General Should you jailbreak your device?

Yoll · June 4, 2019

At one time or another, many people with Apple iOS-based devices, such as the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, have looked into "jailbreaking" them.

Jailbreaking means bypassing the restrictions Apple puts on the operating system and taking full control of the device. With a jailbroken device, you can install apps and tweaks that aren't authorized by Apple, but you also remove the tough security protections that Apple has built into iOS.

The process of jailbreaking your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is legal in the U.S. for the time being. What is certain is that Apple considers jailbreaking a violation of its warranty, so if something goes wrong during the process, it's up to you to fix it.

Here are five benefits of jailbreaking, followed by five serious risks.

Pro: A world of new apps

If your device is jailbroken, you can install apps that aren't available from the iTunes App Store. For example, Cydia is a framework that lets you add other unauthorized apps, such as games and networking tools.

"Apple is fairly restrictive. A lot of applications don't make it into their marketplace," said Tim Armstrong, a security specialist at Boston-based Threat Stack.

Pro: Free tethering

Ever wanted to use your iPhone or cellular-enabled iPad as a broadband modem, or as a Wi-Fi hotspot, to connect your laptop to the Internet?

Cellular carriers offer this service, called "tethering," but often charge for it or include it only as part of high-priced plans. Owners of jailbroken devices can do it for free, thanks to unauthorized apps such as Mywifi, available through Cydia.

"Phone providers don't want you to use apps like the tether app, but people do it anyway," Armstrong said.

Pro: More customization options

If you want to alter your iPhone's or iPad's look and feel, there are plenty of themes available on Cydia to change your icons, wallpaper, dock and status, according to Armstrong.

There's also a powerful customization app called WinterBoard that lets you do all of the above, plus customize sounds, all in one go. However, it won't work on an iPad, according to Brent Morris, a security analyst at GoPro in Carlsbad, California.

To name a few here are some cons

Con: Dangers of unscreened apps

Jailbreaking absolutely makes your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch an easier target for malware. It completely removes the walls that Apple built into both iOS and the iTunes App Store. Most documented malware for iOS has affected only jailbroken devices.

"You can install an app from any website you want, and you'll never know if you're downloading a program that contains malware," Armstrong said.

Con: System instability

Buggy unauthorized apps can crash an iPhone or iPad or even "brick" them — render them unusable.

"I recommend if you jailbreak, you stick to the sources Cydia provides," Morris said. "If you download any app, you need to do research on the creator of that app. Make sure people are happy with that app."

Con: Undermined security

You really don't know how secure your device will be after it's been jailbroken. That's because you've fundamentally changed the whole operating system, according to Armstrong.

"A lot of people don't realize what they're doing," he said. "When you launch the jailbreak, you're defeating the security of the phone. Once you do that, every application has full access to the phone and you put trust in the people who create the apps."

Conclusion

Jailbreak at you’re own risk you should do you’re research before doing anything with you’re device and that no one is responsible except for you’re self, what happens to you’re device