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Update (Jan 2, 2010) This iPhone Jailbreak guide has been completely renovated to reflect better, and more current information on how to Jailbreak iPhone.
What is iPhone Jailbreak?
In short, Jailbreak is the process of hacking an iPhone to free it from Apple restrictions.
Because the iPhone is far from flawless as Apple created it, thousands of iPhone users have flocked to Jailbreak in search of iPhone changes and improvements. iPhone has been held back by limited customizability, text message privacy issues, and a lack of multitasking capabilities. But Jailbreak can solve all of these problems with apps and fixes available in Cydia and Installer.
Cydia and Installer are the unofficial “App Stores” of the Jailbreak world. Developers create apps and tweaks and different utilities and upload them to these package managers, which organize everything into categories. The differences between Cydia and the App Store are the lack of an app approval process, and the lack of access limits on the iPhone software — i.e. you can do things Apple did not design the iPhone software to do.
Why Jailbreak iPhone?
- No restrictions. Want a custom wallpaper on your home screen? Custom icons for your apps? Internet tethering? A category system for organizing your apps? The ability to hide native iPhone apps you don’t use? You can do all of this and more with Jailbreak, as iSmashPhone describes in ten reasons to Jailbreak your iPhone. As one of my readers recently noted, Jailbreak can make all your iPhone wishes come true.
- To join the subculture. Sick of Apple’s stranglehold on the iPhone? Those who Jailbreak iPhone belong to a movement of people who demand more from their iPhones. And they’re not gonna let Apple stop them. Beat the system: Jailbreak your iPhone.
- Unlock iPhone. To unlock your iPhone and use it on any carrier, you must first Jailbreak your iPhone. Some of the Jailbreak solutions below also allow you to unlock the iPhone, though unlocking is generally beyond the scope of this tutorial.
Why NOT Jailbreak iPhone?
- The folks at Apple know what they are doing. They have not enabled multasking — the ability for apps to run in the background, simultaneously — most likely because it is a huge battery drain. By controlling the user experience, Apple ensures that your iPhone “just works,” and you don’t have to worry about managing battery life or any other technical details.
- Jailbreak could (maybe?) brick your iPhone. “When someone develops something for an Apple product and that development isn’t sanctioned by Apple, you run the risk of it not working as it should, conflicting with the device itself, or just all-around bricking that iPhone,” warns Chris Pirillo, who prefers not to Jailbreak his iPhone because “my iPhone just works already.” But I have never heard of Jailbreak completely ruining an iPhone. The consensus at this forum seems to be that the chance is “extremely slim.”
- Every iPhone update from iTunes disables Jailbreak. Every time Apple comes out with an update for iPhone, they find a way to prevent hackers from cracking the code again. Hackers then scramble to Jailbreak the iPhone again and release the new methods. That means if you like to download Apple’s iPhone updates, you are going to have to figure out each time how to Jailbreak your iPhone yes again. Do you really want to play this cat and mouse game?
- Jailbreak might increase your risk of getting a virus on your iPhone. The only two iPhone viruses ever reported have spread across iPhones that have been Jailbroken. That’s not to say the iPhone platform as Apple built it is totally secure. In fact, some say compromising an iPhone’s security is “child’s play” (i.e. easy).
- Jailbreak voids your iPhone warranty. If your iPhone is bricked because of Jailbreak, or if your iPhone has another problem and it happens to be Jailbreaked, your warranty becomes void. I once saw a sign at the Genius bar of The Falls, Miami Apple Store that warned customers not to Jailbreak iPhones or they would void their warranties. Harsh.
iPhone Jailbreak Guides
Admittedly, I have in the past mused about whether Jailbreak is really worth the trouble, but the real problem is the hassle of finding accurate, helpful information on how to Jailbreak iPhone.
I believe my old, outdated post on iPhone Jailbreak was beginning to cause confusion for new visitors, so I have put together this The Ultimate Guide to iPhone Jailbreak. I have included textual resources from various sources, and also some videos on how to Jailbreak iPhone.
Note: I have not attempted all of these iPhone Jailbreak instructions, I am merely compiling what information I have found and selected with my best judgment. Let me know what is helpful and what is not.
Text Resources
These websites contain information and download links necessary for various iPhone models with different OS versions. To see what version of the iPhone OS (operating system) you are running, go to Settings >> General >> About.
Choose the iPhone Jailbreak guide that is right for you. Read everything extremely carefully, including comments, before attempting to Jailbreak. I have not personally attempted all of these, so you are Jailbreaking at your own risk.
- Jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 with QuickPwn
- Jailbreak iPhone 3GS 3.1 with Pwnage tool on Windows
- How to Jailbreak and Unlock 2G iPhone OS 3.0 with redsn0w
- How to Jailbreak iPhone 3G 3.0 on Windows & Mac with QuickPwn
- Step-By-Step Guide to Jailbreak iPhone 3G Running iPhone OS 3.0 with redsn0w (Windows)
- Jailbreak iPhone 2.1 with QuickPwn
iPhone Jailbreak Videos
Jailbreak Unlock 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 Mac and Windows:
iPhone 3.0.1 Firmware and Jailbreak with Redsnow 0.8:
How To Jailbreak NEW 3.0 Firmware For iPhone,iPhone 3G … On Windows/Mac:
Jailbreak & Unlock 2.2.1 iPhone 2g, 3g, and iPod Touch:
Jailbreak iPhone 2.2:
ZiPhone Jailbreak is history
I made this video a couple of years ago to demonstrate how easy it was to Jailbreak with ZiPhone. ZiPhone is now obsolete, so please do not try to use it. This video has been posted here for historical and humorous purposes only. Again, do not attempt to use ZiPhone!
ZiPhone Jailbreak: So Easy a Caveman Can Do It
Conclusion
iPhone offers endless possibilities for expressing the human imagination, but Apple restrictions hold us back. iPhone Jailbreak frees your iPhone by letting you do just about anything that is possible to do with your iPhone. Jailbreak at its essence is the purest manifestation of the will of the people.
Yes, the App Store reflects well the imaginations and creativity of thousands of developers and iPhone users. Apple has done a brilliant job making the iPhone a blank slate that is able to continually mold to our collective conscience. Yet, iPhone can do and be so much more. Cue iPhone Jailbreak.
What do you think?
Do you Jailbreak? Did you find this post helpful and accurate? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments.
Please note: The first 207 comments below are in response to my old post on how to Jailbreak iPhone. New comments are welcome, however I cannot personally address everyone’s Jailbreak issues, so if you are Jailbreak-savvy, please assist commenters who are having trouble. Thanks!
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I unlocked mine with blackra1n and the only problem that i had was when i tried to use my maps app. For whatever reason, my gps locater was way off. miles off. but there are some really good jailbreak apps out there such as winterboard, backgrounder, and if your too cheap to buy the $1 video camera app, there is one of those jailbroke apps for free. Pros and cons. In this case I think to pros outweigh the cons.
Later my jailbreak with Blackhan, my officials app downloaded from applestore not work anymore…somebody help please…Anyone has seen something like this?
Hello all,
Can I use flash content on my iphone/ipod touch after jailbreaking it?
please send a mail fast!!
Great article. Anyway I used this article to get mine working http://www.technology-bay.com/article.php?id=31
o and i didnt know we got free games for it you see when i got my iphone it was already jailbroke
Shannon
my iphone is old been haveing for a long time the apps i want to buy i cant cause needs to be updated to 3.0 but its already jailbroke for like year in half so how do i update?so confussed and scared im going to mess please give me steps im useing windows xp
Dude just go to itunes and say yes to getting the update when u hook up ure iphone…u will have to jailbreak it again though using blacksnow so you can jailbreak the new o.s you get…its wat i did but im not positive it will work sorry i couldnt be more help
blackra1n not blacksnow sorry haha
I have an iPod touch 2 g what program is best to use and is the process the same as the phones?
is there a better way to jailbreak your ipod if u just want free games cause im lost
Hi there
i need to restore my jailbroken iphone because it doesnt functions well anymore. Emails, skype end other application have disfunctzion. The only way to do that is selecting “restore and update” form Itunes 9. I know to restore is Ok but what about the “update” that comes along with it >?
thanks
lorenzo
[...] 1) Jailbreak the thing. By doing so, you’re regaining control of the hardware: instructions. [...]
Is it worth doing thus for an iPod touch? Also can u get apps for free
Yes, you do get free games and yes, it is worth doing.
Fellow Iphone Users,
I purchased an Iphone, which I think so far is a piece of junk, specifically so that I could have free internet access for my laptop. I had tried wireless internet and found it not so reliable or fast. A friend told me he jailbroke his phone and it worked great as a modem. I jailbroke mine after a lot of research (I bought it the end of Nov, 09 – 3GS new software) and purchased PDAnet. So far, as a modem, it crawls – okay to receive emails but that’s it. Loading a page from a website takes time – go and get a cup of coffee time. Does anyone know a better solution to using the Iphone as modem for a laptop? Thanks.
Curt
Hi, my names kenji, and i have a question. When i plug in my iphone(using an old chord that belongs to my ipod nano) itunes does not recognize it. it doesnt even charge. can someone tellme whether or not the iphone can charge using old chords?
Hey, no it wont charge u have to buy a iphone specific one, which will charge ur nano as well! i found this out the hard way!
I have jailbroken my iphone before on the 3.0 firmware but then i cleared all my data on my phone thinking it would have deleted it.It did but im wondering if my warrenty is over. Because if it is i am going to jailbreak.
I jail broke my iPhone 3g s and tried to do a hard reset. it screwed up my phone (not because of jail breaking, t was a software issue) i had to take it to an Apple store to get it fixed. they had no clue that i jail broke it. but fair warning it is always a risk!
I have no service on my iphone i tryed useing blackrain to jailbreak my iphone i make it rain and when i open the app and it says please check your internet connection.(Err… my phone is off and i have no Wi-Fi so what do i do?
Are you trying to connect via 3G? I had this issue, where I had to re-input my settings for the ‘Cellular Data Network Settings’
I am a newbie to the scene, i bought my 3gs 32gig because my sister showed me her jailbroken 16. I tbought it was the berries! Went to my at&t store and secured a pricy 32 for
myself. After a couple of weeks i was tormented by the fact that mine was childs play compared to hers. I checked around and everybody said “sure” i can jailbreak it. Wrong- much to my dismay my phone was built in week 45 of 2009. The new bootrom foiled my plans to have a very useful phone. I am very dissapointed that apple would try to govern a product once it has been purchased. Auto makers dont discourage people that put loud stereos ,custom paint or fancy wheels on thier cars. If they did they wouldnd sell many. Apple would not have sold me this phone had i been aware of the new bootrom. You dicks!
Use the blackra1n application in one of the videos above. Nothing else would jailbreak mine but that one because my iphone is less than 3weeks old too.
Jailbreaked iphone gs with “Blackra1n”works fine untill i power down the phone at night before going to bed,when its turned on again i get the “connect to itunes” logo on the screen.So i have to connect to itunes and “restore” the iphone to its orignal settings.This a half hour so to keep the jailbreak i cant power down the phone ,pain in the ass.Any suggestions?
i have the same problem with my iphone.. i tried going into the Apple store today.. but they were not able to fix my phone.. they said it had something technical to do with the memory or the radio.. so mad.. bcuz now i have a phone that doesnt work.. i need to get the connection to Itunes off my screen.. any advice right now will help
Haha, i did extensive research before jailbreaking mine and blackra1n is the only one that works. All you need do when you power back on and itunes shows up asking you to restore is the exact same thing you did in the first place: Make it rain again. In other words, ignore itunes, open blackra1n and click on “Make it rain” and it’ll restart your phone and you’re back. So note that everytime u restart, u’ve to make it rain again. it doesn’t reset ur phone so u still have every app and data exactly the way it was. I do agree it’s a bit of a pain having to connect it to your computer everytime you restart but who restarts their phone anyway. Hope this helps.
Is there a way to jailbreak it without a computer
Hi,
:):):):):)
I have the iphone 3g it is jailbroken with blackra1n….it now has the apple logo ONLY, turns itself on and off, and wont hold a charge. I have tried everything I can find online since Sat. and nothing works. Itunes wont recognize the phone. Nothing. Apple says because its less than a year old they will replace it and for me to send it to them….will they be able to tell it is jailbroken and am i wasting my time? Also if anyone knows anything other than the obvious to try for fixing this problem please let me know!!! Thank you all soooooo very much!!! Have a GREAT day
this same thing happened to me and i took it to an apple store and in less than 15 minutes they had my phone back to normal and didn’t seem to notice i had jail broke it with blackra1n. good luck!!!
I just jailbroke my iphone using blackrain, but I am unable to use Cydia. It acts like it is downloading then it unpacks…but after the phone vibrates and goes back to the lock screen, there is no Cydia tab in my programs. What’s the deal?
I have my iPhone from Belgium, as far as I know the only country in the world where due to legislation forbidding “linked sales” (i.e. selling an iphone only in combination with a subscription) you can buy an iPhone unlocked, even tho the price is horrendous (675 EUR for the 32GB 3GS). My question is: my phone is officially unlocked NOW. Can Jailbreaking undo that and let me end up with a phone that once again I cannot use on any network? How is the network locking stored on the phone anyway?
[...] Here are some quick links A high level overview of Jail breaking: http://www.appleiphonereview.c.....jailbreak/ [...]
[...] iPhone itself is not difficult to access. Even if the iPhone is password protected, the contents can be accessed in under a minute by jailbreaking the iPhone. I wonder whether there were ever similar issues with the Blackberry? Is the [...]
ive done and apple cant really know it you done if you have wiped the hard drive on it and put the software 3g back on it i dont belive they can by that plus like they would have the time to do it they have more imported things todo then worrying about someone messing up there ipod phone or touch from jailbreaking it
Ok, so fairly easy question here. I have the 3GS, and the temptation to jailbreak is getting bad. Assuming I do it, and I don’t brick it, which I’m fairly sure I won’t, and it messes up later, if I can still restore it will Apple be able to tell it was jailbroken and refuse warranty repairs or will I be ok? I have 10 months left in my warranty so that’s a big deal to me.
