You Can't Do That With an IPhone!

[Slash McCoy]

You Can't Do That With an IPhone!

Or so some say. I know better. You can do almost ANYTHING with an iPhone that you could do with most any other computer.
The iphone is a pretty nice piece of hardware and it has been called a shirt pocket computer. However, there are a lot of things we expect a computer to do, that the iPhone just can't do, like transfer files, download and convert videos, download and decode binaries from a usenet server, handle torrents, or enable direct editing of files on the device. Can't send pics from within the email app. Can't use the phone as a wireless modem for your computer without paying your service provider for the privelege. Can't do this, can't do that. So what good is it, anyway? At least the Galaxy S3 can do SOME of those things!

Well, the happy truth is, yes, you CAN do all those things, and much, much more, with an iPhone, if you JAILBREAK it. As the name suggests, Jailbreaking frees the phone from the restrictions that Apple places on it through the firmware. I really don't understand why Apple wants to cripple their own device... it would be a big selling point if you could use it just like a PC, selecting the OS of your choice and the apps and files you want on the device, but they don't even let you do that with their full size computers. The whole Apple paradigm is one of limitation and making personal choices for you instead of giving you freedom to use YOUR device the way YOU, the OWNER, wants. If you own the device, you should be able to use it in any manner you see fit. The courts agreed, when Apple tried to sue owners for modifying the device or using it for things that Apple, in its pigheaded foolishness, insists should be illegal simply because they arbitrarily choose to limit what you can do with your phone. Early on, users of the iPhone saw the potential for this tiny computer and set out to free it from the unreasonable restrictions placed on it by Apple. Once the device was freed from its Apple-imposed shackles, it was said to be Jailbroken.

Apple fought and still fights tooth and nail, hammer and tongs, to defeat the efforts of hacker teams who develop and publish these Jailbreak methods. Each new version of the iOS is driven primarily by the desperate need to block the lastest Jailbreak and hopefully future ones. Each time, Apple fails. Eventually a new Jailbreak is released for the new version of iOS and Apple feels compelled to start all over again. Then they try to get users to upgrade to the new version so that they can no longer use the previous, Jailbreakable version. Silly silly Apple! When will they ever learn? When will they take a look out there and see what the customer really wants? When will they see that what the dev teams are doing when they develop the newest Jailbreak, is what Apple should have done all along! When will they realize that the more capable the device is, the more people will want it?

Okay, so just exactly what does it really mean, to have a Jailbroke iphone? Well, first of all, you no longer need to get your apps from the Apple app store. Apple places severe restrictions on how much functionality an app can have and still be distributed by the app store. A lot of cool apps have been written that Apple decided were too free and too capable to host on the app store. Jailbreaking allows you to install apps through Cydia, Installous, or directly through SSH directly into the device file system.

Apple doesn't want you to be able to access the file system directly, either. Oh no! That's WAY too much freedom! Copy stuff right into the directory structure? Copy from it? Transfer from or to another idevice or a PC? Delete or edit files? Open them and view them? The idea seems to make Apple pee in it's corporate panties, but there is no hardware related reason why this can't be done. Jailbreaking gives the iphone owner the ability to do this.

You can't do much to customize your jailed iPhone. Apple thinks it is enough that we can change wallpaper and ringtones, and they try to prevent even these changes being made unless they are made in the authorized manner. When you Jailbreak your iphone, you have an infinite array of tweaks and customizations at your disposal.

Want to write your own iPhone app? Got an idea for a kewl game, or you have a recurring problem that could be dealt with if only your iPhone was equipped to give you the answer? Well, if your app has any meaningful functionality, even if you jump through all the hoops, Apple will likely not allow it on their app store. But if your targeted users don't rely on the app store, you can promote and distribute your app, either for free or for pay, and tell Apple to just kiss off.

 

[Slash McCoy]

So, How Do I Jailbreak My IPhone?

