How to Save Apple iOS 6.1 SHSH Blobs for Future Downgrade [Tutorial]

The eagerly awaited untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 is just around the corner and it is time to prepare for the impending jailbreak, as well as safeguarding existing jailbreak tweaks and apps for future use.

Saving the SHSH blobs for iOS 6.1 is the first step to ensure a safe downgrade path to iOS 6.1 in case of inadvertent software upgrades in the future. Without these blobs,it is not possible to restore the original firmware in order to get back the previous jailbreak tweaks and apps.

As iDownloadBlog notes, Apple has been proactive in releasing quick periodic updates for iOS and you might miss the opportunity to save the necessary blobs after a hasty new update is accidentally installed.

Here is the step-by-step guide to save iOS 6.1 SHSH blobs for a future rollback or downgrade from a higher version of iOS:

Step 1: Download TinyUmbrella for Windows, Mac or Linux to the computer.

Step 2: Save the downloaded TinyUmbrella file to the desktop and double-click on the app icon to begin initialisation.

Step 3: Connect the device (iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch) to computer with the USB cable to save its SHSH blobs.

Step 4: Navigate to top-left-hand corner of TinyUmbrella app and select device

Step 5: Tap Advanced tab, and uncheck or disable the following options:

• Save ALL Available SHSH

• Request SHSH from Cydia

Step 6: Allocate a dedicated save SHSH directory by creating an SHSH folder on the desktop. This will ease the effort in finding backed up SHSH blobs for future use.

Step 7: Click the Log tab to view the status of earlier save attempts for SHSH blobs.

Step 8: Now, proceed to the actual step of saving the blobs. Hit save SHSH, and TinyUmbrella will try saving SHSH blobs for iOS 6.1 (or any latest iOS firmware that Apple is signing) to the directory you created in step 6. A message reading "SHSH SUCCESSFULLY SAVED" will appear on screen if the process finished correctly.

Step 9: Now, open the SHSH folder on the desktop (created in step 6), and check if the necessary SHSH blob is available. Make sure that the blob is named appropriately with the correct device name and firmware version number.

NOTE: The instructions provided in this guide are meant to save the currently signed firmware only, and hence it does not recover previously saved SHSH blobs that Apple is no longer signing. However, if you want to do so, just keep both the options checked in step 5.

It is recommended to periodically back up the folder containing SHSH blobs to a safer location such as Dropbox. In future, if the device becomes inaccessible or needs to be formatted, then you can easily restore the device using SHSH blobs from an external storage medium.

For further assistance, check out the video tutorial below:

[Source: iDownloadBlog]