Jailbreaking - the facts

thedrewser · 03-08-2010, 09:51

I've got an iPhone 3GS bought in May this year, so still under warranty, so hesitant about jailbreaking as this would obviously void the warranty.

However, I keep hearing that jailbreaking is safe and you can always reverse it by doing a factory restore. I was wondering if anybody could point out to me any issues that, should I jailbreak (warranty issues aside) I should be aware of. Are there any dangers? Is there ever the danger that if my phone got corrupted some way that it might not be possible to do a factory restore and hence get warranty protection.

Many thanks.

ohirome · 03-08-2010, 10:06

You can brick the phone however its quite hard to do and isnt all that common. Theres always a way around it unless you manage to do some serious damage to the internals.

boyzie · 03-08-2010, 10:37

It would not void the warranty as you can do a restore through iTunes.Had my jailbreak for a year now,did it the first day I got it,and would never go back.

braddo · 03-08-2010, 11:01

See the light and go for it!

GB-UK · 03-08-2010, 11:07

So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken?

ppaupy · 03-08-2010, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by GB-UK

So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken?

Yes i would be keen to know this too.

thedrewser · 03-08-2010, 11:24

I'm a cautious fellow and the thing that worries me, in light of the reply above, is that if the phone does "brick" it might not allow a factory reset.

However, having read a few forums regarding the new jailbreak for iOS 4 I might wait for the bugs to be ironed out of it.

ThePhenom · 03-08-2010, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by GB-UK

So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken?

It allows you access to 3rd Party Apps that may not be in the app store. You can also customise your phone with themes in ways that you can't as standard. Lots of cool add-ons.

I had an Android style unlock on my phone where you join the dots in a set pattern.

A321 · 03-08-2010, 11:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by GB-UK

So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppaupy

Yes i would be keen to know this too.

It basically unlocks the OS to allow you root access to it. This means you can download code, apps etc that don't appear on the iTunes store.

Check out these guys for more info,

iPhone Dev Team

darren221980 · 03-08-2010, 17:35

Jailbreaking is a must for me as it opens up the iphone to so much more. For example Facetime on the Iphone 4 on a unjailbroken phone only works on wifi, but once jailbroken it will work over 3g.

Also as mentioned 3rd party apps can be installed and also you can get app store apps free if you look in the right places (before anyone moans at me for promoting piracy, i'm just providing facts).

jonner101 · 03-08-2010, 17:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by darren221980

Jailbreaking is a must for me as it opens up the iphone to so much more. For example Facetime on the Iphone 4 on a unjailbroken phone only works on wifi, but once jailbroken it will work over 3g.

Also as mentioned 3rd party apps can be installed and also you can get app store apps free if you look in the right places (before anyone moans at me for promoting piracy, i'm just providing facts).

There isn't really any excuse for theft when the app store apps cost so little.

darren221980 · 03-08-2010, 18:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonner101

There isn't really any excuse for theft when the app store apps cost so little.

Fair point however not all apps cost so little. I don't mind paying for apps providing they are value for money and many people are probably the same.

Jailbreaking in my instance has actually made the developers money from me as there are quite a lot of crap apps around that i don't just waste my money on anything i see without being able to test it out first. So if i hadn't jailbroken i doubt i would have brought some of the apps i have.

jonner101 · 03-08-2010, 18:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by darren221980

Fair point however not all apps cost so little. I don't mind paying for apps providing they are value for money and many people are probably the same.

Jailbreaking in my instance has actually made the developers money from me as there are quite a lot of crap apps around that i don't just waste my money on anything i see without being able to test it out first. So if i hadn't jailbroken i doubt i would have brought some of the apps i have.

Maybe I'm biased as I'm an Apple developer, but downloading app store apps illegally is no better than shoplifting and it's Theft pure and simple regardless of buying some of the apps later on.

neil79 · 03-08-2010, 21:30

I normally just read the reviews on the app store or try the free version out. If I punt the odd 59p on a rubbish app it's no big deal compared to fafing about jailbreaking an i phone

Give me the Apple app store anyday compared to what's on offer elsewhere

Gormond · 03-08-2010, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonner101

Maybe I'm biased as I'm an Apple developer, but downloading app store apps illegally is no better than shoplifting and it's Theft pure and simple regardless of buying some of the apps later on.

Nah you are spot on, if tomtom want to charge £50 for there app then it's their right to do so. If you think it's to expensive then font use it rather than stealing it.

Btw I don't have any pirate software on my macs, it's all paid for, so I practise what I preach.

satman17 · 03-08-2010, 22:05

ok i have a 3g iphone running 4.1 a laptop with xp home, what do i need to do to jailbreak? easy to undrstand instructions please. also i dont want to loose my contacts will a jaibreak loose these?

