Tag Archives: apple

what is jailbreaking iphone

What is Jailbreaking?

What is Jailbreaking?

The process of jailbreaking takes advantage of exploits, or imperfections, in either the software or the hardware of an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV. By doing this you can remove the limitations implemented by Apple and so you can then install third-party apps, tweaks or modifications, and even themes to change the appearance of your device; all of which are not available in Apple’s App Store.

Apple applies numerous safegaurds to iOS which prevents users from installing and running software which has not been approved by them. They do this to protect the devices and users from threats like bugs, crashes, and even viruses so this method can be extremely beneficial to the run of the mill user, making iOS and easy to use and more importantly, stable operating system. While this may be good for most people, many prefer to extend the potential of their devices and make them stand out from the crowd and these two reasons are why I’ve jailbroken every single mobile Apple device that I’ve owned.

Is Jailbreaking Legal?

Many people muddy up the answer to this question and don’t provide a straightforward answer. To put it simply, in the United States, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, jailbreaking iOS devices is legal as it is in every other country with the exception of Canada. In Canada, the Copyright Act was amended in 2012 prohibiting tampering with digital locks. This is exactly what jailbreaking does and so it is illegal in Canada, however, there’s really no way for the government to  find out if you do it so you might as well take the leap and just do it. Now while it is legal pretty much everywhere, you will void your warranty with Apple so if you take your jailbroken device into an Apple store for help they’ll void your warranty. But what you can do is simply restore it iTunes and if you still have the problem you can take in to Apple and there’s no way they’ll ever know if you jailbroke your device.

How do you Jailbreak?

For the most part, jailbreaking tools are just programs that you can download for your Mac or PC. Normally they have you go through a few steps like holding down a few buttons on your device and they’ll do the rest. Other times programs will create custom IPSW files, or iPhone SoftWare, and will then require the user to restore to that custom file (which has the jailbreak bundled with it) using iTunes. But sometimes there are methods that just use Mobile Safari. So you open up Safari on your device, go to a specific website, tap a link, and it’s done. But, different methods are needed for different exploits and so some jailbreaks may be extremely easy while others may require your computer and a few minutes of your time.

Who Develops Jailbreaks?

So far jailbreaks have either been developed and released by independent developers like GeoHot and Comex, or by teams of developers and security experts like the iPhone Dev Team, Chronic Dev Team, and evad3rs.

Basically, the way jailbreaks are put together is that developers look for exploits, or holes, in the software or hardware of a device. Sometimes it could only take one exploit and sometimes it can take as many as twenty for a single jailbreak, but once they’re found it gives the developers a chance a to insert their own code into the device in order to bypass Apple’s limitations. These guys do this in their free time, which can often take months from the time Apple releases a new version of iOS or a new device, and these jailbreaks have always been completely free to download and use.

Cydia

Every jailbreak process installs another “app store” of sorts called Cydia. Originally, when jailbreaking first started, we had another app called Installer but since iOS 2 Cydia has been the big player. Like the App Store it lets you search for tweaks and themes and modifications and then install them. The difference of course is that Cydia only runs on jailbroken devices and the software that it provides you with has not been approved by Apple.

Cydia uses repos, or repositories, which host all of these tweaks, themes, and other software. They basically act as channels, allowing you to download and access the customizations. And, just like the App Store, while many packages are free there are some which cost money.

How do Jailbreaks Work?

Jailbreaks provide users with root access to iOS, allowing non-Apple approved software to be installed. This is done by exploiting flaws in the device’s software or hardware.

There are two levels of jailbreaks: tethered and untethered. A tethered jailbreak requires the device to be connected to a computer and then re-exploited with jailbreak software each time it boots in order to remain in a jailbroken state; otherwise, the device will boot as if it is not jailbroken and none of the tweaks, modifications, themes, or jailbreak apps will work. With an untethered jailbreak a user can properly reboot their device without being connected to a computer while retaining the jailbreak.

