iOS 6.1.4 Released for iPhone 5 [IPSW Download Links]

Apple has released a minor update for iPhone 5 users, versioned as iOS 6.1.4 with a build ID of 10B350. The brief release notes suggest the only change is an “Updated audio profile for speakerphone”, though in our own before and after testing we were not able to determine any obvious differences in speakerphone output sound or quality upon installing the update.

Update to iOS 6.1.4 through OTA

The new version is quite small at 11.5MB when downloaded as an over-the-air delta update. OTA is the easiest way to install the update and can be done by doing the following:

  • Open Settings, go to “General”, then “Software Update” and choose “Download and Install”

To use OTA update you must be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Even though the release is quite small, it’s always a good idea to backup before beginning in the odd event that something goes wrong.

iOS 6.1.4 IPSW Direct Download Links

For those who prefer to use firmware files for manually updating iOS with iTunes, these are direct links to IPSW from Apple’s servers. Right-click and choose ‘Save As’ for best results:

Most users should use the automatic updates through OTA or iTunes, but if you’re going the IPSW route be sure to download the proper version for your device. iPhone GSM models relay on a SIM card, while CDMA models do not, if you have no idea which your device is you can learn how to determine which version you have.

As of now, the update is available exclusively for iPhone 5 users, though it’s possible that Apple will issue a delayed rollout for other devices as well.

How to Jailbreak iPhone 5 & iOS 6.1 Devices with Evasi0n

The Evasi0n jailbreak utility has been released to provide and untethered jailbreak to all iOS 6 and iOS 6.1 devices. This is also the first jailbreak to be available for iPhone 5, making it a particularly exciting release for those who have been waiting for an iPhone 5 Screen Shot 2013-02-05 at 8.40.01 AMjailbreak.

Jailbreaking with the Evasion tool is surprisingly easy, but if you’re new to jailbroken devices and want to see how it goes we will walk through the process from start to finish. Additionally, we’ll cover a few common problems and troubleshooting solutions for some of the more frequently encountered issues.

Before beginning, you will need the following:

  • A compatible device, including: iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 4th or 5th gen, iPad 4, iPad 3, iPad 2, or iPad Mini
  • A device running either iOS 6 or iOS 6.1
  • Download the Evasi0n jailbreak and unzip on your computer
  • A USB cable to perform the initial jailbreak – this is the only time you will need to tether the device

Most importantly, please take the time to back up the iOS device before beginning. This only takes a moment, and it allows you to restore from the backup in case something goes wrong, or if you want to undo the jailbreak without losing any of your personal data. To err on the completely safe side, you may want to manually back up to the computer with iTunes in addition to a remote backup with iCloud, guaranteeing a reliable backup is stored.

Once backed up, you are ready to start the jailbreak.

Jailbreak iOS 6.1 with Evasi0n

The jailbreak process is identical in Mac OS X and Windows:

  • Back up the iOS device (you did this, right?)
  • Temporarily turn off the iOS lock screen passcode by going to Settings > General > Passcode Lock and turn OFF
  • Launch Evasi0n and connect the device to the computer via USB
  • After Evasi0n recognizes the device, click “Jailbreak” and let Evasi0n do it’s thing
  • Watch the progress indicator, towards the very end is the only time you will need to do anything

Most of the jailbreak is hands-off, but you will need to tap the “Evasion” icon on your iOS device at one point to complete the jailbreak.

The rest of it is smooth sailing with little user input, making it one of the easiest jailbreaks ever released. Once everything is finished, the device will reboot and show an Evasi0n logo. Once back on the Home Screen, flip through until you see the familiar Cydia icon, signifying the successful jailbreak.

Launch Cydia, and away you go. There are tons of free tweaks, apps, and tools available to jailbroken devices so poke around and have fun.

For newbies, when you first launch Cydia you will be asked what kind of user you are, user, hacker, or developer. Most will be better off choosing “User”, but if you pick either other choice and run apps like OpenSSH, be sure you take the extra steps of changing the default root password on the iPhone or iOS device, or else the device could be connected to remotely with SSH by anyone who uses the default passwords. This is not something that non-jailbroken users have to worry about, and not something anyone who doesnt run SSH servers has to be concerned with either.

Troubleshooting Evasi0n Jailbreak Problems

Everything has a white icon! Help! – Fixing white icons for apps like Calculator and whatever else can be done by tapping on Cydia and letting it load. Quit out of Cydia and the icons should be normal again.

