Let's Hack™

                                                                                                        




You have an iPhone or iPod Touch. You’d like to hack it, but you’re not sure where to start. You’re not sure what’ll work with your computer, your device, and what won’t. Is Apple OK with this? Is it illegal? Will apple release a third party program system? After this FAQ list, you’ll be able to make a final decision on how to hack your unit or whether or not you’ll hack it at all.

Why would I want to hack my iPod Touch or iPhone?     

When Apple first released the iPhone and then the iPod Touch, the company also released a method for third-parties to create applications for the devices. The apps wouldn’t run on the units themselves, but rather one would use Safari on the mobile device to access web sites that would perform basic functions such as simple games, dictionaries, etc. In the end, it wasn’t really software but rather simple web sites, or web apps, designed to work with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Users worldwide were not OK with this. They wanted to run other programs on the devices other than those supplied by Apple. As a result, they figured out a way to install their own programs, allowing users to run programs like Instant Messaging clients, complex games, interactive fiction, and customization apps used to change the look and feel of the Springboard.

What is the SpringBoard?

The SpringBoard typically refers to the homescreen of your iPod Touch or iPhone. More accurately, the SpringBoard is the program that allows you to launch applications from the homescreen.

Why would I not want to hack my iPod Touch or iPhone?

The main reason users choose not to hack their units is because they’re satisfied with their devices as they are. If you see no reason in hacking your unit, why go through the effort? Besides, Apple’s supposedly going to release an official third-party app delivery system in February (but that system may not be what we’re hoping for, so continue reading for more).

Is it illegal to hack the iPod Touch or iPhone?

Hacking the iPod Touch is not illegal. While Apple would like to make you think it is illegal, it is not, and it is impossible to get in any legal trouble for hacking it. You and Apple made an exchange. You gave Apple $400 and they gave you an iPod. It is officially yours and you can do whatever you want with it.

It is illegal to post copyrighted code, such as the operating system of the iPod Touch and the iPhone, on the Internet. But you won’t be doing that if you choose to hack your device.

You speak about the iPod Touch and iPhone as if they were the same device or at least very, very similar. What’s the deal with that?

The iPod Touch and the iPhone are very, very similar. They use the same operating system and very similar software. As a result, the main differences between two are hardware differences. The iPod Touch is essentially a phone-less, Bluetooh-less iPhone.

Do the same hacks work with both the iPod Touch and the iPhone?

Yes, but not really. Some hacks have to be tweaked to work with on both devices, and the current hacks for the iPod Touch only work with Apple’s latest firmware, 1.1.1. Since the iPhone came out a few months before the iPod Touch, hacks existed for versions of the firmware before 1.1.1. The latest and greatest iPhone and iPod Touch hacks are all designed or have been upgraded for the 1.1.1 firmware. As a result, should you choose to hack your unit, you should hold off on updating your device if Apple releases an update to the firmware. Once the firmware is tested with hacking community and it has been deemed safe to upgrade, then you can upgrade.

So upgrades can mess up the hacks on my iPod Touch or iPhone?

Yes, they can. Although, if you stick to software hacks, anything you do to your unit is repairable through the iTunes firmware restore feature. iTunes, at any moment, can restore your iPod Touch or iPhone to its factory state. As stated above, if you Apple releases an update for your device, hold off on updating until the latest firmware has been tested and approved by the hacking community.

Keep in mind, that when I say “hacks”, i’m not referring to unlocking services for the iPhone. That is a separate issue that I will address somewhere down the list.

How can I restore my iPod Touch or iPhone should something go wrong?

Connect your device to your computer via the included USB cable. Open iTunes, click on the iPod or iPhone icon on the left, and click the big restore button somewhere towards the middle of the application. After a short period of time, your device will return to its factory settings.

Unlocking services are a different animal and can cause changes in your iPhone that an restore cannot reverse. As a result, when firmware updates disable the phone functions of an iPhone, the hacking community can generally figure out a way to restore your iPhone to its true factory state.

Does Apple purposely disable software hacks and unlocks with firmware updates?

