Jailbreak for iOS 12 (unc0ver) is here! Read immediately for more info!

[Dan Druff]

The unc0ver jailbreak tool for iOS 12 was just released.

This has been long awaited. Many iOS 12 jailbreaks were theorized and worked on, but none made it to the public with full Cydia support until a few days ago.

unc0ver supports iOS 12 up to 12.1.2.

At the time of this writing, it only supports devices up to the iPhone X, including 5S, 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 7, 7 Plus, 8, and X. It does NOT support iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, or 2018 iPad Pros. However, support for these devices is supposedly coming soon. It will never support iPhone 5 and below.

The creator of unc0ver (pwn20wnd on Twitter) has stated that he is working on supporting iPhone XS/XS Max/XR.

What if you have iOS 12.1.3 or later?

For a brief time, you can still downgrade to 12.1.1 beta 3. I will give instructions for that in my next post.

What if you're on iOS 11 or lower? Read the next post, as well.

Preparation: Get rid of any auto-downloaded iOS update your phone may have grabbed without your knowledge. If you don't do this, it might screw everything up. Go to Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage, and go through the list of items. Find anything like "iOS 12.1.4" or whatever (it should have the Settings gear icon), and delete it. Should be something like 2.4GB. If it's not there, no problem.

Assuming you have iOS 12.0 through 12.1.2, and the proper device, follow the instructions at this link to install the jailbreak: https://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak...-how-tutorial/

However, DON'T download the "ipa" file from the above link. Instead, get the latest one from the repository of the guy who made it (scroll all the way down and get the highest version): https://github.com/pwn20wndstuff/Undecimus/releases

That's it! You should have full access to Cydia, and the tweaks/packages you install should have iOS support soon enough, and many will work already.

[Dan Druff]

*** AS OF MARCH 6, IGNORE THIS POST. DOWNGRADING TO 12.1.1 NO LONGER WORKS ***

If you are not on iOS 12.0 through 12.1.2, please do the following immediately if you think you want to jailbreak your device. I say "immediately" because Apple will stop signing 12.1.1 beta 3 very soon, which will make this jailbreak impossible if you're not at the right iOS.

First, here is my guide for updating your iOS for jailbreaking:

If you have iOS 12.1.3 or higher, you need to downgrade to 12.1.1 beta 3 immediately, as that's the only way to get the unc0ver jailbreak to work.

If you have iOS 12.0 through 12.1.2, congratulations. You have the right iOS for jailbreak, and should do nothing further. Stop reading this post.

If you have iOS 11.0 through 11.4 Beta 3, you can use the old unc0ver to jailbreak your device. However, be it known that iOS will be obsolete soon, and your apps might stop working, so you might want to just bite the bullet and get 12.1.1 beta 3 while you still can.

If you have iOS 10 or lower, you probably want to go to 12.1.1 beta 3 while you still can, as your iOS is very obsolete, and soon enough few apps will work anymore.

Getting to iOS 12.1.1. beta 3 is a multi-step process.


Step 1: IMPORTANT!! Make sure Apple is still "signing" iOS 12.1.1 beta 3!

If they are not, then you can no longer get to 12.1.1 beta 3, and the rest of this post is useless. To find out if they're still signing, go here, and look for the chart for 12.1.1 beta 3. If they're not all "yes", then you're probably screwed. (If it's a mixture of "yes" and "no", you need to match your device to the one listed in the table.)



Step 2: If it's still being signed, backup your phone and upgrade to the latest iOS

Follow the normal processes through iTunes to do these two things.



Step 3: Save your SHSH blob

This step gives you a way to get your phone out of being bricked if Apple stops signing iOS 12.1.1 beta 3 in the middle of this whole process, which is not all that likely, but can happen.

It's actually easy. Go here, and follow the instructions in the video below:





Step 4: Download the IPSW for 12.1.1 beta 3

Go here and find your device, and save the file to a location on your computer that you remember.



Step 5: Perform the downgrade

Follow the instructions in this link to downgrade the latest iOS to 12.1.1 beta 3.



