If you’ll take a peek at our review of Facebook Home as it exists inside Android, you’ll find that the “appear anywhere” feature included in what Facebook calls “Chat Heads” might just be the most universally user-friendly feature of the bunch. While Facebook Home exists as a full home screen replacement app, Facebook Messenger allows you to see messages while you’re inside (or outside) any given app, even if it’s not Facebook.

Have a peek at Facebook’s Chat Heads push to iOS for your iPhone and you’ll find slightly less all-inclusive engagement. Unfortunately this iOS version will still not have the SMS integration available in the Android iteration. Speaking with The Verge, the creator of this particular hack, Adam Bell, confirmed that the process itself isn’t very power-hungry. Bell noted that only when you’re actually literally interacting with the head does it drain power in any notable way – good news!

You’ll be able to access the build that’s making this Chat Heads freedom possible through Adam Bell’s connection to GitHub over the next few days – can’t wait! Meanwhile have a peek in SlashGear’s jailbreak tag hub for more goodies for your hacked-up iPhone. Let us know what you’re into!

Joshua Hill (a.k.a. p0sixninja, who’s a member of the Greenpois0n dev team) took to Twitter and said that, from the looks it, “the next jailbreak might be created entirely by [him].” He followed up with that statement saying that “Evad3rs haven’t gone anywhere,” and he claims he “just discovered all the needed exploits…over the past few months.”

The latest version to be jailbroken is iOS 6.1.2, which means that iOS 6.1.3 still has to be exploited, as Apple as specifically called out the Evad3rs dev team and patched up the exploits needed to jailbreak. At that point, Wang says he doesn’t know if a jailbreak will be released for iOS 6.1.3, and iOS 7 may be just as hard to break into.

Of course, we’re not sure if Hill is simply pulling our leg or if he’s actually being quite serious, but considering that he’s a reputable dev team member, it’s very likely that he’s telling the truth. Either way, iOS 7 hasn’t even been announced yet, so it’s too early to tell exactly how easy or hard it will be to break into iOS 7.

If you’re jailbroken and want to make your AT&T iPhone 5 compatible with T-Mobile’s LTE network, there’s a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to do that without messing up your jailbreak status. All it takes is adding a repository to Cydia, installing a patch, and editing a bit of text. There’s 15 steps in total, which can seem daunting, but take it one step at a time and you should be fine.

However, do this at your own risk. If you’re jailbroken, then you probably will be familiar with the process, but it’s a bit more complicated than most jailbreak tweaks. As in, it’s not as simple as downloading a Cydia tweak and installing it. You’ll have to open up iFile and dig deep into the phone’s file system to edit some text files.

We wouldn’t be surprised if a handful of AT&T users switched over to T-Mobile and brought along their iPhone 5, so this tweak will definitely be of use to all those jailbreakers out there. T-Mobile’s plans are something we’ve never seen before in a major carrier, so while it is a bold move for the company, it may catch on quickly.

Of course, some iOS 6.1.3 users can still jailbreak thanks to Redsn0w, but it’s limited to devices running Apple’s older A4 chip and it’s a tethered jailbreak, meaning that you have to plug in your iDevice to your computer every time you reboot it, which can be a pain in the rear end most of the time.

However, if you’re currently on iOS 6.1.2 and are either jailbroken or have plans to jailbreak in the future, don’t update to iOS 6.1.3 — at least for now. Evasi0n team member David Wang (a.k.a. Planetbeing) says that he and the rest of the dev team don’t yet have a fix for the iOS 6.1.3 update, and they aren’t sure if there will ever be one.

Of course, you may be thinking about that pesky lock screen vulnerability that’s present in iOS 6.1.2, and while I do care about security, there’s probably no reason to be worried about it. If someone got a hold of your iPhone, the chances of them knowing that elaborate scheme of swiping and tapping gestures to get past the lock screen are low. Of course, there’s always that chance, but you’d probably have a greater chance of getting struck by lightning if anything. Oh, and another lock screen vulnerability has been discovered in iOS 6.1.3, so you’re screwed either way.

Plus, iOS 6.1.3 doesn’t consist of a lot of new features anyway. Besides the lock screen fix, there are improvements to Apple Maps specifically for Japan. When’s the last time you were in Japan? Have you even been to Japan? Probably not, so it’s safe to say that you don’t need the Japan maps improvements, or any of the other new things in iOS 6.1.3 for that matter. (Japan residents need not apply to this.)