That’s a good question, and a lot of us would like to know the answer to that. Apple has made statements saying they won’t purposefully disable hacks and unlocks with firmware updates, and the company has also warned users that hacks and unlocks will probably get disabled with future updates.

This is a very gray area as Apple has a partnership with AT&T and various carriers around the world to keep locked handsets in the wild. AT&T and others pay Apple for every iPhone that is activated with their service, so it would make sense for Apple to try to stop unlockers from disrupting its revenue.

Apple announced that it will release an official software development kit for the iPhone/Touch platform for third-party developers in February. Many are suspicious that Apple will force third-party developers into a closed system, requiring all third-party developers to get their apps approved by Apple. If Apple chooses to sell those apps through iTunes, it could see the free third-party apps out today as a threat to app sale revenue through iTunes. As a result, it would make sense for Apple to try to stop hacks in future updates.

So Apple is going to ditch the web app concept for true third-party apps?

It isn’t clear if Apple is going to ditch the use of web apps entirely, but it is going to release a software development kit for third-party developers in February of 2008.

The current train of thought is that Apple is going to develop a system in which it will sell third-party apps through iTunes. Apple will, of course, take its share of the cut from each sale. Whether or not free apps will be distributed through this method is unclear. If Apple creates a system that prevents open source and free software from easily making it into our devices, the hacking community will continue to thrive.

What exactly is jailbreaking?

Jailbreaking refers to breaking the iPod Touch and iPhone free from the clutches of Apple. In other words, gaining read/write access to the devices in order to install your own programs.

What exactly is unlocking?

If you unlock your iPhone, you can use the services of various GSM based carriers around the world.

After having all my questions answered, I’d like to hack and/or unlock my unit. What do I have to do?

If you have a Mac, the automated jailbreak method for an iPhone can be found here. The automated method for an iPod Touch can be found here. Oddly enough, a 13 year old put together the program! Fear not, I tested the software on my own iPod Touch and can confirm it works beautifully.

If you’re running Windows, the automated jailbreak for an iPod Touch can be found here. The automated method for an iPhone can be found here.

To unlock your iPhone, you currently have two options if you’re running the 1.1.1 firmware.

The paid version can be found here, and it’s called iPhoneSIMFree. Since the code is not publicly published as its a private effort, Apple cannot easily examine the way it unlocks the iPhone. Thus, it is less likely that your iPhone will become temporarily unusable if a future update disables it. Even if you find your iPhone disabled with a future update, the iPhoneSIMFree people are pretty quick to update the unlock software at no cost to you.

The free unlock software, anySIM, is more likely to malfunction after a future firmware update, and this was the case with the upgrade to the latest 1.1.1 firmware. This software isn’t as stable as iPhoneSIMFree but it is free. You can learn more about and download anySIM here.

Typically, software unlocks require you to jailbreak your iPhone first.

OK, I jailbreaked my device. Now what?

Now you can run unlock software on your iPhone, and you can install and run third party apps.

If you went through with one of the automatic jailbreak methods above, you should see a program called “Installer” on your SpringBoard, AKA homescreen. Through Installer, you can choose to download and install various free programs, utilities, and games. Simply click on a program in Installer, and it’ll install it on your device. The next time you visit your homescreen, you should see an icon for the app you installed. Installer can also uninstall apps, update apps, and notify you when an update is available for an app you installed.

In order to see more apps, make sure you install “Community Resources”. Resources provide Installer.app with information of databases of third-party apps. Currently, Community Resources is the only resource that I know about that isn’t installed automatically when you jailbreak your device.

Furthermore, some apps require certain components in order to work. Apollo IM, arguably the best instant messaging client for the two devices, requires BSD Subystem to be installed.

Installer.app was just updated to version 3.0b3. It now features a better user interface and various other upgrades. Although most apps in Installer will work on both devices, some won’t work with the 1.1.1 firmware, and some won’t work on the iPod Touch.

I have more questions about hacking my mobile Apple product. Where can I get answers?

Google is a wonderful tool.

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