Guide to iPhone jailbreaking and applications Free Wifi

Guide to iPhone jailbreaking and applications
Third-party iPhone applications are not supported by Apple, but can be easily installed on the device using either a Mac or Windows computer. Currently available applications run the gamut, including some entertaining games, various dictionaries and eBooks, streaming radio tools, a voice recorder, instant messaging/IRC clients, a quasi-GPS program and more.

Enabling the applications (jailbreaking and more)

The first step for putting third-party applications on your iPhone is to determine what firmware/software version you are running. To do this, go to the main screen and tap Settings, then General then About. Look next to Version. You will see either 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1.1 or 1.1.2.

Once you’ve determined your firmware version, use one of the following procedures, which all have the same end result: “jailbreaking” the device (allowing files to be written to the filesystem) and installing Installer.app. Installer.app (which shows up as simply “Installer” on the iPhone) is an iPhone application itself that catalogs and installs other iPhone binaries.

1.1.2 Jailbreaking iPhone firmware/software 1.1.2 requires the most effort out of any system iteration. If your iPhone didn’t come with 1.1.2 out-of-the box and you haven’t yet upgraded, we recommend sticking with version 1.1.1 if you’d like to use third-party applications. However, if you’ve already updated to 1.1.2, there’s not an easy way to go back to version 1.1.1 and keep your phone active for voice services.

There are two methods for jailbreaking 1.1.2 phones. The first (described here) is a uniform, platform-agnostic process that doesn’t require the use of any third-party utilities other than what is included in a single download package from Conceited Software. Try it first.

If that method fails, there is another process that is even more tedious and requires the use of the third-party utility iNdependence. Try it if the first one fails.

These procedures, if performed correctly, will jailbreak the iPhone, install Installer.app, put SSH capablities on the device, and enable a hidden feature (built into the iPhone) that allows you to swipe across the main launching screen (SpringBoard) to access more application icons.

After it’s done, you should launch Installer.app (from your iPhone’s main screen) and tap Install at the bottom of the screen, then tap the Sources section and install Community Sources. This will provide a much larger array of accessible applications. You’ll also want to install BSD Subsystem under “System” right away. See the section “Getting to know Installer.app” below for further instruction.

1.1.1 If you’re using firmware version 1.1.1, you’re in luck. Jailbreaking this iteration is a one-step process. On your iPhone, launch Safari, then navigate to http://www.jailbreakme.com. This will automatically jailbreak and put Installer.app on the device.

This process will jailbreak the iPhone, install Installer.app and enable a hidden feature (built into the iPhone) that allows you to swipe across the main launching screen (SpringBoard) to access more application icons.

After it’s done, you should launch Installer.app (from your iPhone’s main screen) and tap Install at the bottom of the screen, then tap the Sources section and install Community Sources. This will provide a much larger array of accessible applications. You’ll also want to install BSD Subsystem and Open SSH under “System” right away. See the section “Using Installer.app” below for further instruction.

1.0, 1.0.1 or 1.0.2 If you are using iPhone Software/Firmware 1.0.2 or earlier you can directly install Installer.app, which is now accompanied by a GUI-based Mac OS X application and a similar Windows application — available from this page — that will literally do everything for you. Just download an launch the application, select your iPhone firmware version, and let it do its thing. In short order, you will have the Installer icon on your iPhone’s home screen.

Once you have Installer.app on your 1.0, 1.0.1 or 1.0.2 iPhone, there are a few things you’ll want to do immediately:

Tap Update and check if there is a new release of Installer.app available. If one is listed, tap it, then tap the Update button to make sure you are running the latest version.

Tap Install, then tap Community Sources and install it. This will dramatically increase the number of applications available for download and installation through Installer.app
Install SummerBoad if using 1.0.2 [Note that SummerBoard is not compatible with iPhone Software/Firmware 1.1.1 or later, and not necessary, as there is a different app launching mechanism on the iPhone], listed under System — it’s important that you do this as before installing other applications. SummerBoard will replace “SpringBoard,” which is what you see when you push the home button, and allow you to scroll through an unlimited number of apps — a major point since the iPhone’s home screen is limited to sixteen icons, meaning that you won’t, by default, be able to access more than four third-party applications. As such, SummerBoard should be the first third-party application aside from Installer.app and Community Sources you install, as it will appear on your home screen and allow access to other apps.

You’ll also want to install BSD Subsystem and Open SSH under “System” right away. See the section “Using Installer.app” below for further instruction.

