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.
- *NEW* Methods in Development: Jailbreak iPhone 4 with iOS 4.0
- Jailbreak iPhone 3G & 3GS w/ iOS4
- Jailbreak iPhone 3GS 3.1.3 with Spirit
- 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
NEW: How to Jailbreak iPhone 3GS on iOS4 with Pwnage Tool 4.0
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. Read: Once-Great ZiPhone Jailbreak Now Sadly a Scam.
ZiPhone Jailbreak: (Was) So Easy a Caveman Could 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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hey. I´ve jailbroken my iphone 3.1.3 but now I’d like to update it to 4.0.1 (which I’m told won’t interfer with my jailbreaking). But I’m having trouble doing so cause everytime I try to update, it will only update to a newer version, which I know will crash my jailbreak-version. Any suggestions? Where can I update my OS to 4 if not by iTunes? Thanks.
step by step guide is on http://jailbreakguides.com
Hi all ok i have found away to hack even a iphone 4 running 4.0.2. Firstly get some with an iphone that has 4.0.1 or erlier then plug inti itunes right click on phone icon and select Backup one finished plug in the iphoe to be hacked (4.0.2) right click on the same icon and click restore this will downgrade the os to whatever was on the first phone then just go to http://www.jailbreakme.com from inside the iphone done. Happy Jailbreaking
It is now completely legal to jailbreak an iPhone: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/201....._copyright. I’ve contacted Apple and asked them what is the best way to jailbreak the iPhone but they haven’t written back yet. I’m surprised because I email Steve Jobs personally.
a question regarding jailbreak -
if you jailbreak, what happens to the apps i’ve previously bought in the app store?
are they usable? can these apps still be updated?
or would i need to purchase the apps again from cydia store?
My friend recently gave me her old (gen 1) iPhone. When I tried to plug it into iTunes, it said “No SIM card installed – insert a valid SIM with no PIN lock to activate iPhone.” Would jailbreaking it fix this problem and allow me to use it? Also, all of these jailbreaking strategies seem based around a specific OS. I am unable to find out the OS until I register it with Apple and that is what I am trying to avoid.
OMFG THAT HAPPENEND TO ME BUT I FIXS IT!!! HAHAH
From what we learned when my boyfriend and I jailbroke his phone… You need an original AT&T sim card, it doesn’t need to be active, but it was necessary for the jailbrake… After that we unlocked the phone. At that point you can use any provided that uses sim cards… So cricket or verizon wasn’t an option.. But that’s just our experiance, hope it helps
-Neva
I unlocked my AT&T 3gs with cydia earlier this summer because i was spending the summer abroad and when I came back to the states I wanted to upgrade to 4.0. So I went on iTunes and updated it, but now it wont recieve text messages or go on the internet, is there anything I can do to fix this?
I like the iPhone software as it is, backgrounds can mak. It to hard to read and it’s slightly disorientating. Me, my only reason is the ‘free apps’ area
When I install a new firmware (e.g. 4.0.2) are all the programs I installed via Cydia and Installous gone or are the still there and only the Cydia functionality is not there anymore?
I have jailbreaked my 3gs with Jailbreakme and then had issues where the display was very dim. So I tried to restore it through iTunes, but the process ‘hangs’ about 2/3 through the restore. Any suggestions? Or is it bricked?
Thanks for the info. I don’t want to play that cat and mouse game messing with itunes updates.
I don’t understand i tryed to use blackra1n and it is not working anymore for my iphone… help D:
Sorry about your bf kelly, jailbreaking wont delete you voicemails, I’ve done it several times. Roman google jailbreak me, its a new jailbreak that’ll jailbreak 4.0
I was running 3.0.1 on my 3gs with an AT&T profile that allowed me to tether. I just upgraded to 4.0.1 yesterday and noticed that the “Internet Tethering” option is still available until General->Network. How can this be? I thought a firmware upgrade disabled this option. I even backed out and looked at this item again and it was still shown on the “Network” screen. My question to you is with 4.0.1 do they list “Internet Tethering” as an option even if you don’t have this service activated with AT&T? Can I use this feature without be charged additional $?
Kelly: Sorry About Your Boyfried… Yes, It WILL Delete Your Voicemails.
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for unlocking your iPhone and switching to T-Mobile:
http://www.zulius.com/how-to/c.....-t-mobile/
I jailbroke my Iphone 3gs an the next morning the stupid thing had stole my car, my money, even my cereals, well it’s not on!! This has to be stopped before iPhones all break out of jail and submerge into on big frikkin Iphone which will then make apps out of all you little hacker worms!! You know I mean. Put down your derdrie glasses an go for a beer before it’s too late. Yours sincerly. De@no.
what are you on? lol
Ha ha thats gay ive jailbroke my iphone and now its a gateway to freedom, free tomtom all top games for free basicly apple no longer controls you you control apple!!!
