Apple released iOS 5.0.1 few weeks back, which includes fixes for bugs that was affecting battery life.

Dev team has advised iOS device users to hold off upgrading to iOS 5.0.1 until the flow for downgrading to iOS 5 is developed.

But if you’ve already upgraded to iOS 5.0.1 or can’t wait any longer and want to jailbreak your iPad then you’ve come to the right place. We will take you through the step by step procedure to jailbreak iPad on iOS 5.0.1 using Redsn0w.

Here are some important points to note before you proceed.

• This guide is meant for iPad 1. We will publish the guide for iPhone and iPod touch users shortly.
• Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d only supports a tethered jailbreak, which means that you need to connect your iOS device to the computer on every reboot. However, you can always install SemiTether, which allows you to reboot your iOS device with some limitations.
• Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d does not support iPad 2.
• Please note that jailbreaking your iPad may void your warranty and hence proceed with caution and at your own risk.
• Please do not forget to backup your iPad before you proceed. You can refer to this post for instructions on how to backup your iPad.
• If you’ve jailbroken your iPad then you can use jailbreak apps such as AptBackup, PkgBackup or xBackup from Cydia to take a backup of all the jailbreak apps and tweaks so you can reinstall them easily after successfully jailbreaking your iPad rather then installing them individually. However, if you’re moving from iOS 4.x to iOS 5, it may be a good idea to reinstall the jailbreak apps to avoid compatibility issues.
• After the jailbreaking process is complete, do not forget to checkout our article on tips to keep your iPad secure.
• Please ensure you are running latest version of iTunes i.e. iTunes 10.5 or later.
• Known issue: iBooks keeps crashing after jailbreaking iPad using this method. Dev team is working hard to fix the issue.

You can follow these step-by-step instructions to jailbreak your iPad 1 with the assumption that you’ve already updated your iPad to iOS 5.0.1 (please note Settings –> General –> About –> Version should be 5.0.1):

Step 1: Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b9b for Windows from this link and Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d for Mac from this link and save the application in a folder named “Redsn0w” on your desktop.

Step 2: Double click the Redsn0w zip file and extract the application to the Redsn0w folder and then launch the Redsn0w application.

Step 3: After launching Redsn0w, click on the Jailbreak button.

Windows 7 users should run the exe in Windows XP compatibility mode (right-click on the Redsn0w exe and select Properties, then select the Compatibility tab and select Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows XP). Windows XP and Windows 7 users should run Redsn0w as ‘Administrator’ (right-click on the Redsn0w exe and select ‘Run as an Administrator’).

Step 4: You will now be prompted to switch OFF your iPad and plug it to the computer. Follow the instructions and click on ‘Next‘ to move to the next screen:

Step 5: You will now need to put your iPad into the DFU mode. Redsn0w will take you through the necessary steps:

(a) Hold the Power button on iPad down for 3 seconds:

(b) Now simultaneously hold the iPad and keep the two buttons pressed for 10 seconds:

(c) Now release the Power button while keeping the Home button pressed until Redsn0w detects the device:

Step 6: Your iPad should reboot now. Please remember to release the Home button.

Step 7: Redsn0w will now start preparing the jailbreak data.

Step 8: You will now be prompted to select the jailbreak options you would like. Make sure Cydia is selected and select ‘Next‘ to continue.

Step 9: You iPad will be rebooted again and Redsn0w will now begin uploading the new RAM disk and kernel.

Step 10: You will now be notified once the jailbreaking process is complete. Click on the ‘Finish‘ button to exit the application.

Step 11: Your iPad will reboot once again (which could take approximately 5 minutes). After it has rebooted, your iPad should be successfully jailbroken. You should find Cydia jailbreak app on your iPad’s home screen.

If you’re new to the jailbreaking world and wondering what to do after jailbreaking your iPad, checkout our jailbreak apps category page to find out the apps you can install on your iPad using the Cydia app. Please note that some of the jailbreak apps and tweaks are still not compatible with iOS 5.0.1 so please be cautious while installing them.

Tethered Jailbreak:

Once Redsn0w has finished jailbreaking your iPad, you will need to boot it tethered, which means that if you need to reboot your iPad it will be stuck on the Apple logo. All you need to do is rerun Redsn0w and this time click on Extras and then click on Just boot from the list of options and follow the on screen instructions to reboot your iPad.

Semitethered Jailbreak:

You may install SemiTether hack, which allows users to reboot their tethered jailbroken iOS 5/iOS 5.0.1 device without the need to connect it to the computer but with some limitations. You can this post for all the details.

Troubleshooting:

How to fix the White/Blank Cydia icon issue:

If you notice the white Cydia icon (which fails to launch) after successfully jailbreaking your iPad. Then follow these steps to fix the issue.

• Launch Redsn0w again.
• Click on Extras and then click on Just Boot from the list of options.
• You will now be prompted to plug your iPad to the computer and switch it off. Follow the instructions in the correct sequence and click on ‘Next‘ to move to the next screen:
• You will now need to put your iPad into the DFU mode. Redsn0w will take you through the necessary steps:
• Hold the Power button on iPad down for 3 seconds.
• Now simultaneously hold the iPad and keep the two buttons pressed for 10 seconds.
• Now release the Power button while keeping the Home button pressed until Redsn0w detects the device.
• Your device will reboot and you will see the Pwnage icon on your iPad’s screen for few minutes.
• After your iPad is successfully rebooted, you will see the regular Cydia icon (brown). You should now be able to launch Cydia without any issue.

Update:

Dev team has released Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d which includes a number of fixes and added native support for iOS 5.0.1 so we have updated the guide accordingly along with the latest download links.

Hope this helped. Please don’t forget to let us know how it goes in the comments and drop us a line if you hit any issues.