I used to have an iPhone and I used to hack the thing to pieces. Then I got rid of it. Now I am back and jailbreaking again! Why you ask? Well for me it mainly is “because I can”.
The iPhone is a great piece of hardware along with a phenomenal learning tool. It is a great phone, but even better toy. It allows instant access to the things we all want, email, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media tool you seek.
But with all of that said, the questions still arise, should I jailbreak my iPhone or not? Is it legal? Can I brick it? Why would I?
Well I will tell you why you should!
1. Themes
This honestly is the main reason I have time and time again jailbroken my iPhone. I want it to look how I want it to look. The lock screen, the buttons, the chat bubbles and more, can all be customized to my liking. Here is the reason I jailbroke my iPhone this time around. It’s my lockscreen called Typophone 4:
Isn’t she a beauty!
2. Cydia
Cydia is an jailbreak community app store. Think of it as the original app store! Cydia allows you to search for themes, tweaks, hacks, and so much more for your iPhone. Below is a quick list of the top downloaded apps in Cydia and what they can do.
- Installous – is a app for the iPhone and iPad. It provides the opportunity to download apps before you purchase them. While this is a bit out of the ethical code of most, you can download full games, apps etc, from the Installous before you purchase them. Honestly I think is the way it should be.
- Grooveshark – Need I say more? Apple said “no” to their app so they opened it up to the ever growing jailbreak community to love and listen to. I love it!
- BiteSMS – if you text, if you love texting, this is the ONLY application you need. Do a Google search and find out more. There are some small fees involved, but it is well worth it. This application is plain awesome.
3. PdaNet
PdaNet is a tethering application that allows me to turn my iPhone into a wifi hub via 3g. It’s free AND it has settings to fool ATT into thinking it’s just data usage so you don’t get the dreaded message that they just added the outrageously expensive tethering plan without you knowing.
So there you have it. It’s that simple, well not too simple, but some great reasons to jailbreak your iPhone. If you need help, don’t hesitate to holler. I tweak my iPhone daily!
Enjoy!
Ben Miller says
The first two are great reasons. Go ahead and jailbreak.
The third reason, though, is unethical, IMHO, for reasons I spelled out here:
https://churchm.ag/thou-shalt-not-tether/#comment-9871
Matthew Snider says
And my thoughts still stand here – https://churchm.ag/thou-shalt-not-tether/#comment-9869 – if I am paying for unlimited data, unlimited data I should get. Not unlimited this type of data.
I use google voice for Texting instead of paying for texting plans, is that unethical?
Ben Miller says
Well, you are not really paying for unlimited data. You are paying for unlimited data on 1 device (namely, your iPhone). You also promised AT&T that you would not use your mobile bandwidth on another device.
To answer your question, I don’t think using Google Voice for texting is unethical. However, I don’t really know what you agreed to. (I don’t have an iPhone.) If you promised AT&T that you would not use Google Voice for texting, and then you do anyway, is that unethical?
Jonathan Blundell says
I have no problem with jailbreaking in general and I think points 1 and 2 are good reasons. I rooted my last Android phone and loved the added benefits I saw – but haven’t made that leap on my iPhone 3G or 4.
And while I would agree that having to pay extra for tethering when I still have an unlimited data plan is quite ridiculous – I still believe that me disagreeing with the policy doesn’t make it OK for me to go against the rules and tether my phone without the proper data plan in place.
I also disagree with the limits TX Dept of Transportation puts on the posted speed limit for certain roads as well – but that doesn’t excuse me from driving as fast as I think I should be allowed.
But that’s me.
Matthew Snider says
I am not allowed to go above those posted speed limit thingies? Dang no wonder I always see those cops in my rearview!
Great points all!
Nils says
What’s the best way (site to go to) to Jailbreak? I used Jailbrakeme.com previously but it won’t allow me with the updates on my phone. Any suggestions?
Matthew Snider says
Try out – http://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak-4.3.3-untethered-iphone-4-3gs-ipad-ipod-touch-using-redsn0w-tutorial/
Danilo says
Ok, so, basic question: how can I Jailbreak my iphone 4? 🙂
Thanks!
Matthew Snider says
Try using – http://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak-4.3.3-untethered-iphone-4-3gs-ipad-ipod-touch-using-redsn0w-tutorial/
Andres Cabezas says
I am ambivalent about this post. On the one hand, I dislike the dictatorial control companies like Apple try to exert over the devices they’ve sold. Jailbreakers have my sympathy insofar as they try to make their devices more useful than what Apple allows them to be. (Whether I’d join them is another question…)
Unfortunately there’s a part of jailbreaking I’m pretty upset about and that is the ability to use an app such as Installous. I consider the use of Installous to freely download paid apps to be unethical (dare I say immoral?) Developers should take a greater interest in providing evaluation versions of their apps. However, the lack of an evaluation version for a paid app does not excuse those who choose to “borrow” such an app through Installous.
For those who insist on downloading cracked, paid apps, at least read this article:
http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/2011/04/08/the-state-of-app-piracy-and-what-can-be-done-to-fix-it/
Maybe it’ll help make your rationalization less harmful.
Antoine RJ Wright says
I’m sorry to buck the trend of comments, but jail-breaking is illegal. Its spelled-out as such in your terms of service with Apple *and* with your carrier. If you’ve bought out your mobile device from the carrier, you still are under the terms of service with Apple, which strictly prohibits jail-breaking.
Another thing to consider with jail-breaking as being a violation of an agreement that you’ve signed with Apple, you are breaking your vow with that company towards the device/services/experiences that they offer. This is akin to breaking your vows to the Lord isn’t it?
Some years back at MMM, we covered this from both the technological and spiritual ends of it: http://mobileministrymagazine.com/2007/10/01/render-unto-steve-what-is-steves/ and updated here when the service agreement was updated http://mobileministrymagazine.com/2009/08/07/again-about-that-jailbreaking-thing-2/ – there’s no way that a believer can jail-break an iPhone – or *root* their Android device in many cases – without breaking the terms of service with either Apple, Google, the manufacturer, or carrier.
If you wanted this ability in your mobile, purchase a mobile that does it, or is at least a platform that permits such extending of the capabilities of the device because of the license agreement between the consumer and the manufacturer (for example, the Nokia N900 carries such a license). To not take advantage of the understanding of the law or your agreements with others isn’t how we should espouse how we do mobile.
Hard pill to swallow, but just because you purchase a device, doesn’t mean that you are free to do with it as you please. That’s a “hope” of consumerism, not a legal, ethical, or actual reality.
Matthew Snider says
Sorry to prove you wrong but, well your wrong.
http://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak-unlock-iphone-officially-legal/
It’s been legal since this past summer, almost a year now. Nothing Apple can do or say about it.
Antoine RJ Wright says
I disagree with that article and your conclusions. Software can be transformed from its original design for the purpose of enabling access to copyrighted works that would otherwise be denied to the platform is how the law reads. It doesn’t read that the user is free to utilize software that exploits holes/undocumented features within the operating system for the purpose of customizing the user experience – which is the purpose of jail breaking, and the point of this article.
Kyle Reed says
I have definitely jailbroken my phone and iPad and love it.
I have typophone 4 and other apps like mywi 4 iRealSMS and iFile.
I did it a while back mainly for grooveshark and netflix. but now that i have rdio and netflix is an app I only use it for a wifi hotspot when needed and SMS stuff.
But typophone 4 is money