Step 6: Restore your iPhone through iTunes backup

Do NOT let it upgrade your iOS, but otherwise restore normally.


That's it! You should have 12.1.1 beta 3 now, and you'll be able to jailbreak using instructions in the above post.

[Dan Druff]

BUMP

Finally iPhone 5s/6 support available, starting today. Read first post above, which I have modified.

iPhone XS/XR/XS Max support coming soon, hopefully.

[Dan Druff]

*** NOTE *** This is no longer an issue. Ignore the below post.

===============================================


This jailbreak isn't very stable yet. I would advise waiting.

If you are having trouble jailbreaking, do this:

1) Open unc0ver and go to the settings page

2) Turn «Load Tweaks» off and then jailbreak as you usually would

3) Go to Cydia & Download iCleaner Pro if you don’t already have it (Repo: http://ib-soft.net/cydia/)

4) Open the app and click the + sign in the bottom left corner -- ignore all warnings about iOS 12 not being supported

5) Click «Cydia Substrate Addons»

6) Click «All» in the top right corner to disable all your tweaks and then click «Apply» to respring

7) Go back into unc0ver and turn «Load Tweaks» back on, then Re-Jailbreak

8) Open iCleaner Pro again and re-enable your tweaks (Cydia Substrate Addons, then «All» and «Apply»)

9) Respring when iCleaner Pro prompts you

----

Also note you have to run unc0ver after every reboot. If you have trouble doing this, turn off ALL options (go to settings at the bottom of unc0ver), go into airplane mode, re-jaibreak, and follow from #3 above.

[Dan Druff]

iOS 12.1.1 beta 3 was unsigned by Apple today.

You can no longer downgrade/upgrade to it.

If your iOS is 12.1.3 or higher, you're fucked and can't use this jailbreak.

[Dan Druff]

*** NOTE *** This is no longer an issue. Ignore the below post.

===============================================


Cydia Impactor having issues for some people now.

If you are getting the "Failed to verify code signature .... invalid entitlements" error:



.... then do this:

Visit jailbreaks.fun on your phone in Safari

In the bottom right corner, hit the search button

Search for "unc0ver -new beta"

Hit Get

Go to Settings -> General -> Device Managment and "trust" the author of this app.

Open the app once it's installed

Turn off "Reload System Daemons" and turn on "Reinstall Cydia"

Jailbreak (may take more than one attempt)

[Dan Druff]

Two pieces of good news.

First off, Beta 49 has dropped (same link as I already posted), and it's supposedly WAY more stable than the other versions of this jailbreak.

No more respring boot loops, jailbreak should work on the first try etc. Or so they say.

Second, Cydia Impactor is working again, so you don't need to use that lame jailbreaks.fun site (which has the wrong version right now, anyway).

The only bad news?

iPhone XS/XR still not supported. But coming soon.

[Dan Druff]

Unfortunately, it looks like iPhone XR/XS may never be supported.

This is because saurik, who maintains Cydia, has thrown a tantrum and decided he doesn't want to do jailbreak work anymore.

Without Cydia for the XR/XS, jailbreak is useless for most people.

[Dan Druff]

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211710932406272

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211712538800134

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211818885345280

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211820344987649

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211861113597952

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211863089106944

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211929774379008

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211931808612352

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211933574385666

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211953866457089

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211955460272128

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1119211957188345856

[Dan Druff]

First off, if you don't understand what "Substrate" is, read this Wiki: https://iphonedevwiki.net/index.php/Cydia_Substrate

In the most basic terms, it's the "jailbreak app store". Except it's a lot more than just a store. It's the framework which allows those apps to work. Without Cydia (Substrate), a jailbroken device is useless for almost everyone.

Recently, there have been some efforts to make a replacement for Substrate called "Substitute", but it was notoriously unstable on iOS 11, and many are doubting it would be a viable replacement for Substrate on iOS 12.

Saurik, who wrote and maintains Cydia Substrate, has become increasingly disenchanted with jailbreaking and the community in general. He has stated for a few years that he feels jailbreaking should be "dead" at this point, because many of the original iPhone capabilities unlocked via jailbreaking are now part of standard iOS. (I disagree, but we won't get into this.)