In the end, it’s best to play it safe and stay away from new updates if you’re jailbroken or have plans to jailbreak. Heck, I’m still running iOS 5.1.1 and I’m chugging along just fine like the rest of the iOS crowd. We may eventually see an untethered jailbreak for iOS 6.1.3, but it could be awhile, and if history is any indication, it may be even more difficult to jailbreak iOS 7 than any other version in the past.

The jailbreak comes to us from Redsn0w, and it only applies to iOS devices running an A4 processor. It’s also a tethered-only jailbreak, meaning that you’ll have connect your iOS device to your computer each time you want to boot up your device, which can be a pain sometimes. The jailbreak isn’t compatible with any iPad, including the first-generation iPad (although iOS 6 isn’t even available for this iPad anyway).

Of course, it’s still best to remain on iOS 6.1.2 that way you don’t lose your untethered jailbreak. Plus, there could be a few jailbreak tweaks that you use that may not be compatible with iOS 6.1.3, so it’s always best to wait in that case as well. However, if you accidentally updated to the latest version that rolled out today, there’s still hope with this Redsn0w jailbreak.

This specific jailbreak tweak only works on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and the fourth-generation iPod Touch. You’ll need the Redsn0w software and the iOS 6.0 IPSW file for the jailbreak. From there, it’s just a matter of opening up Redsn0w and installing the various files necessary for the jailbreak. Again, this is a tethered jailbreak, so if you need to reboot, you’ll have to plug in your device to your computer and fire up Redsn0w to get it past the Apple boot-up logo.

[via Redmond Pie]

According to Jay Freeman (a.k.a. Saurik, who operates the Cydia jailbreak store), the latest Chrome update for iOS adds “untested jailbreak-specific code,” and the only way to fix the crashing issue is to enable “send crash reports” in Settings. However, that’s not exactly possible when the app keeps crashing on its users.

Then again, you can change the setting by digging deep into your iOS device’s file system by navigating to Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Local State and changing the “reporting_enabled” option to “true.” Jailbreakers can use iFile or any other file explorer jailbreak app to get access to this setting. However, you do so at your own risk.

Google says they’ll be releasing an incremental update to fix this issue, but there’s currently no timeline as to when it will be released. Google also says that if you’re not comfortable with digging into the file system, you can uninstall and reinstall Chrome and then enable crash reporting, but there’s the chance you may lose data if you don’t use sync. However, some SlashGear readers have mentioned that reinstalling didn’t work for them, so your mileage may vary.

Pod2g, one of the dev team members of Evad3rs (the team responsible for the iOS 6 jailbreak), tweeted the statistics this morning. Jay Freeman (a.k.a. Saurik, the man behind the Cydia jailbreak store) clarified that the 23 million iOS devices jailbroken are only the devices seen on Cydia within the past month.

These are numbers are astronomical no doubt, but there’s always the chance that iOS jailbreakers may go back to the stock version of iOS, and compared to the number of iOS devices sold during just last quarter (a whopping 75 million), 14 million iOS devices jailbroken isn’t that huge of a percentage, considering that number consists of all iOS devices ever sold.

That 14 million figure may not go up much from here on out, mainly since an upcoming iOS update will patch the Evasi0n jailbreak. iOS 6.1.3 is currently in beta mode, and the Evad3rs dev team has confirmed that the new update patches up some of the exploits used to jailbreak the mobile platform, and the team members aren’t sure if they’ll be able to come up with a fix anytime soon.

The Evasi0n jailbreak has fought a good battle so far, surviving both iOS 6.1.1 and iOS 6.1.2, but Evasi0n team member David Wang (a.k.a. Planetbeing) has confirmed that iOS 6.1.3 will block some of the exploits used by the dev team to jailbreak iOS 6 devices. Wang says that his team doesn’t yet have a fix for the update, and isn’t sure if there will be one.

Then again, over seven million iOS devices, and counting, have already been jailbroken under iOS 6.0 and iOS 6.1, so most of the damage has already been done. The jailbreak patch-up in iOS 6.1.3 will mostly just mean that jailbreakers won’t be able to update to this newest version, thus leaving their devices still vulnerable to the lock screen exploit.

