Rumors of its death were greatly exaggerated.
August 1, 2010 3:22 PM Subscribe
Jailbreakme.com is back after three years. Jailbreak even an iPhone 4 without a computer. The server is getting pounded right now so cut it some slack.
trying this on my ipod touch now...
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 3:35 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 3:35 PM on August 1, 2010
Doesn't this seem like... a gaping security hole? I mean like someone found an exploit where they can hide something in a web page that roots your device?
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:42 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:42 PM on August 1, 2010
Unless it's delivering some app payload that you have to run on purpose? The "little more info" is not particularly revealing.
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:43 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:43 PM on August 1, 2010
Neither is their "FAQ"
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:44 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:44 PM on August 1, 2010
Here's the author's twitter feed that has some updates on Jailbreakme. As of six minutes ago, known issues are: (1) fail on iPad 3.2.1 (2) losing MMS (but not for everyone).
And if you can't get to the site, Kashar.net has some self-hosted direct file links, which all appear to be PDF files (via Slashgear). The one that I downloaded (iPad1,1_3.2) looked to be a blank document.
Also, jailbreakme.modmyi.com is currently mirroring the original site (according to iPhoneInCanada), though I can't connect to it at the moment.
Also also: this jailbreak method is supposedly reversible by restoring the device in iTunes.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:46 PM on August 1, 2010
And if you can't get to the site, Kashar.net has some self-hosted direct file links, which all appear to be PDF files (via Slashgear). The one that I downloaded (iPad1,1_3.2) looked to be a blank document.
Also, jailbreakme.modmyi.com is currently mirroring the original site (according to iPhoneInCanada), though I can't connect to it at the moment.
Also also: this jailbreak method is supposedly reversible by restoring the device in iTunes.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:46 PM on August 1, 2010
Reversability makes sense, as iPhone restores and updates wipe all the data and just plaster over it with the data in the firmware file. Then it restores what was there in music and stuff.
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:48 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:48 PM on August 1, 2010
iPhone-Hacks.com details the process a bit, noting that after you visit the site, Mobile Safari "will download some stuff" that will initiate the jailbreaking, which might take a while. You'll get a confirmation, and Cydia will be on your homescreen.
This old post on iPhone-Dev.org hints at some details about this "userland jailbreak," which was first tested back in April.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:55 PM on August 1, 2010
This old post on iPhone-Dev.org hints at some details about this "userland jailbreak," which was first tested back in April.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:55 PM on August 1, 2010
Given the features that were added to iOS4, what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone? Are the 3rd party apps really all that great?
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 3:56 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 3:56 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just tried this on my 2G with a busted home button and it worked like a charm.
posted by bizwank at 4:04 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by bizwank at 4:04 PM on August 1, 2010
I use a jailbreak primarily for tethering and IntelliScreen, personally.
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:07 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:07 PM on August 1, 2010
what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone?
Running code that you want to run, whether Apple happens to like it or not. Tethering and VOIP-over-wireless to avoid spending wireless minutes are two of the most common reasons, but emulation and being able to compile and load your own code without paying Apple are also attractive to some.
Apple has also forbidden many third-party development environments, because they compete with Apple's own solutions, but I don't know how useful being able to develop in an language that you can't then distribute to non-jailbroken devices would be.
posted by Malor at 4:16 PM on August 1, 2010 [5 favorites]
Running code that you want to run, whether Apple happens to like it or not. Tethering and VOIP-over-wireless to avoid spending wireless minutes are two of the most common reasons, but emulation and being able to compile and load your own code without paying Apple are also attractive to some.
Apple has also forbidden many third-party development environments, because they compete with Apple's own solutions, but I don't know how useful being able to develop in an language that you can't then distribute to non-jailbroken devices would be.
posted by Malor at 4:16 PM on August 1, 2010 [5 favorites]
If I jailbreak my phone, and then restore it to factory defaults, is my warranty still voided?
Or better: if I jailbroke my phone, restored it, and took it in to service it, would they be able to tell?
posted by Rinku at 4:18 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Or better: if I jailbroke my phone, restored it, and took it in to service it, would they be able to tell?
posted by Rinku at 4:18 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Given the features that were added to iOS4, what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone? Are the 3rd party apps really all that great?"
Right now, the main thing I would use it for is live Last.fm scrobbling.
posted by archagon at 4:23 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Right now, the main thing I would use it for is live Last.fm scrobbling.
posted by archagon at 4:23 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Running code that you want to run, whether Apple happens to like it or not. Tethering and VOIP-over-wireless to avoid spending wireless minutes are two of the most common reasons, but emulation and being able to compile and load your own code without paying Apple are also attractive to some.
I'm not sure what most of this means, so I'm beginning to suspect that jailbreaking might not be for me.
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 4:23 PM on August 1, 2010
I'm not sure what most of this means, so I'm beginning to suspect that jailbreaking might not be for me.
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 4:23 PM on August 1, 2010
Given the features that were added to iOS4, what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone? Are the 3rd party apps really all that great?
For me, jailbreaking allows three advantages :
1. I can access EVERYTHING on the phone (via SSH). This means installing new themes, swapping icons, changing out default sounds (like the text message noises, the lock/unlock noises and using recordings of my own voice to speak number key presses while dialing) downloading SMS/MMS messages, and anything else I might want to muck around with.
2. I can use SBSettings. This means I can swipe the top bar on my iPhone and instantly turn on/off 3G, Blueooth, WiFi, and a number of other things. I found while I was at Comic Con, the 3G service was spotty at best. Toggling 3G on/off whenever I needed 3G service (for Twitter, etc) gave me 5 bars for about 10 mins at a time, every time. Weirdest thing ever, but it worked like a charm. Also, I hate having to quit an app and route through the preferences to enable/disable WiFi.