First of all, as of the time of this writing, the latest version of iOS which is iOS6, does not have an untethered jailbreak. There is a tethered jailbreak, and what that means is you can start your iPhone running iOS6 in Jailbroke mode, if it is hooked to your computer. If you reboot the device and it is not connected to your puter, you lose your jailbreak. The untethered jailbreak for iOS6 should be out soon, but it isn't out yet. All iPhone 5's will have iOS6 so for now, the newest edition of the iPhone has no untethered jailbreak.

If you have an iPhone 4S or earlier, and it is running iOS 5.1.1 or earlier, you are in luck. You can easily Jailbreak your device using free tools. Just as an example, let's take my 4S running iOS 5.0.1. When I decided to jailbreak it, a quick Google turned up a whole bunch of web pages showing me how to do it, and some software that simplifies the process for us non-geeks. The jailbreak app is called Absinthe and the latest version works on this version and also 5.1.1. The directions must be followed exactly, so read through them carefully, multiple times, before you do ANYTHING. Also, back up your iPhone before proceeding. You should have a backup of the OS installation file, too. This can be downloaded from Apple while it is still a current version. Old versions must be found elsewhere. The file will have a filename extension of .ipsw. The name of the file for my version is "iPhone3,1_5.0.1_9A405_Restore.ipsw". IMPORTANT: use Firefox or Chrome to download the firmware file instead of using Internet Explorer or Safari.

Download Absinthe. A google search will find the latest version but I got it at http://cache.greenpois0n.com/dl/absinthe-win-0.4.zip. Create a folder on your Windows desktop (Mac users can also use a Mac version and a similar method) and put the zip file there, and extract it there. Different versions of different programs work for different models and iOS levels. Make sure you are using the right tool for the job!

Connect the iPhone to the PC and open iTunes. Back up the device. On the device, open settings and go to Auto Lock. Turn off passcode. Also in Settings, enable VPN.

Launch Absinthe in the Jailbreak folder. Click on Jailbreak. Let it do its thing and you will get an absinthe icon on the iPhone. Click on it. Absinthe will reboot the iPhone and a Cydia icon will replace the Absinthe icon. Reboot manually and disconnect the iphone. Reboot again and you are Jailbroke! This is an untethered jailbreak. You can reboot your phone without being connected to a computer and the phone will still be jailbroke. You can restore your phone any time you like to the backup you made with itunes. This is necessary if you should happen to need service from Apple that is covered by warranty, because jailbreaking voids the warranty. Restore it and it is as if you had never jailbroken the phone in the first place. If something went wrong in the jailbreak process, don't panic. Just restore it. DO NOT upgrade the OS unless you know that there is a jailbreak for the version you are upgrading to! Otherwise you will have to wait for the new jailbreak to come out before you can re-jailbreak.

That is just one example. A google search will find you directions for your OS version and your device. Oh, and you can jailbreak your iPod Touch, too! Betcha didn't know that!

The worst thing that can happen is you end up just the way you started, with an unjailbroke iPhone. So don't sweat it and don't panic.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Okay, so NOW what?

First, understand that you can still get apps from the Apple app store. But now, you also have a LOT of other apps you can install, and you can get started right away with Cydia. Cydia loosely speaking functions in similar fashion to the Apple app store. However, Cydia is not a web site but an app. It is a front end for several user-selected repositories of applications, or "repos". Anyone can establish a repo. The most popular repos are the more or less official ones, such as BigBoss and Modmyi. There is even a Cydia store, where those who wish to use the store can receive payments for their paid apps through the store, and the Cydia Store manages the paypal fees, etc and collects a comission. Other authors of paid apps can choose to manage their own incoming payments. Many apps of course are free. In addition to these "official" repos, there are others such as SiNfuL iPhone, and Hackulo.us. These repos are known distributors of cracked or pirated apps and you will get a warning when you add these repos to your repo list in Cydia. That doesn't mean that all of their apps are pirate-ware, but that some of it might be, so be aware of that and make an informed choice. Put it this way... If you see an app on BigBoss for $3.99 and you see the same app on Sinful Iphone for free, it is obviously pirate-ware. And you can probably afford the $3.99 if you dig the change out of your La-Z-Boy.

