Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

iPhone Hacking: Tips and Considerations When Jailbreaking Your iPhone

Dena Cassella
By
iphone-jailbreak-2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Have a jail broken phone? Make sure to check out our picks for the best jailbreak apps and games.

Jailbreaking your iPhone could very well be the ultimate slap-in-the-face to Apple’s precious smartphone. And for those of you current jailbreakers out there, we know you mean no real harm—you just need a break from Apple’s overbearing protection of its device. Jailbreaking is like the iPhone users teenage rebellion against their semi-self-serving patriarch. But don’t rebel too quickly: If you are looking to jailbreak your iPhone, you should always consider the pros and cons of the situation. Now, if you’ve weighed your options and decided jailbreaking is for you, here are some hacking tips for you. And if you’re not sure yet, then take a look at our “tips and considerations” to help you decide the pending future of your iPhone.

Recommended Videos

iPhone Hacking Tips and Considerations…

Goodbye warranty. Jailbreaking your iPhone will usually void your warranty

Related

Rick Astley ruins everything. The first iPhone worm appeared in Australia this November on jailbroken iPhones that have installed SSH on their devices—setting your wallpaper to a headshot of 80’s pop sensation Rick Astley.

rick-astleyBlock the Rick Astley Worm. Properly secure your jailbroken iPhone with a non-default password because this worm is not as harmless as it looks. If you are on a jailbroken iPhone, make sure that you immediately change your iPhone password from ‘alpine’ to something else. Try this:

  1. Install MobileTerminal.app on your iPhone via Cydia.
  2. Launch MobileTerminal.app. Type su then tap .
  3. You will be now asked to enter current password. Type alpine then tap .
  4. Now change your password.Type new password then tap return.
  5. Type your new password. Type then tap.
  6. Retype new password. Retype then tap.

Careful of hackers and irony. Don’t celebrate right away after you hack or jailbreak your iPhone, make sure your newly free iPhone is secure from other hackers. Make sure no one hacks your hack.

Updates may break your jailbreak. Installing an iPhone update on your newly jailbroken phone may negate the initial jailbreak and erase all of your hard-earned hacked apps, customization and plug-ins.

Great iPhone Hacks…

apple-iphone-3gs-00

Tethering Hack

This simple hack will enable tethering on the iPhone OS 3.0. This process only takes minutes and does not require jailbreaking and after you will be able to tether very easily, via Bluetooth or via USB. Here are the quick steps to perform this hack:

  1. Go to http://help.benm.at/help.php using your iPhone’s Safari browser
  2. Then click on Mobileconfigs on that page
  3. A list of countries will appear—select your country from the list
  4. Once you have selected the country, then select the provider
  5. Tap on the Install button, then tap on the Install Now button that appears
  6. Tap on the Done button
  7. Then go to Settings -> General -> Network -> Internet Tethering and tap on the toggle button to enable tethering

Turn Off Your iPhone Accelerometer

If you get irritated with the flipping reading or watching something on your iPhone while laying down, you’ll appreciate this hack.

  1. Jailbreak your iPhone
  2. Go to Cydia.
  3. Search for Boss Prefs and install it.
  4. Go back to Cydia and search for Rotation Inhibitor and install it.
  5. To toggle rotation on and off, simply open up Boss Prefs, and you’ll now see a Rotation option in there.

Add a 5th Row to Your Keyboard

This a handy little hack—it adds an extra row of numbers to your iPhone’s keyboard, changing the top row into a bunch of useful symbols like !@#$%^&*().

  1. Jailbreak your iPhone
  2. Go to Cydia
  3. Search and download 5-Row QWERTY

Use Skype, SlingPlayer Mobile and Fring’s VoIP on Your iPhone

Guess what iPhone users—there’s a way to hack the iPhone in order to use SlingPlayer Mobile, Skype, and Fring’s VoIP over 3G without AT&T’s Wi-Fi getting in your way.

  1. Jailbreak your iPhone 
  2. Launch Cydia from the SpringBoard
  3. Go to “Manage“
  4. Search “Tricker ThreeG“
  5. Install the application. 
  6. Press “Confirm“
  7. Use SlingPlayer, Skype or Fring

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Dena Cassella
Dena Cassella
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Haole built. O'ahu grown
Best iPhone 15 deals: How to get Apple’s latest iPhone for free
The display on a green iPhone 15.

The iPhone 15 is Apple’s current flagship phone, and it’s also one of its most popular phones. It’s come storming out of the gate since its release and has skyrocketed to make our ranks of the best phones. Its popularity can make it difficult to find iPhone 15 deals, but there are some out there. We’ve rounded up the best iPhone 15 deals going on right now, and while most of them entail trading in a device for savings, trade-in value is very high and could land you a free iPhone 15 if you’re trading in the right device. We’ve got all of those details below, so read onward and start saving on a new Apple iPhone 15.
Today's best iPhone 15 deals

: Get up to $830 in savings when you trade in a similar device. Also included is 3 free months of Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, and 4 free months of Apple Arcade.
: Save up to $830 with device trade-in and inclusion of Verizon Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate plans.
: Save up to $830 via 24 monthly bill credits when you add a line on a qualifying plan and trade in an eligible device.
: Save up to $700 when you trade in an eligible device and commit to an AT&T Unlimited plan of more than $76 per month.

Read more
Best phone deals: Save on the iPhone, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and more
Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro cameras seen from the back.

There are a lot of phone deals worth shopping right now. Among the best phones you’ll find top names like Apple, Samsung, Google, and Motorola, and you’ll find them among the best phone deals as well. With so many brands and models out there to choose from, we thought we’d round up the best phone deals to shop right now. Reading onward you’ll find some great ways to save on a new phone, as well as a little information on why each phone may be the right one for you.
Motorola edge 2023 256GB (Unlocked) -- $350, was $600

The Motorola Edge 2023 is (almost) a Google Pixel 8 killer. It features a unique leather back, which feels great, a gorgeous curved display, and solid day-to-day performance. But most of all, it offers excellent battery life and all in an Android package you're gonna love. The current deal price is one of the best we've seen, making it more accessible than ever.

Read more
This new folding phone costs less than half the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max
ZTE Flip 5G color options.

Earlier this year, ZTE offshoot Nubia showed off a foldable phone, and expectedly, the biggest draw was its supposedly attractive asking price. As U.S. shoppers waited for the phone to hit retail shelves, ZTE launched it in Japan as the Libero Flip. Thankfully, the wait is finally over on this side of the Atlantic, as well.

Nubia's website has recently listed the Nubia Flip 5G for pr-eorder on its website. The best part is the asking price, which is only $500 for the base variant with a respectable 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. You can bump the RAM to 12GB and double the storage capacity for an additional $200.

Read more