12 ms·

Is iOS7 jailbroken yet?

111 points by sethbannon 13y ago

SG- 13y ago
I'm not anti JB or anything, and used to JB my devices all the time but for the most part iOS has changed a lot since the early days and like others I find I don't need to JB to use it how I want now. I do wish you could JB the last ATV version that has been out over a year for XBMC goodness. ATV2 is still one of the best XBMC devices out there but only support 720p.
dimillian 13y ago
I donated just to be in the leaderboard. Gamification is the solution. /bye
hopp_check 13y ago
It might be helpful to have secondary prizes for jailbreaks for only some of the models - i.e., maybe the 4S won't be jailbroken but all the others are; this still deserves some commendation.
SmileyKeith 13y ago
Personally I've found the reasons to jailbreak have decreased more and more over time. A perfect example for me is Control Center replacing what I used SBSettings for.
- jser 13y ago
  I jailbreak for tethering and running wifi-only apps on cellular.
  - chrisoverzero 13y ago
    What will you do when your cellular provider finds out?
- psychometry 13y ago
  That's true, but it really only takes one missing feature or annoyance to make Jailbreaking a consideration. Case in point: When I plug my iPhone 5 into my car's USB port, the Music app's display changes to an "Accessory Connected" splash screen. I can only control my music through my car's awful dashboard interface. Jailbreaking allows me to disable that splash screen. Other things like 5 column springboard/dock, FakeClockUp (reduce or speed up slow animations), and BiteSMS (Messages app replacement that can be used on the lock screen), are just minor interface and functionality tweaks that, together, make my jailbroken iOS6 a far superior UX than iOS7.
  - SmileyKeith 13y ago
    That car compatibility stuff is definitely something that needs to dealt with. The fact that it entirely takes over your phone is entirely unacceptable.
- JamesArgo 13y ago
  I tried to find an iOS bitcoin wallet. Turns out, Apple pulled them all from the store because they have mobile payment ambitions - and one doesn't let predators into ones own garden. The walled garden is beautiful, but innovation is relentlessly weeded out by its tenders. I much prefer iOS, but I was seriously creeped out by their anti-competitive practices. I can't run the software I wish to, so I'm going to buy an Android phone, even though I'd much prefer an Apple product that actually lets me run competitive software.
  - finnw 13y ago
    > ... Apple pulled them all from the store because they have mobile payment ambitions - and one doesn't let predators into ones own garden. And yet Pingit is still in the app store. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/barclays-pingit/id496552142 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/barclays-pingit/id496552142
    - JamesArgo 13y ago
      Search for it on your iPhone. It's no longer there.
- mikeash 13y ago
  I agree, but I'd still like to do it. Control center and officially-sanctioned WiFi tethering took care of most of my jailbreak-related needs. However, there are still some features I miss, like the add-on I used that looked up incoming calls from unknown numbers.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
phaer 13y ago
Serious question: Why bother? Why is there such an interest in using a very closed system in a way the vendor does not support if there are (more) open alternatives? Is it because you are forced to use an iPhone by external factors, like your employer? Are there critical features missing from Android and all the others? Is it just your personal preference? I really don't mean to offend anyone, it's just that I perceive the closed ecosystem of the iPhone as an intentional "feature" and as I personally don't like it, I would never put my money into such a closed system just to try to jailbreak it afterwards.
- gline 13y ago
  "because we can" seems like a pretty good answer. Also, a thing that's interesting to me about campaigns like this one is there are so many iphone users. Even if a small fraction of them actually want to jailbreak their phones - for carrier reasons, to install some goofy skin, whatever - there's a lot of value in getting it done. How much value? I'm not sure - but I don't think $50,000 or even $100,000 would be surprising...
- girvo 13y ago
  Its nice to use. I like how it integrates with my Mac stuff better than Android does, and iTunes Match is a killer feature. But I'd love to load FOSS onto it, so a jailbreak would be super handy. Oh, and the main reason? 'cause we can :)
  - phaer 13y ago