It’s a terrifying thing to jailbreak iphone without the help of apple, just do it by yourselves. Actually, I trust in iTunes more than Cydia, which collected apps paid or free, even i will get an software of third party company on their online store, but not Cydia, if it’s an video converter I want to know who created it, ifunia or aneesoft and who can provide me after-sale service.
Hey guys…I have question about my phone, hopefully someone can answer. I have 8gb 3g Iphone and I jail-broke it with spirit, how ever when os4 came out I updated and lost my jailbreak. My question is since spirit does not support os 4.0 can I use different program such as blackrain or redsnow to jailbreak it??? Or will my phone get bricked…I have heard a lot of stories and don’t know what to believe anymore.
Hey, I am wondering if you lose all your voicemails when you jailbreak your iPhone? I am actually wanting to jailbreak because there are three voice messages from my boyfriend who passed away just a week ago that I desperately want to save.
Sorry to hear about your bf. I hope you’re ok. Back up your iPhone before the jailbreak just in case, but, no, the jailbreak will not cause you to lose voicemails. Voicemail is stored on a server hosted by your carrier and not on the actual phone itself, so unless you delete the voicemail specifically from your phone, you will be able to access it again.
[...] The iPhone 4 unlock software allows you to use your iPhone on any GSM carrier. The only problem: Planetbeing’s iPhone 4 unlock solution has not been released to the public. Furthermore, iPhone 4 has not yet joined the list of jailbreak solutions. [...]
Yay!! I’ve been waiting for this one! I like the jailbreaking spirit.. Just I find some “iphone 4G in HD”from aeesoft.com, you can reading it if you are interested.
http://www.spiritjb.com will jail break your iphone but dont update to 4 it only works with the one before for iphone and ipod touches
Very nice guide, I’d rather not damage my iPhones haha. I think iPhones are better off, it’s a waste of money by cracking into it and givin a load of viruses. Apple’s smart enough, if they thought the iPhone would be better with thse features, the iPhone would already have it.
if u jailbreakk it right… u can have a COOL iphone(((i got a iPod Touch 2nd Generation runnin’ iOS 4.0.1 nd it jailbroken with redsn0w 9.5 beta 5 nd itz doin juss fine bruh bruh! tryy it Google Ihdd- i’mm 13 bruh nd HMU if yah need helpp!
i fund it easy right here http://tech-jerx.blogspot.com/
Hi thanks mate I have iPhone 2nd generTion iPod 3rd generation both jailbroken I have loads of jailbreaks for my mates by learning through ur tutorials now I’m facing problem I bought a3gs iPhone not only it’s a mc model I have upgraded my firmware n it’s not even jailbroken . I want to know what’s wrong with mc models n how do I downgrade I called apple they said u cannot downgrade at all which is a pain in the bum . Lol
i really need help after i jailbroke my iphone i lost all of my contacts an pictures an i tried restoring it and that didnt work so what else can i do to get everything back HELP!!!
Looks very good, Iphone is an amazing tool if you know how to use it, to be honest i own 2 iphons.
My hubby & I have our phns jailbrk… He Recently went 2 dwnload an app & his phn DOES NOT CUT BK ON! 1st it was frozen & now IT TOTALLY DOEs NOT CUT ON 4 NOTHING!!! plz wat 2 do, wat 2do???? Plz help!! Thx
Learn how to type.
I have an iPhone 3G and a iPod Touch 2g that I jailbroke with spirit. I tried upgrading to 4 os on the Touch and then jailbreaking but no luck. I want to upgrade the iPhone to 4 but I still want to jailbreak it. Any help would be greatly appriciated.
iPhone 3G iOS 4.0 jailbreak firmware
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....1.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....2.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....3.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....4.rar.html
iPhone 3GS 4.0 jailbreak firmware activated
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....1.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....2.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....3.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....4.rar.html
Current Redsn0w for jailbreaking iPhone 4.0
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....4.zip.html
iPhone iOS 4.0 jailbreak tutorial
http://rapidshare.com/files/40.....l.rar.html
Do not buy a program to jailbreak your phone.
watch these videos on how to jailbreak, and how to save a iPhone that you think is broken. http://www.youtube.com/user/Dinozambas. You wont be sorry.
if i restore my jailbroken iphone will i stil be able to get back in my phone without being lock out
Now that you can buy an unlocked iphone in Canada…can I then just buy a SIM card to use it here on TMobile or Sprint? The TMobile people seemed less than enthusiastic….