You can add more repos a couple of different ways. You can search for them from within Cydia, or you can add them manually. In Cydia, open the "Manage" tab. Click "Sources". Click "Edit". Click "Add". Type in the url for the repo and click "Add Source". Cydia will scan the repo and index the contents. You can have a look at what's in there by backing out to the Sources list and clicking the repo of interest. You can also delete an unwanted repo.Installing an app with Cydia is a piece of cake. You can browse through a particular repo, browse in the "Sections" tab, or do a general search with the "Search" tab. You can figure it out from there, smart guy. There are other ways to install apps, including of course using the Apple app store, but those two methods will get you started... app store for Apple-approved ho-hum stuff, and Cydia for the crazy radical USEFUL and FUN stuff.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Here are a few popular repos:http://cydia.hackulo.us (for AppSync and Installous)http://sinfuliphonerepo.com (tweaks, mods, themes as well as apps)http://repo.insanelyi.comhttp://ihacksrepo.comhttp://repo.hackyouriphone.orghttp://p0dulo.comhttp://ihacksrepo.comhttp://apt.pwncenter.com mostly multimedia contentRepos go up. Repos go down. If one is out of service, you can probably find what you are looking for on another repo.Some popular must-have apps are:iFile, an enhanced file manager3G unrestrictor, allows high-bandwidth apps that normally require WiFi to work on 3GWinterboard, a platform for installing themesIntelliID, Shows you the called information of people not in your contact list.SiriPort, Allows you to Install Siri on iPhone 4 / iPod Touch 4G.ProTube, Lets you down and watch YouTube videos in multiple formats and sizes.RecognizeMe 2.0, Facial Recognition capability On iPhone. (Not perfect yet but it is still cool)SlyCam, lets you snap a pic directly from the notification center without loading the full camera appFolderLock, Allows you to add password to FoldersSBSettings, helps you to manage a wide range of tweaks and customizationsSafari Download Manager, adds file download capability to your browserSafari Upload Enabler, adds file upload functionality to your browserVLC, the popular media player, ported to iOSPdaNet, turns your iPhone into a wifi hotspotMx Tube, youtube downloaderInfinifolders, does away with the 12 app folder limitPkgBackup, allows you to easily back up all your jailbroke appsAptBackup, does the same thing.TomTom, a bit pricey but an exceptional GPS land navigation appiNavX, a pretty much full featured ECDIS ocean navigation packageDay Tides, a great tide calculatorINA, a Nautical Almanac for i devicesSquare, lets you accept credit cards with a free card swiper that plugs into your phone.TetherMe, lets you use your phone as a wireless modem without your carrier's knowledgeTetherMe APN Editing, lets you edit APN information when your carrier does not put it on your phone's menuTorrent Downloader for Safari. Self explanatoryWifi Hotspot US Free TomTom, shows wifi hotspots in TomTom USFind My PhoneFile App Pro, opens many kinds of files on your iphoneIMDB, connects you with a huge movie databaseZippo App, puts a Zippo on your screenTickle Girl, you tickle, she giggles. Just don't touch her anywhere naughty.Attack Cows, gamePlumber's Crack, gameWhack Groundhog, like Whack-a-moleFTP On The Go, FTP clientBiteSMS, a full featured SMS engineJotNot Pro, lets you scan documents with your cameraDragon DictationZombie Booth, lets you take a pic of someone and create a zombie from itFace Goo, lets you do crazy things to someone's picPS Express, a Photoshop-Lite for the iphoneSkype, can't do without it, especially on an iPodMyWi, another wifi tethering appInstallous, an alternate installeriSSH, an SSH clientCrackulous, for cracking apps already installed on your phoneBarrel, a cool tweak for your springboard.AppToDeb, saves your installed apps to .deb filesTouchTunes, lets you control TouchTune (tm) jukeboxes from your iphoneRecognizeMe, facial recognition security. Doesn't work so great yet but it should improveRuler, a handy ruler on your iphone screenSoundHound, identifies songs it hears, and looks up the lyricsTime, shows how far off your iphone's time is from a selection of time serversPhoneNZB, a binary NNTP downloader that supports NZB index filesiRepo, lets you create and host your own repo on your phoneiSH****, lets you save your SHSH blobs so you can downgrade after upgrading your OSiTracker, tracks your iphoneLocationHolic, lets you spoof a GPS positionPwnMail, lets you spoof a sender address on email sent from your iphone mail appSignal, maps your local cel towersSpyBug, lets you use your iphone as a bug. sound activated sound recorderCycorder, a better video camera app iLostMyi, another iphone trackerPixDrop, lets you email a pic to a server and then upload to whatever site or message boardPictureMe, timer and rapid sequence shooting for your cameraTorrent DownloaderPlease don't reply to this post yet... to be continued in the next post!

