Jailbreak and Unlock
Userland jailbreak “Spirit” coming soon to your iPhad touch
Apr 29th
Just for clarification: by “iPhad touch” we mean your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Spirit is an untethered jailbreak solution that will allow you to jailbreak (Not Unlock) your iPhad touch on the latest firmware without having to mess with software like Pwnage Tool, Blackra1n, Redsn0w or any of the other jailbreak solutions available. There is NOT a specific release date, but the developer has been waiting for the release of the iPad 3G… so we can expect it soon. In other words, within a few days.
Spirit works by exploiting an unreleased vulnerability in the default iPhone OS. It uses that vulnerability as an injection point for the jailbreak and, once completed, will allow you access to all of the typical jailbreak software. It will only be compatible with 3.1.2, 3.1.3 and the iPad’s 3.2. Once the vulnerability is exposed, we’re certain that Apple will do whatever it takes to close the hole because it has unlimited malicious potential. Anyone with a nefarious know-how will be able to use the vulnerability to run their favorite exploits on your iPhad touch.
We give and we take. We take whatever jailbreaks we can get but they often expose holes in the iPhone OS. We give these holes to Apple when the hackers release their jailbreak solutions. We actually expect that the Spirit jailbreak will be killed by an update within days of its release. So, be very careful that you don’t press the update button in iTunes if you decide to go this route.
Please remember that this is not unlocking software: it merely jailbreaks your device. We do not recommend anyone using an unlock to update and try out Spirit. It is merely a jailbreak and still requires activation via iTunes after the jailbreak has been performed. So, don’t mess with it unless you know what you’re doing. For more information on Spirit, please read the Dev-Team’s post and follow @comex on Twitter.
Here’s a video demo of the software that came out a few weeks back:
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Untethered Jailbreak announced by George Hotz
Mar 25th
George Hotz, better known as GoeHot in the iPhone community, has announced the ever-coveted “untethered jailbreak” for the iPhone, iPod touch and potentially… the iPad. What does “untethered” mean? We’re glad you asked, because this is an important day in iPhone hacking history. Jailbreaking has historically been done by hacking the iPhone OS with a computer application — ZiPhone, Pwnage Tool, Redsn0w, QuickPwn, Blackra1n — they’ve all required the use of a computer to jailbreak your device. In the early days, users were actually able to do it through a website, but those security flaws were patched long ago by ‘the powers that be’ at Apple.
Anyways, GoeHot’s new jailbreak is done directly from the device and eliminates the need for a computer. It doesn’t appear to need the complicated steps of entering DFU mode, and it doesn’t show his pretty little face during the jailbreak. This will practically put all of the unlockers in the audience out of business… assuming there’s an unlock available after the jailbreak. It’s common practice for knowledgeable people to unlock iPhones (for a fee) for the less tech-saavy… take a look at the video below, it seems pretty simple to us.
Here’s the post from his website:
See the video here.
I believe it meets the requirements for a good video.
The jailbreak is all software based, and is as simple to use as blackra1n. It is completely untethered, works on all current tethered models(ipt2, 3gs, ipt3), and will probably work on iPad too.
Don’t ask about a release date. You won’t make it happen any sooner.
We’re guessing that he has the software done and ready to go, he’s just playing the cat and mouse game for the time being. Apple is widely expected to release iPhone 3.2 along with the iPad release. The iPad itself is actually running 3.2 — the same software that developers are using to work on their updates for the iPad. If he holds onto the software until that release, Apple won’t be able to release a fix for the hole until the next update to the iPhone OS. Hold onto it for a little while longer, George.
iPhone hackers banned from the App Store
Feb 18th
We’re not really sure of the reasoning behind this, but two hackers are claiming that their Apple accounts have been banned recently. This seems to be relatively contained in the sense that only two people are reporting these issues. iH8sn0w and sherif_hashim have seen the image to the right after releasing hack information for Apple’s iPhone software.
Both of these hackers used their call signs in their Apple IDs, making it incredibly easy for Apple to ban their accounts. We definitely wouldn’t say that this will become a widespread issue, but it’s worth noting nonetheless. Average Jailbreak users need not worry about banned accounts because you’re probably not releasing code exploits. For the most part, you’re probably not stealing applications like some of the jerks out there. So don’t freak out.
If you’re stealing applications, then you deserve to have your accounts banned… but Jailbreaking a device definitely does not warrant such a response. There’s no way for Apple to realistically differentiate between pirates, hackers and users, so we’re placing our money on the stupidity of the Apple IDs here. If Apple started banning random Jailbroken devices then there would surely be hell to pay.
Food for thought: If you’re hacking Apple’s code to pieces, don’t announce it to the world with the same moniker as your Apple account.
Dev-Team releases Pwnage Tool for 3.1.3
Feb 7th
We’re taking a break from the big game to bring you the news that will make a few stuck Jailbreakers happy. The iPhone Dev-Team released the latest version of their Pwnage Tool application (3.1.5) that will allow you to jailbreak the 3.1.3 firmware.