3. I can run demo apps I'm working on without paying Apple a $99 fee, or having to register the app at any point. Granted, I'll need to pay said fee to actually get anything on the AppStore anyway, but at least I can test things in the meantime and that's pretty neat.
All of that being said, I've avoided upgrading to iOS 4 because my "new world ROM" 3GS isn't officially supported by the folks on the iPhone Dev Blog. Oddly enough, there's no mention of this latest jailbreak either. Maybe once they've made such an announcement, I'll upgrade and give it a shot. I'd prefer to use something as simple and reliable as Spirit, but if reliable people on the iPhone Dev team say it's good to go, I'll give it a shot.
posted by revmitcz at 4:36 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
For me, jailbreaking allows three advantages :
1. I can access EVERYTHING on the phone (via SSH). This means installing new themes, swapping icons, changing out default sounds (like the text message noises, the lock/unlock noises and using recordings of my own voice to speak number key presses while dialing) downloading SMS/MMS messages, and anything else I might want to muck around with.
2. I can use SBSettings. This means I can swipe the top bar on my iPhone and instantly turn on/off 3G, Blueooth, WiFi, and a number of other things. I found while I was at Comic Con, the 3G service was spotty at best. Toggling 3G on/off whenever I needed 3G service (for Twitter, etc) gave me 5 bars for about 10 mins at a time, every time. Weirdest thing ever, but it worked like a charm. Also, I hate having to quit an app and route through the preferences to enable/disable WiFi.
3. I can run demo apps I'm working on without paying Apple a $99 fee, or having to register the app at any point. Granted, I'll need to pay said fee to actually get anything on the AppStore anyway, but at least I can test things in the meantime and that's pretty neat.
All of that being said, I've avoided upgrading to iOS 4 because my "new world ROM" 3GS isn't officially supported by the folks on the iPhone Dev Blog. Oddly enough, there's no mention of this latest jailbreak either. Maybe once they've made such an announcement, I'll upgrade and give it a shot. I'd prefer to use something as simple and reliable as Spirit, but if reliable people on the iPhone Dev team say it's good to go, I'll give it a shot.
posted by revmitcz at 4:36 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
If I jailbreak my phone, and then restore it to factory defaults, is my warranty still voided?
Or better: if I jailbroke my phone, restored it, and took it in to service it, would they be able to tell?
They can't tell if you once jailbroke your phone and then restored it to factory defaults. If you bring in a jailbroken iPhone and say "it's all busted", and they can start it up and see it jailbroken, they'll tell you they can't help.
I bought an iPhone 3GS on release day last year, and one day it decided to die out on me. It was jailbroken, but this felt like a hardware problem. Nothing I could do would allow the phone to even startup, much less even respond in any way. I tried everything I could to get it to even show up in iTunes, to no avail. Since it wouldn't even start up, I took it to an Apple Store, expecting to play dumb if they asked about jailbreaking.
They also tried getting it to respond and/or mount in iTunes and were unable to. The guy said "yeah, that's hardware issue" and handed me a new iPhone 3GS on the spot. No questions asked and I'm still using the phone now. That was about 4 months ago, and no one's told me that my Applecare has expired or anything else. I assume that means they never even bothered to figure out the root issue.
posted by revmitcz at 4:40 PM on August 1, 2010
Or better: if I jailbroke my phone, restored it, and took it in to service it, would they be able to tell?
They can't tell if you once jailbroke your phone and then restored it to factory defaults. If you bring in a jailbroken iPhone and say "it's all busted", and they can start it up and see it jailbroken, they'll tell you they can't help.
I bought an iPhone 3GS on release day last year, and one day it decided to die out on me. It was jailbroken, but this felt like a hardware problem. Nothing I could do would allow the phone to even startup, much less even respond in any way. I tried everything I could to get it to even show up in iTunes, to no avail. Since it wouldn't even start up, I took it to an Apple Store, expecting to play dumb if they asked about jailbreaking.
They also tried getting it to respond and/or mount in iTunes and were unable to. The guy said "yeah, that's hardware issue" and handed me a new iPhone 3GS on the spot. No questions asked and I'm still using the phone now. That was about 4 months ago, and no one's told me that my Applecare has expired or anything else. I assume that means they never even bothered to figure out the root issue.
posted by revmitcz at 4:40 PM on August 1, 2010
The jailbreak process worked for me, but it seems as though Cydia is having a few issues of its own at the moment.
posted by minim at 5:00 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by minim at 5:00 PM on August 1, 2010
Running code that you want to run, whether Apple happens to like it or not. Tethering and VOIP-over-wireless to avoid spending wireless minutes are two of the most common reasons, but emulation and being able to compile and load your own code without paying Apple are also attractive to some.
Alternative methods to achieve all this include: Not buying an apple product when you clearly don't want one.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 5:02 PM on August 1, 2010 [12 favorites]
what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone?
The ability to have customizable lockscreen notifications. That's all I want. I don't want to wake up the phone and then unlock it to see that I have messages waiting. Sure, I typically also enable ssh and toy around with some internals, but all I really want are lockscreen notifications.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:02 PM on August 1, 2010
The ability to have customizable lockscreen notifications. That's all I want. I don't want to wake up the phone and then unlock it to see that I have messages waiting. Sure, I typically also enable ssh and toy around with some internals, but all I really want are lockscreen notifications.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:02 PM on August 1, 2010
Lost FaceTime and MMS after trying this (iPhone4).
