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Why Jailbreaking Your iPhone Might Be Worth It
You still need to know what you're doing
By Joshua Hawkins Joshua Hawkins Freelance Technology Reporter Full Sail University Josh Hawkins is a freelance writer for Lifewire who loves writing about the latest tech and gadgets that help make people’s lives easier. As an avid gamer and VR enthusiast, he also enjoys diving deep into the technology that helps bring those kinds of experiences to life. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on March 4, 2021 01:00PM EST Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Phones Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Key Takeaways
Jailbreaking iPhones isn’t nearly as popular as it once was, and has become even more difficult on Apple’s latest Bionic chips.Jailbreaking your iPhone allows you to make additional customizations, like premade themes, but it also opens you up to other risks.Jailbreaking could brick your iPhone, so you still need to know what you’re doing before you start the process. Busakorn Pongparnit / Getty Images Experts say jailbreaking can still be worth it for iPhone users, as long as they know what they’re doing. Jailbreaking—or rooting as it’s often referred to on Android—was once a common practice on iPhones. Many would jailbreak their devices to unlock access to unique themes, deeper file browsing, and the ability to install third-party apps. While doing so has become much more difficult, it could still be a good step towards gaining more control over your device. However, there are notable risks involved. "Jailbreaking your iPhone can leave you vulnerable to several risks that may eventually affect the performance of your device," Tim McGuire, CEO of Mobile Klinik, told Lifewire via email. "You could damage the system," he continued, "leaving you exposed to hackers who may attempt to infiltrate and introduce malware or viruses [to attack] your device. Jailbreaking essentially removes the security measures taken by Apple designed to protect your phone from various threats. Therefore, you also risk losing the phone's warranty with Apple." What Is Jailbreaking
Essentially, jailbreaking allows users to break out of the sandbox Apple has created within the iPhone. This sandbox is like a shield, containing all of the various security fixes Apple has included, as well as protecting access to all the data your iPhone stores. Jailbreaking uses security holes found in this sandbox to remove those barriers, giving you access to things you normally can’t get to. But why risk your phone’s warranty and security just for access to more apps and customization? Jailbreaking originally popped up in the early days of the iPhone, before iOS became the big ecosystem it is now. Jailbreaking an iPhone doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get hacked. It just means your security is now in your own hands. "When the first few iterations of the iPhone came out, jailbreaking was very popular," Simon Lewis, co-founder of Certo Software, explained in an email. "Those early iPhones had far fewer features, and while the App Store was still in its infancy, the apps offered were extremely limited." Because of these limitations, Lewis says many turned to jailbreaking to gain access to additional benefits Apple wasn’t offering at the time. Yes, Apple has improved the amount of features available on the iPhone and the App Store has expanded, as well. But, that doesn’t stop users from wanting more control over the devices they spend hundreds—sometimes even thousands—of dollars on. In the Face of Danger
Despite the risks, many still see jailbreaking as a viable way for tech-savvy users to get more out of their phones. "The apps you can install on a jailbroken iPhone do alleviate a lot of continued pain points," Rex Freiberger, CEO of Gadget Review, told us in an email. "The default Safari browser on iPhone is much less functional than the iPad version, for example. On a jailbroken phone, you can fix this and get back some of that functionality." Essentially, jailbreaking allows users to break out of the sandbox Apple has created within the iPhone. Being able to make small fixes like this is something many users enjoy about the jailbreaking experience. RealCC, one of a few popular jailbreaking apps, can change how the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi toggles in the Control Center work. Other applications, like PercentageBatteryX, are much simpler and only add a bit of text to the battery indicator at the top of your iPhone’s screen. Comomolas / Getty Images Freiberger also says that users who jailbreak their phones can set themselves up with location spoofing—making their internet connection appear to come from somewhere else, similar to a VPN—and even set up a guest mode to keep random users from accessing their private files. He says these two points are just scraping the surface of what’s possible. "On a normal, non-jailbroken iPhone, Apple handles much of the device's security on behalf of the user," Paul Bischoff, a privacy advocate at Comparitech, told Lifewire via email. "Jailbreaking an iPhone doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get hacked. It just means your security is now in your own hands. Apple will no longer serve as a buffer between the iPhone and attackers in many situations." Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Running Audio Effects on Your GPU Might Not Be Worth It—Here's Why 5 Reasons iPhone Is More Secure Than Android How to Get Apps That Are Not in the App Store What Does Jailbreaking a Phone Mean? Are iPads Really That Safe from Viruses and Malware? Can You Jailbreak the Apple Watch? What It Means to Jailbreak Your iPhone Top 7 Ways to Make Your iPhone More Secure Is Jailbreaking Your iPhone Safe? How to Lock Apps on Any iPhone Where to Download iPhone Manuals for Every Model Is an Apple TV Worth It? 8 Reasons Why Your iPad Keeps Crashing How to Easily Fix the iPhone White Screen of Death How to Back Up Contacts to iPhone SIM How to Customize Your iPhone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies