For the 60% of iPhone owners running iOS 6, the evad3rs team have come up with the first widely available, easily accessible method of jailbreaking devices on either of the latest two significant iterations of Apple’s mobile OS, which they’ve named evasi0n.
The release of iOS 6 and the subsequent arrival of iOS 6.1; which took place at the end of last month, saw significant changes, additions and in some cases, the removal of features to the inherent iOS experience. As is always the case, each time Apple release a major update to iOS, there’s an ever-present community of hackers looking to unpick the stitching over the patchwork covering security holes throughout the OS.
Until this point there was no simple solution to breaking through Apple’s latest line of security, but the four-man strong team at evad3rs were able to put together a simple untethered solution for both iOS 6 and 6.1-based devices (this means iPhones, iPads, iPad Minis and iPod Touchs), which users can pull off with the aid of a Mac OSX, Windows or Linux-running PC.
Head down to the bottom of this article to find out more about Jailbreaking.
February 5th, 2013
What is iOS 6?
The operating system that can be found running on Apple’s iPhones, iPads and iPod Touchs has been known as iOS since iOS 4. Previously it was known as iPhone OS 4, but it was renamed to better serve as the operating system for all of Apple’s mobile devices.
Each year when Apple unveils its new products, they also intersperse these announcements with the release of a new version of iOS, in much the same way Google annually unveil a new iteration of its Android mobile OS. Each version is designed to offer new features as well as stability improvements and enhancements, alongside UI improvements over previous iterations.
Each year Apple use one of their newly announced devices, typically that year’s iPhone, to properly debut the newest version of iOS. This year iOS 6 gets to stretch its legs on the new iPhone 5.
What features does iOS 6 have?
Apple state that there are around 200 new features gracing iOS 6, we’ve highlighted some of the most notable and listed a number of other exciting additions also worth taking a look at.
Facebook Integration – Apple is keen to push the iPhone as both a more secure device for business customers, but also as a more social device for the typical consumer. Twitter was the service which underwent the social integration treatment with iOS 5 and now its Facebook’s turn. Users are able to share locations and enjoy calendar and contact integration. What’s more it makes use of an open API so app developers can utilise this integration into their own apps too.
Siri – First and foremost Local Search now appears outside of the US, including markets such as the UK, so users can now find restaurants, taxis and so on, with the help of their digital personal assistant. You can also dictate and send Tweets and even launch apps. Siri also integrates with Rotten Tomatoes for film reviews along with actor bios. Users are able to access sports results, league tables and sporting stats, including those from the Barclays Premier League as well as view restaurant ratings.
Facetime over mobile data – Since the arrival of Facetime itself, users have demanded the ability to make calls over the cellular network, having been confined to the local area nature of WiFi, but now they can. Apple is also unifying user’s phone numbers and Apple IDs, so if a call or message comes through to their phone number, it also appears on their Mac.
Passbook – Those of you technology savvy enough may have already used a QR code on your phone for a discount on a meal or maybe even your flight ticket, iOS 6 takes this to new heights with Passbook. Instead of using a card this feature turns your iOS device into a virtual ticket book, so you can simply flash your iPhone be it buying coffee in Starbucks or boarding a United Airlines flight. What’s more, information such as flight times and seat numbers can update in real-time so your ticket stays valid. We’ll have to wait and see which developers in the UK take advantage of this, but it could mean the end of paper tickets. Check out our look at Passbook in more detail here.
Maps – As part of a severance of its dependency on Google’s services, the new iOS 6 Maps application in iOS 6 offers a more minimalist UI consisting of a single top search bar, the user location/direction toggle and the much anticipated 3D toggle. There’s Yelp integration, a traffic update service with anonymous, real-time incident reports, a bold new traffic view, turn-by-turn navigation with quick route, Siri support and the ability to operate the app from the lockscreen. The new Maps looks and feels significantly different to the old one and lacking it features it ain’t.
Improved and additional features in iOS 6 also include:
- Eyes Free
- iCloud
- Safari
- Phone
- Do Not Disturb
- Photostream
- Smart Banners
What phones and tablets will support iOS 6?
As we stated when we first found out about iOS 6 at WWDC, the following devices can receive iOS 6 in various states:
Apple iPhone 4S – Yes
Apple iPhone 4 – Yes, but no Siri and no flyover and turn-by-turn navigation in Maps.
Apple iPhone 3GS – Yes, but no Siri, no shared Photostream, no Facetime over cellular, no VIP, no offline Reading List and no flyover and turn-by-turn navigation in Maps.
Apple iPhone 3G – No
Apple iPad (3rd gen) – Yes
Apple iPad 2 – Yes, no Siri
Apple iPad – No
Apple iPod Touch 4th (gen) – Yes, no Siri, no shared Photostream, no Facetime over mobile data, no VIP, no offline Reading List
Apple iPod Touch (3rd gen) – No
When will iOS 6 launch?
The iOS 6 update is available now.
How can I download iOS 6?
Head to the Settings app on your homescreen, choose General and Software Update, your iPhone will then check to see if an update is available for download. We also recommend that you have over 50% battery or plug it in at the wall and download the large file of a stable WiFi connection.
What is Jailbreaking?
Jailbreaking is term specific to Apple-made products running iOS, whilst the Android equivalents fall under terms like rooting and unlocking. To jailbreak an iOS device is to unlock elements such as files, folders and options that are otherwise unavailable to the typical iOS user.
Hackers typically create jailbreak software by exploiting security holes in each release of iOS, with evasi0n being the latest jailbreak, designed to unlock devices running iOS 6 and 6.1. For some, the benefits of jailbreaking an iOS device outweigh the drawbacks. There are a number of reasons as to why a user might which to jailbreak his or her device: as a means of gaining file system access, installing custom device themes, modifying the device SpringBoard (best understood as the main homescreen), to install alternative operating systems; such as Android, to allow use of a locked handset on different networks or as a means to add apps and features otherwise disallowed by Apple.
For all the potential benefits, there are a couple of significant things to consider before undertaking the jailbreak process. Firstly, by altering the basis of iOS in this way, although not illegal you are voiding the warranty of your handset. As such, the second thing to consider is that should the process of jailbreaking go awry, there isn’t always a guaranteed method of returning it to its original, un-jailbroken state and Apple have no obligation to fix or replace your device if that’s the case.
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