It seems like I’m asked about a new jailbreak for iOS 5 a few times a week.  As of this writing… there isn’t one.  In fact, Apple is currently working on an update to address potential battery issues for the iPhone 4S.  When it becomes public information that a new iOS update is on it’s way, we won’t see a new jailbreak until after that shows up.

It’s a cat and mouse game.  It’s not that Apple is deliberately stopping jailbreaks… they have to close the exploited holes to maintain proper security.  Contrary to unpopular belief, a jailbreak isn’t meant to be nefarious — it’s meant to open the iOS platform to a world of useful opportunities.  Apple keeps the system closed to keep malware and other problems from infecting our phones.  I am thankful for that.  The Android OS is riddled with various malware issues and phishing schemes that I’d rather avoid altogether.  Once these holes are exposed with a new jailbreak, Apple has to close them to keep the system safe.  With that said, I’m guessing we’re at least another two or three weeks away from a jailbreak.  Probably more.

So how can you know when it’s safe or when it’s possible to jailbreak?  We’ve put together a few of our favorite resources for you.  The information isn’t a secret that only we know, it’s available to everyone.  🙂

Blog.iPhone-Dev.org

The iPhone Dev-Team is the most reputable group of hackers who work on jailbreaks and unlocks for iOS.  They’ve been responsible for most of the software we’ve used over the last few years.  This blog is the first source you’ll want to check for new information.

Chronic-Dev.org

This dev team is more of a loosely associated bunch of hackers that occasionally put out new software.  As far as we can tell, their last major contribution (as a team) was Greenpois0n in October of 2010.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t working on new developments, so don’t forget to keep an eye on their blog or @chronicdevteam on Twitter.

Jailbrea.kr

This website was put together by some of the most active jailbreak devs: @chpwn and @musclenerd.  They keep it updated with the latest jailbreak information.  As you can see, iOS 4.3.3 was the last firmware to be jailbroken.  Here’s a funny piece of information: the 4.3.3 jailbreak was written by @comex who is now (or recently was) working for Apple on an internship.  However, he “no longer work

[s] on jailbreaks.”

JailbreakQA.com

@chpwn and @comex produced this site to help the masses with jailbreak questions.  Realistically it was an attempt to lighten the load on the iPhone Dev Team’s blog comments.  If you’re interested in jailbreaking, that would be a great place to start.

Twitter

140 characters are enough to get good information on new developments.  If you follow the people linked above (who have an @ symbol) on Twitter, you’ll have up-to-the-minute information about any jailbreak related developments.  It’s common for the developers to give status updates like this one from @musclenerd last week:

VERY preliminary 4S JB: http://twitpic.com/76vcp4 http://twitpic.com/76vct2 (Huge missing pieces prevent public release. LOTS of work left)

Us

As always, if you have any questions about jailbreaking or unlocking your iOS device, don’t be afraid to ask.  That’s why we have a comment section.  🙂