IntroductionWelcome to the Jailbreak Megathread! I revived this OP from Raeyok's original megathread, because his is too old to bump.
If you are new to jailbreaking, do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have. Many people here are knowledgeable and experienced with jailbreaking. If you're not new to jailbreaking (i.e. you've already jailbroken) and just want some tips about, say, what software you should download, again, don't hesitate to ask.
Note: I know absolutely nothing about jailbreaking Android devices. However, if there is a community member out there willing to volunteer to be our Android expert, it would be greatly appreciated.
FAQWhat is jailbreaking?In order to give the most apt definition possible, I'll simply directly quote the Wikipedia article on jailbreaking:
Computer software privilege escalation, a jargon expression for (the act of) overcoming limitations in a computer system or device that were deliberately placed there for security, administrative, or marketing reasons; also the description and set of technical instructions necessary to achieve a specific jailbreak or a software item designed to achieve a jailbreak.
iOS jailbreaking, overriding the software limitations on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad designed to preclude the use of applications beyond control from the device's manufacturer
Is jailbreaking dangerous?No. There is absolutely no risk to jailbreaking your device. If your device stops working for some reason after jailbreaking, you did something wrong, it is not the fault of the jailbreak. If, after you've jailbroken, you install a stuff ton of software packages that are beyond incompatible with each other and it bricks your device, that's also your fault. So maybe I should've said no, jailbreaking is not dangerous, as long as you don't do anything blatantly stupid. If you are not sure about something, ask me about it before doing it. Really the only downside I can think of is the fact that it voids your device's warranty. However, this is no big deal because, should your device need repair from the manufacturer, you can simply restore its original firmware and the manufacturer will not be able to tell you ever jailbroke your device, thus keeping your warranty valid and active.
Is jailbreaking difficult?Not at all. In fact, jailbreaking is so easy, it can be done in under five minutes (assuming you can properly follow instructions).
Is jailbreaking legal?Yes. Jailbreaking mobile devices is 100% legal. Jailbreaking gaming consoles like the PS3 or Xbox, however, is not legal (at least not yet), so don't do it (at least not yet). Before I continue,
MAJOR loving NOTE: Do NOT talk about a certain app whose name starts with "I" and ends with "s" and has ten letters. I already got banned once for talking about it in another thread, so just don't even mention it. It closed down anyway.
What's the difference between a tethered jailbreak and an untethered jailbreak?A tethered jailbreak requires that the device be connected to a computer each time it needs to be booted into a jailbroken state. An untethered jailbreak allows the device to be powered off, powered up, and rebooted without having to use the assistance of a Macintosh or PC. A tethered jailbreak is a process that takes place on a computer, effectively re-jailbreaking an iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone without losing data or restoring via iTunes. Trust me, you do not want a tethered jailbreak. If that means you have to wait another week or so for your favorite jailbreaking software to release an untethered version, believe me when I say it's worth the wait. I've used tethered jailbreaks before and while they're not horrible, it's an absolute pain in the ass to have to connect my iPod to my computer every loving time I want to turn it on and off.
ResourcesHere are a few essential resources for jailbreaking (these are for iOS devices ONLY):
More info
Just Jailbroken?Confused about what to do now that you've jailbroken your device?
Well, to start, you should download the following apps:
- iFile - like Windows Explorer for the iPhone/iPod touch
- BytaFont - allows the changing of system fonts
- WinterBoard - lets you choose what themes/packages to enable
- SBSettings (or NCSettings) - change brightness, turn Wi-Fi and Airplane Mode on/off, view list of currently running processes, all from any app where the status bar is visible
Examples of some cool stuff you can do with a jailbroken iPhone/iPod touch:- Install OpenSSH and access your iDevice from your computer with your favorite SFTP client (WinSCP is a good one).
- Download any type of file you want directly in MobileSafari with Safari Download Manager.
- Access and modify any file with iFile.
- Don't like the limit on the only 12 apps you can put into a single folder? Download Infinifolders and solve that issue.
- Change the entire theme of your device to suit your desired look with the hundreds of themes on Cydia's Theme Center.
- Many other things that I can't think of right now (feel free to suggest things to add to this list).
User Submitted SuggestionsSubmit some suggestions for tweaks and whatnot and I'll add them here!
Android Rooting SectionFAQWhat is rooting compared to jailbreaking?Essentially the same thing, with a few differences, here's one: The ability to install a recovery mod, but I'll get to the recovery mod later in this section.
Is rooting dangerous?Depends on the device you're rooting, most of the time though, it's a no and most forgetups can easily be fixed, albeit sometimes you need professional help to get you through some of the problems.
Is rooting difficult?Once again, depends on the device you're rooting and most of the time it's a no if your device is well known.
Should I root?If you're happy with the way your device is and have no desire for anything more then no.
Recovery ModsA recovery mod overrides the default device startup with it's own, giving you the option to boot your phone/tablet into a recovery mode.
Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP)
TWRP is a touch based recovery mod which gives you plenty of options, make sure it is compatible before installing on your device though.
Here are a list of features I'm going to explain to you:
Flashes your device to a rom on the SD card partition of your phone/tablet.
Note: Some tablets do not have sd card support yet have an SD card partition, just use that.
This does exactly what it says, wipes specific pieces of data off your phone/tablet, such as the system.
This is required to be done before flashing to a custom rom, I'll explain what a custom rom is and possibly instructions for your tablet/phone before wiping and flashing.
Backs up your rom and data and puts it in the TWRP backup folder where it's safe.
Restores your backed up rom, they're all labeled by date and time.
Not entirely sure what this does, but I assume it mounts a partition on the device.
Nothing real special you need to know about in here, just some settings that are not very important.
If you're not stupid, you should not need to go in here.
The options in here are:
Copy Log to SD - Copies a log to the sd card partition.
Fix Permissions - Fixes the device permissions in case you were stupid.
Terminal Command - Enter a terminal command, basically like the linux terminal.
File Manager - I'm pretty sure you know what a file manager is.
This gives you 4 settings, only 1 of which I recommend using.
System - This is the recommended one.
Power off
Bootloader
I forgot the last one but it's not really important.
ClockworkMod
I've never used this so I'm going to assume it's like twrp, if someone who has used this can fix the issues, please do.
Reboots the system.
I assume this applies the sdcard:update.zip file to the phone/tablet without removing clockwork from the system, correct me if I'm wrong.
Deletes all the data from the device, this is required before flashing with twrp, not sure about clockworkmod.
Wipes the cache and possibly dalvik cache partition, this is also required before flashing with twrp, not sure about clockworkmod.
Like the install button on twrp basically.
??? someone please fill this in.
I guess it gives you a list of partitions, not exactly sure what this does.
No idea what this does because I don't use clockwork.
TutorialsSubmit tutorials on how to root a specific android device and they will be added to this section![/list][/list]