Forbes notes that the reason why Apple is taking its time patching up this specific jailbreak is because it poses as a low security risk for Apple. Unlike JailbreakMe, which simply involved heading to a specific website in your mobile browser and hitting go, Evasi0n requires a bit more work that fewer iOS users are willing to try out.

[via Forbes]

You can use evasi0n to jailbreak any Apple device running 6.1.2, except Apple TV 3. Before doing so, you should prepare properly to make sure nothing goes awry. Check out our handy guide for a list of things you should know, and pay particular attention to the part about updating through iTunes, not OTA.

Grab the newest version of evasi0n from its website; it can be run on Windows XP or higher, OS X 10.5 or higher, and Linux x86/x86_64. Before getting started, remove the passcode on your device if you’re using one to avoid the issues it could cause with the jailbreaking process. The last big step is backing up your data, which is essential if you don’t want to lose anything.

Fire up Evasi0n and click “Jailbreak,” then leave everything alone to make sure you don’t accidentally mess something up. The entire process takes about five minutes, so lean back and listen to your favorite song or refill your beverage. By the time you return to your device, it’ll have likely rebooted and will display a jailbreak icon, which you’ll then need to tap on to finish the process and liberate your Apple device.

[via Redmond Pie]

When asked if iOS 7 may possibly be harder or more easier to jailbreak than iOS 6, Planetbeing says that “it’s hard to say,” since he’s not quite sure what Apple will do, but he guesses that the next major version of iOS will be harder to jailbreak, and while the time it takes to jailbreak each major iOS version has kept rising, Planetbeing really isn’t sure how long it might take to get iOS 7 exploited.

He continues by saying that, when iOS 7 eventually comes out, the dev team will study it and see what they can do with it. He says that you “can’t really plan on” things beforehand, since it’s so difficult to know what to expect. Planetbeing says that it’s all a “specialized game with a steep learning curve.”

As far as what Planetbeing does when he’s not hacking into Apple devices, he actually works at a web analytics company for his day job, and as far as his free time, he says that “if jailbreaking is no longer possible,” he would most likely play all those Steam games he bought on sale that he never gets around to playing.

Developer Conrad Kramer released the “BTNotificationEnabler” tweak today in the Cydia app store, and it’s a fairly simple tweak that allows the iPhone to push all notifications to the Pebble smartwatch. Since the Pebble watch uses Bluetooth to connect to the iPhone, any notification from any app will be sent to the watch.

Granted, Pebble is allowing for third-party apps to use its SDK, so it would probably be just a matter of time before most apps eventually support push notifications on the smartwatch itself, but jailbreaking leaves the door wide open for possibly even better tweaks, since these kinds of apps aren’t subjected to Apple’s rules.

Then again, if you want seamless integration with your iPhone, it’s rumored that Apple is working on their own smartwatch, which may or may not happen of course, but it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out in the next few months. If an Apple smartwatch does happen, the seamless integration could be quite good for iOS users, and it may even integrate with OS X as well, which would be even better.

[via Cult of Mac]

Today, FireCore announced on its blog that it has released updates to aTV Flash (black) and Seas0nPass, both of which support the new 5.2 update for Apple TV. Since Apple added Bluetooth keyboard support, the latest aTV Flash also includes the same, allowing users to navigate around using either the keyboard or the standard remote.

Other than that, there are several minor improvements to backups, as well as DVD playback, but aside from that, it’s your usual bugfixes and general performance improvements. To get started with the updated jailbreak, you’ll want to back up first, and then run the latest version of Seas0nPass to update your Apple TV to version 5.2.

After that, it’s just a matter of installing version 2.2 of aTV Flash, and then restore any previously-saved settings. Then you’ll be back up and running, but with a newer version than before. Of course, do this at your own risk, since hacking into your devices, no matter how easy it is, always comes with risks of some sort, so this is something that’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

Thanks for the tip, Erin!

Speaking with Forbes, Freeman says that this most recent jailbreak has brought in “insanely more new traffic” for Cydia than the past jailbreak releases, including those for iOS 5. According to Freeman, The breakdown of these seven million iOS devices includes 5.15 million iPhones, 1.35 million iPads, and 400,000 iPod Touches.

