How to Jailbreak iPhone 4S

Pros and Cons Of Jailbreaking Your Iphone

When you jailbreak your Iphone using jailbreak software, you are basically untethering it from it’s umbilical cord to Apple, i.e. freeing it from their control.

The Iphone is not a perfect product. Sure, Apple would like you to think that it is. But there are certain features that could be improved. Certain enterprising geeks have created apps and patches that will fix some of these issues that give you additional features and customization options, but Apple won’t let you install them. That’s why you jailbreak.

Developers who don’t want to bound by Apple’s rules any more than you do create these apps, and then make coin by selling them for a low price through the unofficial app store, Cydia. There are no limits placed on these apps. They can do anything that is within the iphone’s capabilities, with none of Apple’s onerous restrictions.

Why Jailbreak iPhone?

It removes Apple’s restrictions on the device. Apple is a fascist behemoth of a company at times. They don’t want any “dirty” wallpapers on their phones. They don’t want a better categorization app because “they” didn’t create it and get credit for it. When you jailbreak, you get past these restrictions and you can do whatever you want with YOUR phone.

To join the subculture. Sick of Apple’s stranglehold on the iPhone? Those who Jailbreak iPhone belong to a movement of people who demand more from their iPhones. And they’re not gonna let Apple stop them. Beat the system: Jailbreak your iPhone.

To use your phone on alternate carriers. In the United States, Apple locks you into a contract with Apple when you buy an iPhone. When you jailbreak, and then unlock, you can use your phone on whatever carrier you choose.

Why NOT Jailbreak iPhone?

Well, for one, there have been a couple of pretty serious computer viruses that have hit jailbroken iPhones in the past year. One of them actually stole a few thousand users’ data. The threat can be mitigated by installing some 3rd party patches from Cydia.

Warranty Status = Void. When you jailbreak, Apple has ways of finding out. And when they find out, they update their records to indicate that your warranty is null and void. So don’t try calling customer service if you have trouble with a jailbroken iphone.

Before you buy anything online, make sure you check Josh Jones’ excellent free report on avoiding jailbreak software, and best jailbreak software. Also published at Pros and Cons Of Jailbreaking Your Iphone.

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Jailbreak Software for the Iphone

I’ll lay it down for you: when you jailbreak your Iphone, you are basically hacking it to set it free from the manufacturer’s restrictions.

What does jailbreaking do? Well, think about this. The Iphone is just a product from a large company. It’s far from flawless, although Apple would have you believe otherwise. Independent developers have created hacks and tweaks that make the Iphone better. However, Apple won’t allow these into the App Store, because they don’t have control over them. So, jailbreaking lets you install these hacks and tweaks to improve the Iphone experience.

Where do you get these 3rd party apps, you might ask? Typically, from Cydia or Installer. Those are what are referred to as “package managers.” They’re basically app aggregators that act as the App Stores for jailbroken phones. Of course, you can still use the regular app store. But quite often you’ll find better versions of apps that are in the normal app store for a lower price.

Reasons to Jailbreak Your iPhone

For champagne wishes and Iphone dreams, baby. You can do exactly what I just discussed. Remove any hint of Apple’s control over your Iphone experience. Want to use Facetime over Wifi? Done. Install “adult” themed icons? Done. Customize your wallpaper on every screen? Yes. Jailbreaking gives you complete control over customization options.

To join the subculture. Sick of Apple’s stranglehold on the iPhone? Those who Jailbreak iPhone belong to a movement of people who demand more from their iPhones. And they’re not gonna let Apple stop them. Beat the system: Jailbreak your iPhone.

Unlock iPhone. To unlock your iPhone and use it on any carrier, you must first Jailbreak your iPhone. Some of the Jailbreak solutions below also allow you to unlock the iPhone, though unlocking is generally beyond the scope of this tutorial.

Why NOT Jailbreak iPhone?

Losing the user experience that Apple created with the phone. Apple knows what they are doing. Certain features have been disabled because they don’t necessarily work perfectly all the time. When you enable them, you may have to spend more time troubleshooting.

Jailbreak could (maybe?) brick your iPhone. “When someone develops something for an Apple product and that development isn’t sanctioned by Apple, you run the risk of it not working as it should, conflicting with the device itself, or just all-around bricking that iPhone,” warns Chris Pirillo, who prefers not to Jailbreak his iPhone because “my iPhone just works already.” But I have never heard of Jailbreak completely ruining an iPhone. The consensus at this forum seems to be that the chance is “extremely slim.”

When you jailbreak, you could potential open up new security loopholes in the device that hackers could target.

One final thing to note is that when you jailbreak, you void your warranty. So if anything happens to your phone, you are stuck paying out of pocket. On the whole, I heartily recommend jailbreaking. Just be aware of the drawbacks, and make an informed decision.

Before you purchase anything online, make sure you check out the author’s excellent post on his blog on purchasing and comparing jailbreak software, and his reviews on the best jailbreak software. This article, Jailbreak Software for the Iphone is released under a creative commons attribution license.

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