Dev-Team Forced to Release iPhone 3GS Jailbreak

Now iPhone 3GS users have two jailbreaking solutions at their fingertips. Shortly after geohot (George Hotz) released his own jailbreak in the form of purplera1n, the Dev-Team released a new version of redsn0w for the iPhone 3GS.

As we previously reported here, geohot recommended that everyone with a 3GS follow specific steps to preserve their future ability to jailbreak. Turns out he wasn't content to wait for Dev-Team to release redsn0w for the 3GS.

Dev-Team contended they would hold off on their solution for Apple to release firmware 3.1, just in case Apple closes the hole that makes jailbreaking with these tools possible. From geohot's blog:

Normally I don't make tools for the general public, and rather wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, whats up with waiting until 3.1? That isn't how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn't worth waiting because you might have the "last" hole in the iPhone. What last hole...this isn't golf. I'll find a new one next week. Also your purplera1nyday files ensure that you can always get back to a jailbroken state, so if you have it it's just a matter of tools.

We realize we upset some folks (e.g. existing 3GS owners) with our earlier announcement that we wanted to hold onto the 3GS iBoot-family hole until 3.1 was out. Our aim there was to get as many people as possible onboard (within reason of course) before revealing the hole, since Apple will fix it immediately. But all of that became moot when the purplera1n release was made, since it uses the same hole.

For those of you who already own 3GS phones, the outlook is bright. As long as you have your personalized (signed) dfu/img3 files, you’ll always be able to jailbreak (even if you slip up and install stock Apple firmware in the future). For those of you without 3GS phones, it’s a race against the clock to use this particular hole. There’s nothing we can do about that, but we will always be looking for new holes.

redsn0w is available for Mac OS X, WIndows, and Linux. purplera1n is ready for Windows and Mac OS X.

To unlock your iPhone for use with different carriers, Dev-Team has released ultrasn0w. As usual, they warn strongly to remain "particularly vigilant against upgrading your baseband." This means when Apple finally releases iPhone OS 3.1 you must NOT use the stock firmware upgrade!

Geohot has his own tools for this purpose, named purplesn0w. He also claims they are "pristine" and the "best" soft unlock out there.

It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will close this hole with iPhone OS 3.1. If they do, it's sure to set off another race to the next jailbreak.