jailbreak 101: must have cydia apps after you jailbreak your iPhone / iPad

so you’ve done it … seeing cydia app on your iPad / iPhone makes you feel like a rebel. but … now what?

here’s what i found to be – top 5 jailbreak apps :

  • BEFORE you do ANYTHING – change your default password – only virus / intrusion exploited, so far is  a simple fact that all of our iPhone / iPad OSes has the same, default password. so once you change your OS’ password, you’ll be safe from hackers trying to jack your phone …
    [update: mobile terminal on Cydia on iPad doesn't work.
    here's how to change your default password on your iPad]

Fire up Mobile Terminal and type the following without the brackets ;)

1. [login root]
2. [alpine] this will log you in as root.
3 [passwd] requests password change
4 Type your new password
5 Retype your password

cydia apps to install … aren’t free:

here’s an ironic thing about jailbroken apps – most are free to try, but then they want you to pay them – $10 in most cases. but still … so, if you don’t mind stealing those apps, from those developers:
Goto: Cydia > Manage > Sources > Edit > Add > sinfuliphonerepo.com
It will add a sinful repository – so in the search result on cydia – you will now see apps  with sinful logo listed as well – their versions of apps are cracked & free :)

OK, OK, now the actual – top 5 / must have cydia apps

  • - SBsettings – instant preference panel – after install swipe top of the screen for instant on / off swithes (wifi, 3g, etc)
  1. backgrounder – allows multitasking – to be honest this is the only reason to jailbreak your iPad: listen to pandora, while browsing /  run skype in the background at all times (i found this to be buggy, so get in a habit of checking if skype is on in the background … twice a day)
  2. - 3g unrestrictor - fulls apps into believing they are on a wifi and removes restrictions. e.g. allows skype to makes calls via 3g, download podcasts that are larger then 10gb, etc – also great on iPad, to get better quality video … if you get a decent connection on at&t …
  3. - lockinfo – allows for weather, cal, etc to be displayed at lock screen, without having to go to the app – i find this great for quick weather & calendar check, without having to unlock the phone [buggy on iPad at this point]
  4. myWi / PDA net - you don’t really need to jailbreak to enable tethering on your iPhone. but … if you would like to browse your wifi iPad … of your iPhone while out & about … those 2 apps will turn your iPhone into a mobile wifi spot :) – (this will eat your battery crazy, make sure to turn off after you’re done)
  5. - gv mobile – “unofficial” google voice app – if you have an account – will only work on iPhone. will display your GV number as your caller ID

other jailbroken apps:

  • Rotation Inhibitor – lock your screen orientation on an iPhone as you can on your iPad w/ the “mute” button (after install -> SBSettings and touch More -> Set Toggles. Turn on the Rotation toggle)
  • Recent/CallLog Delete Recent/CallLog Delete is a mod that allows you to delete individual calls from your call history. Once installed, it adds a Edit button to the top left of your Recent Calls page in your stock Phone application … something that should come with iPhone (it’s there under text messages …), but Steve doesn’t want his wife to be able to erase her calling history.
  • watch flash on your iPad / iPhone – click on how to to install iMobileCinema – unfortunately this only works on about 30% of flash videos on the web
  • xyflash – avi, flv player – great app if you watch movies on iPhone, without converting them. but if you’re home, i found Air Video for iPad to be much easier
  • caller ID faker – spoof your number

how to jailbreak iPhone 3gs OS 3.0.1 to 3.1.2 / baseband 4 / error 1600

wow … just spent another 2 days trying to figure out how to:
jailbreak my 3gs from OS 3.0.1 to 3.1.2 and while keeping baseband 4 on my mac.
[now ... i've gone through some troubles to make sure, my 3GS is made before week 40 (aka old baseband 4, 4 & 5th number on your serial) and have not updated to 3.1, not to lose my tethering via carrier 6 file :) ]

“what had happened was”:

1 – followed this guide on macbook pro (aluminum, snow leopard), itunes 9.1 (most likely this was a root of my problems), pwnage

2 – got error 1600 / stuck in DFU – nothing works, tried:
DFU: 30 sec power + home,  YT vids – can’t get out
1600 (1604, etc): restore mode, different USB ports, windows iREF (works on 3g only, have not tried “fix recovery mode loop”), then sn0wbreeze & it told me “detected … can’t be jailbreaked …”

3 – tried old white macbook w/
- itunes 8 and 9.0.1
- delete directory trick (~user/library/itunes/device support – delete content before you run pwnage tool ) … still didn’t work, but later i’ve figured out i was using the firmware cooked on macbook pro, snow …

…. next day. created a clean mac os login
4 – what finally worked: white old macbook w/ leopard (not snow), itunes 9.0.1, pwnd 3.1.5, restore 3.1.2

- to get out of DFUblackra1n (THX! making donation now) – got my phone back! (but because was 3.0.1 it didn’t jailbreak it)

- re created 3.1.2 restore file w/ activation (carrier – yes, if you have att) on pwnage tool 3.1.5. made sure “…/device support” dir is empty before i started cooking & it went trough! (phone still not plugged in at this point)
- restored on iTunes 9.0.1, white, old macbook w/ just leopard on it & a clean account
- once restore & backup (2h later) … cydia said “you phone’s SHSH … 3.1.3 has been backup up” so i got my SHSH … i think (umbrella didn’t work for me, even with ECI nubmer).
…. so it WORKED

MY ADVICE:

if you can do without jailbreak on 3GS OS 3.0 … consider … not having your phone avail for next few days :)

if you already have 3GS OS 3.1 + just blackra1n it … it will take 10 sec! :) – there’s a way to get your SHSH after via umbrella (windows, ih8sn0w) … but it didn’t work for me.

BEFORE you start:
- get your serial, carrier, OS, baseband firmware & ECID numbers
- search google for how to with exactly those numbers (eg. “jailbreak 3g os 3.1 3.1.3 mac”)
- don’t user snow leopard, use iTunes 9.0.1

jailbreak iPhone 3G firmware 3.1.2 / error 1600, 1604 on a mac

so, i’ve tried to jailbreak my old iPhone 3G with pwnage tool 3.1 & was getting error 1600. after 2 days, i found that deleting content of  ~/Library/iTunes/Device Support/ … allowed my to finally jailbreak, but …. i did have my sim card in the phone while firmware restore was finishing & it didn’t activate the phone :( . so when i tried to jailbreak again … error 1600 (this time deleting “… device support” didn’t help & yes i tried both dfu methods).

THE SOLUTION

is quite simple (works on new aluminum macbook pro) – use redsn0w.com! (also by dev team) to not only jailbreak, but also unlock so you can use any cell provider’s sim card (of course works with att as well). i’ve used it with firmware 3.1.2 because 3.1.3 has some issues & didn’t want to spend day 4 on figuring it out.

ps: mywi cydia app WORKS, so that iPad tethers of your iPhone!  … it is a 9 day trial & then $9.99 :(