Preview: Semi-Restore Allows You To Restore An iOS Device And Keep Your Jailbreak

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk within the jailbreak community over an upcoming Semi-Restore for iOS devices. This process is said to restore your device, as close as possible, back to stock iOS. Normally, such a process would only be possible by restoring a device with iTunes to the latest version of iOS, or using SHSH blobs on a pre-A5 device. Using iTunes to restore a device would result in one losing their jailbreak, but Semi-Restore changes everything. As of today, I’m happy to report that Semi-Restore is definitely legitimate and we’ve got a video walk-through to prove it. Semi-Restore is still in beta testing and there’s no current release date, but it was created by CoolStar and he deserves a big high five. Like I said though, it definitely works and will help resolve a lot of issues you may encounter on a jailbroken device. Check out our video tutorial below to see Semi-Restore in action:

If you can’t see the above video, please click this link.

Currently, the Semi-Restore process requires that you have OpenSSH and APT 0.7 Strict installed via Cydia on your device. In its current version, you’ll have to be comfortable using Terminal (or another SSH client) on a computer to initiate Semi-Restore. In the future, there will be a GUI version of Semi-Restore and the website notes that a USB version is in the works. Here are the steps that I've used for the beta version Semi-Restore: Step 1: Launch Cydia and install OpenSSH and APT 0.7 strict. Step 2: Once it's officially released, download Semi-Restore. Step 3: Launch Terminal on your computer. Using Terminal, cd to the folder containing the Semi-Restore download. Step 4: Using the IP address of your device, copy Semi-Restore to its root directory with the following command:

scp SemiRestore-beta5 root@10.0.1.10:/var/root/SemiRestore-beta5

It's important to note that "SemiRestore-beta5" is not the file name for the official release. Be prepared to replace that with the name of the actual file you download. Step 5: Continue the process and SSH into your device with its IP address using this command:

ssh root@10.0.1.10

Note: Enter "alpine" for the password. Step 6: Next, cd to the /var/root directory within the iOS device and initiate the process by entering each of these commands:

chmod +x SemiRestore-beta5

./SemiRestore-beta5

The next thing you'll see will be similar to this screenshot: Step 7: To start Semi-Restore, press the zero key on your keyboard and hit return. Terminal will begin scrolling through the process and erase everything on your device except for Cydia. Don't touch your device during this process. You'll notice that your device will respring several times followed by a final reboot. The time required for Semi-Restore will vary between devices depending on how much information needs to be removed. After the reboot, you'll be taken to the initial setup screen for iOS devices. It will seem like you're turning on the device for the first time, but in this case, it's already jailbroken. Continue by setting up the device until you reach the home screen. Notice that all of the apps, tweaks, and information have been removed from your device. You do have the ability to restore from a backup via iCloud or from your computer. Overall though, it's a pretty simple process and it will help save your iOS device if you're ever having problems with it. As I mentioned above, Semi-Restore is not available yet. It’s still in beta testing, but I haven’t had any issues with it and I’ve semi-restored a couple of my iOS devices already. By definition, this isn't an actual restore, but it will definitely improve your device's performance if you're in need of such a thing. According to the official website, Semi-Restore is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and iPad mini running iOS 5 through iOS 6.1.2. This won’t allow you to downgrade your device to a version of iOS that’s compatible with Evasi0n, but it will bring a jailbroken device very close to stock iOS, and ultimately, resolvle any issues with lag or other related problems. There’s no current release date for Semi-Restore, but stay tuned to AppAdvice and we’ll be sure to let you know when it’s available. Be sure to check out our video walk-through of the entire process and let us know what you think in the comments. Hopefully this will put an end to any skepticism within the jailbreak community. You can also find out more information on Semi-Restore by visiting www.semirestore.tk.

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