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The iPhone 7 is already jailbroken (but you can’t jailbreak yours yet)

Published Sep 21st, 2016 8:00PM EDT
iPhone 7 Jailbreak Hack
Image: Apple Inc.

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Well, that didn’t take long. The iPhone 7 came out just a few days ago and it has already been jailbroken. Sadly, early buyers looking to jailbreak the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus and install Cydia apps don’t have anything to be excited just yet. The author of the jailbreak is keeping the exploit private.

DON’T MISS: 7 ways Apple’s iPhone 7 is much better than any Samsung phone

Security researcher Luca Tedesco posted an image on Twitter that shows a jailbroken iPhone 7 (iPhone9,3), running iOS 10.0.1 with Cydia version 1.1.26 installed, discussing the jailbreak in subsequent messages. However, the developer did not share the method he used to jailbreak the iPhone, and there’s no tool available that you can use to jailbreak your device. It’s also not clear if this is an untethered jailbreak.

It’s very likely that numerous other hackers, as well as intelligence agencies, are also working on similar jailbreaks, and the usual suspects who release them to the public will probably come out with a public version in the future.

As always, though, you can expect Apple to patch the vulnerabilities that let hackers jailbreak the phone with upcoming software updates. After all, that’s how this iPhone jailbreak cat-and-mouse game is played.

Should you jailbreak the iPhone 7 in the first place? It’s probably not necessary for most users, especially considering the many advancements Apple made with iOS in recent years, some even inspired by jailbreak apps. Not to mention that a jailbroken iPhone is also more susceptible to malware. Power users who want apps and resources that are only available from Cydia will probably want to do it though, and they likely know how to guard themselves against iOS malware.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.