Of course, the increase in jailbreak traffic could be due to the fact that there are more iOS devices out in the wild, but Freeman says that Evasi0n’s popularity also stems from the fact that it’s taken a lot longer for a jailbreak to come to iOS 6, further intriguing users to want to jailbreak more so than before.

Case in point: It took hackers 136 days to crack the iPhone 5, while it took just 98 days for the iPhone 4S, 38 days for the iPhone 4, and only 14 days for the iPhone 3GS. Freeman says that hunger for a jailbreak for many iPhone 5 users was intense. Sadly, though, this upward trend of a longer wait in between jailbreaks might keep increasing as Apple spends more time and effort to increase the security of their firmware.

[via Forbes]

Version 1.1 contains the latest round of fixes for issues users have been reporting, including issues with rebooting and the weather app. According to @planetbeing, users may have to clear their Web browser’s cache in order to see the update. Those who have already jailbroken their devices won’t need this release, and can instead find patches for the problem via Cydia.

In addition, in response to requests, traffic data on users downloading the jailbreak have been provided, which you can see in the image above. China comes in at the top with just under 3 million visitors (2,991,211), while the United States comes in second at 2,508,269. The numbers drop off quite significantly from there, with France coming in third at only 860,355.

The jailbreak can be downloaded from its official website evasi0n.com, where it is avaiable for Windows (XP and higher), OS X (10.6 and higher), and Linux. The entire process takes only a few minutes, and requires only a USB data cable. The jailbreak works on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch running iOS 6.0 to 6.1.

[via pod2g]

Developer pod2g posted up some traffic statistics of evasi0n.com, the website hosting the iOS 6 jailbreak, and the numbers are staggering. As of earlier today, the website has seen almost three million unique visitors, with page views exceeding 17.3 million. These figures don’t even include yesterday’s or today’s statistics, which we guarantee are even more staggering.

Of course, after jailbreaking, users pretty much had no where to go since Cydia was slowing down due to the surge of users downloading various tweaks. Many users would get errors in the app and weren’t able to browse or download tweaks. Jay Freeman, the man behind Cydia, says that he saw a peak of 14,000 hits per second, which is definitely unfathomable.

However, it’ll only be a matter of time before order comes to chaos, so if you’re still trying to get into the Cydia store, you’ll have to be patient. Of course, no one knows exactly when things will start to settle down, but we’re guessing that within the next few days when the initial rush dies down, you’ll be able to dive in finally.

There’s a few things you’ll need before you get started. You obviously should have done most of the pre-jailbreak work already, but if not, be sure to read our guide on how to prepare for the jailbreak. You’ll need a computer running at least Windows XP, OS X 10.5, or Linux x86/x86_64. Luckily, the jailbreak will work with both iOS 6.0 and iOS 6.1, so no need to upgrade to iOS 6.1 if you haven’t already.

You’ll also want to disable your passcode lock if you have one, as the dev team has warned that can interfere with the jailbreaking process. Once you’re ready, head on over the Evasi0n website to download the necessary files that you need. The website does a good job directing you to all the files that you need.

Make sure to be patient while the jailbreak process is running. The dev team says it should only take about five minutes, but they insist that you don’t open up iTunes or Xcode while the process is running. The best thing to do is to just not touch your computer at all until the end of the jailbreaking process.

Cult of Mac ended up stumbling upon an old MacRumors forum post that gives a step-by-step guide on how to jailbreak iOS 1.1.1 (back then it was called iPhone OS). In total, there are 74 steps, and each one is more daunting than the last. In short, the guide is chock full of confusing terminal commands, and the shuffling around of .dll files.

This original jailbreak guide comes from PlanetBeing, who is actually a part of the Evad3rs dev team working on the iOS 6.1 jailbreak that’s releasing tomorrow. We’ve certainly come a long way when it comes to jailbreaking, and even if today’s jailbreaking methods are still not for the faint of heart, we’re a lot better off than where we were over five years ago.

The most recent jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1 was fairly straightforward, only involving a few steps that mostly required jailbreakers to tap a few buttons. Even a couple of years ago, a version of JailbreakMe was literally a one-click process. Come tomorrow, we’ll see how easy it is to jailbreak the latest iOS 6.1. From the FAQs and the subtle hints from the dev team, it should be a fairly easy jailbreak for those who have the guts to go for it.

