Jailbreak or jailbreaking is a common term used to gain access to the operating system of an electronic device such as an iPhone.
You may have heard the word especially among your friends that are iPhone users, but how does it work exactly?
What is jailbreaking?
Jailbreaking is the process of making unauthorized exploitations of a device like an iPhone without the manufacturer’s permission.
Jailbreaking allows the user of the device to exploit its mechanism, default settings, and operating system, and then have it modified or tweaked. With these features altered, the user then can have administrative access to the device to make root level changes.
What does jailbreaking do to an iPhone?
- The process lets users install unauthorized mobile apps. Since many apps are not available on App Store due to Apple’s strict verification process, Apple users prefer to have their devices jailbroken to get access to such apps.
- Jailbreaking lets you unlock your phone when it is restricted to work only for a specific mobile network. Most people jailbreak their phone if they want to change carrier due to dissatisfaction or moving to a different region where the current mobile service provider does not support the new location. However, this move entails legal issues especially if your device is still within the contract with your cellular provider. Doing so may also affect your credit score.
- Jailbreaking also allows full customization of your device like the use of ringtone that you can download instead of sticking to what only Apple can provide. Jailbreaking also provisions Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your default browser instead of Safari.
- iPhone devices that are jailbroken can now facilitate mobile tethering which is restricted by most mobile service providers. Once an iPhone is jailbroken, mobile hotspot capabilities will now be provisioned without having to pay extra charges.
- Jailbreaking facilitates downloads of apps, videos, and other advance features that require paid membership. Hence, IOS users jailbreak their devices to install pirated apps. Although this has become possible, it is still best to add licensed apps on your iPhone to avoid legal consequences.
Is it safe to jailbreak your iPhone?
The answer is a big NO. Jailbreaking your Apple device exposes your phone to malware and data security.
The developers of the jailbreaking software may also have access to your data, images, messages, documents, and contacts that can be used for phishing scams, identify theft, or financial fraud.
Apart from that, it affects the performance of your phone including:
- battery life
- causes apps to freeze
- you might experience drop calls
- may damage your operating system causing the IOS not to update
- disrupts FaceTime, iCloud, Weather, or iMessage
Jailbreaking may be legal in the United States and is provisioned under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) but is risky.
It may allow the user to customize the settings and add amazing features but will compromise the security of your device as well as your data.
With jailbreaking, you have willingly permitted hackers to access sensitive information on your phone. But at the end of the day, the choice is up to you.