 

[Slash McCoy]

So, you can't do WHAT with an iPhone?

For many iphoners, it's all about the tweaks. You can change a lot of stuff like colors, icon behavior, animation, stuff like that. You can get Themes which are whole sets of settings you can set all at once. You can add functionality to apps, including the apps that are installed with the iOS. You can email a pic right from the mail app. You can set a timer on your camera so you can get in the picture. You can make your programs that only work with wifi, work with 3G as well. You can upload and download right from Safari, just like with your desktop computer. You can open files, move or copy them, or even delete them. Trust me... if it can be done on your laptop, it can be done on your iPhone, if you have the right app or tweak and your iPhone is jailbroke.

For other iPhoners, it is all about the apps. It is cool to be able to ignore Apple's censorship in their app store and install stuff that actually does something. It is nice to be able to try a paid app before buying it. It is cool to create an app and use it, and share it, without having to go through the app store. Some developers simply refuse to cooperate with the app store on principle.

Some of us just like to twiddle with things they aren't supposed to change, and push the true limits of the device. We prefer the crazy chaotic capability of the Jailbroke phone over the safe, orderly mediocrity that apple spoons out for us. Some of us actually have a need for the functionality of a computer with GPS and 3G connectivity in a package small enough to slide into a pocket. Some owners just like to show off their iphone and what they can do with it. There is a bit of elitism among the Jailbreak community. We like to be envied for our supercharged iDevices by those who have only the stock firmware and apps that Nanny Apple provides.

What it's really all about is what you can DO with your jailbroke iPhone. And you can do a LOT with it that you never dreamed you could do, if you are used to an unjailbroke phone. So what CAN'T you do with your iPhone, if you have the brass ones to go for it? Not very much, it seems.

 

[Slash McCoy]

UNLOCKING

Don't confuse unlocking with jailbreaking. You can do either one without the other, or you can do both. At one time there were software based methods of unlocking your iphone so you could change to a different GSM carrier by simply inserting a different SIM. Apple didn't like that, so they prevented these methods with "upgrades" in the OS. Then there were hardware based methods like the Gevey SIM. Again, Apple fought tooth and nail, spending millions of dollars which you pay when you buy your phone, to block the use of Turbo SIM type devices. Currently, the only reliable method for new iPhones running new versions of iOS is a factory unlock. Under certain circumstances, you can get your GSM carrier to unlock your iPhone. Overseas, some countries do not allow the sale of exclusively locked iPhones, and you could, and can, buy an iPhone that is unlocked and has never BEEN locked to one carrier. Since the introduction of the iPhone 4, Apple has sold original unlocked iPhones to U.S. customers who order through the online Apple Store. (brick and mortar Apple/Mac stores do not stock unlocked iPhones for some reason. More Apple crap.) There are also online services that will unlock your locked iPhone for a fee, and the unlock is the same as an officially sanctioned factory unlock. With a factory unlock, you can upgrade or downgrade, jailbreak or un-jailbreak, back up and restore your iPhone and never lose your unlock, which is based on your EMEI number. Once it is listed as unlocked, it will always be unlocked. Forever.

