With today’s technological advances, smart phones allow users to browse the Internet, play games, and download apps. But for some, this isn’t enough. Jailbreaking a iPhone or rooting an Android has become a popular modification among smart phone users.
According to Apple’s website , jailbreaking is the unauthorized modification to the iPhone operating system. When smart phones are sold, they are automatically set to give users limited access to or control of how and what programs run on the phone. By hacking a smart phone’s operating system, users can gain full control of the phone’s system and make whichever changes they would like.
Smart phones that have been jailbroken allow users to modify the layout of their phone, illegally use their phone as a mobile hotspot free of charge and download apps not available through either the Apple App Store or Android Market.
Jailbreaking a smart phone for the purpose of interoperability between third-party apps and an operating system is considered “fair use” by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, signed by President Bill Clinton. However, according to Apple and Google’s warranty conditions, jailbreaking or rooting will automatically void the warranty of the phones.
When jail-breaking a smart phone, users are “manipulating their device in a way that it was not intended to be. [The warranty is voided] because you physically changed the phone,” says Michelle Gilbert, a public relations representative for Verizon Wireless. “However, we have no control over what someone does to their phone after they have purchased it.”
Sophomore Blair Allen has jailbroken her iPhone multiple times to modify how it looks.
“Most of my changes were aesthetic, like changing the home screen background or icons,” she says.
Allen also added a program that allowed her to adjust certain functions right from her phone’s home screen. Apps for rooted Android phones allow users to take screenshots, change the performance speed of their phone and even block or remove advertisements on their web browser.
“[The program] allowed me to change stuff like my brightness, turn my wifi on or off, etc., from a pull down menu at the top instead of having to go all the way to settings.”
Like with any other modification made to an electronic device, there are positives and negatives when jail-breaking or rooting an iOS or Android phone. The Apple App Store and Android Market both test their apps before offering them to customers in order to guarantee that the app will not harm the operating system or put their information at risk. However, when users download apps from a third-party, they are not given that guarantee.
They are also unable to update to new versions of their operating system. A rooted Android smart phone may freeze or be internally damaged if the user tries to update the phone to the system’s newest version. A jailbroken iPhone is typically reset to store settings when updated, ultimately reversing the jailbreak.
The process of jail-breaking or rooting a smart phone is difficult. If done incorrectly, it can seriously damage the phone’s operating system. Smart phone users must carefully research jailbreaking software that is compatible with their phone and the operating system it runs. An engineering group called the iPhone Dev-Team develops programs that enable the use of third-party apps on the iOS system. It’s blog features popular and new jailbreaking software. Despite having no association with Apple, it also provides information on iOS updates and the jail-breaking software it’s compatible with.
Depending on the software chosen, the jailbreak may be tethered or untethered. An untethered jailbreak is performed directly on the phone and requires no connection to a computer. A computer connection, however, is required for a tethered jailbreak and is needed whenever turning on your phone.
Whenever a jailbroken device reboots or when the battery dies, the iOS device must be connected to a computer in order for the jailbreak application to help the hardware reboot, according to OS X Daily, an independent technology blog for Apple products.
“My first attempt didn’t work and ended up freezing my phone. It took me three hours to just turn my phone back on,” said Allen.
Despite its risks, smart phone users still have a desire for the freedom and control jailbreaking gives them.
“It’s fun to play with all the tweaks I’ve downloaded,” said Allen. “I can customize my phone in ways Apple doesn’t let me. It’s kind of like having a case or skin, it lets people personalize [their phone] and change its look.”
Jailbroken phones offer user-friendly changes