Fucking fuck. Don't do it. Restoring from a backup now.
posted by jessbrandi at 5:03 PM on August 1, 2010
Fucking fuck. Don't do it. Restoring from a backup now.
posted by jessbrandi at 5:03 PM on August 1, 2010
Jailbroke my 3GS (4.0) and grabbed MyWi before Cydia went down. Me and my Ipad thank you for this post!
posted by mr.marx at 5:06 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by mr.marx at 5:06 PM on August 1, 2010
*nervously eyes pool*
*reads jessbrandi's comment*
*backs away into the cabana for some facetime*
posted by cavalier at 5:08 PM on August 1, 2010
*reads jessbrandi's comment*
*backs away into the cabana for some facetime*
posted by cavalier at 5:08 PM on August 1, 2010
Alternative methods to achieve all this include: Not buying an apple product when you clearly don't want one.
posted by birdherder at 5:12 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by birdherder at 5:12 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
According to the official twitter feed, restoring from a backup fixes FaceTime and MMS.
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:12 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:12 PM on August 1, 2010
FaceTime and MMS still work for me after the jailbreak.
posted by geoff. at 5:15 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by geoff. at 5:15 PM on August 1, 2010
To be perfectly clear, FaceTime actually worked fine, until i rebooted. Didn't try MMS before rebooting, but afterwards there's no camera icon in the messages app.
:( Early Adopter Fail.
posted by jessbrandi at 5:17 PM on August 1, 2010
:( Early Adopter Fail.
posted by jessbrandi at 5:17 PM on August 1, 2010
what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone?
My iPod Touch is jailbroken so that I can use the bluetooth keyboard with it. New iPhones have this capability under the 4.0 upgrade, and AFAIK there's no technical reason not to allow it on the cheaper iPod.
posted by Sam Ryan at 5:18 PM on August 1, 2010
My iPod Touch is jailbroken so that I can use the bluetooth keyboard with it. New iPhones have this capability under the 4.0 upgrade, and AFAIK there's no technical reason not to allow it on the cheaper iPod.
posted by Sam Ryan at 5:18 PM on August 1, 2010
For those of us who run Linux at home, this is really useful. Thanks.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 5:41 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 5:41 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Alternative methods to achieve all this include: Not buying an apple product when you clearly don't want one.
Since they own one, they pretty clearly do want one. Just because Apple thinks it can tell you what you can do with hardware you bought doesn't make it so. Their unethical behavior has no moral binding on the purchaser.
posted by Malor at 5:52 PM on August 1, 2010 [5 favorites]
Since they own one, they pretty clearly do want one. Just because Apple thinks it can tell you what you can do with hardware you bought doesn't make it so. Their unethical behavior has no moral binding on the purchaser.
posted by Malor at 5:52 PM on August 1, 2010 [5 favorites]
FaceTime and MMS don't work after your first reboot. I also found that the nifty backgrounding of Skype also fails. Going back. :(
posted by pashdown at 5:57 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by pashdown at 5:57 PM on August 1, 2010
Apparently the 3G touch allows bluetooth keyboard pairing. My friend has a 3G and his paired fine with my keyboard; my 2G touch wouldn't pair with it though it pairs with my iPad and MacBook just fine.
I probably won't break any of my devices because I need them stock for development testing. Oh well. Glad to see exercise of legal rights anyway!
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:02 PM on August 1, 2010
I probably won't break any of my devices because I need them stock for development testing. Oh well. Glad to see exercise of legal rights anyway!
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:02 PM on August 1, 2010
what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone?
1. It is now legal to jailbreak your phone under the DMCA act, and
2. You can change the default alarm tone from something that distracted old people can't hear to something that will make blood spurt from your ears, ensuring that you never miss an appointment again.
posted by mecran01 at 6:05 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
1. It is now legal to jailbreak your phone under the DMCA act, and
2. You can change the default alarm tone from something that distracted old people can't hear to something that will make blood spurt from your ears, ensuring that you never miss an appointment again.
posted by mecran01 at 6:05 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Jailbreak improvements that I like:
- Being able to respond to SMS in whatever app I'm in (less of an issue with "multitasking")
- SBSettings--being able to change a few key settings anywhere, without breaking into the Settings app
- Having the Weather app icon actually reflect current conditions. I know, it's a small thing.
- Being able to tether without paying AT&T's extortionate fees for a non-service.
posted by adamrice at 6:18 PM on August 1, 2010
- Being able to respond to SMS in whatever app I'm in (less of an issue with "multitasking")
- SBSettings--being able to change a few key settings anywhere, without breaking into the Settings app
- Having the Weather app icon actually reflect current conditions. I know, it's a small thing.
- Being able to tether without paying AT&T's extortionate fees for a non-service.
posted by adamrice at 6:18 PM on August 1, 2010
There's a fix for the MMS issue detailed here. Worked for me.
posted by aclevername at 6:23 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by aclevername at 6:23 PM on August 1, 2010
SBSettings is reason in and of itself to jailbreak. I have no idea why Apple hasn't made that functionality part of the default OS. That and MiWi for wireless thethering were the two reasons I jailbroke my phone previously. My phone is back to normal now. I always feel like it runs slower after jail breaking, even though that may be all in my head.
I suspect a lot of people jailbreak to pirate software.
posted by chunking express at 6:53 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
I suspect a lot of people jailbreak to pirate software.
posted by chunking express at 6:53 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
> My iPod Touch is jailbroken so that I can use the bluetooth keyboard with it. New iPhones have this capability under the 4.0 upgrade, and AFAIK there's no technical reason not to allow it on the cheaper iPod.
