iOS 5.1.1

Do you miss Google Maps? Did the iOS 6.0 update shorten battery life on your A4 device? Whether you upgraded by mistake, or you're just looking to bring back the older firmware, now you can downgrade your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS to iOS 5.1.1. The following iOS downgrade instructions work on most A4 devices, including the iPod touch 4G.

Now that Apple has stopped signing older firmware, you must have your SHSH blobs saved for iOS 5.1.1 for this procedure to work properly. Downgrading will also require that you have the appropriate IPSW firmware file downloaded to your computer. You can grab iOS 5.1.1 for the iPhone 4 here, or for the iPhone 3GS at this link. Make sure you know where this IPSW file is saved before starting the instructions below.

iPhone Dev Team member MuscleNerd has confirmed that an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1 will be released this week. Over the weekend, pod2g tweeted that "something big" was going to happen at the Hack In The Box security conference in Amsterdam being held May 21 through May 25. He later added that a public release was only a few days away. On Monday, MuscleNerd released an iOS 5.1.1 "info sheet" that revealed how the iPhone 3GS and iPod 3G made the jailbreak cut.

The upcoming jailbreak will be released via multiple tools just like the iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak was (e.g. cinject, RedSn0w, and Absinthe). All current iOS devices will be supported except for AppleTV 3. For a complete list of supported devices click here. MuscleNerd's "info sheet" is posted below.

Pod2g is only a few days away from releasing the first untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1. The iOS hacker tweeted: "Thanks to awesome work of @planetbeing and @pimskeks, we're near ready for a release. Now it's a matter of days." Pod2g previously announced that "something big" was going to happen at the Hack In The Box security conference in Amsterdam.

Pod2g recently added the iPhone 3GS and iPod 3G to the list of supported devices. The AppleTV 3 is currently the only device that will not be supported. The Chronic Dev Team will release the jailbreak tool when it's ready for the public.

iOS developer pod2g is only a "couple of weeks" away from releasing his new jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1. He previously announced that he had successfully tested the jailbreak on the original iPad, iPad 2, new iPad, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Meaning that the iPod 3G, iPhone 3GS and ATV3 would not be supported. On Friday, pod2g announced that both the iPod 3G and iPhone 3GS will be compatible with the new jailbreak.

"Good news. We've found a way through for iPod 3G and iPhone 3Gs users. Upcoming jailbreak will be compatible."

There was also some confusion over what iPad models would be supported, but it seems safe to assume that the iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak will work with every version of the iPad. Pod2g hasn't officially tested the iPhone 3GS, or non-Wi-Fi iPads yet, but he has said that they "should work." Read on for his complete list of tested devices for the upcoming jailbreak.

Once again, some iPhone owners have experienced problems with their battery life after updating to the latest firmware, in this case iOS 5.1.1. Updating over-the-air is convenient, but for some it caused battery life to be noticeably shorter despite the fixing of several bugs. Problems including 2G to 3G network switching and AirPlay video bugs were among the problems fixed.

This is nice, but when your battery takes a hit this can seem to be the bigger problem. The good news is that thanks to CNET there are simple steps that will return your battery to its full potential.