understanding jailbreaking

[arslonga]

Good day.

I understand that jailbreaking my iPad may simply involve downloading the evasi0n program to my PC, plugging the iPad and clicking a button. Simple and efficient.

Now, my concern is that I am not sure about the risks of jailbreaking the device. Does a jailbroken device behave as an improved iPad with additional features or does it become a different os? For example, will I still be able to use iTunes to acess the iTunes store or backup the device? Will I be able to install apps legitimately downloaded from the App store? Thank you for your attention.

[pwalker8]

For the most part, jailbreaking your iPad doesn't really get you much anymore. It's still iOS, you still download the apps via iTunes et al. The risk is that your iPad may get bricked (i.e. rendered unusable) at some point. What jailbreaking gets you is some minor tweaks and such. Unless there is a feature that you really, really want/need IMPO, jailbreaking isn't worth it. I jailbroke my original iPhone but haven't really seen a reason to the past several years.

Here's a link you may find interesting on jailbreaks and iOS 8 -
http://www.businessinsider.com/ios-8-jailbreak-2014-6

[Jessica Lares]

Jailbreaking just injects code that makes the device gain admin privileges of the root filesystem. It also installs an app called Cydia that is the central area where you can download tweaks, push updates, etc.

iTunes will still work as normally. I would use something like DiskAid to do your own individual app backups as the iTunes ones tend to get corrupted with jailbreaks. Otherwise everything works as normal.

I recently started using Safari Enhancer, which I really like.

iOS 8 doesn't make jailbreaking pointless, there's less to it now, but still...

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

For the most part, jailbreaking your iPad doesn't really get you much anymore. It's still iOS, you still download the apps via iTunes et al. The risk is that your iPad may get bricked (i.e. rendered unusable) at some point. What jailbreaking gets you is some minor tweaks and such. Unless there is a feature that you really, really want/need IMPO, jailbreaking isn't worth it. I jailbroke my original iPhone but haven't really seen a reason to the past several years.

Here's a link you may find interesting on jailbreaks and iOS 8 -
http://www.businessinsider.com/ios-8-jailbreak-2014-6

According to our own link, it is only the minor tweaks aspect of jailbreaking used by casual jailbreakers that will go away.

Anyone who had more than casual reasons to jailbreak still wants all the apps that Apple doesn't allow in the appstore.

I have two friends who managed to brick their iPhones merely by installing the official update from Apple -- on an un-jailbroken device, in case you ask. I imagine bricking your iPhone is just as unlikely as that.

[pwalker8]

He asked what the risks were. Bricking a phone is the number one risk. I agree that it's unlikely, but it does happen.

The last time that I jailbroke my iPhone was some years ago, but at that time, there wasn't much in the way of apps that appealed to me. I think the only one I really wanted was one that showed signal strength rather than bars. Different people have different wants and desires, which is why I said IMPO, i.e. in my personal opinion.

[Jessica Lares]

If you stick to the official jailbreak and have the proper Apple cables, you shouldn't worry about bricking. Back in the day, there were a few things you could run that would change the baseband which was dangerous. There are security measures in place that let you disable any tweaks installed, and that lets you easily remove them.

It is very rare that a tweak gets an update that sends the device into a boot loop. Stick to the repos included, keep up with ModMyI and the other jailbreak related blogs, and you'll be OK. A majority of the stuff in Cydia is ancient though, so don't just try looking through it all yourself.

[eschwartz]

I just thought it was ironic that of my several friends who have iPhones, the one who jailbroke is doing fine and two of the ones who didn't jailbreak got bricked on an official Apple update.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ata-wiped.html

Course, they're wrong -- iTunes wouldn't fix their phones, and both had to go to an Apple store.

[FlorenceArt]

I'm curious. Has jailbreaking really become more popular with each iOS release, as the article claims?

Also, what's the "official" jailbreak?

I think about jailbreaking my iPad sometimes, when I get really angry at not being able to import or export files via USB, for example. Doesn't look like iOS 8 is going to fix that.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I'm curious. Has jailbreaking really become more popular with each iOS release, as the article claims?

Also, what's the "official" jailbreak?

I think about jailbreaking my iPad sometimes, when I get really angry at not being able to import or export files via USB, for example. Doesn't look like iOS 8 is going to fix that.

I suspect that it depends on your definition of popular. There may be more people jail breaking simply because there are so many more iPhones and iPads out there, but I also suspect that the percentage of people who jailbreak is getting smaller, not larger. I also think that people outside the US are much more likely to jailbreak than inside the US.

[Jessica Lares]

Currently the official one is Pangu.

Less people do it now, yeah. It's getting way too expensive for one thing. Developers asking for money for tweak upgrades, tweaks generally costing $0.99-9.99, and we don't have a bootrom exploit for newer devices.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

For the most part, jailbreaking your iPad doesn't really get you much anymore...

This depends on your needs.
I, for example, have installed all the Bruglia Emulators: C64, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Gameboy Advance and so on.
And, as well via jailbreaking, you can add BTstack = connect a PS3 gamepad for example.
No way, to do something similar on a none-jailbroken iPad.
And you can install a filebrowser. Finally scroll through the folders of iOS and -if you dare- delete some files...

[markom]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

This depends on your needs.
I, for example, have installed all the Bruglia Emulators: C64, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Gameboy Advance and so on.
And, as well via jailbreaking, you can add Bluestacks = connect a PS3 gamepad for example.
No way, to do something similar on a none-jailbroken iPad.
And you can install a filebrowser. Finally scroll through the folders of iOS and -if you dare- delete some files...

Filebrowser was my sole reason to jailbreak iPad, because now I can add files to any app without any problem via usb memory sticks, without the need to connect it to PC via usb cable (e.g. if particular app doesn't offer wi-fi transfer and is not showed in open-in dialogue for particular kind of files after I transfered a file to iPad through any other app that offers wi-fi transfer).

I can now also connect iPad and Kindle DX directly via usb cable and transfer files to and fro Kindle DX (there is no SD card slot and no wi-fi in Kindle DX and just about 3 GB available memory) or even better connect Kindle DX via usb cable to external wi-fi HDD (battery powered) and then transfer files from iPad to wi-fi HDD & Kindle DX over wi-fi, again without the need for PC but also no need for powered hub and CCK adapter (jailbroken iPad still needs some powered usb hub and CCK camera-connection-kit adapter to connect usb memory sticks and non-powered external hdd to it).

[Jessica Lares]

What exact pieces of hardware are you using markom? I'm in a hotel right now and I can't seem to get AirDrop working on the same wifi network since it's very congested (So whoever told me I didn't need a wifi connection, but sill needed both wifi and Bluetooth on - I'm not very happy with you ). I was looking at a wifi SDcard/USB port reader the other day on Amazon, but it wasn't going to come in on time so I saved it for later.

I would really like something I could use within Readdle Document's ability to connect to SMB.

[kyteflyer]

I used to jailbreak for a few things. eg on my 3GS to get a hotspot I needed MyWi, and I wanted Intelliscreen. Once I moved to a 4S, and got iOS7, all those needs were eliminated. I jailbroke on my first iPhone because it wasn't being sold in Australia and without a jailbreak, it would not be usable. I've lost interest since Cydia has become so commercialised (not that I think those people don't deserve $$$ compensation for their work, they do), and I don't think my 4S can be jailbroken anyway, now.

Havent bothered with jailbreaking ipads since ipad1.

I rarely want to use the device as a file storage thing, but there are plenty of apps on the app store which allow that. The first one I had was called Data Briefcase (or similar)... its no longer being developed... As for using files with multiple apps... dropbox. Not sure what else you'd need to be doing.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I just thought it was ironic that of my several friends who have iPhones, the one who jailbroke is doing fine and two of the ones who didn't jailbreak got bricked on an official Apple update.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ata-wiped.html

Course, they're wrong -- iTunes wouldn't fix their phones, and both had to go to an Apple store.

iTunes doesn't ever "fix" a phone. I have found when bricked that a little app called Tiny Umbrella (often used in conjunction with jailbreaking) is a useful tool for kicking a phone out of recovery. A restore can happen after that. I notice in the article people were whining about having to restore, and *lose* all their stuff. Well here's the thing... if they backed up regularly, that would not happen. I've never lost anything after getting bricked. You just have to be sensible. I have a friend who has not backed up since about a year ago. More fool her, she's been warned. One day she will lose everything, and blame the phone. Boring!