How to jailbreak iOS 4.3.1 (untethered)

The folks at the iPhone Dev Team have released updated versions of the redsn0w tool  PwnageTool that lets you jailbreak nearly any device that runs iOS 4.3.1 — the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system. The iPad 2 isn’t currently supported, and the developers haven’t yet released the tools to carrier unlock an iPhone running iOS 4.3.1, so if you plan to use your AT&T iPhone on another network, you should probably hold off on upgrading to iOS 4.3.1 in the first place.

But for anyone else with an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 3rd or 4th generation, original iPad, or second generation Apple TV, you can now use the latest tools for untethered jailbreaking. In layman’s terms, that means you can open up your iOS device to run code that’s not officially supported by Apple and install third party apps that aren’t available in the App Store — including apps that change the core functionality of the device.

The untethered part means that you won’t need to plug your iPhone into a computer every time you want to reboot the phone. Previous jailbreak methods for iOS 4.3.x were tethered, which meant you would lose the jailbreak if you rebooted without that USB cable handy.

If you have an iPad, you’ll need to use PwnageTool, which is available for Mac. All other supported devices can be jailbroken using redsn0w, which is available for Mac and Windows.

Windows users can also use the latest version of sn0wbreeze.

The following steps will show you how to use redsn0w to jailbreak an iPod touch using a Windows computer and redsn0w. The steps for jailbreaking an iPhone or iPad will be similar. I just happened to have an iPod touch handy.

1. Download redsn0w from the iPhone Dev Team web site (or download the OS X or Windows files directly).

2. Unzip the file and open the folder.

3. Run redsn0w.exe from that folder

4. Click browse, and the app should automatically locate the appropriate ipsw file. If not, you’ll want to browse for the file. If you recently updated to iOS 4.3.1, the files will likely be located in your iTunes directory in a folder called iPod (or iPhone or iPad) Software updates.

5. After you select the file, redsn0w will take a moment to process it.

6. Click Next.

7. Redsn0w will show a progress indicator as it prepares the files to load.

8. Select the options you want. Odds are you’ll at the very least want to install Cydia, which is an app store for software that isn’t available from iTunes.

9. Select Next.

10. Make sure your iPod is connected to your computer and powered off.

11. Click Next.

12. Follow the on-screen instructions carefully, but in a nutshell you have to a) Hold the power button for three seconds b) Keep holding the power button, but now also hold the Home button for 10 seconds c) Now release the power button but keep holding the Home button for 15 seconds.

13. Redsn0w should reboot your device and you’ll see lines of code running across the screen for a while before a pineapple and progress bar show up.

14. When your device finishes rebooting you should see the icon for the Cydia Store on your home screen. You’re now jailbroken and you should be able to install unsupported apps and tweak the heck out of your iDevice.