iPhone Jailbreak for Beginners

What is iPhone Jailbreak?

In short, iPhone Jailbreak is the process of hacking an iPhone to free it from Apple restrictions.

Because the iPhone is far from flawless as Apple created it, millions of iPhone users have flocked to Jailbreak in search of changes and improvements to their devices. iPhone has been held back by limited customizability, text message privacy issues, arbitrary data restrictions, and a lack of true multitasking capabilities. But iPhone Jailbreak can solve all of these problems with apps and fixes available in Cydia and Installer.

What is Cydia?/What is Installer?
Cydia and Installer are the unofficial “App Stores” of the Jailbreak world. Developers create apps and tweaks and different utilities and upload them to these package managers, which organize everything into categories. The differences between Cydia and the App Store are the lack of anapp approval process, and the lack of access limits on the iPhone software. In other words, with iPhone jailbreak, you can do things Apple did not design the iPhone software to do.

Why Jailbreak iPhone?

1. No restrictions. Want a custom wallpaper on your home screen? Custom icons for your apps? Internet tethering? A category system for organizing your apps? The ability to hide native iPhone apps you don’t use? You can do all of this and more with iPhone Jailbreak.
2. To join the subculture. Sick of Apple’s stranglehold on the iPhone? Those who Jailbreak iPhone belong to a movement of people who demand more from their iPhones. And they’re not gonna let Apple stop them. Beat the system: Jailbreak your iPhone.
3. Unlock iPhone. To unlock your iPhone and use it on any carrier, you must first Jailbreak your iPhone. Some of the best Jailbreak software below also lets you unlock the iPhone, though unlocking is generally beyond the scope of this tutorial.

Why NOT Jailbreak iPhone?

1. The folks at Apple know what they are doing. Apple is first and foremost a design company, and there is no doubt the iPhone is a remarkably designed piece of hardware and software. By controlling the user experience, Apple ensures that your iPhone “just works,” and you don’t have to worry about managing battery life or any other technical details.
2. Jailbreak could (maybe?) brick your iPhone. “When someone develops something for an Apple product and that development isn’t sanctioned by Apple, you run the risk of it not working as it should, conflicting with the device itself, or just all-around bricking that iPhone,” warns Chris Pirillo, who prefers not to Jailbreak his iPhone because “my iPhone just works already.” But I have never heard of Jailbreak completely ruining an iPhone. The consensus at this forum seems to be that the chance is “extremely slim.”
3. Every iPhone update from iTunes disables even the best Jailbreak software. Every time Apple comes out with an update for iPhone, they find a way to prevent hackers from cracking the code again. Hackers then scramble to Jailbreak the iPhone again and release the new methods. That means if you like to download Apple’s iPhone updates, you are going to have to figure out each time how to Jailbreak your iPhone yet again. Do you really want to play this cat and mouse game?
4. iPhone Jailbreak could increase your risk of getting a virus on your device. The only two iPhone viruses ever reported have spread across iPhones that have been Jailbroken. That’s not to say the iPhone platform as Apple built it is totally secure. In fact, some say compromising an iPhone’s security is “child’s play” (i.e. easy).
5. Jailbreak voids your iPhone warranty. If your iPhone is bricked because of Jailbreak, or if your iPhone has another problem and it happens to be Jailbreaked, your warranty becomes void. I once saw a sign at the Genius Bar of The Falls, Miami Apple Store that warned customers not to Jailbreak iPhones or they would void their warranties. Harsh. However, if you simply restore your iPhone software (via iTunes) to factory settings, then you should have no trouble at the Genius Bar.

iPhone Jailbreak Videos

Jailbreak iOS 4.1 on iPhone 4, 3GS, Using Limera1n 

Jailbreak Unlock 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 Mac and Windows:

iPhone 3.0.1 Firmware and Jailbreak with Redsnow 0.8:

How To Jailbreak NEW 3.0 Firmware For iPhone,iPhone 3G … On Windows/Mac:

Jailbreak & Unlock 2.2.1 iPhone 2g, 3g, and iPod Touch:

Jailbreak iPhone 2.2:

ZiPhone Jailbreak is History

I made this video a couple of years ago to demonstrate how to Jailbreak with ZiPhone. ZiPhone is now obsolete for most iPhone versions, so please do not try to use it unless you know what you are doing. This video has been posted here for historical and humorous purposes only.
Read: Once-Great ZiPhone Jailbreak Now Sadly a Scam.

ZiPhone Jailbreak: (Was) So Easy a Caveman Could Do It