The iPhone 4S jailbreak is on the way, and while many of us are excited about the ability to customize and do more with the iPhone 4S, there are a number of reasons you shouldn’t jailbreak your new iPhone.
Jailbreaking refers to unlocking areas of your iPhone that Apple has locked down, so that you can customize the experience, install applications that the company hasn’t allowed into the App Store and more.
(Read: How to Jailbreak the iPhone 4S)
For many users, an Phone 4S jailbreak will deliver the iPhone experience they have been looking for, but jailbreaking isn’t for everyone.
Before you jailbreak your new iPhone 4S, be sure that you read the following warnings first. I’m not trying to talk you out of jailbreaking your iPhone, just giving you a heads up on what can happen if you do.
If you jailbreak your iPhone 4S, you will void your warranty. While the jailbreaking process was ruled legal in 2010, Apple was very clear that doing so voids your warranty. This means that you could potentially lose out on a warranty fix for an unrelated issue because your iPhone is jailbroken.
Many times you can restore to a standard Apple iOS version before going in for repair, but not always.
Again, you can un-jailbreak, but this is a an annoying process if you need help on a regular basis.
One of the more tangible reasons to avoid the iPhone 4S jailbreak is that you’ll need to wait for the Jailbreak development community to create a new jailbreak or patch before you can upgrade. If you are waiting for the jailbreak, you should also avoid installing iOS 5.0.1 to your iPhone 4S.
This isn’t as big of an issue for small upgrades like this, and in the case of 5.0.1, a jailbreak was available very quickly. But, when it comes to major upgrades that bring new features, you may be forced to wait a while, or go back to a stock iPhone experience.
Many users who have gone back from jailbreaking cite a poor user experience and buggy nature of their jailbroken iPhones as a reason for going back to normal. If you know exactly what you are doing, or don’t mind troubleshooting to find out what is causing an issue, you will be OK, but many iPhone owners I know don’t want to hassle with things like this.
Some apps will also not work on jailbroken devices. So far this has been limited to streaming apps like TW Cable on the iPad and the occasional app, but it is worth noting.
I’m not here to tell you not to jailbreak your iPhone 4S or iPhone 4. I’m excited about the iPhone 4S jailbreak release, so I can fix many of my concerns from switching from Android. There are a number of our staff here who won’t jailbreak their devices for many of the reasons listed above.
Ultimately, jailbreaking your new iPhone 4S is up to you. If you know what you are doing, you can follow these instructions to jailbreak your iPhone 4, and stay tuned for how to jailbreak the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as soon as the tools are available.
In most cases, you won’t have to worry about bricking your iPhone when you jailbreak, but it is always a remote possibility. Baring any major issues, you can try out a jailbreak and go back to your normal iPhone experience without much hassle.
Jailbreaking refers to unlocking areas of your iPhone that Apple has locked down, so that you can customize the experience, install applications that the company hasn’t allowed into the App Store and more.
(Read: How to Jailbreak the iPhone 4S)
For many users, an Phone 4S jailbreak will deliver the iPhone experience they have been looking for, but jailbreaking isn’t for everyone.
Before you jailbreak your new iPhone 4S, be sure that you read the following warnings first. I’m not trying to talk you out of jailbreaking your iPhone, just giving you a heads up on what can happen if you do.
You’ll Void Your Warranty
If you jailbreak your iPhone 4S, you will void your warranty. While the jailbreaking process was ruled legal in 2010, Apple was very clear that doing so voids your warranty. This means that you could potentially lose out on a warranty fix for an unrelated issue because your iPhone is jailbroken.Many times you can restore to a standard Apple iOS version before going in for repair, but not always.
You’ll Lose Genius Bar Support
If you are a user that needs and loves Genius bar support for your iPhone, you probably shouldn’t jailbreak your iPhone 4S. In the past some users have been able to get support by not mentioning that their iPhone is jailbroken, but again, if the Genius finds out that it is jailbroken, you may lost out on support.Again, you can un-jailbreak, but this is a an annoying process if you need help on a regular basis.
No More Fast Upgrades to New Releases
One of the more tangible reasons to avoid the iPhone 4S jailbreak is that you’ll need to wait for the Jailbreak development community to create a new jailbreak or patch before you can upgrade. If you are waiting for the jailbreak, you should also avoid installing iOS 5.0.1 to your iPhone 4S.This isn’t as big of an issue for small upgrades like this, and in the case of 5.0.1, a jailbreak was available very quickly. But, when it comes to major upgrades that bring new features, you may be forced to wait a while, or go back to a stock iPhone experience.
No More Seamless Experience
If you are a fan of the iPhone experience, and don’t want to chance a buggy or slow iPhone, you may want to pass on jailbreaking. Apple has many controls in place to keep apps from slowing down your iPhone, but jailbroken apps don’t need to stick to these guidelines.Many users who have gone back from jailbreaking cite a poor user experience and buggy nature of their jailbroken iPhones as a reason for going back to normal. If you know exactly what you are doing, or don’t mind troubleshooting to find out what is causing an issue, you will be OK, but many iPhone owners I know don’t want to hassle with things like this.
Some apps will also not work on jailbroken devices. So far this has been limited to streaming apps like TW Cable on the iPad and the occasional app, but it is worth noting.
Security
Finally, consider the security risks. If you have a jailbroken iPhone and are installing apps from various sources, one of them could contain malware. The threat of malware has caused concern for Android users, and so far we haven’t seen a large number of malware infested jailbreak apps, but the threat remains. If you do jailbreak, be vigilant about what you download.Should You Jailbreak Your iPhone 4S?
I’m not here to tell you not to jailbreak your iPhone 4S or iPhone 4. I’m excited about the iPhone 4S jailbreak release, so I can fix many of my concerns from switching from Android. There are a number of our staff here who won’t jailbreak their devices for many of the reasons listed above.Ultimately, jailbreaking your new iPhone 4S is up to you. If you know what you are doing, you can follow these instructions to jailbreak your iPhone 4, and stay tuned for how to jailbreak the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as soon as the tools are available.
In most cases, you won’t have to worry about bricking your iPhone when you jailbreak, but it is always a remote possibility. Baring any major issues, you can try out a jailbreak and go back to your normal iPhone experience without much hassle.
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