Notes for Jailbreaking iOS 5 for iPhone 4S + iPad2
by Colin on Feb.17, 2012, under General, Linux, Logo
Actually doing the Jailbreak is easy:
- Download and run the jailbreak app called Absinthe
- Read the install instructions
- Follow the installation instructions
- Be patient.
When you are done you’ll have the Cydia App installed.
“This is where the fun begins” – Anakin Skywalker
My shortlist of apps:
- Activator (Control over gestures)
- SBSettings + Toggles & Themes
- Custom BootLoaders: animate + animate fix (Boot Logos)
- FakeCarrier (or removal for space!)
- Firebreak (Enabling the hidden Panorama Camera feature)
- Five Icon { Dock, Folder, Switcher }
- Five Column Springboard.
- Sound/Ringtone themes.
- Winterboard Themes
- Veency (VNC)
- MXTube
- My{Wi,3G} (Paid$$)
- SSH (only if you know what you are doing)
- Mobible Terminal

SSH:
- Install OpenSSH in Cydia
- Change your default password.
- use public-key/private keys
- Mount and browse your device over SSH
Mobile Terminal:
The one in the Cydia store is *old* and won’t work on iOS4 or iOS5. I’m not sure why, but it seems like the contributor abandoned this package.
You can install it by other means.
http://code.google.com/p/mobileterminal/wiki/Installation
- Adding another repository and installing via Cydia
- Manually installing it (files + Permissions on the device)
- Open the deb with iFile (Paid$$ but with a free trial)
- Cydia auto-installed deb using Cydia’s auto-install feature
- dropping the .deb in the /var/root/Media/Cydia/AutoInstall folder (create it if its not there, case-sensitive)
- http://www.thedailybuggle.com/autoinstall-deb-file-package-cydia-terminal-command-line/
Animated BootLogos:
Back in the early days you could use an app called LogoMe to update a custom boot logo. Then came animate which let you animate your boot logo (Like the Windows 98+ startup logo screens) You’ll need the animate fix to get them to work now.
I ended up making my own Boot Animation of my AppleTux logo with the help of a couple blogposts
The process is simple: basically create a series of PNGs {0.png, 1.png, 2.png, ... n.png} and place them in a named folder inside of /Library/BootLogos/
/Library/BootLogos/AppleTux/ looks like this:
And can be downloaded here:

February 17th, 2012 on 7:26 pm
MyWi, Five Icon Dock, Shrink, Winterboard should make that short list as well.
April 14th, 2012 on 9:40 pm
Do not restore. Jailbreak again using the latest Redsnow. When offered the option during the JB process, select “Deactivate”. Once ATT has cleared the phone for unlock, when you connect to iTunes it will activate and you will get the you have unlocked message.