Last Updated on March 12, 2020 by Husain Parvez
You may have heard of people jailbreaking their iPhones, but do you know what it means? Perhaps you do, but you’re wondering whether it’s safe to do it.
Whichever the case, you’re about to get all the answers you need. Here are the most notable benefits and drawbacks of jailbreaking your iPhone, so weigh them carefully before making your final decision.
What Exactly Is Jailbreaking?
For all of you who don’t know, jailbreaking is the process of removing all restrictions and limitations that Apple imposes on its devices. The fundamental purpose of jailbreaking is the ability to install apps that don’t come from the App Store.
When you jailbreak your phone, you free it from all the restrictions.
Don’t confuse jailbreaking with unlocking your iPhone. Unlocking means enabling your phone to use SIM cards from other carriers.
Now that you understand the gist of it, you can take a look at the pros and cons that will help you make an informed decision.
4 Advantages of Jailbreaking Your iPhone
First of all, it’s your phone. No one should prevent you from using it any way you want to. Here are the benefits you’ll experience if you decide to go through with jailbreaking.
Installing Unauthorized Apps
Once you jailbreak your iPhone, you’ll be able to download and install any app that doesn’t necessarily come from the App Store. The same goes for all extensions and themes that Apple hasn’t authorized.
Changing Your Default Apps
Although Apple lets you use alternatives to some of its default apps, it often reverts to its default settings.
For instance, you don’t need to use Mail as your default email client. However, your iPhone will always boot Mail first when trying to open or create a new email. It can get frustrating.
With jailbreaking, you can use any third-party app as a default app.
Removing Pre-Installed Apps
What’s the point of having apps you don’t use, right? Especially if you jailbreak your phone and never again have to use all those pre-installed apps.
Luckily, with jailbreaking, you can delete any app you don’t need and free up a lot of memory space. Perfect for all those unofficial applications you plan on installing.
Customizing the Look of Your iPhone
There are many ways to customize your iPhone once you jailbreak it.
Not that its look and feel aren’t already lovely and sleek. But once you remove the limitations, you open new horizons and can customize your smartphone to match your unique personality.
4 Risks of Jailbreaking
The benefits of jailbreaking may be tempting, but you should also consider the risks.
Problems with Future iOS Updates
When you update your jailbroken iPhone’s iOS, you immediately undo the jailbreak.
But the more severe problem is that you might not even be able to install the latest iOS update. If you jailbreak it, you probably won’t even get new updates.
Causing Your iPhone to Crash
Jailbroken iPhones often start crashing for seemingly no reason, or their applications stop working as they’re supposed to.
It’s also not uncommon for a battery to start draining much faster.
Even if you perform the process perfectly, your phone might still develop various irreparable software errors.
Voiding Your Phone’s Warranty
If you jailbreak your iPhone, you immediately violate the warranty. It becomes void, which means that you can no longer get technical help from Apple should you ever need it.
If your phone’s warranty has already expired, then this won’t worry you one bit.
Leaving Your Data Vulnerable to Theft
Apple imposes all those restrictions to keep your data safe and secure. When you open Apple’s well-guarded system, you expose your phone to malware, spyware, and viruses.
Jailbreaking removes the virus protection your iPhone has.
Now, think of all the unofficial apps you would install that could have malware. Additionally, not being able to update your iOS also leaves the door open to various mobile cybersecurity threats.
So, anyone could hack your iPhone to steal or misuse your personal and sensitive information. Is jailbreaking worth it?
What’s the Verdict?
Jailbreaking offers some useful features, but at what cost?
It may tweak your iPhone a bit, but it would ultimately cost you your privacy and security. Not to mention it could cause your phone to crash, and your iPhone isn’t very cheap.
The choice is yours, of course, but be sure to think it through.
If you do decide to jailbreak your iPhone, make sure you know what you’re doing. Remember to back up all your data first, because the process will clear your phone of all its contents.
Also, seriously consider installing a VPN, because it will protect your iPhone against cybersecurity threats. Hackers won’t be able to target you for their criminal gain, as long as your VPN connection is turned on.
What do you think? Should anyone go down the jailbreaker’s path? Feel free to share your thoughts below!
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