Matt D · 03-08-2010, 22:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by satman17

ok i have a 3g iphone running 4.1 a laptop with xp home, what do i need to do to jailbreak? easy to undrstand instructions please. also i dont want to loose my contacts will a jaibreak loose these?

I assume it's running 4.0.1, not 4.1? (4.1 is still in beta, AFAIK).

Easy to understand instructions...

Just visit http://jailbreakme.com via your iPhone's Safari web browser & follow what it says...

You shouldn't lose anything, but it's best to perform a backup & sync via iTunes beforehand, just in case.

bluechang · 03-08-2010, 23:41

I think i read somewhere today (possibly BBC news) that it has been declared legal in the USA to 'jailbreak' an iphone as it fell under the fair use guidelines

see link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10836692

pilot25dmc · 03-08-2010, 23:45

First off, I own quite a few Apple products, all my computers and phones are made by Apple.

I have NEVER jailbroken any of my devices until last night. My reason?

There was 1 App I wanted.... Mywi, it turns your iPhone into a wireless internet hotspot and allows you to use the iPhones 3G connection to connect to the internet on your laptop or iPad. It was the only App I wanted and now I have it, no need for a 3G enabled iPad or seperate 3G data contract, I can use my unlimited data plan on my 3GS contract and to be honest I don't feel guilty at all, I have paid o2 £1000's over the last 10 or so years, so I am finally just taking a bit back.

Yes you can get Nintendo games emulators and other software but I am not interested, I have got the one App I really want and I am happy.

I will still buy legally for the official App Store and buy my songs legally from iTunes like I have always done.

darkjedimaster · 03-08-2010, 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by GB-UK

So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppaupy

Yes i would be keen to know this too.

It gives you access to full bluetooth capabilities without any restrictions.

Matt D · 03-08-2010, 23:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluechang

I think i read somewhere today (possibly BBC news) that it has been declared legal in the USA to 'jailbreak' an iphone as it fell under the fair use guidelines

see link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10836692

Yep.

Posted here last week:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s....php?t=1307683

psionic · 04-08-2010, 00:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilot25dmc

First off, I own quite a few Apple products, all my computers and phones are made by Apple.

I have NEVER jailbroken any of my devices until last night. My reason?

There was 1 App I wanted.... Mywi, it turns your iPhone into a wireless internet hotspot and allows you to use the iPhones 3G connection to connect to the internet on your laptop or iPad. It was the only App I wanted and now I have it, no need for a 3G enabled iPad or seperate 3G data contract, I can use my unlimited data plan on my 3GS contract and to be honest I don't feel guilty at all, I have paid o2 £1000's over the last 10 or so years, so I am finally just taking a bit back.

Yes you can get Nintendo games emulators and other software but I am not interested, I have got the one App I really want and I am happy.

I will still buy legally for the official App Store and buy my songs legally from iTunes like I have always done.

MyWi is my main motivation too - for the same reason - i saved £100 on my iPad by not buying the 3g version and don't need to pay for an extra SIM for data. I'd rather spend the money to increase the data allowance on my iPhone should I need it. It was a no brainer for me as my iPhone is always near me when I have my iPad and I'm away from WiFi.

bluechang · 04-08-2010, 00:06

should have quoted, but forgot

to Matt D

I'm not an iphone user nor want one, and I don't read the mobile section very often, so apologies if I have regurgitated old information, just thought I'd post what I read today/yesterday

Erlang · 04-08-2010, 00:13

I JB my Ipad so I could use more of the Bluetooth stack than Apple think I should.

i.e. Bluetooth GPS is now available for my WiFi only Ipad.

john_locke · 04-08-2010, 00:21

I JBed my 3G for a month. Only wanted it for tethering but the act of actually tethering without power source drained the phone battery so quickly i couldn't be bothered. I did install some of the interface enhancements like winterboard and such, but frankly they were crap and slowed the phone down. The only possible reason i could think of for JBing a 4 for myself is to allow face time on 3G, which i'm really not that interested in. If there was a JB Skype/face time/iChat app for ipad that allowed input from the iPhone 4 camera via Bluetooth or wifi now that might be interesting.

03-08-2010, 09:51	#1
thedrewser Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,818	Jailbreaking - the facts I've got an iPhone 3GS bought in May this year, so still under warranty, so hesitant about jailbreaking as this would obviously void the warranty. However, I keep hearing that jailbreaking is safe and you can always reverse it by doing a factory restore. I was wondering if anybody could point out to me any issues that, should I jailbreak (warranty issues aside) I should be aware of. Are there any dangers? Is there ever the danger that if my phone got corrupted some way that it might not be possible to do a factory restore and hence get warranty protection. Many thanks.

03-08-2010, 22:05	#16
satman17 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,978	how do i do it? ok i have a 3g iphone running 4.1 a laptop with xp home, what do i need to do to jailbreak? easy to undrstand instructions please. also i dont want to loose my contacts will a jaibreak loose these?

03-08-2010, 10:06	#2
ohirome Inactive Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Glasgow Posts: 2,673	You can brick the phone however its quite hard to do and isnt all that common. Theres always a way around it unless you manage to do some serious damage to the internals.

03-08-2010, 10:37	#3
boyzie Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St Osyth Posts: 3,249	It would not void the warranty as you can do a restore through iTunes.Had my jailbreak for a year now,did it the first day I got it,and would never go back.

03-08-2010, 11:01	#4
braddo Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Liverpool Posts: 120	See the light and go for it!

03-08-2010, 11:07	#5
GB-UK Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 366	So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken?

03-08-2010, 11:18	#6
ppaupy Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: chertsey Posts: 2,198	Quote: Originally Posted by GB-UK So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken? Yes i would be keen to know this too.

03-08-2010, 11:24	#7
thedrewser Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,818	I'm a cautious fellow and the thing that worries me, in light of the reply above, is that if the phone does "brick" it might not allow a factory reset. However, having read a few forums regarding the new jailbreak for iOS 4 I might wait for the bugs to be ironed out of it.

03-08-2010, 11:55	#8
ThePhenom Forum Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1,262	Quote: Originally Posted by GB-UK So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken? It allows you access to 3rd Party Apps that may not be in the app store. You can also customise your phone with themes in ways that you can't as standard. Lots of cool add-ons. I had an Android style unlock on my phone where you join the dots in a set pattern.

03-08-2010, 11:56	#9
A321 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,746	Quote: Originally Posted by GB-UK So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken? Quote: Originally Posted by ppaupy Yes i would be keen to know this too. It basically unlocks the OS to allow you root access to it. This means you can download code, apps etc that don't appear on the iTunes store. Check out these guys for more info, iPhone Dev Team

03-08-2010, 17:35	#10
darren221980 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Telford Posts: 480	Jailbreaking is a must for me as it opens up the iphone to so much more. For example Facetime on the Iphone 4 on a unjailbroken phone only works on wifi, but once jailbroken it will work over 3g. Also as mentioned 3rd party apps can be installed and also you can get app store apps free if you look in the right places (before anyone moans at me for promoting piracy, i'm just providing facts).

03-08-2010, 17:56	#11
jonner101 Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,153	Quote: Originally Posted by darren221980 Jailbreaking is a must for me as it opens up the iphone to so much more. For example Facetime on the Iphone 4 on a unjailbroken phone only works on wifi, but once jailbroken it will work over 3g. Also as mentioned 3rd party apps can be installed and also you can get app store apps free if you look in the right places (before anyone moans at me for promoting piracy, i'm just providing facts). There isn't really any excuse for theft when the app store apps cost so little.

03-08-2010, 18:18	#12
darren221980 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Telford Posts: 480	Quote: Originally Posted by jonner101 There isn't really any excuse for theft when the app store apps cost so little. Fair point however not all apps cost so little. I don't mind paying for apps providing they are value for money and many people are probably the same. Jailbreaking in my instance has actually made the developers money from me as there are quite a lot of crap apps around that i don't just waste my money on anything i see without being able to test it out first. So if i hadn't jailbroken i doubt i would have brought some of the apps i have.

03-08-2010, 18:42	#13
jonner101 Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,153	Quote: Originally Posted by darren221980 Fair point however not all apps cost so little. I don't mind paying for apps providing they are value for money and many people are probably the same. Jailbreaking in my instance has actually made the developers money from me as there are quite a lot of crap apps around that i don't just waste my money on anything i see without being able to test it out first. So if i hadn't jailbroken i doubt i would have brought some of the apps i have. Maybe I'm biased as I'm an Apple developer, but downloading app store apps illegally is no better than shoplifting and it's Theft pure and simple regardless of buying some of the apps later on.

03-08-2010, 21:30	#14
neil79 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 506	I normally just read the reviews on the app store or try the free version out. If I punt the odd 59p on a rubbish app it's no big deal compared to fafing about jailbreaking an i phone Give me the Apple app store anyday compared to what's on offer elsewhere

03-08-2010, 21:56	#15
Gormond Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 15,714	Quote: Originally Posted by jonner101 Maybe I'm biased as I'm an Apple developer, but downloading app store apps illegally is no better than shoplifting and it's Theft pure and simple regardless of buying some of the apps later on. Nah you are spot on, if tomtom want to charge £50 for there app then it's their right to do so. If you think it's to expensive then font use it rather than stealing it. Btw I don't have any pirate software on my macs, it's all paid for, so I practise what I preach.

03-08-2010, 22:27	#17
Matt D Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cambridge Posts: 13,064	Quote: Originally Posted by satman17 ok i have a 3g iphone running 4.1 a laptop with xp home, what do i need to do to jailbreak? easy to undrstand instructions please. also i dont want to loose my contacts will a jaibreak loose these? I assume it's running 4.0.1, not 4.1? (4.1 is still in beta, AFAIK). Easy to understand instructions... Just visit http://jailbreakme.com via your iPhone's Safari web browser & follow what it says... You shouldn't lose anything, but it's best to perform a backup & sync via iTunes beforehand, just in case.

03-08-2010, 23:41	#18
bluechang Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,836	I think i read somewhere today (possibly BBC news) that it has been declared legal in the USA to 'jailbreak' an iphone as it fell under the fair use guidelines see link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10836692

03-08-2010, 23:45	#19
pilot25dmc Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 404	First off, I own quite a few Apple products, all my computers and phones are made by Apple. I have NEVER jailbroken any of my devices until last night. My reason? There was 1 App I wanted.... Mywi, it turns your iPhone into a wireless internet hotspot and allows you to use the iPhones 3G connection to connect to the internet on your laptop or iPad. It was the only App I wanted and now I have it, no need for a 3G enabled iPad or seperate 3G data contract, I can use my unlimited data plan on my 3GS contract and to be honest I don't feel guilty at all, I have paid o2 £1000's over the last 10 or so years, so I am finally just taking a bit back. Yes you can get Nintendo games emulators and other software but I am not interested, I have got the one App I really want and I am happy. I will still buy legally for the official App Store and buy my songs legally from iTunes like I have always done.

03-08-2010, 23:50	#20
darkjedimaster Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Deathstar Posts: 15,398	Quote: Originally Posted by GB-UK So what does jailbreaking do? What does it allow you to do on the iphone that you cannot do on a one that is not jailbroken? Quote: Originally Posted by ppaupy Yes i would be keen to know this too. It gives you access to full bluetooth capabilities without any restrictions.

03-08-2010, 23:57	#21
Matt D Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cambridge Posts: 13,064	Quote: Originally Posted by bluechang I think i read somewhere today (possibly BBC news) that it has been declared legal in the USA to 'jailbreak' an iphone as it fell under the fair use guidelines see link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10836692 Yep. Posted here last week: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s....php?t=1307683

04-08-2010, 00:05	#22
psionic Forum Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Crystal Palace TX Posts: 19,702	Quote: Originally Posted by pilot25dmc First off, I own quite a few Apple products, all my computers and phones are made by Apple. I have NEVER jailbroken any of my devices until last night. My reason? There was 1 App I wanted.... Mywi, it turns your iPhone into a wireless internet hotspot and allows you to use the iPhones 3G connection to connect to the internet on your laptop or iPad. It was the only App I wanted and now I have it, no need for a 3G enabled iPad or seperate 3G data contract, I can use my unlimited data plan on my 3GS contract and to be honest I don't feel guilty at all, I have paid o2 £1000's over the last 10 or so years, so I am finally just taking a bit back. Yes you can get Nintendo games emulators and other software but I am not interested, I have got the one App I really want and I am happy. I will still buy legally for the official App Store and buy my songs legally from iTunes like I have always done. MyWi is my main motivation too - for the same reason - i saved £100 on my iPad by not buying the 3g version and don't need to pay for an extra SIM for data. I'd rather spend the money to increase the data allowance on my iPhone should I need it. It was a no brainer for me as my iPhone is always near me when I have my iPad and I'm away from WiFi.

DS Forums

Jailbreaking - the facts

04-08-2010, 00:06	#23
bluechang Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,836	should have quoted, but forgot to Matt D I'm not an iphone user nor want one, and I don't read the mobile section very often, so apologies if I have regurgitated old information, just thought I'd post what I read today/yesterday

04-08-2010, 00:13	#24
Erlang Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Was UK now EU Posts: 3,158	I JB my Ipad so I could use more of the Bluetooth stack than Apple think I should. i.e. Bluetooth GPS is now available for my WiFi only Ipad.

04-08-2010, 00:21	#25
john_locke Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,367	I JBed my 3G for a month. Only wanted it for tethering but the act of actually tethering without power source drained the phone battery so quickly i couldn't be bothered. I did install some of the interface enhancements like winterboard and such, but frankly they were crap and slowed the phone down. The only possible reason i could think of for JBing a 4 for myself is to allow face time on 3G, which i'm really not that interested in. If there was a JB Skype/face time/iChat app for ipad that allowed input from the iPhone 4 camera via Bluetooth or wifi now that might be interesting.