    "because we can" is obviously a very legitimate reason for something like a jailbreak :) But I am not sure if it answers my question completely, because we are talking about a site which a collects money because it seems like we can't at the moment. There's nothing wrong with that, but it shows that an iPhone jailbreak seems to be a high-priority task for many here and that's something which "because we can" does not fully explain (EDIT:) because nobody collects money for a better integration of android into the mac world so far, right? Your argument about Mac integration seems valid, I did not think about it as I am no mac user :)
stcredzero 13y ago
I think we've transitioned into a world where no one can assume that a given device/OS combination will be jailbroken in just a few months. The state of the art of security for physical devices will be good enough, such that only used equipment and older versions will be jailbroken.
girvo 13y ago
Y'know, I finally got an iPhone (a 4S), moving from Android and Meego (gosh I miss my N9...), and I thought I'd probably jailbreak to get the "freedom" I was missing. Instead, I installed iOS 7, and it does nearly everything I want it to do. It's not perfect, I'd like to be able to load FOSS onto it without going through the app store (I don't trust TOR browsers in a marketplace like that), and a few UI niggles, but for the most part I now just use my phone for phone tasks, Siri to dump stuff into Reminders for processing later, and playing Poker on the go. I was as surprised as anyone; I've been hacking smartphones since the Sony Ericsson M600i!
shijie 13y ago
Just pitched in $10. I'll agree with previous comments that the reason for jailbreaking has decreased in recent years, but I'll be damned if I don't want root access on my phone. There's a level of control I've come to appreciate and desire as I code and deploy software, and I'd like that to extend to the one device I use the most in my life. The reason for me, at least, is "freedom," even if idealized and largely inconsequential. It's the spirit of the matter.
erifneerg 13y ago
> Jailbreaking is also critical to ensuring that the disabled are able to use their mobile devices as easily as possible. This reason, while good and noble, feels really wonky. From what i understand, iOS's accessibility has much miles better then Android's accessibility options. If their main motives is to give a better mobile experience to people with special needs, maybe focusing on implementing these improvements system wide changes would be time better spend. You work hard to make these changes then iOS 7.x.y comes out and the user updates by mistake and loses all the changes a jailbreak gives. It is this constant fighting with the system that has made staying with iOS less appealing these days.
- cmaury 13y ago
  Worrying about updates is a fact of everyday life for people dependent on accessibility features, on the OS as well as the APP level. Updates to apps often include changes to UI, which completely change the way blind users interact with the App via VoiceOver. This means that with every update there is a risk of the app no longer being accessible or having to relearn the entire interface. It's true that Apple's accessibility features are miles better than Android's, but they aren't perfect. Jailbreaking allows people to add the functionality they need that isn't currently supported. A great example of this is f.lux which is an amazingly useful app for people with low-vision, but is not supported on non-jailbroken devices.
  - graeme 13y ago
    f.lux is single handedly keeping me on my iOS 5 jailbreak. I used to need an hour to get to sleep at night. Now with f.lux it takes me 5-10 minutes. Absolutely no way I'd use a phone with regular lighting now.
- gcb0 13y ago
  That was true on Android 2.3.. Things are inverted now. But anyone with visual disability will still have to scavenge for a phone with actual buttons. And good luck with that...
  - 13y ago
landr0id 13y ago
Why can't people be patient? Jailbreaks exist for iOS 7. Be patient, and it will be released sometime soon. iH8sn0w gave an ETA of before 2014. They're carefully picking when to release. Don't rush things.
- unfamiliar 13y ago
  If one is in existence why not release now?
  - erifneerg 13y ago
    It's not user friendly to do. Jailbreaking on iOS has been shockingly easily lately when it's released.
  - mason55 13y ago
    It's possible they're waiting for Apple to finish the first round of iOS7 minor updates before they reveal the exploit they're using.
- kwiens 13y ago
  We're patient. We're just upping the incentive for success. You're right, all the people working on it are amazing and deserve more accolades and less heckling.
RRRA 13y ago
How about encouraging people to not buy their own jail with the money?
workbench 13y ago
What's the point when you can't unlock them anymore
bananacurve 13y ago