The most important concept to understand about jailbreaking is that a jailbreak does not exist for every version of iOS nor for every iOS device. For the most part there will be one major untethered jailbreak released per year with each new major update to iOS like iOS 6 or iOS 7. Apple will then release smaller updates which will fix bugs and patch the exploits which were necessary for the jailbreak. Often times the developers will release updated jailbreaks so that anyone who updates or purchases a device with the new version of iOS can jailbreak their device. But, just as often, they don’t release an updated jailbreak in hopes of preserving the exploits that they’ve found for future major jailbreaks.

evasi0n

Jailbreak ALL iPhones, iPads, iPods on iOS 6.0-6.1 with evasi0n

Download evasi0n for Mac, Windows, and Linux at www.evasi0n.com

Steps:
a. Upgrade device to iOS 6.1
b. Disable passcode lock
1. Plug device into computer
2. Click ‘Jailbreak’ button in evasi0n
3. When prompted, tap evasi0n app ONCE
4. Complete! Open Cydia, select user type, and allow it to refresh.
c. You can now re-enable your passcode lock

evasi0n can jailbreak all iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and iPad mini models running iOS 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, and 6.1. If the jailbreak process gets stuck somewhere, close evasi0n, reboot the device by holding the Home and Power buttons at the same time until it restarts, and restart the jailbreak process. evasi0n takes roughly 5 minutes to jailbreak the device. Once the jailbreak process is complete, open Cydia and allow it to refresh its sources. Once it closes, open Cydia again and in the ‘Changes’ section, update ‘evasi0n 6.x Untether’. Once you do that your device will be completely jailbroken and you can continue to install any jailbreak tweaks/apps/themes you choose.

jailbreak backup

How to Backup Jailbreak Apps, Tweaks, Data

Backing up jailbreak data has always been an issue for those of us who have jailbroken iPhones, iPod touches, or iPads. Luckily there are a few ways to backup this data and have it easily restored the next time you have to re-jailbreak your device.

AptBackup [FREE] – This app is extremely simple and minimal. You tap a button that says “Backup” your data is automatically stored in a list. When you want to restore that data you tap the “Restore” button and it will re-download all of the jailbroken packages that you had before. The problem with this app, however, is that you must restore from a backup which means you won’t be able to have a fresh, clean, new iOS version. You’ll always have your left over junk data which bogs down your device. I have had issues with this app in the past not re-installing jailbreak data which is one of the reasons I no longer use it.

xBackup [$1.50] – This app is very similar to AptBackup in that it is very simple and minimal. The difference, though, is that xBackup will backup your data list to their servers so that you can do a clean restore on your device and start fresh.

PKGBackup [$9.99] – PKGBackup is my personal favorite as it provides many unique and useful features. The price is relatively high for a jailbreak app but given it’s usefulness it is well worth it. You can send your backups to Dropbox or any other cloud storage and you can schedule backups. Many other features are present and are shown in the video.

All three of these apps are available on default repositories so there is no need to add any sources.

Question: Have you used any of these apps before. If you have, which one, and if not, which one will you be trying?

10bil apps downloaded

Apple Announces the 10 Billionth iOS App Downloaded

Apple has just announced who downloaded the 10 billionth iPhone application and what it was. They stated:

With more than 160 million iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPad users worldwide. The 10 billionth app downloaded, Paper Glider, was purchased by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK. As the winner of the App Store Countdown to 10 Billion Apps, Gail Davis will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.

It’s amazing that after only a little more than 2 years, Apple has already sold 10 billion iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad applications. Congratulations to Gail Davis most likely won’t need to buy anything from iTunes again.

screwgate

Screwgate: Apple Begins Changing Screws on iPhone 4

Apple has always preferred their products to remain their products even after they have been sold. For example, Apple continues to play the “cat and mouse” game with the iPhone Dev-Team to try to prevent jailbreaking as well as pouncing on companies who sell white iPhone 4 conversion kits. This common behavior in Apple has shown once again as they now replace the common #00 Phillips screws used in many of their products, specifically the iPhone 4, with new 5-pointed tamper-resistant pentalobe screws. These are extremely uncommon and are meant to keep iPhone 4 users out of their phones. Some might argue that it’s their products and that they should use whatever products they feel work best. The problem isn’t necessarily that they are producing new iPhone 4s with these screws, but that when customers bring their iPhone 4s into Apple stores for repairs, they are returned with these new screws in place. Also, if your warranty has expired or had been voided, you will need to perform these upgrades yourself. While in some cases you shouldn’t be tampering with the internals of your iPhone, it’s your phone and if you need to do a repair on it, with these new screws you simply can’t.