@Sam Ryan, iOS4 opened up the door for bluetooth keyboards on the iPod Touch (at least, for my 3Gs anyway). Prior to that update, I was thinking about jailbreaking for the very same reason.
posted by christopherious at 7:00 PM on August 1, 2010
@Sam Ryan, iOS4 opened up the door for bluetooth keyboards on the iPod Touch (at least, for my 3Gs anyway). Prior to that update, I was thinking about jailbreaking for the very same reason.
posted by christopherious at 7:00 PM on August 1, 2010
seanmpuckett: All jailbreaks (not just this userland one) seem to break Skype backgrounding. Apparently it's an issue with MobileSubstrate. That's the main reason I'm running non-jailbroken now, which is at least much more tolerable with iOS 4 than it was with previous versions. Hopefully they'll fix that so I can get SBSettings back (my main reason for jailbreaking).
posted by Emanuel at 7:33 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by Emanuel at 7:33 PM on August 1, 2010
lockinfo and sbsettings for me. Also sbcategories is still better than the ios4 folders which max out at 8? 12? I have almost 30 games. I want to try this now with my 3gs (running 3.1 with spiritjb) but the ios4 download is taking two hours from apple. :(
Alternative methods to achieve all this include: Not buying an apple product when you clearly don't want one.
If I couldn't jailbreak it, sure. But since I can, I'm getting what I feel is the better smartphone. When another phone is (in my opinion) better than a broken iPhone, I will get that instead. I'm not sure why this is so hard for some to grasp.
posted by cj_ at 7:35 PM on August 1, 2010
Alternative methods to achieve all this include: Not buying an apple product when you clearly don't want one.
If I couldn't jailbreak it, sure. But since I can, I'm getting what I feel is the better smartphone. When another phone is (in my opinion) better than a broken iPhone, I will get that instead. I'm not sure why this is so hard for some to grasp.
posted by cj_ at 7:35 PM on August 1, 2010
Ok then, Apple is so awesome even their broken phones are better than the rest, a fanboy can't argue with that.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 7:47 PM on August 1, 2010
posted by furiousxgeorge at 7:47 PM on August 1, 2010
I have an iPod Touch that was given to me as a gift last year. I've been debating jailbreaking it, but haven't (yet?). I would like the ability to multitask and do other cool things, but I'm paranoid that one day it will die and Apple will hate me for jailbreaking it and not fix it.
If someone ever comes up with a way to get the DosBox emulator to work on iPods, I'm jailbreaking for sure though.
posted by Put the kettle on at 7:59 PM on August 1, 2010
If someone ever comes up with a way to get the DosBox emulator to work on iPods, I'm jailbreaking for sure though.
posted by Put the kettle on at 7:59 PM on August 1, 2010
broken phones
Jailbroken == Broken jail != broken phone. Sheesh.
posted by kmz at 8:15 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
Jailbroken == Broken jail != broken phone. Sheesh.
posted by kmz at 8:15 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
Let's just say it's enlightening that Apple phones are so well made people prefer violating the contract with their phone company, their terms of service, and voiding their warranty to using products from other companies.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 8:43 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by furiousxgeorge at 8:43 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Ok then, Apple is so awesome even their broken phones are better than the rest, a fanboy can't argue with that.
Well, people buy Wiis and hack them. Because Wiis are cool. They're just capable of being made cooler by hacking them. Buying one of these instead is no replacement for a Wii. Although that thing does look pretty fucking awesome.
I agree that the way Apple manages their phones sucks ass. But surely it's a positive thing that consumers can flip them the bird simply by visiting a website?
posted by Jimbob at 8:55 PM on August 1, 2010
Well, people buy Wiis and hack them. Because Wiis are cool. They're just capable of being made cooler by hacking them. Buying one of these instead is no replacement for a Wii. Although that thing does look pretty fucking awesome.
I agree that the way Apple manages their phones sucks ass. But surely it's a positive thing that consumers can flip them the bird simply by visiting a website?
posted by Jimbob at 8:55 PM on August 1, 2010
Sure, but a better way to flip them the bird is not to shovel money to them by buying their products.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:07 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:07 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
But what if, as a reasonably intelligent human being, I weigh up the pros and cons of the device, as I have with every phone I've ever bought (Nokia has always won in the past, and yes I'm going to look to Android for my next phone - it all depends on whether there are some nice music composition apps on it), and decided that the things I like about it outweigh the things I don't, and bought it anyway, knowing I could overcome a lot of the things I don't like by visiting a website?
I mean, consumer boycotts of companies funding wars in central Africa, of companies destroying the rainforests, of companies dumping toxic waste? Sounds good. Boycotts of companies that make a phone you have to visit a website in order to unlock some of its features? I've got other things to worry about.
posted by Jimbob at 9:17 PM on August 1, 2010
I mean, consumer boycotts of companies funding wars in central Africa, of companies destroying the rainforests, of companies dumping toxic waste? Sounds good. Boycotts of companies that make a phone you have to visit a website in order to unlock some of its features? I've got other things to worry about.
posted by Jimbob at 9:17 PM on August 1, 2010
I am sorry my choice of phone makes you so angry.
posted by cj_ at 9:33 PM on August 1, 2010 [11 favorites]
posted by cj_ at 9:33 PM on August 1, 2010 [11 favorites]
Sure, but a better way to flip them the bird is not to shovel money to them by buying their products.
Then you are stuck with a piece of shit phone. As you said a few comments up, people prefer hacking their phones to buying a competitor's offering.
posted by chunking express at 9:44 PM on August 1, 2010
Then you are stuck with a piece of shit phone. As you said a few comments up, people prefer hacking their phones to buying a competitor's offering.
posted by chunking express at 9:44 PM on August 1, 2010
But surely it's a positive thing that consumers can flip them the bird simply by visiting a website?
