How To Jailbreak the Apple iPhone 4 on iOS 5.1.1

Maybe you’ve read our New Here section? Maybe you’ve seen a friend’s iPhone that was jailbroken and decided you wanted that type of freedom as well? Either way, let us show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 4 on the latest firmware at the time of writing this; iOS 5.1.1 using the Absinthe jailbreaking program.

I. Before You Begin

1. This will void your warranty, BUT only as long as you keep it jailbroken, if you un-jailbreak it, your warranty is reinstated.

II. Update to iOS 5.1.1

1. You must be on the iOS 5.1.1 version of iOS for this to work. To check what version you are on, simply tap Settings > General > About and scroll down to Version and it should say 5.1.1 next to it.

2. If it says anything lesser than that (i.e. 4.0.3, 5.0.1, 5.0, etc.), you must update to iOS 5.1.1 before continuing. If it says anything higher than that (i.e. 6.0, 6.1, etc.) please head to our iOS How To’s section and look for the how to for your version.

3. To update, plug your device in via USB cable to your computer, open iTunes, select your iPhone under devices on the left side and then select Update under the image of your device, under “Version”.

4. After your device has been updated, we can continue.

III. Jailbreak the iPhone

1. Download the Absinthe jailbreaking program for your specific computer operating system and save it to your computer.

Absinthe Jailbreaking Program for Windows

Absinthe Jailbreaking Program for Mac

Absinthe Jailbreaking Program for Linux

2. Once saved to your computer unzip it if using Windows.

3. Next, double click either the .exe (for Windows), .dmg (for Mac), or .tar.bz2 (for Linux) and launch the program.

4. Once the program opens up, plug in your device via USB cable. If iTunes opens up, close it.

5. Select the Jailbreak button in the Absinthe program.

6. Wait for it to finish, it will take a while so be patient.

7. Once you see the Cydia icon on your device’s screen, you are all set and can disconnect from the USB cable!

IV. (Optional) Troubleshooting if the Program Doesn’t Work

1. If you get an Error Establishing a Database Connection error, click on Settings on the phone then tap VPN on, you will get an error but then it will restart and you can check the home screen and Cydia should now be visible. If so, you’re all set.

2. Check AbsintheJailbreak.com for more troubleshooting help.

If this procedure helped you, please take a second to click the donate link in the program or visit AbsintheJailbreak.com and donate to the developers of the program for all their hard work and amazing program!