If for some reason you need to remove these tamper-resistant screws, the drivers are not only rare but expensive. In response to this, iFixit has created a $9.95 “iPhone 4 Liberation Kit“, which contains a Pentalobular driver to remove the new screws, two #00 Phillips screws to replace them with, and a corresponding Philips driver. The only downside, however, is that removing the Pentalobular screws may cause them to be unusable; but in the end, that’s essentially the whole point of replacing them.

steve jobs leave

Steve Jobs’ Medical Leave of Absence Could Hurt Apple’s Success

Steve Jobs has, for the third time since 2004, been granted a medical leave of absence by the Apple board of directors and according to the Wall Street Journal, COO Tim Cook will once again be running day to day operations for the company.

This should come as no surprise when we saw Tim Cook announce the Verizon iPhone with Verizon President and COO, Lowell McAdam, instead of Steve Jobs. On the same day that Jobs’ leave was announced, Apple’s (AAPL) stock tumbled an astonishing 8% which revived concerns over the company’s long-term success once Jobs’ time comes for him to step down from Apple.

Quate (via Steve Jobs):

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve

iPad 2

No Home Button on Next iPad?

In the first Beta release of iOS 4.3, we saw that Apple added some interesting new multitouch gestures. Apple noted this:

Test Multi-Touch Gestures for iPad
This beta release contains a preview of new Multi-Touch gestures for iPad. You can use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen; swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar; and swipe left or right between apps. We are providing this preview before releasing them to the public to understand how these gestures work with your apps. Test them and give us your feedback on the Apple Developer Forums

I noticed one thing, like the iPod Nano there is no home button, therefore to exit to the home screen you have to pinch the screen, so I’m assuming that the next generation iPad will have no home button due to these new multitouch gestures. I amusing this because Apple just released the first beta of iOS 4.3 and the next iPad is suppose to be released or announced sometime in February so the dates are all adding up. So I’m making a prediction that the next iPad will have no home button.

Let me know what you think by emailing me at conner@techgeec.com or comment on the post below!

ios 4

BREAKING: Apple Seeds iOS 4.3 to Developers

Apple just seeded iOS 4.3 Beta 1 to developers! I’m going to see what is in the new firmware and update this post A.S.A.P.
UPDATE #1: The firmware works for iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV

UPDATE #2: It’s still unknown at this time what is

in iOS 4.3 since all developers are currently downloading the firmware and haven’t had a chance to install it but this is what is rumored to be in the new OS: Support for personal hotspot functionality as seen on th

e Verizon iPhone. Possible support for recurring billing for App Store content subscriptions such as News Corp.’s forthcoming tablet-focused news publication, The Daily.

UPDATE #3: It’s official, the new iOS Beta allows devs to send video from apps or websites to an Apple TV. There’s also a new beta of the Apple TV software for testing it out . The Apple TV doesn’t have any version notes, so I don’t know if it offers any additional features. One thing I’ve noted is the I’m not seeing any mention of mobile hotspot functionality, and considering the Verizon iPhones we saw were running iOS 4.2.5, we’ve got a feeling everything still hasn’t been merged up. I’ll let you know if I find anything else out.

UPDATE #4: Apple posted this note on the firmware discription.

Quote (via Apple Developer):

“Test Multi-Touch Gestures for iPad
This beta release contains a preview of new Multi-Touch gestures for iPad. You can use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen; swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar; and swipe left or right between apps. We are providing this preview before releasing them to the public to understand how these gestures work with your apps. Test them and give us your feedback on the Apple Developer Forums.”

UPDATE #5: I’ve also noticed that Apple totally revoked the firmware beta for the iPod Touch 2G and iPhone 3G, does this mean that those devices have become another member of the Apple Graveyard? Or does it mean that since this update is focused on AirPlay and those devices don’t have AirPlay support? I’ll let you now soon!

