jailbreak - page 3

Apple stays classy about jailbreakers with iOS 8.1.3 patch notes

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Even jailbreakers need to unjailbreak sometimes.
Photo: Redmond Pie
Photo: Redmond Pie

When Apple releases a major update like yesterday’s iOS 8.1.3, it’s usual for the company’s coders to fix (or, in other words, break) all known jailbreak exploits.

Not so surprisingly, the latest update is no different. It fixes several exploits that are necessary to run the iOS 8.1.2 jailbreak. But in a classy move, at least Apple gave a hat tip to the jailbreak team for calling their attention to the exploits.

Auxo, the superpowered app switcher, is coming to iOS 8

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Back in the skeuomorphic days of iOS 6, we were big fans of Auxo, an innovative iPhone app switcher that supercharged the iOS multitasking bar with live app previews, gestures, settings toggles, and more.

When iOS 7 was released, Auxo was updated to support Apple’s newer, flatter operating system, but it’s only now that Auxo creator Sentry_NC is getting around to update it to iOS 8.

How to jailbreak iOS 8.1.1

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There's a new jailbreak in town. Screenshot: Cult of Mac
There's a new jailbreak in town. Screenshot: Cult of Mac

Here’s how the game of iOS cat-and-mouse jailbreak works. A team releases a working jailbreak for the most recent version of iOS to the public. Apple moves to eliminate the exploit that made the last jailbreak possible, releases a new version of iOS, and stops ‘signing’ previous jailbreakable versions of iOS, meaning they can no longer be installed on devices. Rinse and repeat.

The last version of iOS, iOS 8.1.1, closed the hole that made the Pangu jailbreak possible. But now a new jailbreak has been released, that will jailbreak iOS 8.1.1 on any device. Here’s how to install it.

Apple credits Pangu jailbreakers for helping make iOS 8.1.1 even more secure

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Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The only time Apple publicly acknowledges the jailbreak community is when, semi-tauntingly, it lists the people responsible for finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in iOS that have now been patched.

In the aftermath of its just-released iOS 8.1.1 update, Apple adds a mention to its security logs of the China-based PanguTeam, who discovered three vulnerabilities fixed in the latest update of Apple’s mobile OS.

iOS 8.1.1 may arrive as early as today

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iOS 8.1.1 is imminent. Photo: Cult of Mac
iOS 8.1.1 is imminent. Photo: Cult of Mac

Thanks to Pangu, we have all been able to jailbreak our iPhone 6’s far earlier than most of us thought possible. Unfortunately, though, Apple has been moving to close the loophole that makes the iOS 8 jailbreak possible with the iOS 8.1.1 beta, which is currently snaking through developer channels. When it arrives, poof, no more jailbreak.

Unfortunately, it seems like the iOS 8.1.1 update could arrive soon, perhaps as early as today. Better jailbreak now, people

iOS 8 jailbreak finally ‘stable enough’ to use

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jailbreak
An iOS 8 jailbreak tweak that replicates the Apple Watch UI on the iPhone.. Photo: Jeff Benjamin
Photo: Jeff Benjamin

iOS 8 has been technically jailbroken since October 22, but it’s taken weeks to get it polished enough for Cydia, the jailbreak alternative to the App Store.

Now that things are “stable enough,” Cydia creator Jay Freeman has flipped the switch to start allowing the sale of iOS 8 tweaks and themes.

First malware targeted at non-jailbroken iPhones spreads in China

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I've loved every iPhone, from the first model onward, but they all seem impossibly small now. I haven't owned the iPhone 6 Plus (starting at $299 with two-year contract) for long, but already it feels like the right size for a phone that's more like a portable computer — that is, gigantic.


All the things the naysayers said would be a problem — small-pocket-syndrome, bending, looking like an idiot holding it to my face — weren't true (except the looking like an idiot part).


I keep it in my back pocket, and I have sat on it heavily every single day getting into my car or collapsing on the couch. I get a sickening feeling, but the iPhone's yet to show any damage. It's tougher than Bendghazi would have you believe.


I love the long battery life, the bigger screen, the Touch ID. Even Siri is better, thanks to faster Wi-Fi and LTE. I can even use the 6 Plus one-handed (but I have unnaturally long chicken fingers).