[via Cult of Mac]

First off, make sure your iOS device is compatible with the iOS 6.1 jailbreak before you go any further. By this point, you might already know, but if not, a majority of iOS devices will be compatible. The ones that won’t be supported are the iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, first- through third-generation iPod Touch, first-generation iPad, and the third-generation Apple TV.

If you’re still running iOS 5.1 and are jailbroken, it’s a good idea to make sure all of your Cydia tweaks are compatible with iOS 6.1 before you upgrade. Open up the Cydia app and start listing out the tweaks that you use, skimming through each tweak’s description to see if it’s compatible with iOS 6.1. Most of the time, the developer will mention some sort of warning if it’s not compatible.

Once you know which tweaks will and won’t work, decide at that point whether or not it’s worth it to upgrade, and be sure to keep in mind if iOS 6’s new features are also worth it. If any of the new features introduced in iOS 6 aren’t personally pleasing to you, it might be a good idea to just stick with iOS 5.1 anyway if you have an older iOS device.

If you’ve made it this far, then we’re assuming you’re ready to upgrade to iOS 6.1 and jailbreak your device. Go ahead and update through iTunes — DO NOT update OTA. One of the dev team members confirmed that the OTA iOS 6.1 update will have some issues with jailbreaking. Once you’re updated, you’ll then want to make sure you have an up-to-date backup using iCloud or iTunes. Not only will this backup save your butt when the jailbreak goes wrong, but it’ll also be useful when you need to restore apps and settings back to your device after you jailbreak. You’ll also want a backup of all your Cydia packages if you’re currently jailbroken, for which OpenBackup is perfect for this. Make sure you backup these Cydia tweaks before you upgrade to iOS 6.1, because you’ll lose your jailbreak once you update.

Once the iOS 6.1 jailbreak hits, you’ll then want to decide whether to do a clean jailbreak install, or jailbreak your device while keeping all your apps and settings intact. A fresh install will be quicker, and it’s a great way to start with a clean slate if you have a ton of clutter, but you can also use those backups to restore apps, settings, and Cydia tweaks. On the other hand, jailbreaking with your apps and settings intact takes longer, but you won’t need to restore any backups if everything goes smoothly. Be sure to decide which route you want to go before you start the process.

The Evad3rs dev team plans to release the iOS 6.1 untethered jailbreak sometime on Sunday. We’re not sure what time exactly the jailbreak will become available, but we’ll make an announcement when the time comes. You can head to the dev team’s website now and read through the FAQ and other notices they have posted. Hopefully, we’ll see the jailbreak earlier in the day before the Super Bowl, that way we can enjoy the game with our brand-new jailbroken devices, but we’ll simply have to wait and see. However, thanks to your preparations, you’ll be ready to go right away.

Per the official website, a Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux version of the jailbreak will be available. Mac OS X must be at least version 10.5, while Windows need to be at least XP. It will be compatible with all iPad/iPad mini, iPod Touch, and iPhone models that are running iOS 6.0 to iOS 6.1. The entire jailbreaking process is said to take about 5 minutes, and the only requirement – aside from the OS – is a USB data cable.

Once the GUI is completed, the next step will be moving the jailbreaking software into a private beta, where it will be tested for issues. This is the result of the collective evad3rs, which is composed of hackers known by the handles pod2g, pimskeks, planetbeing, and musclenerd. They have a Twitter account up now under @evad3rs.

Others who have worked on the project or otherwise have had involvement includes @chronicdevteam and @iphone_dev, which are thanked on the website for providing support, @Surenix who created designs for both evasi0n and evad3rs, and @phoenixdev for providing research. Little else is known at the moment. We’ll be keeping an eye on this and will let you know when it goes live.

[via iDownload Blog]

The EFF wanted to point out that the entire situation has both positives and negatives. First, it’s still completely legal to jailbreak and root your phone (but not tablets, mind you), and that law will stand through at least 2015. However, unlocking your phone yourself is illegal as everyone says it is, but the EFF note that carriers “probably aren’t going to start suing customers en masse, RIAA-style.”

