Version 0.9.6rc16 was a Release Candidate (hence "rc") that brought a critical feature to the masses: an on A4 devices.
Released into the wild: December 25, 2010 (Christmas miracle edition)
(Note: The iPad 2, which had the A5 chip, was not supported by this specific tool due to the stronger security architecture of the newer chip, highlighting the rapid hardware arms race of the era.) redsn0w 0.9.6rc16
This release solidified the iPhone Dev Team as the stewards of legacy devices. While new tools like Absinthe and evasi0n would take over for the iPhone 4S and 5, the Dev Team continued updating redsn0w for older hardware well into 2012. rc16 was their workhorse.
The technical heart of redsn0w 0.9.6rc16 lies in the bootrom distinction. Apple secretly updates the bootrom (the read-only memory code that runs the second the device powers on) with each hardware revision. By 2011, there were two versions of the iPhone 3GS: Version 0
Redsn0w 0.9.6rc16 utilized the "unthreaded" exploit discovered by security researcher Stefan Esser (@i0n1c). This exploit allowed the device to boot freely without the assistance of a computer, making the jailbreak "untethered." This version effectively stabilized the jailbreak for the masses, fixing mobile substrate issues that plagued previous release candidates like rc14 and rc15.
For archival purposes and retro-tech enthusiasts, here is the exact workflow a user would follow with rc16: rc16 was their workhorse
. This update incorporates the exploit developed by Stefan Esser (@i0n1c), which remains functional in this latest iOS build. What’s New in 0.9.6rc16? The primary focus of this release is compatibility with