Would you pay an extra $8/mo to instantly have your jailbreak on every update? Then buy a developers license.
- gcb0 13y ago
  Nobody here or on that site have any use for rooting (jailbreak is such a silly term). They just want to be cool. Cory doctoraw, ifixit ceo... It's just a publicity stunt. And everyone in this thread? They keep dumping their money happily on the latest device. Even though ios7 does zero more than a rooted ios6 (the only new feature that is not aesthetic is the control bar, which is better on ios6 with unofficial code anyway)
  - sneak 13y ago
    FaceTime Audio.
  - resoluteteeth 13y ago
    When I had an iPhone 4 I had a use for rooting: to run an ssh server so I could easily transfer files from/to my iphone without dealing with itunes or other special software. However, it turned out that the real solution was just to switch to an Android phone that not only allows me to use my phone as a drive when plugged in, but also doesn't have the software restrictions that made running a daemon impossible in the first place. I haven't really kept up with ios so this might not be a problem now, though.
lelandbatey 13y ago
Man, this takes me back to watching the Jailbreak community like a hawk back in like 2008 or something when I had an iPod touch and I was waiting for iOS 3 to be jailbroken. Man, those were some really fun times. I can remember scanning the forums for hours, knowing that there would be a jailbreak soon, but not knowing when. I remember when the first untethered jailbreak got released, in all it's sketchy, poorly explained glory, and carefully going through the lengthy procedure to make it work. Aaaahhhhh memories...
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
eonil 13y ago
It seems like making profit by jailbreaking. Apple lawyers would like this.
dw5ight 13y ago
apparently not. sad face
neakor 13y ago
Why does it matter if it's "open" or not? Stop trying to break other people's stuff already. We all want things our own way, so why not respect other people's ways as well.
saurik 13y ago
The problem I have with this website is that it attempts to change the dynamics from one of "people who do things that are fun to make devices more open" to one of "people who do things to win cash prizes". Meanwhile, it changes the dynamics in the minds of the people contributing: normally, people contribute after the fact to the teams that built something that they found of value; under the model of this website, people contribute ahead of time, and then hope that the thing that is released works for their specific device, and if it doesn't they are kind of out of luck. I've seen the effects of bounties in the Android ecosystem, and they are quite negative. I tried to explain this to the person behind this project (Elizabeth Stark), but she really didn't seem to care: in essence, she's currently working on a project that is a crowd funding platform for software, and she wants to use the iOS community as a test case; she didn't want to spend any time thinking about the ramifications of her decisions going into the project, and she didn't send me a response about the issues I saw with her project until this morning (coincident with the release of her website).
- starkness 13y ago
  Hi Saurik, I'd love to hear your response to the substantive aspects of my email as opposed to an ad hominem attack. I didn't send it until this morning because I was sick and traveling for the holidays.
  - saurik 13y ago
    Look, claiming I made an ad hominem attack means that I said "X is bad because X was made by person Y and Y is bad". I did not do that: I stated first a concrete (yet highly summarized reason) why I felt that X was bad (specifically regarding incentive changing). I then also explained the reason behind the project (which is a property of X, not of Y), which I have multiple sources close to the project (including you) backing up (so it isn't like I'm lying or something: this isn't like someone claiming a study is flawed because the author is biased <- instead, I'm more like someone showing a study is flawed because the author actually stated they did the study for biased reasons). If you are going to throw around logical fallacies as weapons, as least know what they mean :(. (I will now provide more responses, but separately, as I felt the need to get this out more quickly as it was such a slap and people might not pay enough attention to realize it was wrong ;P.) (Also, on the last point about when you sent the e-mail, which is the closest you can get in my comments to "ad hominem" and to me was a defense against why I wasn't more prepared for this: you were more than willing to get involved in a "synchronous conversation" with me at the time, which would have taken even longer and been even more difficult ;P.)

