How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass (tethered)

by tomek • March 11, 2011 March 11, 2011 in Software Hacks

Firecore has updated Seas0nPass to support a tethered jailbreak of the new Apple TV 4.2 (iOS 4.3) software. Seas0nPass allows you to jailbreak your atv2 with the latest 4.2 software by creating custom Apple TV IPSW files and restoring them in iTunes (similar to the existing Pwnage Tool app). It also includes a simple ‘tethered boot’ option.

Seas0nPass is open source (the source code is available on Github) and is available for free. It’s Mac only (OSX 10.6 or later) for now but the Windows version should be released soon.

According to Firecore, aTV Flash (black) Beta3 is iOS 4.3 compatible “for the most part”. However, you may see a few oddities with text entry screens in plugins like Couch Surfer and nitoTV. These are relatively minor issues and should be a quick fix. Additionally there are some hardware decoding issues present in XBMC which will take a bit more work for Firecore to get right.

@nitoTV, @DjayB6, @p0sixninja and @msft_guy contributed to this release of Seas0nPass.

Here are the instructions on how to use Seas0nPass to jailbreak and tether boot your Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3:

Pre-launch checklist

Download and install the latest version of iTunes (check for updates through Software Update located in Apple menu).
Download Seas0nPass
A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Unzip the ‘Seas0nPass.zip’ file and launch Seas0nPass.

Step 2: If your AppleTV is not yet jailbroken, select ‘Create IPSW’. (if already jailbroken, and you just need to do a ‘tethered boot’ scroll down).

Step 3: The latest AppleTV software will be downloaded and used to create a custom ‘jailbroken’ software file.

Step 4: When prompted, connect your AppleTV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected), and hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 5: iTunes will open automatically and start the restore process.

Step 6: iTunes will confirm the restore when complete – your AppleTV is now jailbroken. Please proceed to the ‘tethered boot’ section below.

Using Seas0nPass for a ‘tethered boot’

After jailbreaking your atv on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass your device requires a tethered boot. This means it must be connected to a computer for a brief moment during startup.

Note: The Apple TV MUST be disconnected from the computer (for at least a brief moment) after restoring in iTunes for the tethered boot process below to work properly.

Step 1: Open Seas0nPass and select the ‘Boot Tethered’ option.

Step 2: When prompted, connect the AppleTV to your computer via USB. Wait for the rapid flashing light then connect the power. Once both are connected hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.