How to Jailbreak Your iPhone or iPod Touch in 2021
Two million apps are a lot of apps, for sure — but for some Apple users, that’s not enough. But unlike Android, iOS doesn’t support installing third-party apps and app stores, so it seems they’re stuck with just what’s in the App Store. That is unless you jailbreak your iPhone.
Jailbreaking a device offers the possibility of installing an operating system of your choice or simply opening your phone up to third-party apps. You can use a jailbroken device to install apps from APK files instead of having to download apps from the App Store. Jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod Touch opens up new possibilities in terms of customization and gives you more freedom. Jailbreaking a device is a complex process, but it will help you get more out of your iPhone or iPod Touch — as long as you’re willing to take some risks.
Please note: As the iPad has moved away from iOS with iPadOS, the following techniques for iOS 14 are unlikely to work on an iPad running iPadOS. If you have an older iPad, though, then you’ll still be able to jailbreak older versions of iOS on the iPad — just not any iPad running iPadOS.
What is jailbreaking?
First and foremost, let’s take a moment to remember this guide is not a guarantee that you will successfully jailbreak your iPhone or iPod. When dealing with something like a jailbreak, there is always a small chance something could go wrong with your phone, and we cannot be responsible for this. But jailbreaking, especially with Pangu, is extremely easy and you should be perfectly fine.
To jailbreak your iPhone means you are freeing it from the limitations imposed by Apple. Freeing a device means that it can install applications from outside Apple’s App Store, and you can fiddle with previously restricted aspects of an iOS device. This means you can continue using the App Store but also work with external downloads. Jailbreaking can also help you unlock your iPhone to make it available on other carriers.
Users often ask if jailbreaking an iOS device is legal. While it is legal to jailbreak your iPhone and other iOS devices in the United States, it’s worth noting that Apple strongly warns against jailbreaking, stating it can introduce security vulnerabilities, disrupt ongoing services, and shorten your battery life. Jailbreaking an iOS device also voids your warranty, so if something goes wrong, you’re on your own. A huge problem with jailbreaking is that you can’t update your iOS device through traditional means once it’s jailbroken. Jailbroken devices stop receiving iOS updates, which also stops security updates, making your phone vulnerable to external threats.
Another concern to keep in mind when jailbreaking an iOS device is that jailbreaking can brick your phone. While it’s quite unlikely to happen, occasionally things may go wrong to the point where you can’t reset or fix the settings, rendering your phone useless. Even if you don’t completely brick your iPhone, there’s a possibility that it may get stuck, or keep crashing repeatedly, making the device difficult or impossible to use.
Backing up your precious data
When it comes to jailbreaking a device, it’s always best to back it up first. You can back up your iPhone wirelessly with iCloud, and iTunes should automatically back up your device every time you plug it in. If you’re running MacOS Catalina or newer, you can back up your iPhone directly to your Mac via Finder.
Be sure to run a backup of your device before beginning the jailbreak process so that all your music, apps, movies, and everything in between are successfully stored on your computer or in the cloud. That way, once you complete the jailbreak process, you can run a restore and get everything back. Just make sure you’ve synced your device recently. Running a sync in iTunes will back up your device by default.
Starting the jailbreak process
To start the jailbreak process, you need to first update your device to the latest version of iOS. In this case, it’ll be iOS 14. You can use iTunes to manage your update, or use the more convenient over-the-air (OTA) update your device offers you (Settings > General > Software Update).
Once you plug in your device to your iTunes, it will prompt you to download and run the iOS update for your device. If you haven’t already updated to the latest version of iTunes, then you should do that as well. If you are on a newer Mac and no longer have iTunes, you can update your iPhone through Finder. If your device is not jailbroken, then you will update to iOS 14 without any problems. If your device is jailbroken, iOS will fail to complete the update and go into recovery mode. Don’t panic! Simply let iTunes or Finder run a recovery with the latest version of iOS. Once completed, the device will have been reset to factory settings.
In either case, do not sync your device just yet. Instead, quickly set up your device with Wi-Fi, your Apple ID, and everything else it prompts. You can also skip these for now and get back to them later. Make sure you get to the home screen before continuing.
For iOS 13 and newer
For this next step, you don’t need a computer at all — just the iOS device you want jailbroken. Just to be safe, reboot your device.
Hexxa Plus has a long reputation as a reputable jailbreak source. As such, we’ll quickly walk you through installing it.
- Download Hexxa Plus on your device. Make sure to access that link from your iOS device, as it won’t work on a PC or MacBook.
- Tap Allow > Download to download it to your iOS 14 device profile. Then head to Settings > Profile Downloaded and tap the downloaded link. You may need to confirm your device’s passcode before continuing.
- Once the Hexxa Plus app is installed, you’re free to install a repo too. We recommend Cydia. To download it, open your Hexxa Plus app and tap Get Repos.
- Scroll to the App Managers Repo List and tap it, then copy the “http://ios.cyrepo.tk/” address.
- Re-open your Hexxa Plus app and tap Extract Repo. Paste the copied address and tap Ok to extract the Cydia repo.
- Tap the Download button, then hit Allow > Go to settings > Profile Downloaded > Install.Once you’ve entered your passcode to authorize it, you’ll just need to tap Install > Done.
Now that it’s installed, you can use it to download other jailbreak apps or install another marketplace.
Other jailbreaking methods are available from Pangu 8’s page, and if you need to jailbreak an older version of iOS, there are pages for iOS 13, iOS 12, and iOS 11.
Restoring your device from iTunes or Finder
Once you’ve completed the actual jailbreak process, you must take the time to restore all your precious data onto your iOS device. If you haven’t jailbroken your device before, you may not need to do this, as your device will have carried over all your data in the jailbreak process. If you have jailbroken your device before, then this will be necessary, as you’ll have to do a recovery to get your device to update.
Simply plug your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch back into your computer, and iTunes or Finder will do the rest. By the time your restore is finished, your apps, music, photos, and precious data should all be back where they belong.
Do a victory dance!
Congratulations! You’ve done it. You have successfully completed the jailbreak and restore process for your iOS device. Be sure to run Cydia and check out all the amazing new apps and tools you can use.
Jailbreaking your iOS device is easier than ever, and if you’re an advanced user, it can be a lot of fun to unleash the true potential of your iPhone or iPad. Despite what Apple claims about the risks of jailbreaking, it’s an option you should consider to get the most out of your iOS device.
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