111 points by sethbannon 13y ago

SG- 13y ago

I'm not anti JB or anything, and used to JB my devices all the time but for the most part iOS has changed a lot since the early days and like others I find I don't need to JB to use it how I want now. I do wish you could JB the last ATV version that has been out over a year for XBMC goodness. ATV2 is still one of the best XBMC devices out there but only support 720p.

dimillian 13y ago

I donated just to be in the leaderboard. Gamification is the solution. /bye

hopp_check 13y ago

It might be helpful to have secondary prizes for jailbreaks for only some of the models - i.e., maybe the 4S won't be jailbroken but all the others are; this still deserves some commendation.

SmileyKeith 13y ago

Personally I've found the reasons to jailbreak have decreased more and more over time. A perfect example for me is Control Center replacing what I used SBSettings for.

jser 13y ago
I jailbreak for tethering and running wifi-only apps on cellular.
- chrisoverzero 13y ago
  What will you do when your cellular provider finds out?
psychometry 13y ago
That's true, but it really only takes one missing feature or annoyance to make Jailbreaking a consideration. Case in point: When I plug my iPhone 5 into my car's USB port, the Music app's display changes to an "Accessory Connected" splash screen. I can only control my music through my car's awful dashboard interface. Jailbreaking allows me to disable that splash screen. Other things like 5 column springboard/dock, FakeClockUp (reduce or speed up slow animations), and BiteSMS (Messages app replacement that can be used on the lock screen), are just minor interface and functionality tweaks that, together, make my jailbroken iOS6 a far superior UX than iOS7.
- SmileyKeith 13y ago
  That car compatibility stuff is definitely something that needs to dealt with. The fact that it entirely takes over your phone is entirely unacceptable.
JamesArgo 13y ago
I tried to find an iOS bitcoin wallet. Turns out, Apple pulled them all from the store because they have mobile payment ambitions - and one doesn't let predators into ones own garden. The walled garden is beautiful, but innovation is relentlessly weeded out by its tenders. I much prefer iOS, but I was seriously creeped out by their anti-competitive practices. I can't run the software I wish to, so I'm going to buy an Android phone, even though I'd much prefer an Apple product that actually lets me run competitive software.
- finnw 13y ago
  > ... Apple pulled them all from the store because they have mobile payment ambitions - and one doesn't let predators into ones own garden. And yet Pingit is still in the app store. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/barclays-pingit/id496552142 https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/barclays-pingit/id496552142
  - JamesArgo 13y ago
    Search for it on your iPhone. It's no longer there.
mikeash 13y ago
I agree, but I'd still like to do it. Control center and officially-sanctioned WiFi tethering took care of most of my jailbreak-related needs. However, there are still some features I miss, like the add-on I used that looked up incoming calls from unknown numbers.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

phaer 13y ago

Serious question: Why bother? Why is there such an interest in using a very closed system in a way the vendor does not support if there are (more) open alternatives? Is it because you are forced to use an iPhone by external factors, like your employer? Are there critical features missing from Android and all the others? Is it just your personal preference? I really don't mean to offend anyone, it's just that I perceive the closed ecosystem of the iPhone as an intentional "feature" and as I personally don't like it, I would never put my money into such a closed system just to try to jailbreak it afterwards.

gline 13y ago
"because we can" seems like a pretty good answer. Also, a thing that's interesting to me about campaigns like this one is there are so many iphone users. Even if a small fraction of them actually want to jailbreak their phones - for carrier reasons, to install some goofy skin, whatever - there's a lot of value in getting it done. How much value? I'm not sure - but I don't think $50,000 or even $100,000 would be surprising...
girvo 13y ago
Its nice to use. I like how it integrates with my Mac stuff better than Android does, and iTunes Match is a killer feature. But I'd love to load FOSS onto it, so a jailbreak would be super handy. Oh, and the main reason? 'cause we can :)
- phaer 13y ago
  "because we can" is obviously a very legitimate reason for something like a jailbreak :) But I am not sure if it answers my question completely, because we are talking about a site which a collects money because it seems like we can't at the moment. There's nothing wrong with that, but it shows that an iPhone jailbreak seems to be a high-priority task for many here and that's something which "because we can" does not fully explain (EDIT:) because nobody collects money for a better integration of android into the mac world so far, right? Your argument about Mac integration seems valid, I did not think about it as I am no mac user :)

