We’ve been covering a project known as Semaphorin for the better part of two months now, and as a tethered blobless downgrade and jailbreak utility for certain checkm8 bootrom exploit-vulnerable devices running various versions of older firmware, it plays an important role in this community.
In a post shared to the /r/jailbreak community board, the developers admitted that the initial release was a “flop” due to “endless bugs” and that they’ve been hard at work to clean up the tool’s reputation and usefulness for the community.
Version 1.0 is now officially available via the project’s GitHub page, which indicates that the rocky initial beta release is now a thing of the past. The most notable changes in the most recent release include the following:
You can now downgrade even if your device is running iOS 16 or later prior to the downgrade
- Semaphorin now supports A10X and A11 devices in addition to A7-A10 devices
- Camera and Photos app issues are now fixed
- USB related issues are now fixed, especially on A7 devices where the issue was the most prominent
- iOS 9 support, even for A9 devices including the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE
- iOS 8 support for A8 devices including the iPhone 6
- And so much more…
With these latest changes, Semaphorin is effectively now usable by anybody using an A7-A11 device on almost any version of iOS, and it lets you downgrade to versions ranging from iOS 7.0.6 to 12.1 in a tethered fashion without the need for SHSH blobs, which is a particularly amazing feat.
Obviously, as the tool works only on checkm8 bootrom exploit-vulnerable devices, there’s no chance that this will ever work with any device newer than the iPhone X. But the good news is that the iPhone X is fully supported!
The developers warn that while Semaphorin does include a GUI version, it’s not advised to use it. Instead, it’s better to use the CLI version, which means running commands in Terminal as opposed to clicking on buttons. A brief summary of how it’s used is provided in the /r/jailbreak post, and we’ll quote it for your convenience below:
How do I use this?
This script deletes everything on your phone, including the main OS if you are not downgrading to iOS 10.3.3 or later. Make sure to backup all of your data before using this script as **anything on the device prior to running this script will be unrecoverable afterwards**. Use this script at your own risk. We are not responsible for any damages caused by you using this script.
To use this app, you need to downgrade to a supported version, and have a supported device.
`xcode-select install` to install `git` on macos
`git clone https://github.com/y08wilm/Semaphorin && cd Semaphorin`
Connect device in DFU mode
`sudo ./semaphorin.sh <the version you are downgrading to> –restore`
For example you may write `sudo ./semaphorin.sh 9.3 –restore`
The script has to backup important files from your current iOS version before you can downgrade.
When the script asks `[*] Please enter the iOS version that is currently installed on your device.`, type your current iOS version and then hit the Enter key to continue.
It should then begin the process of downgrading your device. Please follow the on screen instructions. This might take a while. Your device will reboot multiple times.
Subsequent runs after downgrade is finished
Connect device in DFU mode
`sudo ./semaphorin.sh <the version you downgraded to previously> –boot`
For example, if you downgraded to iOS 9.3, you would run `sudo ./semaphorin.sh 9.3 –boot`.
It should just boot to your requested iOS version normally.
Those interested in learning more about Semaphorin can head over to the project’s GitHub page where there are additional details for end users to dissect at their convenience.
If you have a newer device donning an A12 or later chip, then you can just keep on scrolling because this tool isn’t for you…
Are you happy to see utilities like Semaphorin being developed and worked on? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section down below.