He also took a day job in 2017, and no longer supports himself with revenue from the Cydia store. For that reason, he has much less time to work on Cydia, and his lack of enthusiasm for jailbreaking also leads him to not have the motivation to do much.

He has reluctantly updated Cydia in recent years to keep the jailbreaking community afloat, but has grown increasingly tired of people hassling him for the "ETA" on the next Cydia update to work on their particular device or iOS.

For that part, I don't blame him. It must be awful to have ingrates constantly hassling you to keep updating a software project you're not really interested in maintaining anymore.

However, I think his tantrum above was immature and arrogant, and he's now become too self-important for his own good.

First off, it's important to understand that, unlike device/iOS jailbreakers who do their work for free, Saurik has made a lot of money over time from Cydia. This is because Cydia has a store where premium apps are purchased, and he gets a piece of each purchase (much like the Apple App Store does for normal apps). Therefore, it's bad form to lecture us about what a burden jailbreaking has been, given that it made him good money for a lot of years. Clearly he is not obligated to keep updating Cydia, but at the same time, for him to develop it, maintain it for years, and profit handsomely while doing so, he shouldn't be acting like he did all of us a favor. It's likely Saurik only took the day job two years ago because the prevalence of jailbreaking is rapidly declining, and Cydia probably wasn't generating the revenue it once was.

Furthermore, while most work in the jailbreak community has been open source, Saurik has been very protective of his code, and has refused to open source it, even as his own participation has sharply declined in the last few years. His stated reasons for not doing so involve not wanting shady elements to exploit it for profit, and to avoid people from poorly adapting his work to future projects, thus causing problems going forward. Basically, his attitude is, "I want Cydia done right, or not at all."

And that attitude is totally fine, but the problem is that he's no longer interested in maintaining it, yet he's still holding the source close to the vest. He's basically telling the jailbreak community, "Fuck you all, most of you suck, and I'm taking my ball and going home. Good luck jailbreaking your devices now without my help lololoolol."

If he doesn't want to open source it, maybe he could at least transfer (temporary?) control of Cydia to a trusted third party, such as Sam Bingner (creator of unc0ver). Here it seems like he's getting some perverse pleasure out of punishing the jailbreak community for being too impatient, and seems to enjoy holding Cydia over everyone's head. You see, he's not saying he's totally done, but he's also not saying he'll ever maintain Cydia again. We need to be slaves to his whims and desires.

Oh, and he made sure to stick a dagger in Substitute, mocking it and stating that everyone will be running back to him and begging him to update Cydia if they attempt to get by on Substitute.

Basically I lost a lot of respect for the guy after that whole diatribe I posted above.

I always thought he seemed a bit pretentious, especially after seeing his main Twitter pic:




This pic basically says, "I'm a sensitive musician, not a computer nerd, and I want everyone visiting my Twitter to realize that."

I've always been annoyed by computer nerd types who are so afraid of it defining them that they shove their other interests in your face. I ran into a lot of these types in my computer science classes in college.

[Dan Druff]

Here is a 2012 article about Saurik and the revenue from Cydia: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/0...plains-cydias/

Cliffs: He makes 15% from each purchase. He might be making 22.5% from non-EU purchases, as he claims 7.5% goes to "EU VAT".

In the article, he laughably tries to claim that he's barely making money from it, which I don't believe for a second.

Also, there's a picture of him which looks nothing like the sensitive violin pic, and is also now 7 years old!

[Dan Druff]

Here are the reasons jailbreaking is still necessary and relevant:

- Ability to download/purchase apps not vetted by overly-controlling Apple

- Ability to take extra privacy measures, which is especially important in this day and age

- Ability to fake GPS location in order to defeat obnoxious apps which refuse to run in certain areas (or, alternately, demand location info needlessly in order to run)

- Ability to unlock "hotspot" data to where it's considered regular data usage, rather than special hotspot data usage which many cell phone plans restrict or tally separately

- Ability to take control of your phone and its OS, and to access individual files on the phone without the need for third-party computer programs to do so

- Ability to create several instances of the same app, as if it's running on multiple devices separately

- Ability to save/download YouTube videos to watch later when you have no signal (such as when you're flying)

There's so many more, as well.