stcredzero 13y ago

I think we've transitioned into a world where no one can assume that a given device/OS combination will be jailbroken in just a few months. The state of the art of security for physical devices will be good enough, such that only used equipment and older versions will be jailbroken.

girvo 13y ago

Y'know, I finally got an iPhone (a 4S), moving from Android and Meego (gosh I miss my N9...), and I thought I'd probably jailbreak to get the "freedom" I was missing. Instead, I installed iOS 7, and it does nearly everything I want it to do. It's not perfect, I'd like to be able to load FOSS onto it without going through the app store (I don't trust TOR browsers in a marketplace like that), and a few UI niggles, but for the most part I now just use my phone for phone tasks, Siri to dump stuff into Reminders for processing later, and playing Poker on the go. I was as surprised as anyone; I've been hacking smartphones since the Sony Ericsson M600i!

shijie 13y ago

Just pitched in $10. I'll agree with previous comments that the reason for jailbreaking has decreased in recent years, but I'll be damned if I don't want root access on my phone. There's a level of control I've come to appreciate and desire as I code and deploy software, and I'd like that to extend to the one device I use the most in my life. The reason for me, at least, is "freedom," even if idealized and largely inconsequential. It's the spirit of the matter.

erifneerg 13y ago

> Jailbreaking is also critical to ensuring that the disabled are able to use their mobile devices as easily as possible. This reason, while good and noble, feels really wonky. From what i understand, iOS's accessibility has much miles better then Android's accessibility options. If their main motives is to give a better mobile experience to people with special needs, maybe focusing on implementing these improvements system wide changes would be time better spend. You work hard to make these changes then iOS 7.x.y comes out and the user updates by mistake and loses all the changes a jailbreak gives. It is this constant fighting with the system that has made staying with iOS less appealing these days.

cmaury 13y ago
Worrying about updates is a fact of everyday life for people dependent on accessibility features, on the OS as well as the APP level. Updates to apps often include changes to UI, which completely change the way blind users interact with the App via VoiceOver. This means that with every update there is a risk of the app no longer being accessible or having to relearn the entire interface. It's true that Apple's accessibility features are miles better than Android's, but they aren't perfect. Jailbreaking allows people to add the functionality they need that isn't currently supported. A great example of this is f.lux which is an amazingly useful app for people with low-vision, but is not supported on non-jailbroken devices.
- graeme 13y ago
  f.lux is single handedly keeping me on my iOS 5 jailbreak. I used to need an hour to get to sleep at night. Now with f.lux it takes me 5-10 minutes. Absolutely no way I'd use a phone with regular lighting now.
gcb0 13y ago
That was true on Android 2.3.. Things are inverted now. But anyone with visual disability will still have to scavenge for a phone with actual buttons. And good luck with that...
- 13y ago

landr0id 13y ago

Why can't people be patient? Jailbreaks exist for iOS 7. Be patient, and it will be released sometime soon. iH8sn0w gave an ETA of before 2014. They're carefully picking when to release. Don't rush things.

unfamiliar 13y ago
If one is in existence why not release now?
- erifneerg 13y ago
  It's not user friendly to do. Jailbreaking on iOS has been shockingly easily lately when it's released.
- mason55 13y ago
  It's possible they're waiting for Apple to finish the first round of iOS7 minor updates before they reveal the exploit they're using.
kwiens 13y ago
We're patient. We're just upping the incentive for success. You're right, all the people working on it are amazing and deserve more accolades and less heckling.