The EFF says that carriers will be more likely to sue businesses that unlock and resell phones, rather than the individuals, and the charges are stiff: up to $2,500 per unlocked phone in a civil suit, and $500,000 or five years in prison in a criminal case when the unlocking is for “commercial advantage.”

Even for phones that are no longer under contract, it’s still illegal to unlock them, proving ever more that we’re really not free to do as we want with devices that we own. This law will stay put until late 2014, when the next round of creating and defending exemptions will start back up. It’s possible that we could see lawsuits form against the DMCA, but that’s something we’ll have to wait and see on.

For the jailbreak that’s out now, only older pre-A5 iOS devices are supported. This includes the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and the 4th-generation iPod Touch. To get jailbroken on iOS 6.1, you’ll need ISPW files of both iOS 6.1 and iOS 6, as well as a copy of Redsn0w, which works on OS X and Windows. From there it’s just a matter of importing the ISPW files and jailbreaking. Direct links to these downloads are available on Redmond Pie‘s website linked below.

After you’re jailbroken, you’ll have to be plugged in to your computer if you ever need to restart your iOS device. Redsn0w has a section in its app that allows you to quickly do this. However, keep in mind that an untethered jailbreak is ready, and it will likely be released on February 3, so we’d recommend waiting just a few days to get the complete package.

An untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 has actually been working for awhile, but since developers didn’t want Apple to quickly patch up the exploit in iOS 6.1, the devs waited until the iOS update was out, which is why we’re hearing about an iOS 6.1 jailbreak all of a sudden. Come Sunday, we’ll hopefully see a complete untethered jailbreak for all devices, something we haven’t seen iOS 5.1.

[via Redmond Pie]

While we didn’t hear much from Microsoft immediately after the jailbreak landed, today the company is telling The Register that it is “actively investigating” Jailbreak RT. What that means exactly is anyone’s guess but it isn’t hard to imagine that Microsoft is looking to fix the flaw that this hack takes advantage of. After all, it doesn’t necessarily take a genius to figure out that Microsoft would like as many users as possible buying apps from the Windows Store.

Jailbreak RT takes advantage of a hack that was published just a few days prior by someone by the name of C.L. Rokr. Though Microsoft didn’t pay much attention to the original hack, this new batch file seems to have caught the company’s eye. The Register suggests that’s because Netham45′s method makes it easier for less technically-inclined folks to jailbreak their tablet, which of course means more unauthorized apps running on its Surface devices.

On the other side of the coin, there is the possibility of this jailbreak tool potentially helping Surface sales. The homebrew community seems at least relatively big, and those who like tinkering with their devices might pay more attention to Surface RT now that a jailbreak tool has been delivered. Therefore, it might be a wise idea for Microsoft to just look the other way, especially since we’ve been hearing that Surface RT sales have been lagging.

We’ve seen plenty of DJ apps for the iPad in the past, but Pod2g claims that his app turns the iPad into “the most realistic virtual turntable you have ever seen,” allowing you to mix and scratch any track in your iTunes library. According to the description, PodDJ is the only app in the iTunes App Store “with which you can truly scratch on your iPad thanks to a brilliant touch to sound reactivity.”

PodDJ has been designed to provide you with an interface that’s both powerful and easy to use. The turntables and all the controls have been strategically placed so that your hands can navigate around each feature as quickly and easily as possible. PodDJ also claims to be the fastest scratching app in the App Store, boasting a sound output latency of just 5 milliseconds.

The app also offers zero latency cue points, so you’ll hear sound as soon as you hit the cue button, and it has zero latency key locks, which means that time shifting is applied at the source of the audio chain so you hear it instantly. Other features include transform buttons, BPM detection, turntable emulation, monitor output, and support for an external mixer. PodDJ will be available to download starting tomorrow. It will be priced at $5.99 during the first two days, and will go up to $7.99 until the end of January. After that, though, you’ll have to cough up $9.99.

A jailbroken Windows RT operating system would mean that unsigned ARM applications could be run on the Microsoft tablet. An unlocked tablet capable of running unsigned applications could usher in an entire Windows RT homebrew community and make the tablet more popular with hackers and developers. The new tool comes from XDA Developers user netham45.