They are advising anyone unlocked or jailbroken who doesn’t NEED to update to the latest firmware to just let it pass you by. There are really very few “necessary” fixes in the update. There are a couple security updates and a fix to make 3GS battery reporting more accurate. Not all 3GS devices have issues with the battery percentages… ours have been just fine.
The typical caveats apply to this update. If you’re unlocked and jailbroken, you can update with Pwnage Tool so it keeps you at the older modem firmware but installs the new software… it basically patches the older modem firmware into the new software bundle Apple put out on Tuesday. If you unlocked modem firmware 05.11.07 with Blacksn0w previously, you can update with Pwnage Tool and then just re-install the unlock from Geohot. If you’re on an older firmware and unlocked with Ultrasn0w, run Pwnage Tool and re-install Ultrasn0w.
We’d like to agree with the Dev-Team here: if you don’t NEED to update… don’t. Read more on this at the Dev-Team blog via the source link below.
Sn0wbreeze: Windows only, failure only
Feb 6th
We’re not quite sure what the problems are… but after spending half an hour reading through some of the issues on the Sn0wbreeze forums, we can safely say that you should avoid it for now. We even came across a tweet from @MuscleNerd that said to stay away because the iH8sn0w team didn’t put out a good product.
Some common problems include: white screen after running sn0wbreeze, no carrier signal, freezing at a snowflake and some reports that Cydia doesn’t work. To be fair, some of those issues aren’t just related to iPhone OS 3.1.3, they’ve been around for a while. If anything, this software should still be considered “beta” and nowhere near release ready.
Take a look at their twitter account; it’s not very encouraging. The admins repeatedly say “You seem to be the only one” to those who are experiencing issues… how many times does one need to say that before they’re no longer the only one?
Anyway, Sn0wbreeze = fail… at least for now. And what’s with the lack of Mac options? Double fail. We highly recommend waiting for a thoroughly tested Jailbreak from the likes of the actual iPhone Dev-Team.
iPhone firmware updated to 3.1.3
Feb 2nd
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Apple let loose the 3.1.3 firmware update this morning. Here’s what it includes:
- Improved accuracy of reported battery levels on the iPhone 3GS.
- Fixed an issue with some third-party applications that wouldn’t launch.
- Fixed a bug that caused some applications to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard.
If you are running Apple’s unmodified iPhone OS, then feel free to press the update button.
The iPhone Dev-Team is strongly encouraging people who are Jailbroken and Unlocked to stay away from this update until they have had time to work with it. So far, some anxious Dev-Team followers are reporting that redsn0w 0.9.2 still works by using the 3.1.2 firmware with the iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G and the iPod touch 1G. If you have an iPhone 3GS or a 2nd generation iPod touch… don’t mess with this; it will only cause you pain and frustration.
A general rule of thumb for the Jailbreakers in the audience: always check with CTA or the Dev-Team before updating your firmware. At this point, the Dev-Team is unsure of what this means for the Unlockers out there. New firmware typically means modem updates, thus more work for the Dev-Team (or in some instances Geohot) and the unlocking software available.
Please wait; do nothing; do not hit update.
We don’t see anything entirely “must have” with this firmware update, so CTA’s Jailbroken/Unlocked iPhone will stay at 3.1.2 — we’ll be updating our Apple-original iPhone 3GS tonight and report back with anything worth saying. This seems like a fairly insignificant “dot” update to the iPhone OS… so don’t let your trigger finger get itchy. If you squeeze it, at least tell us your results in the comments.
We’re actually hoping this gives them a little insight into later software revisions (3.2 or even 4.0) so they can be a little more prepared for the cool stuff. Every update we see patches the previous holes our hacker friends used in order to Jailbreak and Unlock iPhones. That means they have to re-examine the firmware with every update and find new mistakes so we can inject their custom code into our iPhones. It would be nearly impossible for Apple to get the firmware error free, but it could happen. Each update typically adds more features with near-perfect code… but it’s never been perfect. We’ve been lucky to have such amazing people working on this project so far. Cocoa Touch Apps would like to express a heartfelt thank you to the people working for the rest of us. Hit up their blog and thank them yourselves.
As for us, this unfortunately means that we’ll be putting off our 2010 Ultimate Guide to Jailbreak for a little while. There’s no reason to talk about old techniques. When we hear of new options, we’ll get it going.
Ripdev closes its doors
Feb 1st
Something we missed while we were on hiatus:
Ripdev, the team behind the very first Installer.app has closed its doors… back in October 2009. Anyone new to the jailbreak community may not be that familiar with this development team, but they were the first people to put native apps on the iPhone that weren’t approved by Apple. With their help, pioneers like Saurik, Geohot and even the folks at Rock Your Phone have been able to do what they do. We can’t say that everything goes back to them; there are many other people in the Jailbreak community that have contributed just as much, if not more.