RRRA 13y ago

How about encouraging people to not buy their own jail with the money?

workbench 13y ago

What's the point when you can't unlock them anymore

bananacurve 13y ago

Would you pay an extra $8/mo to instantly have your jailbreak on every update? Then buy a developers license.

gcb0 13y ago
Nobody here or on that site have any use for rooting (jailbreak is such a silly term). They just want to be cool. Cory doctoraw, ifixit ceo... It's just a publicity stunt. And everyone in this thread? They keep dumping their money happily on the latest device. Even though ios7 does zero more than a rooted ios6 (the only new feature that is not aesthetic is the control bar, which is better on ios6 with unofficial code anyway)
- sneak 13y ago
  FaceTime Audio.
- resoluteteeth 13y ago
  When I had an iPhone 4 I had a use for rooting: to run an ssh server so I could easily transfer files from/to my iphone without dealing with itunes or other special software. However, it turned out that the real solution was just to switch to an Android phone that not only allows me to use my phone as a drive when plugged in, but also doesn't have the software restrictions that made running a daemon impossible in the first place. I haven't really kept up with ios so this might not be a problem now, though.

lelandbatey 13y ago

Man, this takes me back to watching the Jailbreak community like a hawk back in like 2008 or something when I had an iPod touch and I was waiting for iOS 3 to be jailbroken. Man, those were some really fun times. I can remember scanning the forums for hours, knowing that there would be a jailbreak soon, but not knowing when. I remember when the first untethered jailbreak got released, in all it's sketchy, poorly explained glory, and carefully going through the lengthy procedure to make it work. Aaaahhhhh memories...

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

eonil 13y ago

It seems like making profit by jailbreaking. Apple lawyers would like this.

dw5ight 13y ago

apparently not. sad face

neakor 13y ago

Why does it matter if it's "open" or not? Stop trying to break other people's stuff already. We all want things our own way, so why not respect other people's ways as well.

saurik 13y ago

The problem I have with this website is that it attempts to change the dynamics from one of "people who do things that are fun to make devices more open" to one of "people who do things to win cash prizes". Meanwhile, it changes the dynamics in the minds of the people contributing: normally, people contribute after the fact to the teams that built something that they found of value; under the model of this website, people contribute ahead of time, and then hope that the thing that is released works for their specific device, and if it doesn't they are kind of out of luck. I've seen the effects of bounties in the Android ecosystem, and they are quite negative. I tried to explain this to the person behind this project (Elizabeth Stark), but she really didn't seem to care: in essence, she's currently working on a project that is a crowd funding platform for software, and she wants to use the iOS community as a test case; she didn't want to spend any time thinking about the ramifications of her decisions going into the project, and she didn't send me a response about the issues I saw with her project until this morning (coincident with the release of her website).

starkness 13y ago
Hi Saurik, I'd love to hear your response to the substantive aspects of my email as opposed to an ad hominem attack. I didn't send it until this morning because I was sick and traveling for the holidays.
- saurik 13y ago
  Look, claiming I made an ad hominem attack means that I said "X is bad because X was made by person Y and Y is bad". I did not do that: I stated first a concrete (yet highly summarized reason) why I felt that X was bad (specifically regarding incentive changing). I then also explained the reason behind the project (which is a property of X, not of Y), which I have multiple sources close to the project (including you) backing up (so it isn't like I'm lying or something: this isn't like someone claiming a study is flawed because the author is biased <- instead, I'm more like someone showing a study is flawed because the author actually stated they did the study for biased reasons). If you are going to throw around logical fallacies as weapons, as least know what they mean :(. (I will now provide more responses, but separately, as I felt the need to get this out more quickly as it was such a slap and people might not pay enough attention to realize it was wrong ;P.) (Also, on the last point about when you sent the e-mail, which is the closest you can get in my comments to "ad hominem" and to me was a defense against why I wasn't more prepared for this: you were more than willing to get involved in a "synchronous conversation" with me at the time, which would have taken even longer and been even more difficult ;P.)