Team Evad3rs Rolls out Untethered Evasi0n iOS 7 Jailbreak: Know These Essentials First before Installing Evasi0n7 JB
More than 90 days after the official iOS 7 was unleashed, Team Evad3rs unwrapped its Christmas present to the millions of iPhones and iPad users - the iOS jailbreaking tool now known as Evasi0n7.
True to earlier indications, the iOS device unlocker works for most of iPhone and iPad builds, including the 2013 models - headlined by the iPhone 5S, the trimmed-down iPad Air and the Retina-boasting iPad Mini 2.
As for the Apple devices that run on A5 and A5 processing chips, they'll be getting the iOS 6.1.3 and 6.1.5 this week as iH8Snow has previously promised. According to this Reddit jailbreak discussion thread, 6.1.3 will be out Dec 22 than 6.1.5 will touchdown right on Christmas Day.
So is it Merry Holiday for the jailbreak community? Going by the latest reports, that is not exactly case.
While getting Evasi0n7 seems a breeze as it works both on Mac and PC plus its installation takes only five minutes, ideally, the release is not without complications. So for the millions out there wanting to liberate their iPhones and iPads, it pays to read the essential reminders below prior to taking the plunge.
Evasi0n7 will break your Apple warranty
Like its Android counterpart, which is flashing custom ROMs, jailbreaking is discouraged by Apple, which has been warning that any form of tinkering with the stock iOS device software could leave any iPhone or iPad vulnerable to security attacks.
More importantly, Evasi0n7 or any other jailbreaking tools will surely void the warranty that Apple packs with its devices, leaving users to fend for themselves in case something went awry during the jailbreaking process. Even Team Evad3rs has stressed that Evasi0n7 should be used "at your own risk."
Apple will issue patches to plug the holes being used by Evad3rs as exploits
Note that Evasi0n was released while Apple is in the processes of gradually rolling out beta versions of iOS 7.1. That could mean early adopters would be locked out of succeeding official software updates coming from the tech giant.
So absorbing what the Evad3rs are serving now would mean users will be stuck in a parallel Apple universe that is the Evasi0n7. Any bugs or glitches can only come from this group of developers, who thankfully are generous enough to offer their services free of charge. But it could prove a long wait.
Cydia on Evasi0n7 remains buggy
In previous jailbreaking efforts, Cydia and Team Evad3rs normally are in close collaboration as the former supplies the alternative App Store for iPhones and iPads that run on the Evasi0n unlocker. In this endeavour, however, the Evad3rs saw it fit to experiment a bit by allowing a Chinese player, Taig, to offer applications outside of the normal circle.
As a result, Cydia creator Jay Freeman warned that while his work remains compatible with the new Evasi0n7, the jailbreak should be treated as untested at the moment. In short, jailbreakers should anticipate some issues between Evasi0n7 and Cydia.
"I thereby have no clue what will or will not work, or even what evasi0n7 includes; I hope that people bear with me as I figure this all out," Mobile Syrup reported Freeman as saying on his Dec 22 Twitter post.
Evasi0n7 comes stuffed with commercialism
With Chinese providers now part of the Evasi0n equation, critics claim that Team Evad3rs has succumbed to the lure of commercialism. According to Stefan Esser, a known critic of the dev group, cash played a big role in the latest Evasi0n effort - to the tune of $1M.
"Too bad ... I believe I deleted the email that promised iOS 7 JB sponsoring of up to $1,000,000," Esser was quoted by Digital Trends as saying in a Twitter post, in which he implied that Team Evad3rs is guilty selling out.
...and piracy too
Not only that Taig is filled with cracked apps, the other App Store also allegedly sells pirated applications for Evasi0n7, which is a No-No in Cydia. In a statement, Team Evad3rs confirmed that pirated apps indeed are found in Taig, which they clarified is not sanctioned by the group.
"We are very upset that despite our agreement and review by their team, piracy was found in the store. It was not acceptable and they have been strenuously working to resolve the problem in good faith, and have removed all instances of it that we have brought to their attention," the Evad3rs told The Verge.
Hold out for now, stay legit or go for the JBs coming from iH8Snow
So the best option for now for the jailbreak community is to keep what is on-hand at the moment - the legit iOS 7 from Apple. Or they can go for what iH8Snow will reportedly dish out between Monday and Wednesday this week.
The iOS 6 jailbreak maker has pledged that 6.1.3 will be released within the next 24 hours while 6.1.5 will be given out on Dec 25. Note, however, that both JBs will work only on previous iPhone and iPad builds, particularly those powered by A4 and A5 CPUs.
As for the later models, including the 2013 iPhone and iPad releases, it is best to wait for Team Evad3rs to sort out its new opus first before trying out Evasi0n7, which could come with irreversible consequences.