Keep in mind that you're rooting your phone with some stranger's code on a website somewhere out in the Wild West of the Internets, so to speak. While you're busy using your hands to flip a company the bird, some thief somewhere could easily empty your pockets. All manner of software could be installed on your phone without you knowing or allowing it, such as loggers that track all your sensitive stuff, like usernames, passwords, bank account numbers, other identifiers.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:11 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Keep in mind that you're rooting your phone with some stranger's code on a website somewhere out in the Wild West of the Internets, so to speak. While you're busy using your hands to flip a company the bird, some thief somewhere could easily empty your pockets. All manner of software could be installed on your phone without you knowing or allowing it, such as loggers that track all your sensitive stuff, like usernames, passwords, bank account numbers, other identifiers.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:11 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
So, anyway, have fun, but be careful.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:14 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:14 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
Okay. So I can root my phone by visiting this website. But I'm going to assume these guys are the good guys, since this has been posted everywhere and there are not yet any reported side-effects, like stolen passwords or euthanasia of elderly relatives.
But if this website can jailbreak my phone, what's to stop the next website you visit, Blazecock, from messing with yours? Serious question. Is this not the result of a deep, deep security flaw?
posted by Jimbob at 11:09 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
But if this website can jailbreak my phone, what's to stop the next website you visit, Blazecock, from messing with yours? Serious question. Is this not the result of a deep, deep security flaw?
posted by Jimbob at 11:09 PM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Apple doesn't make security flaws. The flaw is with you.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:31 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by dirigibleman at 11:31 PM on August 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
Apple isn't telling you what you can do with your hardware. They're telling you what you can do with your hardware to maintain the service contract to which you agreed when you purchased it.
Don't give a shit about taking advantage of the benefits of the service contract? Then fill your boots by visiting a website that jailbreaks your phone. Pissing and moaning about jailbreaking voiding your service contract, though, betrays an obnoxious sense of entitlement that tells you that you don't have to uphold your end of an agreement but the other side does.
posted by fatbird at 12:18 AM on August 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
Don't give a shit about taking advantage of the benefits of the service contract? Then fill your boots by visiting a website that jailbreaks your phone. Pissing and moaning about jailbreaking voiding your service contract, though, betrays an obnoxious sense of entitlement that tells you that you don't have to uphold your end of an agreement but the other side does.
posted by fatbird at 12:18 AM on August 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
what are the current benefits of jailbreaking an iPhone?
Well, it irritates the fanboys, which is always fun.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:58 AM on August 2, 2010 [5 favorites]
Well, it irritates the fanboys, which is always fun.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:58 AM on August 2, 2010 [5 favorites]
Yeah we've got a kind of a three-way split here haven't we? Unusual for Apple threads.
We've got the true believers, who wouldn't dare blashpheme the sacred name of J-bs by defiling the holy tablets which were handed down from on high.
We've got people who have iPhones and just like to use them as if they freaking owned them.
And we've got people who are so angry about iPhones, they demand to know why anyone would even pay for one if jailbreaking is even something people might be inclined to do with one.
posted by Jimbob at 1:22 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
We've got the true believers, who wouldn't dare blashpheme the sacred name of J-bs by defiling the holy tablets which were handed down from on high.
We've got people who have iPhones and just like to use them as if they freaking owned them.
And we've got people who are so angry about iPhones, they demand to know why anyone would even pay for one if jailbreaking is even something people might be inclined to do with one.
posted by Jimbob at 1:22 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Okay, I don't know what "Beatweek" magazine is, but this article is bloody hilarious.
"a (very vocal) relative handful of geeks have traditionally hacked their iPhones in this manner for the sake of turning it into a more anarchist device...“Jailbroken” iPhones can be populated with half-finished apps that your neighbor wrote in his garage last night...It’s a gateway to being able to steal pay-for apps from the App Store and install them for free, along with accessing various pay-for features such as tethering without having to pay for them either...the rest of us won’t have to put up with these anarchist hackers and their continual inappropriate griping any longer."
posted by Jimbob at 2:01 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
"a (very vocal) relative handful of geeks have traditionally hacked their iPhones in this manner for the sake of turning it into a more anarchist device...“Jailbroken” iPhones can be populated with half-finished apps that your neighbor wrote in his garage last night...It’s a gateway to being able to steal pay-for apps from the App Store and install them for free, along with accessing various pay-for features such as tethering without having to pay for them either...the rest of us won’t have to put up with these anarchist hackers and their continual inappropriate griping any longer."
posted by Jimbob at 2:01 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Interesting that, however far technology advances, religious arguments never go away.
posted by Twang at 2:10 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Twang at 2:10 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Apple isn't telling you what you can do with your hardware. They're telling you what you can do with your hardware to maintain the service contract to which you agreed when you purchased it.
Don't give a shit about taking advantage of the benefits of the service contract? Then fill your boots by visiting a website that jailbreaks your phone.
Considering that they've put a huge amount of engineering effort into telling you what you can do with your hardware, and continue to invest engineering efforts in closing old methods of gaining control over your hardware, that assertion is about as false as assertions get.
If it were just a matter of voiding your warranty, they could easily put a little fuse in that would blow when the ROM was replaced with something other than theirs. The phone would still work fine, but it would reveal that the warranty was void.
It's not about the warranty, it's about maintaining a captive audience for the App Store.
posted by Malor at 2:25 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Don't give a shit about taking advantage of the benefits of the service contract? Then fill your boots by visiting a website that jailbreaks your phone.
Considering that they've put a huge amount of engineering effort into telling you what you can do with your hardware, and continue to invest engineering efforts in closing old methods of gaining control over your hardware, that assertion is about as false as assertions get.
If it were just a matter of voiding your warranty, they could easily put a little fuse in that would blow when the ROM was replaced with something other than theirs. The phone would still work fine, but it would reveal that the warranty was void.
