Jailbreaking your iOS device has always been a pastime for tinkerers and users who want a little more from their iPhone or iPad, though the practice has fallen out of favour as of late. The process of unlocking your device never stays stagnant, however, so we’re here to let you know how to jailbreak your device.
In short, you can’t.
Image credit: Hamza Butt/Flickr
Current iOS version: iOS 10.3.3
iOS 10.3.3 is the latest stable version of Apple’s mobile operating system. iOS 10 has proven a difficult beast for jailbreakers to take down. Thanks to faster software updates and additional security, Apple is making it harder for jailbreak programmers to gain access to the inner workings of iOS devices.
Should You Jailbreak Your Device?
You shouldn’t try jailbreaking your device. I mean, you actually can’t but you still shouldn’t try.
It sucks, but it’s true. The jailbreak community was once a thriving ecosystem of useful customisation apps and system-level modifications that added features desperately needed in iOS devices at the time. Visual modifications like the screen-dimming Night Shift mode and Wi-Fi tethering were once only available to tinkerers ready to potentially brick their device and risk it all for jailbroken apps like Flux and MyWi.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/06/how-to-downgrade-ios-11-back-to-ios-10/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/06/iOS-11-410×231.jpg” title=”How To Downgrade iOS 11 Back To iOS 10″ excerpt=”Congratulations, you’ve downloaded the iOS 11 beta! No doubt you’ve by now had your fun experimenting with Apple’s latest operating system packed with new features like a QR code-friendly camera app, a customisable control centre, and a file manager app (named, unfortunately, Files).”]
Now, Apple’s incorporated the best work of the jailbreak community into later versions of iOS, making jailbreaking your iOS device more trouble than it’s worth. According to Motherboard, famous jailbreak programmers have since abandoned the jailbreak scene and have turned to other projects, with some choosing to work at Apple itself. Even the founder of the jailbreak App Store Cydia has given up on the practice, citing its potential to be used to hack phones for malicious purposes rather than add functionality.
Can You Jailbreak?
A functional jailbreak method for iOS 10.3.3 doesn’t exist in the wild yet, and Apple has stopped allowing users to downgrade to lower OS versions susceptible to jailbreaking. Callum Jones of Can I Jailbreak, a site that tells you which iOS devices are jailbreak-ready, doesn’t think a public utility will be released anytime soon. What’s more, prominent jailbreak programmers like Luca Todesco have publicly stated jailbreaking is more trouble than it’s worth. Todesco tweeted he was ending public research into iOS jailbreaking, so your chances of installing Cydia on your iOS device anytime soon are slim to none.
From the hacker’s mouth:
Apple’s release timing, (they’re pushing iOS updates faster than they used to, with a heavier focus on security), and the complex nature of the jailbreaks means so much work is required.
Even Sites like iOS9Cydia and DownloadPangu claim to have current jailbreak tools, but according to Jones the sites “hijack common names or brands to hit high in search traffic by promising new jailbreaks.” There are other factors that go into releasing a jailbreak as well, factors Apple is taking steps to make more difficult.
Since some jailbreak programmers solicit donations to support their work, “Timing is important to jailbreak developers to maximise the impact of their jailbreak,” according to Jones. Faster updates and a focus on security have made the practice of hacking iOS more difficult, and the payoff just isn’t worth it.
Comments
10 responses to “Apple Is Winning The Jailbreak War”
I stopped rooting my Android devices for a similar reason. They filled the gaps I was seeking to fill and it got harder and harder to do.
Yup, same. And also started buying Nexus/Pixel devices so I didn’t have to root the thing to get the latest Android release.
Outside of my first phone it was Nexus then Pixel only. Same with tablets. Nexus 5 was rooted early on but the secure Android stuff made it a pain and I didn’t really have the need with everything moving to the cloud.
Tell you what, I was so torn between waiting for the Pixel 2 and the S8, I ended up just grabbing the S8 but if the Pixel 2 is impressive, I might finally make the switch to a stock android. The gap in hardware was too much, I’m hoping google up their game in that department.
I guess it depends what you’re trying to root. Older, popular phones are likely to have user-friendly tools for modding and rooting. I’m still using a Galaxy S4 because it does everything I need for now I can still keep the Android software up to date.
If you need to jailbreak your iPhone, you should have bought Android.
This article is a load of crapola title making it seem as though something significant has happened in the jailbreak community recently that Apple did to declare them the winner in this ongoing war. When in fact it’s in the same place it almost always is. The latest iOS firmware is never on the jailbreakable list for more than a couple weeks. Once it gets cracked, Apple releases another version to patch the vulnerabilities used to gain access. It’s a tennis match of volleys from Apple to the JB community gaining root access back to Apple patching and back again. The title implies Apple has used a trump card of sorts that ends jailbreaking for good. This article has no new information. It’s redundant. Jail breaking is possible and very stable. On the latest firmware? No. But when is it ever besides when it first comes out and Apple hasn’t had a chance to respond yet. May the volley continue on and as strong as ever I might add. Long live the jailbreak community!!
a caricature of a caricature is still a caricature… well done son, you’ve just summarised the article but in a more immature way
Heaven forbid, if you try to escape that walled garden. You might actually see stuff that other companies are doing and jump ship, er, garden.
Jesus, is there a minimum amount of comments you’re supposed to make before you are considered Kosher?
I have a number of old iphones and ipads that still run on older iOS versions and I jailbreak these for the simple reasons that it is fun and I can. Stop trying to take the enjoyment out of life.
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