iOS 7 Untethered Jailbreak Now Available

A team of iOS programmers called Evasi0n have jailbroken that latest iPhone/iPod/iPad operating system, iOS 7.0.4. Jailbreaking allows uses to install home-brew software and run unapproved apps from the Cydia software repository.

The jailbreak takes “5 minutes” and works on Windows and OS X. Users at 9to5mac have expressed dismay that this jailbreak came too early – many are worried it won’t work on the next few releases including the major 7.1 that they expect in coming months. Most are reporting that the jailbreak works seamlessly on devices that support iOS 7.x.

Interestingly, this release coincided with fears that the iOS 7 jailbreak had been secretly sold to a third party who would monetize it. Traditionally most jailbreaks have been free but even offering a jailbreak for a brief window on a paid site could be a very lucrative proposition. That is clearly no longer the case.

As with all jailbreaks please remember two words: be prepared. Backup your data and prepare to spend a few hours on a bricked phone if things don’t work correctly. The process has gotten much better over the past few years but there could be bugs. Also remember that this is a jailbreak, not a SIM unlock. This will not allow you to move from carrier to carrier, only install home-brew software.