Thanks
I’m still running 3.0 on my 16gb 3GS simply because I like the tethering feature that was available by downloading a “profile”. I went into an AT&T store today and even the guy behind the counter said he would do it. I really just want to upgrade to the 4OS and download MyWi. How do I go about doing this?
This may be a dumb question, but I’m currently learning iPhone development but obvously can’t get put the apps I create on my iPhone unless I pay the $99 Apple tax to do so. Cash I don’t have at the moment
If I jailbreak by phone, can I put them on without paying that?
Is is easy enough to do?
All help / advise very much appreciated.
Cheers.
My question is simply this. I have a jailbroken iphone 3GS. Do I need to restore my phone before upgrading to OS 4 and then jailbreak again. Or will it still be jailbroken if I just go ahead and update?
Thanks to anyone who can answer that question.
I’m not real savvy when it comes to this stuff.
My iPhone model is “MB384LL”,(2g?) version “3.1.3.(7E18)”.
Can you recommend a jailbreak program that best fits this unit?
Thanks
I have one concern about jailbreaking my new 32GB 3GS. Consider that Cydia etc. are not regulating content, now think about the fact that jailbreaking your iphone negates any built-in security measures designed by Apple. To me it seems that joining the “subculture” comes at the expense of leaving the door to malicious content. As fun as it might be to play NES emulators I’m just not convinced it’s worth the risk.
Does your iphone need to be currently connected to a carrier to jailbreak it? I cancelled with AT&T to connect with TMobile but i didn’t jailbreak it before i cancelled….and i cant seem to find the answer to my question anywhere! Will someone please tell me?
hey no u dont need to have att or a carrier to jailbreak.
Dammit hit the wrong button…
…the confidence, I really like your comments about why to and why not to really gives people a good side by side comparison to make a decision.
Good read anyhow.
Thanks for your feedback, Bender. I’ll make an effort to add some frequently asked questions in the near future.
Get some more info into your ultimate iPhone jailbreakin guide. It’s great as a overview an you definately have the right info and websites but needs some question and answers from these comments put back into then guide.
Eg
Q: Can you restore to an in jailbroken version to make your warantee void again?
A: bla bla bla
Q: when I do a restore (using a backup of a jailbroken phone does it work and what don’t I get back?
A: so on and so forth.
The reason people hesitate is there isn’t a full complete guide with good questions and answers to give people
I love my jailbreak, but I’ll probably be done with it once OS 4 comes out. If you’re on the fencepost, back up your iPhone, do it, if you don’t like it then just do a restore.
I have done the spirit jailbreak now I can’t use my internet anywhere apart from when I am at home and my phone is using my home Internet can anyone please help
There will be no need to jailbreak your when the iPhone o.s 4.0 comes out. It’s comes with everything a jailbroken iPhone can do….. But better.
Except tethering an iPad?
Exactly why I’m here – reading about jailbreaking, just so I tether the ipad. I think there’s a lot of people out there like me who never thought of jailbreaking until now. Why pay for 2 lots of data? Why excuse will Jobs come up with this time to justify the exclusion of this functionality?
So will I be able to use bluetooth openly? like hooking up to an external bluetooth GPS which is far more accurate?
Hi Robbie do you expect it may be possible to tether the new Iphone
to an I pad (without jailbreaking)this surly will be the perfect senario.
regards Joe
From my point if view, I like the iPhone software as it is, backgrounds can mak. It to hard to read and it’s slightly disorientating. Me, my only reason is the ‘free apps’ area. But, now discovering that the apps aren’t the same as the ones in the app store, and can’t update and there is a risk of damaging or downloading a virus. And multitasking on the 2G and 3G can be slow and crash at times (so I have been told) . So I will just stick around until the new iPhone O.S 4 is released.
Until then, Kai.
(great job on the website though)
Thanks for all the info, I’ve been thinking about jailbreaking my I-phone for a wile now. I’m coming up on my upgrade time with AT&T so even if something bad happens to this phone, it’s not a huge deal. Once again, thanks for giving me something to think about.
Love to have it lol
If I buy a program to jailbreak my phone, does it have a program that allows me to see what I’m doing on the phone? Kind of the the old motorola mobile phones tools program? Or is it like using windows explorer and drag and drop files and hope it looks like you want it to? If anyone has info about this or where I can find a good jailbrake program that you’ve used and like please email me at barbertrd@yahoo.com