Using Installer.app

Installer.app is the result, primarily, of efforts from Maksim Rogov at Nullriver Software. It offers a slick interface for downloading iPhone applications over and EDGE or WiFi connection directly to the device itself. Here’s what you need to know about using Installer:

Installing applications A very straightforward process. Tap the Installer icon to launch the program, then tap the “Install” button on the bottom of the interface. Applications are organized by category, and accessed through a familiar sliding-style interface. Once you’ve found the package you want, tap its name then tap the “Install” button in the upper-right corner. As soon as you quit Installer.app, the new application should appear on your SpringBoard. You might, however, need to restart your iPhone for full functionality in some cases.


Uninstalling applications Just tap “Uninstall” in Installer.app and you can remove any applications stored on your iPhone, except those any that you manually transferred to the device via an SSH session.


Adding sources Application repositories can be easily added to Installer.app. These sources allow applications outside the default set of community sources offered by Installer.app to be pushed through the application (see this article for an example; ScummVM, a game framework for the iPhone, also requires the addition of a new source).

To add a source, tap “Sources,” button, then tap “Edit” in the upper-right corner, and finally “Add” in the upper-left corner. Enter the URL of the source you would like to add and press “OK.” Installer.app will add the source, and you will be able to find the new application(s) in the normal “Install” menu.


Manually installing applications on the iPhone If a community source isn’t available for the application you’d like to install, there is a manual process for pushing applications. This process uses the Mac OS X Terminal, but the steps can be replicated for any SSH/SCP utility.

Download a binary for the iPhone
Open a command-line interface (such as the Terminal in Mac OS X) and type scp -r then a space.

Drag the application you downloaded to the Terminal window.
Type another space, then root@IPAddress:/Applications/ (replacing IPAddress with your iPhone’s IP Address). When you’re done, your Terminal command should look something like this: scp -r /Users/bwilson/Desktop/Lights\ Off.app/ root@10.10.10.10:/Applications/ (that’s a fake IP address, by the way)
Restart your iPhone: Hold down the sleep/wake button until you see the slider, then slide it off. Power it back on by briefly holding the sleep/wake button
What to do if your iPhone becomes unstable or you want to delete all hacks

If your iPhone starts becoming unstable or exhibiting strange behavior as a result of third-party application installation, you can easily bring it back to normal operating mode by performing a restore. Click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc. If things go terribly wrong and your iPhone refuses to restore, see our piece titled “How ‘Recovery Mode’ can rescue your iPhone.”



Now that your iPhone is primed to receive and make use of third-party binaries, let’s take a look at what is available. Unfortunately, many of the current binaries still fall into the purely demonstrative category or are of little use. A select few, however, enhance the functionality of the iPhone in meaningful ways. Make sure you’ve installed Community Sources as mentioned above, then check out these apps:

Apollo IM/Mobile Chat: native instant messaging clients Apollo IM support AOL instant messaging (AIM) as well as ICQ and MSN, Mobile Chat currently supports only AIM. Both still contain a few bugs, but are much more usable than any Web-based alternative.


Navizon: Triangulating GPS application Though it’s somewhat inaccurate, Navizon works to fulfill one of the most contentious functionality gaps left by Apple, showing — in the iPhone’s Google Maps application — an approximation of exactly where your iPhone is located on the globe. (more details)


SendSong Under “Multimedia” in Installer.app, this application will let you pick any song stored on your iPhone and play it, send it via email, or, most usefully, add as a ringtone. Uses a simple scrolling interface to access songs.


MobileFinder Under “Utilities” in Installer.app, this is a Mac OS X Finder for your iPhone! Sort of. This application will let you browse files on your iPhone, and launch applications by double-tapping them. It also lets you copy, paste and delete items, as well as create new files and folders. This program shows a lot of promise, and while it has a few kinks, we imagine it’s utility will prove invaluable as things develop.

Squid Under “Productivity” in Installer.app, this is a file browser for your iPhone. Similar to MobileFinder, except it allows you to quickly modify the permissions of files you locate — useful if an application won’t execute, or you want to restrict access to certain items. Be careful, however; modifying permissions of system files can have pernicious results.


VNotes Under “Multimedia” in Installer.app, this is a basic voice recorder for the iPhone. Record through the mic, playback through the speaker. Recordings are tagged by date and time, and can be deleted by tapping the Edit button.


MobileTerminal Under “System” in Installer.app, a Terminal for your iPhone. Useful for browsing files through the command line, launching scripts that make use of runtime environments (see below), and much more.


Runtime environments There are already Perl, Python and Ruby runtime environments for the iPhone that can be used to execute scripts written in these languages from the MobileTerminal. We’re still searching for useful applications, so please drop us a line if you’ve found one.

Games Check under “Games” in Installer.app. So far the iPhone game selection is relatively paltry. Lights Out! is certainly the best designed, performing and entertaining title so far. There’s also an NES emulator (for which you’ll have to [illegally] download ROMs. Other than these, we’re still waiting for anything killer.