The tool is a batch file that automates the jailbreak process that was originally discovered by a hacker going by the name clrokr. That particular user was able to change settings in the Windows RT kernel after discovering the correct values to open the types of apps that the operating system was allowed to run. This jailbreak tool is far from perfect though.

The main limiting factor for this tool is that the setting needs to be changed each time the computer is booted up. Apparently, the setting can’t be permanently altered on devices that are enabled with Secure Boot. The original hack from clrokr was reportedly highly technical limiting its usefulness to those with the expertise to execute it. However, the automated jailbreak tool from netham45 makes the process into something that the average user with a Surface RT tablet that feels like running unsigned software can take advantage of. It’s worth noting that there’s a high probability that Microsoft will patch the “flaw” that this tool takes advantage of.

[via TheNextWeb]

No one knows why the immensely-popular pirate app store shut down without warning, but Hackulous claims that “stagnant” forums and the difficulty in moderating them eventually led to the team quietly shutting it all down. However, we have to assume that there were other factors involved in the shutdown, since we have a hard time believing that the forums for such a popular service were “stagnant” by any means. If anything, the forums could’ve been booming, and moderators had a hard time keeping up with duties.

Unfortunately, for those who currently have Installous installed on their jailbroken iOS device will no longer be able to access the app at all — it immediately prompts you with a “Installous will now terminate” message, and simply goes back to the iOS home screen, deeming the app completely useless. It’s even been removed in the Cydia store, where it will still show up in search results, but will fail to install

SlashGear isn’t responsible for users jailbreaking their devices, and you do so at your own risk.

Jailbreakers will no doubt miss Hackulous, and the team’s one-stop shop for “cracked” or pirated apps and games on iOS was one of the main reasons that users jailbroke their iOS devices in the first place, but it looks like users will have to pony up that $0.99 for an app or game they would’ve gotten for free otherwise. Or they can resort to other sources, like Zuesmos and Kuaiyong, both of which don’t even require jailbreaking in the first place. But we’re guessing that it’ll be a long time before we see another pirate app store show up that will impact the iOS jailbreak community the way that Installous did.

Zeusmos and Kuaiyong are two alternatives to Installous, and both have been gaining significance since the exit of Installous. The former has been around for a few months now, while the latter has appeared almost from nowhere over the past couple of weeks. Both of these services offer simple, one-tap installs of pirated apps and don’t require that devices be jailbroken.

Obviously, this opens up the arena for more even more users to install cracked ups, instead of just the relatively small fraction of users with jailbroken devices, and it’s now easier than ever to pirate iOS apps. While Zeusmos is available for free on jailbroken devices, it charges a fee for non-jailbroken users. However, the creator of Zeusmos says that the service is intended to solely code sign applications, and he doesn’t encourage any form of piracy — it’s merely a way to “try before you buy”.

The Chinese service Kuaiyong also offers a similar service: allowing you to install apps for free from your device without paying for them. It seems the service offers enterprise-licensed apps, which allow them to be installed on multiple devices. Both Kuaiyong and Zeusmos are terribly easy to use, and it makes pirating apps that much easier. And while these services aren’t as popular as Installous, there are bound to be new services emerging that will get everyone’s attention sooner or later.

[via The Next Web]

Hackulous has been a big name in the jailbreak community for years, and jailbreakers will no doubt miss their company. The one-stop shop for “cracked” or pirated apps and games on iOS was one of the main reasons that users jailbroke their iOS devices, but it looks like users will have to pony up that $0.99 for an app or game they would’ve gotten for free from Installous.

While Hackulous blames the lack of participation in the forums, we find it hard to believe that there was little activity on there, especially given the notoriety of Hackulous in the piracy and jailbreak world. The Hackulous repository, which was home to Installous and AppSync, a tweak that allowed users to sync their cracked apps with iTunes, has been taken offline.

Sadly, users who currently have Installous installed on their jailbroken iOS device will no longer be able to access the app, which will immediately prompt you with a “Installous will now terminate” message, and will simply go back to the iOS homescreen. This is certainly a small victory against app piracy in general, but it’s very likely that other developers will pick up where Hackulous left off.

[via iDownload Blog]

The app switcher costs $1.99 in the Cydia store, which is actually a small price to pay for a huge upgrade to iOS’s default app switcher. Auxo provides webOS-esque cards in the app tray instead of just icons, and with a quick swipe downward, you can easily close out apps in an instant — a much quicker way than Apple’s built-in method.