The U.S. is actually one of the few places in the world where the consumer lets cel phone companies treat them so badly. It is YOUR phone, right? Are you renting it, or did you buy it? Shouldn't you decide what you want to do with it? Let's say you have a GSM phone (Oh, the whole discussion of unlocking is irrelevant if you have one of those silly CDMA phones) locked to ATT, but T-Mobile has a really sweet deal (Actually, they do, which is why they are my U.S. celphone service provider) and so you want to switch when your contract expires next month. Maybe you can get it unlocked by calling ATT, but really... they GOT you. Why should they give you your freedom? Sometimes they do. Sometimes they make excuses or outright refuse. And if you buy a used iPhone with a year to go on the contract, you are SOL. What if you will be traveling overseas? Wouldn't it be nice to just stick a local SIM in the phone, and enjoy local rates for data and voice, instead of paying hundreds of dollars in international roaming charges? And there is the whole freedom thing. Wanna be ATT's b!tch, or do you want to stand up for yourself and do what YOU want to do with your iPhone? YOU are paying for cel service and cel phones. YOU be the boss, is what I say.

Don't let sticker shock scare you away from buying a new factory unlocked iPhone outright. You are paying full price, which is between $600-something and $800-something, depending on the model and how much storage. The "cheaper" ones that the cel phone carriers sell, are actually just subsidized up-front. YOU STILL PAY FULL PRICE. You just do it a little each month, reimbursing ATT, who charge you crazy extra over the course of your year or two year contract to make their money back, and more. It is a huge scam. Oh, I can get an iPhone for $199! Why should I pay $845? You are still paying the same, Buckwheat. Go for the unlocked one right off the bat, and shop for the best deal in service providers.

 

[Slash McCoy]

The Latest And Bestest

is not always a good thing. Remember as you drool over the new iPhone 5, that as of this writing, there is not yet an untethered jailbreak for it, or for any other iPhone running iOS6. There are some problems that need to be worked out, so you can expect another upgrade in the OS very soon, which will interfere further with the release of an up to date jailbreak. The native maps app, in particular, has disappointed even diehard Apple fanboys. Let the sheeple in their milling, bleating herds, line up at the trough for their new phones, while you pick off the discarded 4's and 4S's for a couple hundred bucks. Make sure that the iOS has not been upgraded to ver. 6 yet, assuming when you read this that the iOS6 jailbreak is not out yet. Put those oldies but goodies to use by unlocking and jailbreaking them! Later, when the time is right to buy the new model, your old one will make a great backup or a hand-me-down to one of your rugrats.

That's all I got to say about that. Enjoy your iPhone, and live free. You can do both!

THE END!!!!!

 

[Threeme2189]

I really liked your posts/article. I have always hated the fact that companies are trying to restrict what the customers do with the devices they friggin OWN. The same goes for the PSP.

You could just get an android based phone.
Open source for the win!

 

[p.m.a.]

I very much enjoyed reading your posts! I'm currently using a galaxy nexus mainly because of the open source model and the ability to gain root access and modify to my heart's content. My wife is due for an iPhone upgrade - once she gets her iPhone 5 I think I'll jailbreak her old iPhone 4 (hasn't been upgraded to iOS6) just for fun and experience, and to see what's out there.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I very much enjoyed reading your posts! I'm currently using a galaxy nexus mainly because of the open source model and the ability to gain root access and modify to my heart's content. My wife is due for an iPhone upgrade - once she gets her iPhone 5 I think I'll jailbreak her old iPhone 4 (hasn't been upgraded to iOS6) just for fun and experience, and to see what's out there.

Mob you will love it! Give it a month to grow on you and for you to figure out all the cool stuff u can do with it. Oh one thing I forgot to mention you need to change the root password from the default because it is relatively simple for someone to hack ur iPhone if your password is still "alpine".