How to Jailbreak Your iPhone With Jailbreakme

Recently, the US copyright law has been modified to make it legal to hack (jailbreak) smartphones such as the iPhone to switch telecommunications service providers or to install applications without Apple's approval.^[1] But is it worth it? Many people who have never had their phone jail broken before can now do so. Using jailbreakme.com, a free browser-based jailbreak system, you only have to visit the site and your iPhone is jailbroken. Don't be afraid to try it out now because this is possible. But be aware there are caveats.

Steps

1. Do a back-up from your iPhone. Before you jailbreak your phone, be sure to sync with iTunes to back your phone up. This is just in case anything goes wrong.
2. On your iPhone, open the browser. Type http://jailbreakme.com into the address bar and press "Go".
3. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Slide the "slide to jailbreak" slide. Wait until your device downloads the jailbreak application. How long this will take depends on how fast your connection is; it can take up to five minutes.
   
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     Once you see that the app "Cydia" is installed on your device, your device has been jail broken. It will appear as a pop-up.
4. Press "OK" and you will return to your springboard. Cydia will now appear there alongside your other apps. You are now free to download unapproved apps and tweaks not officially approved by Apple.
5. If you encounter any problems, try to reboot your device. In the worst-case scenario, you can always restore your device with iTunes and jail break again.

Video

Tips

• If something goes wrong or the installer crashes during installation, it may not be fixed by simply restoring your phone and trying again. Jailbreakme.com will continue to attempt installation but will crash and put you back at your home screen. A proven fix for this (and a lot of other problems) is to restore your phone to factory defaults. Be warned as this will erase everything on the phone.
• It has been advised to first update your device to iOS 4.0.1 before attempting to jailbreak with Jailbreakme. The older versions could give you some trouble.
• This method works for all devices described here:
  
  • iPod 1G on 3.1.3
  • iPod 2G on 3.1.3
  • iPod 2G on 4.0
  • iPod 3G on 3.1.2
  • iPod 3G on 3.1.3
  • iPod 3G on 4.0
  • iPad on 3.2
  • iPad on 3.2.1
  • iPhone 3G on 3.1.2
  • iPhone 3G on 3.1.3
  • iPhone 3G on 4.0
  • iPhone 3G on 4.0.1
  • iPhone 3G[S] on 3.1.2
  • iPhone 3G[S] on 3.1.3
  • iPhone 3G[S] on 4.0
  • iPhone 3G[S] on 4.0.1
  • iPhone 4 on 4.0
  • iPhone 4 on 4.0.1 ^[2]

Warnings

• As always, be careful if you jailbreak your device, Apple can and will void any warranty if your device crashes after it has been jail broken.^[3]
• Service providers purchase the rights to certain features on phones bearing their logos. Not all features of your phone may work on another provider's network. Consider the risks and you may find yourself losing money- and features.
• This method uses an exploit of a security hole in the iPhone's web browser, which will undoubtedly be patched by Apple in the next release.
• As with all "jailbreaks" there is a risk that something may go wrong which could "brick" your phone (make it inoperable). Your warranty will not cover this, leaving you with little more than an expensive "brick", hence the term.
• You should be tech-savvy enough to keep up with the methods of updating your phone and what will and won't cause problems for you- such as attempting updates to iTunes or your iPhone.
• Be aware that jailbreaking your phone will allow you to run apps that have not been "approved"- this also includes malware and virus apps.
• While this method is not malicious, there are malware-spreading campaigns preying on people looking to jailbreak their phones.See this article for example