or some reason jailbreaking would benefit you.

There are also plenty of people out there who don't see any benefit to jailbreaking and so they don't. Sounds like you're in this category for now.

That said, my main reason for jailbreaking: My iDevices are MY devices, not Apple's. I want full access to MY devices. As a sys admin, I don't want [Apple] restricting what I can and cannot do with MY device. I'm totally OK with being unsupported by Apple when I do this and with the potential ramifications of glitches and bugs brought about by jailbreaking.

edit:
Oh, and adblocking, sbsettings, other tweaks that the devices are capable of but Apple doesn't want to support.
Rating: 8 Votes

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