Pros and Cons of Jailbreaking an iPhone – Benefits or Bad Effects?
Many people new to the iOS will wonder what Jailbreaking is when they hear about it. If you just started using an iPhone, and would like to know what it means to jailbreak an iOS device, then you are in the right place. It is not always advisable to do something just because your friends are doing it; you should understand what it means, the benefits, as well as the risks involved in carrying out that task. Most people jailbreak their iPhone when there is a need; they don’t do it because they want to own a jailbroken iPhone and show off to their friends. With this guide, I will try to answer three basic questions:
- What does it mean to jailbreak an iOS device?
- What are the benefits of jailbreaking an iOS device?
- What are the disadvantages of iOS jailbreak?
Let’s start with explaining what jailbreak means.
What is iPhone Jailbreak?
Jailbreaking an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV) means to remove all limitations from it, but don’t let that get to your head yet, this is almost like detaching the ignition switch of your car and saying: “why do I have to use the keys, i can handle the wires myself”, or perhaps you did it because you may want to install a new hardware that would play ‘God save the queen’ when you start your car. I know a few people who are skeptical about tampering with the default structure and function of devices.
A regular iPhone can only download applications from the Apple App Store, while a jailbroken iOS device can download unauthorized apps from third party locations, making the jailbroken device vulnerable. There are many apps that you might need that you wont find in the App Store, jailbreaking your iPhone lets you download these apps. Basically, iPhone jailbreak provides root access to the iPhone user.
Note that iPhone jailbreak and iPhone unlock are two different things. iPhones paid for on contract which are restricted to one SIM / carrier are locked to that network. ‘Unlocking’ an iPhone means opening it up to use other SIMs and networks.
What Are The Benefits Of Jailbreaking an iPhone?
- First of all, you will be able to download and install iPhone apps and themes that are not available in the Apple App Store. Some apps / developers have been banned and blacklisted from the App Store for some reason, this means that you will not be able to download those apps unless your iPhone is jailbroken, which would mean that your device will be vulnerable to what ever they were banned for if you download the apps. However, Apple’s reasons for banning apps are not limited to safety and security and may be construed as arbitrary and capricious. One popular place to find such apps is in a service called Cydia which will be installed in your phone automatically if you jailbreak with Evasion or Redsnow.
- You will be able to change and customize your iPhone user interface like altering the structure of your iPhone lock screen and home screen.
- Easy iPhone Unlock. There are apps you can find outside the App Store which will aid unlock your locked iPhone.
What Are The Disadvantages of Jailbreaking an iPhone (Jailbreak Cons)
1. Voiding iPhone Warranty: Jailbreaking your iPhone will end any active warranty you have on your device. Apple will not fix any damages or problems experienced on a jailbroken device during its warranty period.
2. Security: If you read this article from the beginning, you would notice I already mentioned this. The flow with getting apps to the App Store is that when an iOS developer creates an iPhone app, he submits it to Apple for screening and if they accept it, the app becomes available in the App Store; if not, the App will not be included in the App Store but jailbroken devices can download it from wherever the developer must have uploaded it to. Regular iPhone users are safe because they can only install from the App Store which only contains apps that Apple have screened for errors.
3. Bugs: External jailbreak apps are usually the reason for most complaints iPhone owners make. These apps may have side effects like increased data usage, faster battery drain, phone instability and more.
How To Remove or Reverse a Jailbreak
To remove a jailbreak from an iPhone or iOS device, plug the phone to your PC and restore the iOS software from iTunes.
