Monday, August 17, 2009

jailbreak your iphone

The iPhone is an incredible piece of hardware. So incredible, in fact, that most users sticking with Apple's untainted UI and App Store ecosystem have only scratched the surface of their phone's functionality.

I'm sick of waiting around for Apple and AT&T to finish their spotlight dance and have instead opted to Jailbreak my iPhone. What does this mean? I can do whatever I want with my iPhone, regardless of what artificial software barriers Apple erects to prevent me from doing so.

Jailbreaking your iPhone is safe and easy—you won't lose any data, and you can still be a part of the official Apple ecosystem (sync with iTunes, use the App Store, etc) whilst running your own jailbreak software simultaneously. The installation process is extremely simple, and will mostly require you to sit around while packages install and your phone reboots.

1. First, you'll want to download the iPhone 3.0 firmware, which I have conveniently linked below. Don't skip this step, even if you already have the latest firmware installed. You'll want to save this file (do NOT open with iTunes) to your desktop or some other folder you can access easily.
iPhone 2G (3.0)
iPhone 3G (3.0)
iPhone 3GS (3.0)

2. Download redsn0w.
Mac version (direct download)
Windows version (direct download)
Linux version (direct download)

3. Launch redsn0w and follow installation instructions. The process is very straightforward, but if you're more comfortable with a guiding hand, follow the instructions on this tutorial from step 3.

4. Enjoy your newly found freedom.

The only visible change at first will be a new app on your phone called Cydia. You can use this app to download jailbreak apps (like Winterboard if you plan to install custom themes or Cycorder if you want to record video on older iPhone models). For more info and recommendations, just visit this extremely helpful website!