The biggest problems so far are the lack of a wallet case and finding the earphone speaker during a call. The phone's so big, it's easy to position the speaker beyond your ear, muffling the sound. I have to jigger it around my head until it gets loud. And if these are the biggest problems, there's not much to complain about. — Leander Kahney


Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
WireLurker is "the first known malware that can infect installed iOS applications similar to a traditional virus." Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

(Updated with Apple statement below.)

A new class of malware targeted at OS X and iOS is spreading like wildfire in China, according to new research by Palo Alto Networks. Dubbed WireLurker, the trojan hides itself in apps distributed through a third-party Chinese app store for OS X and side-loads itself onto iOS devices via USB.

What sets WireLurker apart from other malware is that it is capable of infecting non-jailbroken iOS devices, and it heralds “a new era in malware attacking Apple’s desktop and mobile platforms.”

New iOS 8 Cydia jailbreak likely to launch tomorrow

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Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

PanguTeam’s iOS 8 jailbreak happened much quicker than many people expected, but for most users it wasn’t worth installing since its lack of Cydia meant that most users wouldn’t have the ability to find and install software packages.

That looks set to change tomorrow, however, as the PanguTeam has announced that it plans to release an updated stable version of the Pangu8 jailbreak, bundled along with Cydia. tomorrow with Cydia included.

Apple Watch UI comes to jailbroken iPhones

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Apple Watch UI comes to the iPhone. GIF: Lucas Menge.
Apple Watch UI comes to the iPhone. GIF: Lucas Menge

iPhone owners who can’t wait for the Apple Watch can now change their home screens to a fresh interface inspired by Apple’s wearable UI, thanks to a hack for jailbroken devices.

This new tweak replaces the existing iOS look and feel — which has remained conceptually unchanged since the debut of the iPhone back in 2007 — with circular, bubble-looking icons that users can zoom in and out of to find their apps easier.

While the mod started out as nothing more than a concept, another developer has taken the idea and run with it, constructing a tweak called WatchSpring that replaces a jailbroken iOS 8 device’s SpringBoard with a working Apple Watch-style home screen.

Here’s how you get hold of it.

iOS 8.1 blocks ‘date trick’ loophole that allows emulators on iPhone and iPad

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Playing Pokemon on iPhone 6 Plus using GBA4iOS. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Playing Pokemon on iPhone 6 Plus using GBA4iOS. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

A neat trick that allows old console emulators and other unapproved apps to be installed on iOS devices without jailbreaking is set to be wiped out with iOS 8.1. Apple has finally taken action against the “date trick” many users have long been taking advantage of, and it’s going to make playing your favorite SNES and Game Boy games much harder.

China using jailbroken iPhones to spy on Hong Kong protesters

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Protesters in Hong Kong hold their phones high. Photo: AFP
Protesters in Hong Kong hold their phones high. Photo: AFP

As thousands of protesters flood the streets of Hong Kong demanding a democratic election, the Chinese government is reportedly using sophisticated malware to spy on not only Android devices, but iOS devices as well.

But don’t worry about China peeking at your Snapchats. There has yet to be a widespread instance of iOS malware in the wild, and this particularly “advanced” trojan still requires a tremendous amount of complicit behavior on the victim’s part.

Team Pangu on the iOS 8 jailbreak: ‘We are already on the way’

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The release of a new version of iOS, and especially a major release like iOS 8, poses quite the dilemma to jailbreakers. Do you stick with your jailbroken iPhone or iPad and miss out on iOS 8’s exciting new features, or do you cave to temptation, install iOS 8, and lose your jailbreak indefinitely?

Sadly, we don’t know when an iOS 8 jailbreak will be released. It could be a while. But rest assured, if you’re tempted by iOS 8’s new features, the jailbreak community is already hard at work cracking it open.

Pangu iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak tool comes to the Mac in English

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If you’ve been looking to jailbreak iOS 7.1.1 and you have a Mac, then check out the new version of Pangu released today.

The Chinese team of hackers behind the tool dropped their jailbreak for iOS 7.1.x out of the blue last week, but until today it could only be used on Windows. Not only is there now an OS X version, but the interface has been rewritten in English.

The Pangu jailbreak could put an iOS 8 jailbreak even further out of reach

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Screen Shot 2014-06-26 at 8.02.49 AM

Jailbreakers got an unexpected present last week when a relatively unknown hacker group released a jailbreak for iOS 7.1.1. Called “Pangu,” the jailbreak package was later determined to be safe besides a shady pirate app store installed alongside the program.