It's not about the warranty, it's about maintaining a captive audience for the App Store.
posted by Malor at 2:25 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have to laugh at all you folks who 'merely' jailbreak the iPhone OS. Out here, I've taken it to the next level and have, indeed, broken the phone; it slipped out of my hand in the toilet and landed on a hard granite floor, thus cracking the touchscreen digitizer into many pieces. The support guy said there was no hope; because this was Asia-Pac, they aren't really trained to replace parts, and that therefore, they'll have to replace the entire phone, which can be done at a low low price of $400, possibly along with signing my firstborn over or something.
Which obviously led me to google this stuff out; turns out there's a massive repairer community with all-inclusive kits and PDF documents and YouTube videos and so on. Except that, and I say this as someone who thinks he has reasonable electrical repairing skills, having repaired a previous mobile, this shit is _hard_; the screws are _tiny_, some of the parts are glued in (not a bad thing, necessarily) and, one accidental move, and you could very well ruin the LCD as well (digitizer, the touchscreen thing, is different from the LCD) The entire experience made me simultaneously have a new respect and hatred for Apple's and Foxconn's engineers.
posted by the cydonian at 3:17 AM on August 2, 2010
Which obviously led me to google this stuff out; turns out there's a massive repairer community with all-inclusive kits and PDF documents and YouTube videos and so on. Except that, and I say this as someone who thinks he has reasonable electrical repairing skills, having repaired a previous mobile, this shit is _hard_; the screws are _tiny_, some of the parts are glued in (not a bad thing, necessarily) and, one accidental move, and you could very well ruin the LCD as well (digitizer, the touchscreen thing, is different from the LCD) The entire experience made me simultaneously have a new respect and hatred for Apple's and Foxconn's engineers.
posted by the cydonian at 3:17 AM on August 2, 2010
Ugh, this is a horrible security hole (will make me more cautious with my mobile web browsing), and hopefully using it this prominently for jailbreaking will prod Apple into a faster fix.
I think nowadays I'm in the don't-buy-an-iPhone-if-you-don't-like-the-restrictions camp, for two reasons:
1. There's a viable competitor (Android) that lets you avoid the faff of dealing with the Apple vs. jailbreaking arms race.
2. You can feel even more warm and fuzzy inside if you avoid giving your money to a company you disapprove of.
posted by malevolent at 3:20 AM on August 2, 2010
I think nowadays I'm in the don't-buy-an-iPhone-if-you-don't-like-the-restrictions camp, for two reasons:
1. There's a viable competitor (Android) that lets you avoid the faff of dealing with the Apple vs. jailbreaking arms race.
2. You can feel even more warm and fuzzy inside if you avoid giving your money to a company you disapprove of.
posted by malevolent at 3:20 AM on August 2, 2010
I jailbroke my iPhone until the bambuser app was finally approved in the apple store. As soon as I could use that on a non-broken phone, I had no reason for jailbreak anymore (unless something else I WANT comes along...)
posted by dabitch at 3:28 AM on August 2, 2010
posted by dabitch at 3:28 AM on August 2, 2010
We've got the true believers, who wouldn't dare blashpheme the sacred name of J-bs by defiling the holy tablets which were handed down from on high.
We've got people who have iPhones and just like to use them as if they freaking owned them.
And we've got people who are so angry about iPhones, they demand to know why anyone would even pay for one if jailbreaking is even something people might be inclined to do with one.
Except no one here is engaging in #1. As usual it's just people happy with their phone because it's (currently) a great product vs. fanatical anti-Mac people who get personally offended by my consumer choices, because, I guess, I'm "smug." Or something. Which is a big deal to them. I'm sure the word "hipster" would be used liberally if they came clean about their feelings.
Look, I disagree with Apple's position on a closed developer ecosystem. But as long as they keep producing a better fucking phone, I'll buy it. If an open platform is better, then eventually they will be surpassed in quality by companies embracing that ideal. When the time comes to buy a new phone (regardless of your bullshit belief that I replace my phone every two weeks to stay in style, I've only owned two smartphones since such a thing existed), if a different one is better, I will buy it. The idea that I buy it because I am ideologically wed to Apple products is a strawman of your own invention.
If you want to make the case that there is an objectively better phone right now, feel free to do so.
posted by cj_ at 3:35 AM on August 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
We've got people who have iPhones and just like to use them as if they freaking owned them.
And we've got people who are so angry about iPhones, they demand to know why anyone would even pay for one if jailbreaking is even something people might be inclined to do with one.
Except no one here is engaging in #1. As usual it's just people happy with their phone because it's (currently) a great product vs. fanatical anti-Mac people who get personally offended by my consumer choices, because, I guess, I'm "smug." Or something. Which is a big deal to them. I'm sure the word "hipster" would be used liberally if they came clean about their feelings.
Look, I disagree with Apple's position on a closed developer ecosystem. But as long as they keep producing a better fucking phone, I'll buy it. If an open platform is better, then eventually they will be surpassed in quality by companies embracing that ideal. When the time comes to buy a new phone (regardless of your bullshit belief that I replace my phone every two weeks to stay in style, I've only owned two smartphones since such a thing existed), if a different one is better, I will buy it. The idea that I buy it because I am ideologically wed to Apple products is a strawman of your own invention.
If you want to make the case that there is an objectively better phone right now, feel free to do so.
posted by cj_ at 3:35 AM on August 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Blah blah techno-politics yadda yadda. The important thing is FaceTime and MMS are fixed now. Huzzah!
(Which makes the article Jimbob linked to even funnier than it already was.)
posted by jessbrandi at 4:00 AM on August 2, 2010
(Which makes the article Jimbob linked to even funnier than it already was.)
posted by jessbrandi at 4:00 AM on August 2, 2010
The idea that I buy it because I am ideologically wed to Apple products is a strawman of your own invention.
Are you responding to my over-the-top remark? It looks like you are because you're quoting me. It's amazing how you can still rile up the fanboys even when you dish it out to the opponents at the same time.
If you want to make the case that there is an objectively better phone right now, feel free to do so.
I can't because I own a fucking iPhone! A 3G! And it's the best phone I've ever used - I haven't even had the chance to play with a 3GS let alone a 4G yet, nor have I ever played with an Android phone but I still love my iPhone! It's great!
And I reserve the right to jailbreak it, and I can't see where I wrote anything about you replacing your phone every two weeks. Seems you've got some kind of chip on your shoulder.
posted by Jimbob at 4:11 AM on August 2, 2010
Are you responding to my over-the-top remark? It looks like you are because you're quoting me. It's amazing how you can still rile up the fanboys even when you dish it out to the opponents at the same time.
If you want to make the case that there is an objectively better phone right now, feel free to do so.
I can't because I own a fucking iPhone! A 3G! And it's the best phone I've ever used - I haven't even had the chance to play with a 3GS let alone a 4G yet, nor have I ever played with an Android phone but I still love my iPhone! It's great!
And I reserve the right to jailbreak it, and I can't see where I wrote anything about you replacing your phone every two weeks. Seems you've got some kind of chip on your shoulder.
posted by Jimbob at 4:11 AM on August 2, 2010
Sorry, that wasn't directed at you at all. I just used the quote as a launching point for a general rant. Bad habit.
posted by cj_ at 4:36 AM on August 2, 2010
posted by cj_ at 4:36 AM on August 2, 2010
I've been wanting to jailbreak my Iphone for a while now if only just to use MyWi, since the internet here always seems to go out right when I need it for work. But I have yet to do it, because even though most people report that it works fine with no problems, I am convinced I will be the one-in-a-million case where jailbreaking my phone causes it to immediately explode, flinging shards of touchscreen and burning apps directly into my eyes.
posted by Nedroid at 6:42 AM on August 2, 2010
posted by Nedroid at 6:42 AM on August 2, 2010
Omg thank you! I now have Cydia up. What should I install! I want a filesystem so I can download and store files on my drive!
posted by By The Grace of God at 9:27 AM on August 2, 2010
posted by By The Grace of God at 9:27 AM on August 2, 2010
Security hole in Mobile Safari PDF support a bigger story than jailbreakme
'Apparently it’s PDF-related. I ran the source code of www.jailbreakme.com through a couple of prettyprinters and tracked down this snippet determining what page it loads in an iframe: ("/_/" + model + "_" + firmware + ".pdf")'
posted by ardgedee at 9:33 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
'Apparently it’s PDF-related. I ran the source code of www.jailbreakme.com through a couple of prettyprinters and tracked down this snippet determining what page it loads in an iframe: ("/_/" + model + "_" + firmware + ".pdf")'
posted by ardgedee at 9:33 AM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Does anyone know why I keep getting cydia timeouts?
posted by By The Grace of God at 9:54 AM on August 2, 2010
posted by By The Grace of God at 9:54 AM on August 2, 2010
Rinku: "If I jailbreak my phone, and then restore it to factory defaults, is my warranty still voided? "
Only if a tree falls on it and no one's there.
posted by brundlefly at 10:15 AM on August 2, 2010
Only if a tree falls on it and no one's there.
posted by brundlefly at 10:15 AM on August 2, 2010
Considering that they've put a huge amount of engineering effort into telling you what you can do with your hardware, and continue to invest engineering efforts in closing old methods of gaining control over your hardware, that assertion is about as false as assertions get.
You're under no obligation not to jailbreak, and Apple is under no obligation to help you jailbreak. Install linux or Android on your iPhone. Write your own OS. Or jailbreak it and install your own apps that you download.
It's not about the warranty, it's about maintaining a captive audience for the App Store.
You're right, it is about the captive audience, and the warranty is the carrot. They're selling the device, and the device includes a walled garden. Don't like it? Either don't buy the device, or buy it and jailbreak it and give up the carrot.
You're essentially complaining that Apple isn't offering what you want it to offer. So what? Your rights aren't being violated. They're under no obligation to offer you something tailored to your desires. They offer it, you choose to buy it or not, and to adhere to the terms of the service contract or not.
posted by fatbird at 10:34 AM on August 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
You're under no obligation not to jailbreak, and Apple is under no obligation to help you jailbreak. Install linux or Android on your iPhone. Write your own OS. Or jailbreak it and install your own apps that you download.
It's not about the warranty, it's about maintaining a captive audience for the App Store.
You're right, it is about the captive audience, and the warranty is the carrot. They're selling the device, and the device includes a walled garden. Don't like it? Either don't buy the device, or buy it and jailbreak it and give up the carrot.
You're essentially complaining that Apple isn't offering what you want it to offer. So what? Your rights aren't being violated. They're under no obligation to offer you something tailored to your desires. They offer it, you choose to buy it or not, and to adhere to the terms of the service contract or not.
posted by fatbird at 10:34 AM on August 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
I *want* to do it. But I'm too scared.
posted by morganannie at 3:51 PM on August 2, 2010
posted by morganannie at 3:51 PM on August 2, 2010
Jimbob: "surely it's a positive thing that consumers can flip them the bird simply by visiting a website?"
