Jailbreaking the iPhone 4 on iOS 4.3.1 with redsn0w

With every iOS release, you can expect a jailbreak within several weeks. iOS 4.3.1 is no exception! Being the resident office iPhone enthusiast, I've had a few people ask me how to jailbreak their iPhones, and whether it's worth it. It's funny that the why precedes how :)

Well, the good news is that it's simple and straightforward.

1. To begin, consult the helpful Jailbreak Matrix to see if your iOS firmware and phone model can be jailbroken. If you've bought an iPhone in the last two years, the answer is generally yes.
2. Download your current iOS firmware (a link is provided in the Jailbreak Matrix).
3. Download the jailbreaking application redsn0w. redsn0w will modify your downloaded iOS firmware to contain an payload.
4. Run redsn0w and follow the instructions. redsn0w will modify your downloaded firmware then guide you through the process of uploading it to your phone. This involves placing your iPhone in DFU (Direct Firmware Update) mode, which takes a few tricky keypresses. If you don't get it at first, keep on trying. It took me 4 or 5 times to get it right!
5. Once the firmware has been uploaded, you can close redsn0w as the rest of the jailbreak takes place on your iPhone.

If you're stuck with a "Moving Applications" screen while your iPhone 4.3.1 is being jailbroken, be patient! I had to wait 4-5 minutes for redsn0w to progress beyond that point. Now that you're waiting for your phone to be jailbroken, check out these 5 bloody good reasons to jailbreak your iPhone!

(Disclaimer: jailbreaking can potentially brick your phone and void your warranty! Only do it if you have a compelling reason. Like BiteSMS).