Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Apple Stops Signing 4.3.3 Firmware, You Can’t Update or Downgrade to iOS 4.3.3 Anymore

A couple of days ago, Apple just rolled out its latest update for iOS 4 which is the iOS 4.3.4. The main reason for this update was to patch the same security hole that Comex's JailbreakMe 3.0 tool have utilized in order to easily jailbreak various iOS device which includes the never before jailbroken, iPad 2. So the iOS 4.3.4 is highly recommended for those who haven't jailbroken their device and wants to protect it from security threats. But if you are someone who has upgraded to iOS 4.3.4 or iOS 5 Beta 3 and wanting to downgrade to iOS 4.3.3, then we have a bit of a bad news, you can't anymore.
This is because Apple have closed the signing window for iOS 4.3.3. So this means that you can no longer update or downgrade to 4.3.3 through iTunes. The only way you can do upgrade or downgrade to 4.3.3 is if you have saved the SHSH blogs for that particular firmware.
The news actually came from a tweet of iPhone Dev Team member MuscleNerd. He also pointed out that he hopes people who have iPad 2s were not stuck with iOS 5 beta:
This particular news is important for those who are planning to restore to 4.3.3 in order to use Jailbreak 3.0 and for iDevice owners who have upgraded to iOS 5 beta without having their SHSH blobs saved. Take note that with the latest update of iOS 4 which is 4.3.4, untethered jailbreaks are now killed permanently. Which means that if you want the latest untethered jailbreak possible, then you will have to settle with iOS 4.3.3 and below. Because beyond that, untethered jailbreaks are now officially non-existent.
So if you are currently in iOS 4.3.3 and want to the latest untethered jailbreak, then DO NOT upgrade to iOS 4.3.4, especially if you haven't saved the firmware's SHSH blobs. If you haven't saved it yet, then refer to this guide on how to grab the SHSH blobs of 4.3.3 using iFaith even if Apple has stopped signing it. If you have saved the SHSH blobs for 4.3.3 in the past and want to restore to it, then you should have no problem. Just download iOS 4.3.3 IPSW and you should be able to restore to this firmware with no hitch.
As you can see, Apple has been stepping up their game with each iOS update and they certainly make it more difficult for jailbreak developers. Beyond 4.3.3, if you really want to jailbreak your device, then you should settle with tethered solutions. Untethered jailbreaks are slowly going the way of the dodo as evident with iOS 4.3.4 and pretty all the betas for iOS 5. So will we ever reach a point that untethered jailbreaks will become a thing of the past?

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