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For so long, jailbreaking has been a big part of many iOS users’ lives but, after iOS 10, it all slowed down. Apple finally appeared to be winning the war and had managed to build security features into its firmware that effectively stopped jailbreaking in its tracks. Not for long, though. Over the last few years, a handful of new jailbreaks have been launched, adding their names to some of the best jailbreak utilities ever.
We’re going to look briefly at 10 of the very best jailbreak apps, starting with the most recent, and then, later, we’ll talk a bit more about jailbreaking and what to expect.
Top 10 Jailbreak Apps of All Time
There have been a few jailbreaks over the last ten years or so, but some stand out head and shoulders above the rest. These are ten of those jailbreak apps:
Unc0ver
The latest and most powerful Jailbreak released, Unc0ver works on all devices capable of running iOS 11 or higher, is incredibly stable and is updated constantly. It is a semi-untethered jailbreak, and we’ll discuss more that later. The Jailbreak was released to replace Electra jailbreak, its less stable counterpart.
Phoenix
Phoenix jailbreak is for iOS 9.35 and iOS 9.36 only, so it is ideal for those who cannot update and prefer to hang on to their older devices. However, it is only compatible with 32-bit devices. Another semi-untethered jailbreak, some users have reported having to try a few times to get the app on their devices but, once on, it is a stable jailbreak.
Checkra1n
Checkra1n Jailbreak is compatible with any device running iOS 12.3 to iOS 13.5 inclusive. Based on the checkm8 exploit, the Jailbreak can be installed onto your device using your Mac computer, and, although it comes with Cydia, you also have the choice of adding the latest Sileo package manager to the Jailbreak manually.
Chimera
Chimera jailbreak is for iOS 12 and was released by those responsible for the Electra jailbreak. It supports all devices on iOS 12 or higher, and that includes all the latest A12 devices. Features include support for Sileo package manager, plenty of cool tweaks and packages, and everything else you have come to expect with a jailbreak.
H3lix
H3lix jailbreak was released by Tihmstar to support iOS 10. It is based on the V0rtex exploit and is another semi-untethered jailbreak with plenty of cool features. It is stable and reliable and, like the others, safe to use.
Pangu
Pangu jailbreak development team have shown themselves to be trustworthy, producing reliable jailbreak apps. The first team to jailbreak iOS 7 through iOS 9, their app may be for older devices, but some people are still running this firmware. Unlike many recent jailbreaks, Pangu is fully untethered.
Electra
Electra jailbreak was released by CoolStar for iOS 11 to iOS 11.4.1, as well as some TvOS models. You can install it directly on your device or using your PC or Mac and, while Cydia is installed already, there is also support for the Sileo package manager, which must be manually installed.
RootlessJB
RootlessJB worked on iOS 12 through iOS 12.1.2 and was released by a well-known security researcher called Jake James. The Jailbreak is based on Brandon Azad’s voucher_swap exploit. It isn’t a root jailbreak and contains only permissions enabling read and write to the var subdirectory and not the whole root system like other jailbreaks.
P0sixspwn
One of the best and most popular jailbreaks, P0sixspwn, comes from iH8sn0w, one of the best-known jailbreak developers. Originally it was built to turn the Redsn0w Jailbreak from tethered to untethered, but it can now be installed directly as an untethered jailbreak on iOS 6.1.3 to iOS 6.1.6.
Redsn0w
Our last Jailbreak is Redsn0w, the most popular name in jailbreaking circles, and released by the iPhone Dev team. It is compatible with all platforms and was released in 2008 under the name of QuickPWN. It could only install untethered jailbreaks on iOS 5.1.1 or earlier on the iPhone 4 or older; for any other device, the Jailbreak was tethered, and P0sixspwn was required to make it untethered. It could also be used to help downgrade devices to run earlier jailbreaks.
BEFORE JAILBREAKING
Before you attempt to use any jailbreak, there are certain things you should do. First and foremost is to back up your data through iCloud, iTunes, or using both. If you don’t do this and the Jailbreak goes wrong, you will lose all your data and settings. You should also make sure your iPhone or iPad is fully charged, or at least has enough to see the jailbreak installation through and, where a computer is needed to install the Jailbreak you must use the official cable and make sure both your computer and phone are on the same Wi-Fi network.
How Do Semi-Untethered Jailbreaks Work?
Many of these jailbreaks are semi-untethered and, while many users will know what this means, some won’t. With a semi-untethered jailbreak, whenever you reboot your device, for whatever reason, you must reactivate the Jailbreak. This is typically done by reconnecting your device to your computer and following the steps in the download tutorial again. You do not have to delete the Jailbreak; simply reactivate it, and all your tweaks and apps will work again.
How Long Before A Jailbreak Expires?
That depends on how you installed it. If your Apple ID was required for the Jailbreak and you use a free one, the Jailbreak is likely to expire after seven days, and the app certificate will need to be renewed before you can use it again. That means reinstalling the Jailbreak following the installation tutorial for your chosen Jailbreak. If you have a paid developer ID, the certificate will remain valid for 12 months.
Over the years, we have seen many different jailbreaks. Some of them have been complete failures, while others, like the ten discussed above, have been a phenomenal success. Despite Apple fighting hard to put a stop to jailbreaking, the developers are tenacious and won’t give up; if there’s a way around it, they will find it, and they will build the jailbreak utility.
If you haven’t yet installed a jailbreak, try the latest ones mentioned above. Unless you are using a very early version of the firmware, these are the only ones that are likely to work now.
