[Guide] How to Jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 (Untethered) and unlock iPhone 4S and iPad 2 using Absinthe

After being teased for some time now an untethered jailbreak has been released for iOS 5.0.1 in the form of Absinthe for the Apple iPhone 4S and the Apple iPad 2. The tool comes courtesy of the Chronic Development Team with support from the Pod2g and the iPhone Dev Team.

The tool achieves it's jailbreak state by using the backup / restore method within iTunes, so users with the iPhone 4S who are hoping to use a software method to unlock their device are advised to stay on iOS 5.0.

It is important to remember that Apple will stop signing for iOS 5.0 in October and you wont be able to downgrade your device from iOS 5.0.1 to iOS 5.0 after that. Of course updating to iOS 5.0.1 will also update your device baseband.

The following devices and firmware are supported on Absinthe

• iPhone 4S - iOS 5.0, iOS 5.0.1 (9A405, 9A406)
• iPad 2 Wi-Fi / GSM / CDMA - iOS 5.0.1

Currently Absinthe is only available for the Mac with a Windows and Linux version of the jailbreak tool in the works

So if your devices matches the categories above you can follow our step by step guide which follows

NOTE - Please make a backup of your data before you proceed

NOTE - [UPDATE] The jailbreak tool is currently available for Windows and Mac users

NOTE - Please do not proceed with this jailbreak method if you rely on a software unlock

DISCLAIMER - This website nor the developers of this tool will not take responsibility for any loss of data or malfunctioning of your device which may occure as a result of following this guide. Please continue at your own risk.

1. Download Absinthe for MAC | WINDOWS | LINUX
   
2. Connect your iPad 2 or iPhone 4S to your computer
   
3. Run the executable file inside the compressed folder
   
4. Ensure your device is connected and Click 'Jailbreak'
• Your device will show 'Restoring in Progress'
• Allow the process to continue
  
  
  
5. Once Restore is complete and your device can be accessed
• Click on the Absinthe icon which has appeared on your Springboard.
• Allow the tool to run following which the device will reboot
• When it restarts the Absinthe app will be replaced with Cydia

That's it your device is now jailbroken. You can now head over to Cydia and install your favourite apps and tweaks.

NOTE - You may receive an Error establishing connection message when Absinthe attempts to communicate with it's webservers for the final jailbreak. The error is due to the high volume of traffic on the servers. You are advised to exit to your Springboard and wait a few minutes before you attempt again.

If you continue to face this issue please go to Settings, turn on VPN and wait instead.

• Toggle VPN only AFTER Absinthe says it’s done, or it will not work. 
• VPN SHOULD error and then reboot soon. If it does not, rerun Absinthe!

If you are using a device using an A4 or older processer you can check out our guide to Jailbreak iPhone 4 / iPhone 3GS / iPad 1 / iPod touch using Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze.