Have you been considering jailbreaking your iPhone? You may have a friend who advised you to do it, or you may have come across an app or software that only works on jailbroken iPhones, and you are wondering whether it’s worth jailbreaking your phone to use it.
The pros of jailbreaking include access to additional apps from jailbreak app stores, unlimited tweaks and customizations, removal of ads, and removal of other limitations that come with stock iOS.
However, the cons include vulnerability to malware, voiding your warranty, and potential performance issues.
In this article, I will explain what jailbreaking is and discuss the pros and cons of jailbreaking. Jailbreaking has many advantages, and it can make your life easier in significant ways, but it also has some inherent risks.
What Is Jailbreaking?
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Jailbreaking is a process that refers to removing Apple’s restrictions from iOS devices, primarily iPhones and iPads.
Whether you have an iPhone or an iPad or even other devices like an iPod, you are probably aware that Apple has certain restrictions – for example, it only allows you to install apps from the official App Store by default.
Furthermore, Apple doesn’t support all file types, and certain settings just can’t be changed.
These limitations can be annoying. They are partly put in place to protect you and increase your safety.
However, a big reason Apple has these restrictions is simply to increase profits. They don’t want you downloading apps that have not complied with Apple’s ToS or pirated apps, for example.
Remember, listing apps on the Apple App Store is not free. You must register as an Apple Developer and pay a fee of around one hundred bucks per year.
There is a reason so many apps are available on Android but not on iOS (other than that Apple is stricter in its app approval guidelines).
You do have to pay a one-time fee of $25 to register as a developer and publish apps on the Google Play Store, but that’s peanuts compared to the annual $99 fee you would have to pay Apple.
What does that mean for you? It means you are losing out on access to fantastic apps by developers who want to release free apps but simply can’t afford Apple’s high fees.
Jailbreaking, as its name suggests, involves breaking your phone free from Apple’s jail. You will finally get true, unlimited access to the device you purchased, and you will be able to download additional apps, extensions, and themes and customize the settings in ways you would not be able to before.
It basically gives you root access to your operating system, stripping your device from those often seemingly silly restrictions.
There is a similar process on Android, but it’s called rooting. A rooted device generally refers to an Android device, while jailbreaking refers to iOS.
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Is Jailbreaking Legal?
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(Disclaimer: Laws may vary from country to country and are subject to change at any time. This does not constitute legal advice.)
You might be wondering if jailbreaking is legal. While jailbreaking falls into a gray area, it also isn’t illegal.
In the United States, it’s not illegal to jailbreak a phone that you legally purchased, as long as you’re not doing it to access copyrighted things (which can include pirated apps). Again, the act of jailbreaking itself isn’t illegal.
However, it’s important to verify the laws of your local country or state before proceeding.
Apple does not like jailbreaking and has worked hard over the years to implement restrictions preventing people from jailbreaking iPhones. It’s still possible to do it, though, and Apple has never really gone after individuals who jailbreak iPhones.
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Jailbreaking Pros – Reasons to Jailbreak
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Let’s move on to the heart of this article – should you jailbreak your iPhone? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of doing so?
You’ll Get Access to So Many More Apps
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There are enough apps on the official App Store – or so you’d think. The truth is that once you jailbreak your iPhone, you will discover a whole new world of apps that you didn’t even think existed.
One of the most popular apps for jailbroken iOS devices is Cydia. On Cydia, you can find many new apps, including extensions for existing iOS apps that allow you to customize your device in ways you just wouldn’t be able to do before, both graphically and functionally.
You can also download extensions and themes that change the look of your iPhone entirely.
Cydia has become somewhat less popular, and it stopped allowing app sales (paid apps) in 2018. However, most of the apps were free anyway, and you can continue to download Cydia and use it as an alternative app store if you have a jailbroken iPhone.
You can download Cydia here.
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One of the reasons it’s not so popular anymore is that new alternatives that are faster have come out. For example, many people have switched to Zebra; those who stay with Cydia often do so because of nostalgia, kind of like why people stuck around with Windows XP for a long time, even after later versions came out.
Zebra is slick and powerful, and if you have a jailbroken iPhone, you will love it.
Sileo is yet another alternative Cydia that has become very popular. It tends to be quicker and easier to use, but Installer 5 and AppStore++ are two other options you might want to look into.
Customize Your Device
As mentioned, jailbreaking your iPhone also gives you endless customization options. Are there little things that bug you about the “Apple way?”
Or do you just not like the way certain controls look or work?
You can not only change the look of your iPhone with jailbreaking, but it gives you endless customization options. It’s a free world out there if you have a jailbroken iPhone – you can really do whatever you want in terms of extensions, themes, customizations, and design.
It’s a lot of fun! For example, you can change how your home screen or icons look.
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Change the Way Apps Work
You can also install tweaks to existing apps and customize the way apps work. For example, one of the main reasons many people jailbreak their phones is to enable background play on YouTube.
By default, YouTube doesn’t allow background play unless you have YouTube Premium (even then, availability varies by region). By jailbreaking your iPhone, you can enable background play – you can also remove ads.
Similarly, you can add tweaks to Spotify, Netflix, and other popular apps.
Delete Preinstalled Apps
One of the biggest pet peeves of many iPhone owners is that there are a bunch of preinstalled apps on iOS that you simply can’t remove.
If you have iOS 14 or a later version, you can delete some preinstalled iOS apps. See more information here.
However, that wasn’t always possible, and you’re out of luck if you have an older device.
Furthermore, while you can typically disable apps to remove them from your screen, disabling apps doesn’t actually remove them from your device – they still take up space.
Many Android devices also have bloatware, but it depends on the manufacturer – Samsung phones come with Samsung apps, while Huawei phones may come with Huawei apps.
Bloatware refers to apps and software that “bloat” your phone and take up space. Most of the time, they come preinstalled by the manufacturer; often, they are impossible to uninstall.
You may never use those apps and may have no interest in them – that’s why people hate them.
With a jailbroken iPhone, you can delete any app you don’t like, including preinstalled apps.
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Secure Your Phone from Theft
There’s a lot to say about security and jailbreaking. In fact, for the most part, jailbreaking your iPhone makes it less secure, not more – I’ll talk more about that in the cons section.
However, there are some potential safety advantages of jailbreaking your iPhone, as you can download additional security apps. Apple offers a Find My app that allows you to track your iPhone and wipe it clean remotely, but if the phone gets disconnected from the internet, it won’t work.
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iCaughtU Pro is a premium version of iCaughtU, an app available for jailbroken iPhones on the Cydia app store. When someone enters the wrong passcode, it will take a front-facing picture of the offender and send it to your email, along with data such as a location or map, allowing you to track down thieves.
You can also set it so the thief would have to make a certain number of wrong passcode entries until this feature is activated. That way, you won’t waste time taking pictures every time you accidentally enter an incorrect digit.
There are some more advanced features as well. For example, you can allow entry with a wrong passcode but in “Fake Mode,” in which only certain apps are enabled.
That way, thieves will think they have accessed your device but won’t see any of your banking apps or private information. Thieves often attempt to enter common passcodes, such as 1111 or 1234, as many people use them.
That’s just one app – there are other apps available for jailbroken iPhone devices that allow you to configure advanced security features.
Cons of Jailbreaking
Jailbreaking also has significant cons. Here are some things you should know before deciding to jailbreak your phone – it’s not without risks, and it’s important to weigh them before determining that jailbreaking is right for you.
You Will Void Your Warranty
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Do you have insurance on your phone, whether through Apple or a third-party coverage provider? Jailbreaking an iPhone typically voids your coverage.
That means that if your device breaks or has some other problem that insurance would typically cover repairs or replacements for, you will lose that benefit.
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You May Need to Use an Older iOS Version
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Jailbreaks don’t usually come out for new iOS versions immediately. For example, after Apple releases a new iOS version, it can take some time for a jailbreak to come out.
That means that if you decide to jailbreak your phone, you may have to use an older version.
Furthermore, you may be unable to update your phone if you want to continue using it in a jailbroken state (you can lose your jailbreak).
And, since some apps (from the official iOS store) stop working with older versions of iOS, you will no longer be able to use them.
Some Apps Have Jailbreak Detection
Some apps from the official App Store will not work if you have a jailbroken device, as some developers use jailbreak detection to detect if an app is running on a jailbroken platform. This is more common with banking apps.
However, there are ways to get around it. Various “jailbreak detection bypass” apps and software have come out in response to jailbreak detection restrictions, but they aren’t always easy to install and use.
You May Have Bugs and Glitches
When you move away from how iOS is supposed to work by jailbreaking your phone, you may find yourself experiencing bugs, glitches, and lags. Not everything will always work the way it’s supposed to.
Whether it’s connectivity issues, freezes, crashes, or other glitches, things can get annoying at times. They are more common, however, when you install two tweaks that are not compatible with each other or certain tweaks that have code problems; by identifying and uninstalling the culprit, you can usually get rid of such bugs.
Also, your location might not always work correctly when using maps or apps that use your location (it might show you in the wrong location). You may also experience dropped calls and poor connections.
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Decrease in Performance
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One of the most common side effects of jailbreaking is decreased battery life. Your battery just won’t last as long after jailbreaking, especially if you do a lot of customizations, so that’s something to consider.
Furthermore, you may experience other performance issues, such as your device overheating or slowing down.
Increased Security Risk
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I mentioned that jailbreaking gives you access to some apps that are designed to increase security. That is true, but overall, jailbreaking increases security risks instead of decreasing them.
There is a reason iPhones are known as some of the most secure mobile devices. Security is light years ahead of Android, and that’s because Apple is strict with its security measures.
When you jailbreak your device, however, it removes many of the security measures that Apple put in place to protect your phone and your private data. It makes your device more accessible to hackers.
That’s especially true once you start downloading software from third-party sources, which may have bugs and coding vulnerabilities that allow malware to access your device. However, even if you don’t, you won’t get the security patches that Apple always releases, leaving your device open to hackers.
In 2015, malware called KeyRaider started spreading. It only affects jailbroken iOS devices and can steal login information and passwords. Not only that, but it can operate as ransomware and lock your device, denying you access until you pay the hackers a ransom.
It stole the login information of more than 225,000, leading security company Kaspersky to label it the “biggest iOS theft ever.” Many people saw a string of unauthorized purchases on their accounts due to this malware.
Remember, it won’t affect regular iOS devices – only jailbroken devices. Also, KeyRaider is just an example – hackers are constantly scheming and releasing new malware to target the security vulnerabilities of jailbroken iOS devices.
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It Might Be Difficult to Go Back
Once you jailbreak, it might be hard to un-jailbreak your iPhone and undo what you have done if you regret it.
It is possible to un-jailbreak an iPhone – don’t get me wrong. It’s not entirely irreversible.
However, it is very likely that even if you un-jailbreak your iPhone, you may have traces left from the jailbreak, and some apps might not work properly. Furthermore, even if you do a backup and reinstall your OS completely, it may reinstall it with those jailbreak traces.
That can be quite frustrating. Therefore, think twice and make sure you really want to jailbreak before playing around with your expensive iPhone.
Alternatives to Jailbreaking
If you don’t want to run the risk of jailbreaking your iPhone but are unsatisfied with the current selection of apps in the App Store, there are alternatives available.
These alternatives are essentially third-party app stores that allow you to sideload apps on your device without jailbreaking them. Note that depending on the store, the apps may only last for a few weeks until you have to re-download them, and you may also have a limit on how many apps you can download at a time.
Here are my two favorite alternative app stores.
1. AltStore
AltStore requires you to tether your device to a Mac or Windows to sideload apps. It’s an alternative app store that does not require jailbreaking.
You’ll start by downloading AltStore on your computer and then installing it on your connected iPhone. You can then download apps – you don’t need to keep your phone connected to your computer for those downloaded apps to work.
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2. Tweakbox
TweakBox is another excellent alternative to the Apple App Store for people who don’t want to risk jailbreaking their iPhones.
It has over 2,000 apps for iPhones and iPads, as well as various tweaks.
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Is Jailbreaking Still a Thing?
Jailbreaking has definitely become less and less popular over the years. There are various reasons for that.
The first is that Apple has become smarter and patched exploits you need to jailbreak an iPhone. For example, Checkra1n is one of the most popular ways to jailbreak an iPhone, but it doesn’t work on newer iPhone models because it targets an export in the hardware.
Most other jailbreaking software, though, targets flaws and exploits in the software, not the hardware. That’s why it usually takes time before jailbreak methods come out for newer iOS releases – at least nowadays.
In the past, jailbreaks came out for new iOS releases very quickly. Those good days are long over, and due to the need to wait after every iOS release, many people are just not bothering with jailbreaking anymore.
Apple is continually patching exploits in software that allow people to jailbreak iPhones. It has become increasingly challenging to jailbreak iPhones compared to how it was just a few years ago, although it’s not impossible.
For example, while Checkra1n is limited to iOS 14 and before, there is a software called palera1n that allows you to jailbreak iPhones up to iOS 16.4.
Another reason jailbreaking is less popular is due to the increased awareness of the security risks involved, especially after the release of malware such as KeyRaider.
People simply don’t want to risk getting their personal information stolen – cybersecurity has become a hot topic, and people are more educated about the risks of identity theft.
Some people are simply tired of the bugs, lags, and connection issues prevalent with jailbreaking.
Finally, another major reason people are abandoning jailbreaking is due to the release of alternatives that provide those things jailbreakers were looking for.
These releases are not necessarily coming from Apple itself, although Apple has definitely been releasing new customization options to reduce people’s desire to jailbreak.
For example, I mentioned that many people jailbreak their phones to enable YouTube background play. Guess what? There are now apps available from third-party app stores, such as AltStore, that emulate YouTube but allow background play, so there is no need for jailbreaking.
There are also plenty of ad blockers and browsers, such as Brave Browser, that disable ads, so you don’t really need jailbreaking to remove ads anymore.
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Wrapping It Up
As you can see, Jailbreaking has its pros and cons. It can allow you to customize your device, get access to thousands of new apps, and remove limitations imposed by Apple.
At the same time, it does have its risks, such as an increased risk of malware, potential bugs and performance issues, and voiding your warranty.
If you decide to jailbreak your phone, make sure to weigh the pros and cons carefully. Use reputable software and follow the steps carefully to avoid making critical missteps.
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