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Guide To Downgrade iOS 5.1.1 To iOS 5.1/5.0.1/5.0 (A4 Only)

By on May 10, 2012 in Posted In: iPad, iPhone, Jailbreak

Downgrading an iOS device is becoming harder than ever. In the old days, it used to be simple. All one had to do is download the older firmware and overwrite it. But now Apple has made it hard but we have the Dev Team on our side and with their redsn0w tool, downgrading to a lower iOS version is easily achievable.

The reason to downgrade is pretty obvious – for jailbreaking. The upcoming tutorial will help you to downgrade if you?ve saved the SHSH+APTicket. If you haven?t done so, then read no further as you?re out of luck.

How To Downgrade iOS 5.1.1 to iOS 5.1/5.0.1/5.0 (A4)

Step 1: Download redsn0w 0.9.10b8b for Windows/Mac.

Step 2: Use iTunes/iCloud to back up your device?s data if it?s important.

Step 3: Open redsn0w and use a USB cable to connect the device to PC/Mac.

redsn0w 0.9.10b8b

Step 4: Select Extras, and then tap on SHSH blobs > Stich.

redsn0w 0.9.10b8b extra

Step 5: Choose the IPSW which you need to downgrade to, and then point the redsn0w tool to the .plist file that contracts the APTicket and SHSH blobs, if stored locally. If they?re stored in Cydia, you?ll see the option greying out but don?t worry, they?ll be available when you?re in DFU mode.

redsn0w 0.9.10b8b stitch

Step 6: Now enter DFU mode, tap on Cydia if the files mentioned in Step 5 are not stored locally, and redsn0w will save the new stitched IPSW file.

Step 7: Now enter the Pwned DFU Mode. To do this, go to redsn0w?s main screen, tap on Extras > Pwned DFU and just follow the instructions on-screen.

Step 8: Now point the hosts file towards Cydia?s servers in order to spoof the device into thinking Apple has authorized the process. Windows users should go to Windows > System 32 > drivers > etc while Mac users should go to etc. Now with any text editor, add the following line at the end of the hosts file:

74.208.105.171     gs.apple.com



Step 9: At last, open iTunes, hold down the left ALT key on Mac or the left SHIFT key if you?re on Windows. Tap the Restore button, choose the stitched IPSW file and restore. The process isn?t that long and after a while, you?ll be presented the old firmware of your choice.

The guide doesn?t work for users who have an A5/A5X device, since they are not vulnerable to Limera1n. Unlockers dependant on older basebands should create a custom firmware without the upgraded baseband with redsn0w for the firmware to be downgraded to. This is going to be the firmware file that you are going to point resn0w to in Step 5 and so on.

Leave us your thoughts!

About Adeel Qayum

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  • iPhone4User

    I am stuck with error number 1 while downgrading…please help…I did everything correctly as per the steps above

    • laurivers

      me 2..,please help

  • processreliability

    You should be in recovery mode when error 1 shows up.

    Get back into Redsnow

    Click “Extras”

    Click “Recovery Fix”

    Go into DFU mode at the 1st screen (pwr button 3 sec, pwr+home 10 sec, home 10 sec) –> the screen advances automatically when you’re in DFU mode

    watch the process take place on your iPhone. when it’s finished go back to itunes and set your phone up as normal (new or from backup)

    you’re set! (now jailbreak if you want to as you would normally)

    . . . you’re welcome!

    • Herman

      Hi processreliablity,

      You are my saviour! Of all the websites I’d gone through, all of them skipped this IMPORTANT step.

      I had finally able to restore to 5.0.1

      Thanks a lot!!

    • Reece

      Man, was struggling kept on getting downgrade error (1) came across your solution and wow it worked!!! And now everything is back to work…

      Thank you so much.

    • http://www.manzanasymoras.com Gabriela Mejia

      YOU ROCK!!!
      Thank you verY much for your time.

    • kelt

      thanks man….it works…you are genius ….. thanks

    • Scott

      Thank you so much!! made my night with that.

    • jared

      I finally got everything to work, restored to iOS 5.0.1 and my baseband is still 4.12.01 !!! Any help here?

      • jared

        I finally got everything to work, restored to iOS 5.0.1 and my baseband is still 4.12.01 !!! Any help here?

        Sorry for the repeat question. Forgot to check notify me…

    • Neko

      Thx a lot processreliability! You were the only one that had a solution for error (1) or (-1)! everywhere else ppl would tell me to take to an Apple Store, due to hardware issues!

      Thx thx =D

      You’re the best

  • Thisguy

    I cant find the hosts file on my mac i even looked in the etc file

  • http://www.manzanasymoras.com Gabriela Mejia

    I get this error:
    The iPhone “iPhone” could not be restored.
    An unknown error ocurred (1600).
    :-(
    iPhone 4(GSM) ios 5,1

    • http://www.manzanasymoras.com Gabriela Mejia

      I restarted my computer (iMac) and it worked like a charm, got the “error 1″ but followed “processreliability” instructions and YES YES YES!!! working and happY :-)

  • http://idealsexfilms.nl melvin

    No matter what i tried even with post of processreliability still get ’1′ and ’1600′errors, at the end i make a new signed version of IOS 5.0.1 with Ifaith worked direct.

    • http://www.manzanasymoras.com Gabriela Mejia

      I restarted the computer, did everything again and it worked for me…

  • jared

    I finally gor everything to work, restored to iOS 5.0.1 and my baseband is still 4.12.01 !!! Any help here?

  • Daniel

    would this work if i had to downgrade to 4.1
    now i want to return to ios 5.x

    will this work for me?

    i tried to restore to facotory settings and was stuck in pwnd dfu for 3 days and 4.1 baseband 6.15.00 was the only thing i could use to get it to boot haha

  • Abdullah

    When I face the error 1 I follow the instructions but the redsnow interface stops at “fetching required files” and does not go beyond that. Is it at that point that I’m supposed to go into iTunes and do the whole thing all over again? I’m a complete noob with the iphone so please help :/

    “watch the process take place on your iPhone. when it’s finished go back to itunes and set your phone up as normal (new or from backup)

    you’re set! (now jailbreak if you want to as you would normally)”

    Also you say “watch the process take place on your iPhone” nothing happens on the phone itself, it says in DFU mode and remains black.

  • Abdullah

    Okay, i managed to go beyond my previous hurdle (posted in the last post). However, after everything is done, the phone reboots into an OS. I can’t access the OS just yet cause I don’t have a microsim yet. (it’s a new iphone :D ). I was trying to downgrade from 5.1.1 to 5.0.1 cause of extremely poor wifi reception. Do you think I’ve managed to downgrade to 5.0.1 (can’t get into settings and about without the sim just yet) or do I’ve to setup the phone as normal through itunes and use the shsh modified 5.0.1 ispw file to restore the phone to 5.0.1 now? Please help!