But the Pangu jailbreak isn’t all that it appears. The methods the jailbreak uses to hack your device were stolen.

Get iOS 8’s Notification Center on iOS 7 with this slick jailbreak tweak

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iOS 7’s Notification Center is useful, but Apple’s made a number of improvements in iOS 8. For one thing, they dropped the ‘Missed’ tab, which was always next to useless. There’s also support for third-party widgets in Today View, as well as interactive notifications and the ability to individually dismiss notifications that are no longer applicable.

They are all good changes, but unfortunately, you need to wait until September to make use of them… that is, unless you have a jailbroken phone, in which case, a simple tweak is all you need to get an iOS 8-style Notification Center today.

Untethered iOS 7.1.1 ‘Pangu’ jailbreak released

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There have been a few jailbreaks for iOS 7.1.1, but until now no one other than their creators have been able to use them.

Dubbed “Pangu,” a new untethered iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak has been released by Chinese developers, said to be working on the latest iOS 7.1.1 firmware and supporting all the latest Apple devices, including the iPhone 5 and iPad Air. The people behind it apparently took training from noted jailbreaker i0n1c, and are likely using one of the techniques shown off by i0n1c using an iPhone 5c.

Cracked? Signs looking promising for an iOS 8 jailbreak

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Spoiler: Tim Robbins jailbreaks in The Shawshank Redemption
Spoiler: Tim Robbins' character jailbreaks in The Shawshank Redemption

Given that it’s only been around since Monday, it’s still early days for iOS 8. But that doesn’t mean the jailbreak community is resting — and if early indicators are to be believed, we might see a jailbreak for Apple’s latest mobile operating system sooner than expected.

While there are still no concrete examples of someone jailbreaking their device on iOS 8, well-known hacker i0n1c claimed in a recent tweet that the first beta of iOS 8 “doesn’t fix anything” and should therefore be breakable.

This jailbreak tweak gives iMessage head, Facebook-style

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Facebook’s Chat Heads first debuted back in April, 2013 as a central UI element in the new Facebook for Android, the Facebook app on iOS, and the laughably ill-received ‘Facebook phone,’ the HTC First. Just like it sounds, a Chat Head is a bubble-like chat indicator that hovers over everything else until you read the message and then dismiss it by dragging it to the trash.

Some people love Chat Heads as a whimsical alternative to the omnipresent UI indicator. Some people despite it as the perfect example of design excess: a disruptive nagging ‘feature’ that forces a user to go through a tedious interaction every time a message is received in order to dismiss it. However you feel about Chat Heads, though, you can now have them on your iPhone’s default Messaging app… if you have a jailbroken device, that is.

Latest iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak targets iPhone 5s

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A video has surfaced online showing a jailbreak solution for iOS 7.1.1, compatible with the 64-bit iPhone 5s.

This is the third iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak we’ve seen in a matter of days, although it’s possibly the most impressive yet being that it is for Apple’s premier iOS device.

I tried split-screen multitasking on the iPad, and here’s what I discovered

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OS X brought to iOS
OS X brought to iOS

Almost from the start, iPad users have begged and pleaded with Apple to add a missing feature: split-screen multitasking.

Split-screen multitasking is the ability to run two or more apps simultaneously, side by side, just like you can on a desktop computer. But iOS, of course, is the antithesis of traditional multitasking. You can have only one app on the screen at a time.

That may be about to change. Apple is rumored to be adding multitasking to the iPad in iOS 8, which is expected to be shown to developers at next month’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference.

With split screen multitasking, you could write a paper in Pages on the left while researching in Safari on the right. You may even be able to drag and drop items between the two apps, like photos or chunks of text.

For some, this would be nirvana. Better multitasking would turbocharge the iPad, especially for work, right?.

Microsoft loves to crow about the Surface 2 tablet’s ability to multitask, which in Redmond’s eyes makes the tablet appear more suited for work than watching cat videos. Some iPad users have been lobbying for it for years. The feature has been the subject of plenty UI mockups, design videos, and jailbreak tweaks.

My iPad Air is jailbroken, and for the last week I’ve been using a new jailbreak tweak called OS Experience, which allows me to have split-screen multitasking.

I’ve tried using it as part of my daily workflow. And what I found was surprising.