Jailbreaking

Apple released iOS 5.1.1 a few days after iOS developer pod2g announced that his jailbroken iPhone 4 running iOS 5.1 was untethered. Of course you will want to avoid the update if your device is currently jailbroken. For non-jailbreakers the update brings improved reliability for the HDR option when accessing the camera app, and a few bug fixes. Here is a complete list of changes:

Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut.

Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks.

Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances.

Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List.

Fixes an issue where ‘Unable to purchase’ alert could be displayed after successful purchase.

The Dev Team has released redSn0w version 0.9.10b8b which brings only a minor bug fix. According to the Dev Team blog, the "0.9.10b8b update to redsn0w makes the zip files more compatible with the native Windows explorer (which doesn’t like leading slashes in the filenames)." The previous version released a few weeks ago helped users take advantage of the popular SAM unlock method.

In the meantime, the jailbreak community is closer to releasing an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.1. Currently only A4 and A5 devices on iOS 5.0.1 and lower are jailbreakable. A4 devices can upgrade to iOS 5.1 but they will have to go tethered. Hopefully there is an untethered solution for all iOS devices right around the corner.

Some iPhone owners are nervous about jailbreaking their devices due to Apple's no jailbreaking policy. To discourage iOS hacking Apple does not offer customer support to users who jailbreak their phones, and jailbreaking also voids Apple’s warranty. Until today jailbreakers had no way to insure their iPhones, even through third-party warranty providers. That has all changed thanks to SquareTrade. The third-party provider has expanded its coverage to jailbroken iPhones. This is great news for jailbreakers who would like to protect themselves from cracked screens and other iPhone mishaps.

SquareTrade does not cover hardware mods (e.g. filed-off serial numbers) but any software modifications are fine. SquareTrade's VP of Strategy Vince Tseng told GigaOM.com, that SquareTrade does not care what Apple users do to their software. "Our general philosophy is that if a device hasn’t been played around with on the inside we don’t have a problem with that. We are here to help the Apple community, and if they want something Apple doesn’t provide we are here for them," said Tseng.

Corona developer pod2g tweeted a quick update about his iOS 5.1 jailbreaking progress. The iPhone developer wrote: "Heya! My iPhone 4 running iOS 5.1 is now untethered." In April, pod2g announced that he had acquired all the exploits required to complete a new jailbreak. This latest announcement is good news since it shows that he has made some progress since we last checked in with him.

iOS hackers have been busy working on a new exploit since the release of the iPad 3 in March. Dev Team member MuscleNerd and Chpwn both tweeted pictures of a jailbroken iPad 3 running Cydia 1.1.5 shortly after the tablet was released. However, Chpwn warned that a new jailbreak "could be months away from a public release."

AlwaysArrange is a simple jailbreak tweak that allows you to easily rearrange your Home screen icons without having to enter wiggle mode. Once installed you can tap any icon and move it anywhere on your Home screen. There is a Settings mode that allows you to toggle AlwaysArrange on and off, and you can also adjust the duration of the tap and hold time that it takes to move an app. To delete an app just tap the icon and slide it up to the status bar to enter wiggle mode.