I agree with several posters who were worried by the security implications of this. It's no big thing to root a device in your possession. The fact that apparently many iOS devices are so insecure that they can be rooted with such a trivial browser-based crack (PDF? Really?!?) is nice for those that want tethering, etc, but does make me wary of of a) using any iOS mobile in a critical environment or data-secure role, and b) worry about jailbreakme.com's own security, and the possibility of it being hacked/MitM'd/redirected to inject some malware into the process. Or how about those people who might visit jailbreakme.org or even jailbrеаk.com instead via a SEO homograph diversion?
I am generally quite critical of Apple and its behaviour, but if I was tryig to sell Apple into corporate markets and to telcos, allowing non-local rootkits like this to flourish in the wild just makes my platform look weak and insecure. I would try to find ways to shut them down, or to render them invisible to most. Or even to fix the exploit...
This may be the first time I have ever agreed with Blazecock Pileon in an Apple discussion. I may have to go lie down for a bit to recover.
posted by meehawl at 4:06 PM on August 2, 2010
I agree with several posters who were worried by the security implications of this. It's no big thing to root a device in your possession. The fact that apparently many iOS devices are so insecure that they can be rooted with such a trivial browser-based crack (PDF? Really?!?) is nice for those that want tethering, etc, but does make me wary of of a) using any iOS mobile in a critical environment or data-secure role, and b) worry about jailbreakme.com's own security, and the possibility of it being hacked/MitM'd/redirected to inject some malware into the process. Or how about those people who might visit jailbreakme.org or even jailbrеаk.com instead via a SEO homograph diversion?
I am generally quite critical of Apple and its behaviour, but if I was tryig to sell Apple into corporate markets and to telcos, allowing non-local rootkits like this to flourish in the wild just makes my platform look weak and insecure. I would try to find ways to shut them down, or to render them invisible to most. Or even to fix the exploit...
This may be the first time I have ever agreed with Blazecock Pileon in an Apple discussion. I may have to go lie down for a bit to recover.
posted by meehawl at 4:06 PM on August 2, 2010
Well, this has been out a couple days now, so I'm guessing that the banging sound you hear is a few thousand iPhone owners desperately knocking on the gate, begging to be let back into Apple's walled garden...
I love my iPhone, I love my jailbreak tweaks and utilities, but the jailbreak user experience is far removed, both practically and philosophically, from the iPhone experience. Like Linux on the desktop, this isn't quite for everyone...yet.
posted by Ian A.T. at 4:42 AM on August 3, 2010
I love my iPhone, I love my jailbreak tweaks and utilities, but the jailbreak user experience is far removed, both practically and philosophically, from the iPhone experience. Like Linux on the desktop, this isn't quite for everyone...yet.
posted by Ian A.T. at 4:42 AM on August 3, 2010
Funny because OSX is basically the best *nix on the desktop there is.
posted by hellphish at 10:04 AM on August 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by hellphish at 10:04 AM on August 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Rooting phones at the Apple Store... I'm surprised Apple hasn't firewalled their in-store devices — or maybe they have, by now.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:16 PM on August 3, 2010
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:16 PM on August 3, 2010
I get the sense that some people must wake every morning pissed that iPhones even exist.
posted by sourwookie at 12:28 PM on August 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by sourwookie at 12:28 PM on August 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Two Unpatched Flaws Show Up in Apple iOS: "One of the vulnerabilities is a memory-corruption flaw that affects the way that Apple's mobile devices display PDFs.... The second weakness is a problem in the Apple iOS kernel that gives an attacker higher privileges once his code is on a targeted device, enabling him to break out of the iOS sandbox."
That's pretty nasty. I wonder if Apple is going to delay iOS 4.1 until they patch this.
> Or how about those people who might visit jailbreakme.org or even jailbrеаk.com instead via a SEO homograph diversion?
A hostile attack doesn't have to even be that elaborate. All they would have to do is post url-shortened links and claim that the link goes to jailbreakme; the user wouldn't know they're going anywhere else until the page is loading, and possibly not even then. People are far too trusting of URL shorteners, and this is among the reasons why you shouldn't use URL shorteners unless you absolutely have to (and you are unlikely to need to anywhere except on Twitter and email).
posted by ardgedee at 5:50 AM on August 5, 2010
That's pretty nasty. I wonder if Apple is going to delay iOS 4.1 until they patch this.
> Or how about those people who might visit jailbreakme.org or even jailbrеаk.com instead via a SEO homograph diversion?
A hostile attack doesn't have to even be that elaborate. All they would have to do is post url-shortened links and claim that the link goes to jailbreakme; the user wouldn't know they're going anywhere else until the page is loading, and possibly not even then. People are far too trusting of URL shorteners, and this is among the reasons why you shouldn't use URL shorteners unless you absolutely have to (and you are unlikely to need to anywhere except on Twitter and email).
posted by ardgedee at 5:50 AM on August 5, 2010
Man, I loves me some jailbreak action... But on the 3G, at least, it was just the TEENSIEST bit too laggy to make it worthwhile. Kinda like running iOS 4. I'm looking to upgrade my 3G, and I was tempted to pick up an iPhone 4, but the Rogers launch of the iPhone 4 up here in Canada has been... Very poorly handled. On launch day, most stores received about 10 phones... Many received far fewer (store across the street from my work received *4*). So, Android it is - Rogers is releasing the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate in the next week or two. I can't WAIT for properly handled notifications, yay! But I'm going to miss the iPhone-first mentality that most app developers seem to have. :/
posted by antifuse at 7:10 AM on August 9, 2010
posted by antifuse at 7:10 AM on August 9, 2010
In other news: Apple's 'Freedom From Porn' Enforcer Drawn To Porn Stars and Escorts on Twitter
posted by homunculus at 1:00 PM on August 18, 2010
posted by homunculus at 1:00 PM on August 18, 2010
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posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 3:26 PM on August 1, 2010 [3 favorites]