As long as u restore back to apple settings before u take it in, they won’t know anything about u jailbreaking it or not.
one link here http://www.technology-bay.com/article.php?id=2
I used the first video this morning to jailbreak my 3g. Everything was ok till a couple minutes ago, now everytime I open my apps (from apple store) they open then close themselves. Can anyone help me with what I could do???
Go into cydia. and the source http://www.hackulo.us
once you add them as a source, browse their apps. they have one called Appsync 3.1. install this. It will allow jb and store apps to run correctly.
I had the same problem…but when I installed another app, everything worked fine
I’ve had the same problem – I decided I didn’t want my 3GS jailbroken anymore so restored it from my pre-jailbreak backup using iTunes – Safari and the App store are now very unreliable – they crash all the time…any ideas?
I used the first video in the listing above to help me jailbreak my phone as i was unsure about doing it myself.. Worked perfectly; thanks
i have jailbroken my iphone and have pretty good luck with it for about 2 weeks. Since then i have updated some apps from apple and my iphone will not turn on. It only shows me the little apple icon when i hit the power on buttons. do i need to jailbreak again since i updated apps from apple?
@PJ – Don’t use Ziphone, it’s obselete. I used Quickpwn and I’m typing this from my jailbroken 2.2.1 iPod Touch. And Quickpwn’s website has what you need for any version on iPhone and iPod Touch.
@Pauline – I think Verizon is signing a deal with Apple. I hope so, because I’m on Verizon.
Jailbreaking an iPhone is the same as installing a new operating system on your computer. Some Windows users install other operating systems such as Linux, to have access to what is called open source software. Linux based operating systems give access to communities that develop everything from games to productivity software for free. Programmers are only compensated with recognition, experience and the occasional donation.
The iPhone OS is also Linux based, and jailbreaking is a way to gain access to the open source communities and software. Because of the programmer’s motives, open source programs are generally safe if you stick to the officially recognized program repositories. Once jailbroken, the iPhone will have a new App arena called Cydia. Cydia is one program that provides automatic installation of programs found in the repositories. After scanning through an AppStore like directory, you can view software details and select one or more applications to install.
Jailbreaking is done by way of the phones DFU mode while linked to iTunes. This (done by holding both power and home buttons, and releasing only the power button when the device tries to come back on.) allows a program like QuickPwn to install the new OS onto the iPhone. Detailed instructions, about exactly what to do, are normally provided at websites that provide the automatic jailbreaking software. Never pay anyone for a jailbreaking package. It is always supposed to be free.
Although, jailbreaking is completely safe, you should always back up all of your data before you begin. Even if you, somehow, manage to disable your phone, you will always be able to restore your phone in iTunes or by repeating the jailbreaking process. Because the software is only managed by it’s individual makers, you should also keep in mind that there are things that you might install that disable and require you to restore your phone.
Once jailbroken, your access to new features is mind boggling. You can now record videos, transfer files via Bluetooth, install templates, more, and all for free. There are even open source navigating programs. For a few bucks you can tether your phones Internet connection to your computer, or even turn it into a wireless modems. Qik allows you to stream videos live over the Internet, which practically turns your phone into a surveillance camera! My personal favorite is software called openSSH. With openSSH and another free program called WinSCP, for your computer, you have complete access to your phone’s file system through Wi-Fi. You can then download your entire MP3 library without having to go through iTunes. Can you see why Apple would lead you to believe it’s illegal?
To make a long story short, jailbreaking turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a PC, with Linux, in your pocket. It easily doubles the value of your device. Oh, did I mention the iPhone on a big screen TV?
Great summary, Christopher. Thank you!
I don’t get it…if all you want to do is get custom ringtones on your iphone, there is no need to jailbreak. I use myxertones.com it’s free and has special instructions on how to get your new tones on to your iphone by using itunes. What I want to know is how you can get new SMS tones…
Yeah me too…I have managed to change the ringtone without a jailbreak…but as far as I can tell you can’t change the sms alerts without jailbreaking…if anyone knows how this can be done, it would be a great help…
Well… I would like to have a different ringtone for the calendar alarms, but it seems impossible without jailbreaking
Hey dude,
can I jailbreak my iPhone from the iPhone itself without using the pc???
Also can u help me step by step on how to jail my. iPhone??
Plz email me at gokuishero@yahoo.co.in
You cant download any jailbreak softwares from the iphone for the iphone. It has to be done using a pc or mac.
I phones 3 g 2.2.1( h I have windows visa