iDevice Jailbreak Questions Answered

I am a Network and Systems Administrator and our company (www.entercomp.com) supports businesses here in Enterprise and in Dothan, Geneva, Ozark and Montgomery.  While I’m working at these locations employees always ask me questions related to their personal or home computers and devices.  Things like, “My computer’s slow.  What can I do to fix it?”  Or “How can I make my computer do…”  Or “I got an error message that says…”.  Electronics was a large percentage of gifts given last month for Christmas and it turns out that most of them were iDevices - iPads, iPhones and iPods.  So, since the Holidays, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Apple products.  Most of them have to do with Jailbreaking…What is it?  What are the pros and cons?  Should I or should I not?  So I thought I would write a quick piece and answer those questions here at RYC.  This is mainly for iDevice owners who are new to Jailbreaking.  But if you’re someone who has already Jailbroken your device, maybe you’ll still get some use out of this.

What does it mean to Jailbreak an iPhone?

Basically, what Jailbreaking does is it frees your iDevice from the limitations put on it by Apple.  With a Jailbroken device you can download, install and use what’s known as third-party applications (apps that are not authorized and are not available through Apple’s App Store).   When you Jailbreak your device an app called Cydia is installed onto that device.  Cydia is a directory of applications that can be installed and used on jailbroken iPhones, iPads or iPod touch devices.

Is Jailbreaking legal?

Yes it is!  Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Jailbreaking iDevices is legal in the United States, although Apple has announced that the practice "can violate the warranty".  That means if something happens to your Jailbroken device, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint will not fix it.  However, you could simply restore it to factory settings and they would never know it was Jailbroken in the first place.

So, is Jailbreaking reversible?

Yes it is.  All you have to do is restore it in iTunes.

• ·       Connect the jailbroken device to your PC or Mac.
• ·       Launch  iTunes.
• ·       From the left column in iTunes, select your iOS device.
• ·       Under the Summary tab, you’ll notice a marked ‘Restore,’ click this to start the unjailbreak process.
• ·       You’ll be asked if you’d like to backup your iOS device, click ‘Yes’ and let the backup and restore process continue.
• ·       Your iOS device will automatically restart itself when it is finished restoring. You will then be asked if you want to restore from backup. Click ‘Yes’ if you want to restore all your non-jailbreak related apps and iPhone customization to the iOS device.
• ·       That’s it! You’re iOS device is no longer Jailbroken.

What if my iPhone is damaged during the Jailbreak process?  Will Apple replace it?

Technically no.  Not if they can prove you were trying to Jailbreak it.  But if it’s completely dead, they would never know.  I’ve never heard of anyone having problems getting a replacement for a dead jailbroken iOS device under warranty.

Is there a downside to Jailbreaking? 

Yes.  The inability to update is the biggest downside.  You will always be able to get updates for your apps.  But when a new iOS is released, you’ll lose your jailbreak until a new jailbreak is released for that iOS version.  Developers are really good these days, so they usually have a new Jailbreak a few days after a new iOS comes out.  Another downside to updating is that you will lose any apps you downloaded from Cydia. However, there are tools, such as AptBackup, that you can use to make the restoration process easier.

However, it’s important to note that unlike iTunes, AptBackup cannot restore any application-specific data or application settings.

What’s the difference between an untethered jailbreak and an tethered jailbreak?

Having an untethered jailbreak means that you can turn your device completely on and off without losing your Jailbreak status.  On the other hand, a tethered jailbreak requires the devices to be connected to a computer and jailbroken again if it is rebooted.

Ideally, what you want is an untethered jailbreak, because a tethered jailbreak can be a nuisance, especially if you turn your iOS device off and on regularly or you allow the battery to die.

What tools do you recommend for jailbreaking?

That depends on the device (iPhone, iPad, iPod) and what version of iOS it is running.  

Can I still install apps from the Apple App Store on my jailbroken iOS device?

Yes.  As far as the Apple Store, nothing will be changed.

I read something about ‘DFU Mode’. What is that?

‘DFU mode’ stands for ‘Device Firmware Upgrade mode’.  It’s a feature built into iOS devices to allow you to restore iOS even if something has gone wrong. This mode is used get a jailbreakable device ready for applying a jailbreak.  If something goes really badly wrong with a jailbroken device, you can always put the device into ‘DFU mode’ and restore it with iTunes.

What's the difference between unlocking and Jailbreaking?

The basic difference is that Jailbreaking is bout controlling what software you can install on your iDevice, while unlocking allows you to choose what mobile carrier the device will work with.  I have a friend who wants to use her iPhone 4 with Straight Talk.  Her device is Jailbroken and it's unlocked with an APN editing app.  All she needs to is insert an Straight Talk sim card and she's good to go.

That about does it.  I've answered all the questions I've ever gotten about Jailbreaking.  If you have any questions or concerns that I didn't cover, you can email me at
boates@m4technologycorp.com or at brian.oates33@facebook.com. 

This post and anything I post on this site reflects my own views and does not necessarily
represent RYC's positions, strategies or opinions.