iPhones and iPads are locked-down devices. You can only install apps
Apple has approved, and you can’t tweak the underlying system like you
could on a Windows, Mac, or Linux system. Jailbreaking is the act of
escaping this figurative “jail.”
Apple doesn’t like jailbreaking, and they go out of their way to make
it more difficult. The jailbreaking community and Apple are engaged in a
game of cat-and-mouse. Jailbreakers work to make jailbreaking possible
before Apple blocks their latest tricks.
What is Jailbreaking?
Jailbreaking is different from rooting and unlocking,
but it’s similar. Like many other modern devices, iOS devices like
iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches come locked-down. You don’t have access
to the entire device’s file system in the same way you have low-level
access on a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Apple has this
“Administrator” or “Root user” access on your device, not you.
Jailbreaking is the act of gaining full access to an iOS device.
Jailbreakers generally locate a security vulnerability and use it to
escape the locked down environment, giving users full control over their
devices.
Thanks to the US DMCA,
jailbreaking an iPhone is completely legal, while jailbreaking an iPad
appears to be a felony. Laws may vary in other countries.
Why People Jailbreak
An iPhone or iPad’s locked-down nature means you can only do what
Apple allows you to do with it. For example, you can’t change your
default email app or web browser. You also can’t install apps from
outside Apple’s App Store, which means you’re out of luck if you want to
use an app Apple doesn’t approve of.
You also don’t have the low-level access to customize the iOS operating
system in other ways, doing a wide variety of things that Apple
wouldn’t approve of. Performing other system-level tweaks like changing
themes, adding widgets, or enabling Wi-Fi tethering against your
carrier’s wishes also requires jailbreaking.
People jailbreak because they want to do more with their devices than
Apple allows them to. Whether you want to get your hands dirty with
low-level system tweaks or just make Chrome and Gmail your default web
browser and email apps, jailbreaing gives you complete access to the
underlying system and gives you the power to do these things.
Apple’s War on Jailbreaking
Because jailbreaking isn’t intended or supported by Apple, all
jailbreaks are accomplished through finding a security vulnerability in
Apple’s iOS operating system and exploiting it. This gives Apple two
different motivations to block jailbreaking: They want to prevent
jailbreaking itself, and they also want to fix security flaws that could
be used to compromise iOS devices for malicious purposes.
Every time the jailbreaking community releases a new tool that
exploits a flaw, Apple notices. They can then fix the flaw in the next
version of iOS, which blocks the jailbreak from functioning. This means
that jailbreakers who depend on their jailbreak tweaks may often hold
back from upgrading to new versions of iOS until a jailbreak has been
released and is confirmed working. Upgrading to a new version of iOS
will generally “fix” the jailbreak as well as the security flaw,
resetting the device to a locked-down state.
For example, an iOS 7 jailbreak was just released on December 22,
2013. iOS 7 itself was released on September 16, 2013. This means that
it took the jailbreaking community over four months to find a jailbreak
for iOS 7 — prior to this, jailbreakers could choose to use an old
version of iOS 6 or upgrade to the latest version and lose their
jailbreak. Apple will soon fix this jailbreak with a new version of iOS,
and jailbreakers will have to choose between their jailbreaks and the
latest version of iOS.
As Apple continues to patch up holes in iOS, jailbreaks are taking
longer to appear. The jailbreaking community is locked in a perpetual
struggle with Apple. Apple will probably never completely win — it’s
difficult to make software without any holes — but they’re making things
increasingly difficult for jailbreakers.
How to Jailbreak
Before performing a jailbreak or doing anything else risky, you’ll
probably want to back up your device. If there’s a problem, you can
restore the backup.
Assuming a jailbreak is currently available for your device’s version
of iOS — and one just came out for iOS 9.3 very recently — you’ll
simply need to locate the jailbreak tool, download it, and run it on
your computer. The current jailbreaking tool of choice is Pangu.
The jailbreaking process involves downloading the program to your Mac
or Windows computer, connecting your iOS device to your computer with a
USB cable, and running the tool. It should hopefully jailbreak your
device with no problems. Be sure to follow all the instructions included
with the jailbreak tool.
As part of the jailbreak process, the tool will install Cydia
on your device. Cydia is an alternative app store containing iOS apps
that Apple wouldn’t approve. They’re the kind of thing developed by the
jailbreaking community that Apple doesn’t want you to use. For example,
you’ll find tools for theming your device and adding widgets here. If
you want to change your default browser, you’d install the
BrowserChooser app from Cydia and select your default browser with it.
Cydia is the way you actually accomplish the things that probably led
you to jailbreak your device in the first place.
If you depend on jailbreaking, be sure to wait until a new jailbreak
is available for every new version of Apple’s iOS before upgrading.
Apple doesn’t want you to jailbreak your devices and they go out of
their way to stop it.
If you have any queries/feedback, please write it in comments section below OR mail me here : Snehal[at]Techproceed[dot]com.
Happy Jailbreaking ! :-)
If you have any queries/feedback, please write it in comments section below OR mail me here : Snehal[at]Techproceed[dot]com.
Happy Jailbreaking ! :-)