Cydia is blank, there is nothing is in Cydia! – The Cydia package servers are overloaded, relax and try again later.

I’m trying to install XYZ package and seeing weird “Host Unreachable” and 404 errors – The package servers are too busy to handle the request, this will resolve itself on it’s own over time. Take a break and try installing the package later.

Cydia is showing “NetDB: Open node name nor servname provided” errors – This can be caused by two things, either a buggy network connection or because the Cydia servers are overloaded. Try resetting your Network Settings, if that doesn’t resolve the issue, it’s safe to assume that Cydia is just busy.

Evasi0n Jailbreak for iOS 6.1 Released [Download Links]

The first iOS 6.1 untethered jailbreak has been released by a group known as The Evad3rs. The tool is called “Evasi0n” and runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux, allowing for any device running iOS 6.1 to be quickly jailbroken by following a few simple steps.

evasi0n-jailbreak

evasi0n-jailbreak

Those interested in Evasi0n will find the jailbreak compatible with iOS 6.1 running on iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 4th & 5th gen, and apparently even works for iPad 3, iPad 4, and iPad Mini. iOS 6 is also supported on some devices.

Remember to backup to iTunes or to iCloud before proceeding.

Download Evasi0n Jailbreak for iOS 6.1

Download links are courtesy of Evasion, more mirrors are available there if necessary:

Users will need a USB cable to connect the device to a computer and run through the initial jailbreaking process, despite Evasi0n being an untethered jailbreak. Once the jailbreak is complete, the untether means the iOS device can be rebooted freely away from a computer, without the need for boot assistance or ‘tethering’ to a PC running the original jailbreak app. That is what makes an untethered device more popular than a tethered release.

For those less familiar, jailbreaking unlocks Apple’s restrictions on iOS devices and allows for third party software to be installed on them without going just through Apple’s App Store. Once a device is jailbroken, a third party app market known as Cydia becomes available, where unique customizations can be found for things like lock screens, apps, and the addition of other features that are otherwise not possible. Jailbreaking is legal for iPhone devices, but there remains some unusual grey area technicalities for tablets like the iPad, and Apple does not approve of or sanction jailbreaking, which can lead to some difficulties trying to get such a device serviced. Whether or not running a jailbreak tool is worthwhile is entirely up to you, but they can be undone rather easily.

iOS 6.1 Update Released [Direct Download Links]

iOS 6.1 Download

iOS 6.1 Download

iOS 6.1 has been released to the public. The update consists of bug fixes and improvements, including wider LTE support for more carriers, the ability to purchase movie tickets with Siri, a new feature that lets iTunes Match subscribers download individual songs from iCloud, and a new button to reset the unique Advertising Identifier for each device. The release notes can be read below.

Devices that support iOS 6.1 are the same that were supported by beta versions, including iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 4th gen, and iPod touch 5th gen.

Download iOS 6.1 Update

There are a variety of ways to get iOS 6.1, including OTA updates, through iTunes, or the more advanced method of downloading IPSW files and performing a manual update. It’s always a good idea to back up any iOS device before installing a new update. Backups can be done manually with iCloud or with iTunes to your local computer.

Update to iOS 6.1 with OTA
The fastest way to get iOS 6.1 is to use OTA. This can be done by:

  • Opening “Settings” and tapping “General”
  • Choose “Software Update” and then “Download and Install”

The iOS 6.1 update weighs in around 107MB when downloaded with Over-the-Air.
Update with iTunes
Connecting any compatible device to iTunes should trigger the request for the 6.1 update and download.

iOS 6.1 IPSW Direct Download Links

The following firmware files are hosted by Apple. Updating with firmware is considered more advanced and not necessary for most users, though it’s not particularly complicated and you can learn how to use them here. Right-click a link below and choose ‘Save As’ for best results.

Separately, Apple TV has been updated to 5.2 and includes Bluetooth keyboard support:

iOS 6.1 Release Notes

The release notes are brief:

  • LTE support for more carriers (complete list of supported carriers here)
  • Purchase movie tickets through Fandango via Siri (USA only)
  • iTunes Match subscribers can now download individual songs from iCloud
  • New button to reset the Advertising Identifier

iOS 6.0.2 Released with Wi-Fi Fix for iPhone 5 & iPad Mini [Download Links]

Apple has released iOS 6.0.2, a minor version release with a major fix aimed at iPhone 5 and iPad Mini users who have experienced problematic wi-fi connections with the devices. The changelog for the 6.0.2 update says the update includes improvements and bug fixes, but only lists “Fixes a bug that could impact Wi-Fi” in the list of adjustments.

