Jailbreaking an iPhone means removing the system restrictions imposed by Apple on its smartphone and installing apps from unofficial stores
Jailbreak is a procedure that allows you to unlock access to iPhone files and allows you to install applications from an online market different than the Apple Store. Moreover, by Jailbreaking your iPhone, iPad or iPod Tourch, you will be able to customize your Apple device with tweaks and themes different from the classic ones offered by the Mountain View company.
Jailbreak means "to break out of prison". And in a way, jailbreaking the iPhone is like removing the device from the chains in which Apple has segregated it. In fact, compared to Android, the operating system of the bitten apple devices (iOS) is closed, meaning it is impossible to install applications that are not present in the App Store. Moreover, making changes to iOS is practically impossible and you only need to wait for updates released by Apple.
Although Jailbreak may seem like a simple procedure that exponentially improves the performance of Apple devices, it's actually not. By gaining access to the operating system's files and installing applications from third-party digital stores, the user exposes the iPhone to hacker attacks.
What is Jailbreak
Jailbreak is the procedure that allows the user to gain administrator status on the iPhone and remove all the blocks imposed by Apple. It is the correspective of root on Android. Jailbreaking the iPhone brings with it many benefits, but at the same time also disadvantages. Before deciding to jailbreak the applephone, it is necessary to be aware of what it means. The procedure to "free your device from the shackles" may seem simple, but you still need advanced knowledge in the computer field.
How Jailbreak Works
To jailbreak the iPhone you need to use programs that are usually released for Windows or macOS. The most used procedure is the one that at the end of the jailbreak makes the smartphone find the Cydia application. This is a sort of gateway to the administrator permissions of the device. By entering Cydia, the user can customize the device with new themes and use tweaks, which are improvements that directly affect the source code of the iPhone.
Through Cydia you can also download applications that are not usually present in the App Store and that the Cupertino company has not included in its digital market.
Warning, not all versions of iOS can be jailbroken. Apple, in fact, continuously releases updates to block the practice.
Is Jailbreak Legal?
The issue of Jailbreak is always very thorny. Performing it is not illegal, but if you show up at an Apple Store with a jailbroken iPhone you automatically lose your warranty. So before jaibreaking you need to be aware of what you are doing.
Jailbreak Disadvantages and Advantages
As with anything, Jailbreak has both positive and negative sides. Let's start with the former.
Jailbreak, as mentioned earlier, allows you to install applications outside the App Store. Another advantage is the possibility to customize your iPhone 100%: from icons to themes you can change everything. In addition, Jailbreaking the iPhone allows you to delete some applications that usually can't be deleted.
Passing on the side of the disadvantages, the most obvious one is the loss of security. By jailbreaking, the user no longer has the protection provided by Apple. Behind the apps downloaded from the online market developed by third parties could hide viruses and malware that will affect the iPhone's performance and steal the user's credentials. Moreover, the apps obtained through unofficial online stores are not developed according to Apple's dictates and may cause problems to the iPhone.