Ripdev explains that they’ll keep their app repositories alive as long as possible, but we could see them close sometime this year. Installer is no more, folks. The new addition of the ICY installer is also done. They’ve released the source code for ICY, but we haven’t heard any news of continued development. Any apps that you have from Ripdev will continue to function on their original firmware, but there’s no promise of updates if they break in later iPhone OS releases. Please read their full statement below:
GOOD BYE
It’s been a great two years, but unfortunately, the time has come for Ripdev to close its doors. There are many reasons for this, most of which we probably will never disclose (unless we are forced to). The important thing is that due to circumstances we will likely be unable to support the titles we have created over the years further. They will operate perfectly on the firmware versions they were created for, and you will be able to download and use them — but they will no longer be supported and updated (except for i2Reader Pro that is not being developed by us and that will be kept in sync with its App Store version). We will, of course, transfer the licenses to the new devices — just email us. Our Cydia repository will be operational until at least next year, so be assured that the products you liked and paid for will be available for you to (re)install.
Icy, our lightweight DPKG installer, is now available in source form under MIT license. You’re free to do whatever you want with it. It would be nice if someone picks up the project…
It was an honor to be in the iPhone jailbreak community, and we are proud that we have certainly made a ripple or two. Farewell!
CTA Presents: The State of the Jailbreak Address
Feb 1st
We follow the Jailbreak/Unlock scene very closely here at CTA… not because our iPhones are necessarily running on T-Mobile (we want 3G not EDGE) but because we don’t want to be restricted in the Applications we install on our Apple mobile devices. Unfortunately for us and for you, there hasn’t been any new iPhone unlocking news for nearly three months. This is partially due to the fact that Apple hasn’t released new firmware in that amount of time… one of the longest periods we’ve seen so far. In the remainder of this post, we’ll cover the Cydia Store, the Rock Your Phone app store, the Dev-Team, Geohot, the redsn0w 0.9.2 released just hours ago, and how Jailbreaking could affect the iPad. Check back soon for The Ultimate 2010 Jailbreak Guide brought to you by Cocoa Touch Apps.
Saurik (Jay Freeman) has been doing everything possible to make time for his Cydia Store in order to keep it attractive to the Jailbreakers out there. We’re seeing things from Cydia that we never expected and have to give him a tremendous amount of thanks. He’s also devoting some of his efforts to the WebOS (Palm) and Android (Google). For those who don’t know, Cydia is an installer app — predating the App Store — that allows you to put “unauthorized” software onto your Apple mobile devices. While Jailbreak software was once a wide range of applications, most of the current software focuses on the features that Apple has “left out” of the iPhone OS. For instance, you can purchase apps that will let you instantly share your iPhone’s data connection with your laptop… at least for those of us who still don’t have tethering on our service providers.
iPhone OS 3.0 Unlocked and Jailbroken
Jun 24th
Quick update here – Not much to it, but if you jailbreak, you’ll like it.
Go to blog.iphone-dev.com and download Redsn0w. You have to manually update to 3.0 via iTunes at this point, but if you’re like me, you don’t have a lot of jailbreak apps, just a couple themes that are easy to reapply.
After updating to 3.0 – just run Redsn0w on your PC or mac, it’ll do the whole jailbreak thing for you.
After jailbreaking, add http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com to your repositories in either Cydia or ICY, sorry ICY – but we still prefer Cydia.
Then search for ultrasn0w in the packages and install it.
Reboot.
You’re now unlocked and jailbroken. I’m selling my 3G to get a 3GS… I’ll let you know what it’s like once I have it.
P.S. This will get your phone running on OS 3.0 – but you will have to redo everything in your jailbreak… wait for the dev team to send out an update on that process if you don’t want to lose your hard work.
CTA is not responsible for any damage you do to your phone… sure we can fix it for you, but we’re not always cheap. 
Jailbreak 101: Themes
Feb 14th
I’m sure that many of you out there are into changing it up a bit. Â When the first generation iPhones were still running 1.1.2 – 1.1.4, I was devoted to an application called Customize. Â It handled all of the legwork and I was able to just photoshop a picture and place it in the right place. Â Until “thespicychicken” gets that up and running on the latest firmware, we’re left to fend for ourselves.
If you’re interested in “theming” your iPhone or iPod touch – and your device is jailbroken – then just follow a couple easy steps and you’ll be rid of the plain old, boring look that your device has suffered and into a shiny new set of icons and even different layouts if you’d like.
First, via Cydia, you need to download “Winterboard.” Â This application, written by Saurik, acts as the replacement for Summerboard from the first Cocoa Touch OS. Â When you open Winterboard, there are a few themes and options in there. Â Go ahead and check them out by tapping them and hitting the home button. Â That will cause your device to “Re-Spring” and apply the changes you’ve made to the “Springboard.” Â The Springboard is User Interface that you’re using every day. Â
If the default themes aren’t to your liking, there are over a thousand themes available through Cydia. Â Everything from App icons to Sound themes… even complete system themes. Â You can preview each theme before installing it. Â After installing a theme through Cydia, just go back to Winterboard and enable that theme.
Unfortunately, our knowledge doesn’t go beyond that at this point. Â If you want to learn how to create your own themes for Cydia, please be sure to check out modmyi.com. Â We’ll be sure to do a full write-up about Customize.app when it comes out. Â Until then, happy theming.