iOS 6.0.2 Released with Wi-Fi Fix for iPhone 5 & iPad Mini

iOS 6.0.2 Released with Wi-Fi Fix for iPhone 5 & iPad Mini

The iOS 6.0.2 update is available now and can be downloaded from iTunes by connecting the iOS device to a computer, updated with Over-the-Air from the device itself, or by directly grabbing firmware files that are hosted by Apple and updating manually with IPSW. Attempting the OTA update may provoke a temporary error as the release propagates throughout Apple’s content delivery servers, if you encounter such an error try again in another few minutes. The OTA update is by far the quickest method and the smallest download, taking less than a minute to install.

iOS 6.0.2 Direct Download Links

These are direct download links of IPSW files hosted with Apple, right-click and choose “Save As”.

We’ve discussed various connectivity and wi-fi issues pertaining to iPhone 5 on separate occasions, and previously offered a workaround that involved setting manual DNS entries which provided some relief for the sporadic wireless speed issue. Making troubleshooting initially difficult was the observation that wi-fi problems only manifested when a particular iOS device was connected to certain brands or models of wireless routers. The iOS 6.0.2 update is expected to resolve this entirely, regardless of the router or device in use.

As of now, the iOS 6.0.2 update is limited to iPhone 5 and iPad Mini. For other users, iOS 6.1 is currently in beta and expected to be released within the coming weeks.

iOS 6.1 Beta 4 Released for Developers

iOS 6.1 Beta 4 has been released to developers registered with Apple’s iOS Dev program. The 4th beta release of iOS 6.1 is build 10B5126b, and is now available to download through OTA update on devices already running existing 6.1 betas. As usual, IPSW firmware files are also available to download directly from the dev center. Compatible devices continue to be the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and the iPod touch 4th and 5th gen.

There does not appear to be any significant change, and iOS 6.1 is expected to be an incremental update with bug fixes and improvements to Apple Maps, Passbook, Siri, and Safari. Some minor user interface changes have also been noticed by those using the developer builds.

iOS 6.1 Beta 4 Released for Developers

iOS 6.1 Beta 4 Released for Developers

There is no projected release date for when iOS 6.1 will be available to the public, but the beta releases are progressing along at such a rate that we could see a release within the next few weeks.

iOS 6.1 Beta 3 Released for Developers

The third beta of iOS 6.1 has been released to developers, edging closer to a wider public release for the minor software update. iOS 6.1 beta 3 arrives as build 10B5117b and is available as an OTA update to anyone currently running iOS 6.1 beta 2. IPSW for beta 3 will also be available for downloading from the iOS Developer Center.

ios6-1-beta3

ios6-1-beta3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thus far, no significant changes have been found in iOS 6.1 betas, and the release primarily consists of minor improvements to Maps, Passbook, Siri, and Safari, as well as a variety of bug fixes and minor UI adjustments.

 

iOS 6.1 Beta 1 Released to Developers

Alongside the public release of the iOS 6.0.1 update, registered Apple Developers received access to the first beta of iOS 6.1. Included in the release are a variety of minor UI changes, and a new Map Kit aimed at developers to help the built-in Maps app.

iOS 6.1 beta 1 arrives as build 10B5095f, and is compatible with iPad 2, iPad 3, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 4th and 5th gen. Curiously, the early releases of iOS 6.1 beta did not include IPSW for iPad 4 or iPad mini, but those should arrive shortly. Alongside iOS 6.1 beta is also a new version of Xcode 4.6, which is required to build apps for the latest beta iOS.

If you are interested in seeing some of the minor changes thus far included in iOS 6.1 beta, check out 9to5mac’s ongoing thread on the matter.

iOS 6.0.1 Software Update

About iOS 6.0.1 Software Update

ios-6-0-1-update

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Fixes a bug that prevents iPhone 5 from installing software updates wirelessly over the air
• Fixes a bug where horizontal lines may be displayed across the keyboard
• Fixes an issue that could cause camera flash to not go off
• Improves reliability of iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation) when connected to encrypted WPA2 Wi-Fi networks
• Resolves an issue that prevents iPhone from using the cellular network in some instances
• Consolidated the Use Cellular Data switch for iTunes Match
• Fixes a Passcode Lock bug which sometimes allowed access to Passbook pass details from lock screen
• Fixes a bug affecting Exchange meetings