Did somebody say iPhone jailbreak? iOS 5 iPhone jailbreak? Yes please. The ever enterprising iPhone Dev Team has just shown off its first untethered jailbreak for iOS 5, running on both an iPhone 4S and an iPad 2, meaning you may soon be able to run whatever apps you like on your iDevice, without the need for Cupertino’s app police approval.
Click the video below to see video proof of the iPhone Dev Team’s jailbreak on an iPad 2: iClarified also has a screenshots showing a similar feat on the iPhone 4S. According to Dev Team legend MuscleNerd, this is a “userland” exploit, which means Apple could patch it up easily upon release, and is not yet available for download. But it’s better than nothing, and you can bet they’re working on a release.
As a primer, Apple keeps its software locked down: you can only download and install software through the App Store – and that has to be approved first. Jailbreaks lets you install what you like: a tethered iPhone jailbreak is often released within days of a new version of iOS, but is seldom practical for most users, as it requires the iPhone to be plugged into a computer running special software every time you turn it on or off. Not exactly mobile.
But an untethered iPhone jailbreak? That’s the dream: Apple’s beautiful hardware mixed with Android’s level of openness. We’ll let you know when we get more details: in the meantime, start preparing your iPhone 4S for Cydia.
