Friday, April 29, 2011

The difference between JAILBREAK and UNLOCK

What is Jailbreaking?

Jailbreaking is the process by which an iPhone firmware is modified to allow unsigned code to be run to 

gain access to files that Apple wouldn’t normally let you access. Jailbreaking adds unofficial application 

installers to your iPhone such as Cydia or Icy (I personally only use Cydia), which let you download 

many 3rd-party applications previously unavailable through the App Store.

Why Jailbreak Your iPhone?

Jailbreaking lets you install applications that are not approved by Apple. Many of these applications 

can be very helpful but they will unfortunately never make it to the App Store due to Apple’s 

restrictions. There are many reasons why you would want to jailbreak your iPhone:

* install 3rd party applications rejected by Apple for various reasons (ie. nudity)

* video recording (now available on the iPhone 3GS)

* changing the look and feel by installing custom graphics and themes

* free tethering

* get access to cracked App Store apps for free (not endorsed by me, but still worth noting)

* be able to unlock your iPhone


What Is Unlocking?

Unlocking is the removal of SIM restrictions on the modem, allowing the use of the iPhone on any 

carrier. There are 2 types of iPhone unlocks:

* software unlock: the iPhone is unlocked by a software

* hardware unlock: modification have to be made to the actual hardware to unlock the phone


Software unlocks are safer because they do not modify your device and can easily be reverted back.

Soft unlocks are mostly developed for free by the Dev Team, an international group of iPhone 

hackers. Hardware unlocks are a little tricky and usually cost money. In clear, if you want to unlock 

your iPhone, you can do it for free by with a safe software unlock.