Jailbreaking still gives you control of your device, rather than counting on overly-controlling Apple to do it for you.

[Dan Druff]

There's some work to attempt to replace saurik's Cydia Substrate (so this jailbreak can work on iPhone XS/XR), but nothing released yet.

On a different topic, I would suggest sticking with unc0ver beta 50 instead of the released versions 3.0.0 and 3.0.1.

Both the released versions gave my phone a lot of stability issues, and also ate the battery faster.

Beta 50 is far more stable.

[Dan Druff]

BUMP

If you want to jailbreak, this is a good time.

iOS 12.4 -- the latest one -- IS jailbreakable, due to Apple stupidly reintroducing an exploit which was once patched! Oops!

But do it quickly before 12.4.1 drops to fix this!

Right now the latest unc0ver is 3.5.3. However, it is buggy, so get 3.5.2 instead. Get it here: https://github.com/pwn20wndstuff/Und...mus-v3.5.2.ipa

This does NOT work on iPhone XR or XS, but does work on iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, and iPhone X.

[Dan Druff]

Version 3.6.3 out for unc0ver.

Greaty improved. Doesn't crash nearly as much when jailbreaking.

https://github.com/pwn20wndstuff/Und...ses/tag/v3.6.3

[Dan Druff]

7 months later, they finally jailbroke the iPhone XS/XR, just days before the iPhone 11 is coming out.

The IPA file is here: https://github.com/pwn20wndstuff/Und...-v3.7.0.b1.ipa

Same instructions as above.

I would advise waiting a few days, though. This release is buggy, and the developer says that he has identified "the root cause" for all of the bugs, and will release a fix soon.

You cannot jailbreak iOS 12.4.1 or any of the 12.3 variants. This jailbreak works with iOS 12.0.x, 12.1.x, 12.2.1, 12.2.2, and 12.4.

This jailbreak will NOT work for the iPhone 11.

If jailbreaking something other than an iPhone XR/XS, I would stick to 3.6.3 in the above post for right now.

[Dan Druff]

unc0ver 3.7.0 beta 3 is out, which is decent for iPhone XR/XS, but not perfect.

In other news, a woman named Nepeta had released a lot of good tweaks for jailbroken phones, and all were free.

Then she disappeared in mid-late September.

Turned out that Nepeta is a really racist and homophobic transsexual from Poland, and her words came back to bite her, causing an uproar in the jailbreak community. She ran off in shame.

What a mess.

[Rally]

The checkra1n jaibreak will be released on November 7 or 8. This will be a better jailbreak which exploits the checkm8 vulnerability, which cannot be patched by Apple, and will work on iOS 13.

Unfortunately it will not work on devices released later than the iPhone X. This means no iPhone XR, XS, 11, or 11 Pro.

[Dan Druff]

So far, the checkra1n jailbreak is kinda trash because it's semi-tethered, meaning you need a computer to start it each time you reboot or power on the phone.

No thanks.

I guess it's better than nothing, if unc0ver won't work with your iOS version.

[Dan Druff]

Cydia Impactor is broken.

You cannot use it right now, unless you have a paid Apple Developer account, which most of us don't.

https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1196888477830221824

You can go to Saurik's Twitter to see the rest of the story, including a bunch of BS about how generous he's being with his time and how he took time out during a weekend of a friend's wedding. The guy is an arrogant douche.

Anyway, we're probably looking at mid-December until it's fixed.

In the meantime, you can do the following as a workaround:

1) On your device, go to Safari and go to https://unc0ver.dev

2) Click on "Download OTA (By Ignition)" and then click Install on the pop-up

3) Go to Settings->General and scroll down to Device Management. Click on that, and then click on "Xihuang Information Technology Company", and click on Trust App.

4) Go find where unc0ver installed on your app list, and run it