UPDATE #6: Looks like there is one more update, it seems that Apple has included the new mobile hotspot feature that we saw yesterday in the Verizon iPhone announcement in the new iOS 4.3 Beta 1 update.

UPDATE #7: Looks like there are a few more features. The biggest one, the iPad mute switch can now be toggled back to the rotation lock switch. Another feature is Apple adopted a new FaceTime icon for iPod Touch, and iPhone 4. One more is that Apple now allows users to have Full Screen iAd banners.

UPDATE #8: Gizmodo posted a video here: (iPad Multitouch Gesters) showing off the iPad multitouch gesters. Hope you enjoy.

Boxcar Logo

Boxcar CEO Q&A


I recently emailed the CEO of your guys favorite app of all time, Angry Birds! I’m just kidding, I emailed the CEO of Boxcar. His name is Jonathan George and I was very fortunate to get a response from him. I asked him a few questions that are listed below and he was nice enough to answer them for me. Hope you guys enjoy.

1.) Why did you want to start Boxcar?

I started Boxcar on a whim in June 2009.  Push notifications had just been released with iOS 3.0 and I had missed a direct message on Twitter from someone.  I thought: it’d have been awesome to receive that via a push notification.  A few hours later I had a small prototype built.  I started it that Friday evening and submitted it to Apple two days later.  The first version only opened 2 Twitter clients and you could use it with just one Twitter account.  Even though it was ugly, slow and tiny, it worked.  It brought a new experience to something that badly needed an overhaul. It’s changed a lot since that first launch. 

2.) Why is Boxcar free? I could see paying $10 for this useful app.

Boxcar is free because we want as many people to use Boxcar as possible.  Without users, Boxcar wouldn’t be what it is today.  We’ll be experimenting with new revenue models early next year, but Boxcar will always be free to download. Of course, if you love Boxcar, you can help support us by using in app purchase to disable the ads. 

3.) Are their any big future updates coming to the app you can tell us?

We have several top secret projects underway that may see the light of day, but nothing that we can discuss right now.

4.) When did Boxcar start becoming “big?”

I always thought of Boxcar as being “small” up until Jeff, Josh and Conor joined me a few months ago.  Boxcar was a side project until they joined in.  If something needed to be done, I’d do it.  Now when I wake up in the morning, there is already more done than I would have done in a single day before.

That’s probably the biggest defining moment, even though there are others. For example, I used to tell myself “Oh, someday Twitter will introduce push”.  And then Twitter did introduce push, but people kept on using Boxcar for Twitter push notifications.  Why?  Because we’re great at it.  It’s what we do.  And at that point you realize you’ve built something that people love.

5.) What do you think when you see your app reviewed on a big tech website or talked about on YouTube?

It’s amazing, really.  I still get ridiculously excited anytime I see *anyone* write an article about Boxcar.  I always e-mail any press we get to my mom and dad to share with them.

You guys can contact Jonathan at jonathan@boxcar.io

And during our email conversations he said he takes pride in answering every email and will get back to you. I might not be right away but he will eventually get back.

verizon iphone 4 confirmed

[BREAKING] Verizon iPhone 4 Coming Febuary 3

Verizon concluded their event held on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, where they announced that the iPhone 4 would be available on their CDMA network. The iPhone is the iPhone 4, however, the breaks in the aluminum siding for the antenna seem to have been rearranged – possibly to address the antennagate issue.

The Verizon iPhone 4 will cost $199 for the 16GB version and $299 for the 32GB version with the capability of it acting as a mobile hotspot for up to 5 additional devices. It is availalbe for pre-order for existing Verizon customers on February 3 and for the general public on February 10 online and in Verizon and Apple stores. Unfotunately it won’t be running on Verizon’s new incredibly fast 4G LTE network. Instead, it will run on 3G, although, being as how a new iPhone will be announced around June, that one might have the capability of running on the 4G LTE network. Other than those new facts, it will have the same features/looks as the current iPhone 4.

We will have full coverage of the Verizon iPhone 4 on February 10. Stay tuned.