The tweak also comes with an enhanced music player that gives you basic controls and even the ability to view album artwork. If you swipe further to the left, there are also toggles for various settings, like WiFi and Airplane Mode, as well as a slider to adjust brightness, which is a perfect setting for those not keen on the automatic adjustment.

We should clarify that the Auxo app switcher is for iOS 5.1 and up, not iOS 5.0.x. The tweak won’t work on iOS versions older than iOS 5.1. However, this shouldn’t be a huge problem for most users, since a lot you are probably running at least iOS 5.1 anyway, but it’s important we point that out before you end up paying two dollars for a tweak that won’t work for you.

Unlike Apple’s stock app switcher, Auxo shows you live previews of apps you have running, and you can use swipe gestures to close apps individually or multiple apps at once. The tweak also comes with an enhanced music player that gives you basic controls and even the ability to view album artwork. There are also toggles for various settings, like WiFi and Airplane Mode.

However, the tweak only works with iOS 6 devices currently, but the team behind Auxo have promised that a version for iOS 5 will be released next week. The tweak is also iPhone-only right now, but an iPad version is coming in early 2013, which will be particularly great for viewing the live app tiles on the iPad’s larger screen. We’re looking forward to seeing how that looks.

Sadly, we’re still waiting on an iOS 6 jailbreak that works on all compatible devices, let alone an untethered option, which is what most users are waiting for. So, Auxo probably won’t see a lot of action until an iOS 5 version becomes available, and we can only imagine what kind of attention the tweak wil get once it’s available on most iOS devices.

The person behind the tweak goes by the name of Sentry, and he originally posted about his idea on The Verge forums back in October, complete with sketch-ups and a even a computer-rendered mock-up video to show the tweak in action. And now, Sentry announced that it’s becoming a reality, and will be available to download “soon”. The video below comes from iDownloadBlog, and shows the app switcher in action for real.

Along with the webOS-like cards, the app switcher makes it easier to close apps. Instead of holding down the home button and tapping the small red X in the corner of icons, you simply just swipe down to close an app. Plus, if you scroll to the left, you’ll have access to music controls, and if you swipe even further to the left, you get toggle switches, as well as a brightness slider.

Sentry notes that Auxo will be available for iOS 6 devices only at the start, but says that an iOS 5 version will be on the way shortly after. There’s no word on whether or not the app switcher will cost a couple dollars or not, but we’re guessing that many users won’t have a problem giving their money away in return for an awesome app-switching alternative.

[via iDownloadBlog]

The two websites seem to be interlinked with each other, and OpenAnyPhone.com has a banner at the top for iPhoneJailbreakUnlock.org. Either way, both sites are charging a one-time fee of $28 to “jailbreak” your iOS 6 device. All you have to do is pay by credit card or even PayPal and you’ll be on your way…on your way to scamville.

Unlike OpenAnyPhone.com, iPhoneJailbreakUnlock.org says that they don’t support the iPhone 5, but all previous generations are eligible. The site notes that the hack will “jailbreak” your iPhone, as well as “unlock it. Plus, they claim that the process is “fully reversible” and the package comes with “lifetime updates.”

Obviously, steer clear from this one, and only follow the official dev teams for updates on jailbreaks. Many people learned that the hard way last week, when Dream JB, the man behind the iOS 6 untethered jailbreak with the same name, convinced thousands of people that it was real, and taught them a valuable lesson to only trust reputable and known developers.

For jailbreakers, there’s a simple tweak called “MapsOpener” that you can download from the Cydia store. It’s a free download, and once it’s installed, it’ll automatically route mapping information from other apps directly to Google Maps instead of Apple Maps. There’s no settings you have to change or anything like that — the tweak will just start working as advertised. However, it does have an issue where it won’t properly display an address from your contacts as well as Apple Maps does, but overall, the tweak is a must-have for jailbreakers looking to get away from Apple’s solution. The video below does a good job explaining how it works.

For non-jailbreakers, you aren’t completely left out of the equation. There are a couple of tweaks you can try out, and figure out which is more convenient or which one works the best for your needs. However, they don’t technically make Google Maps the default maps app on iOS, but these tweaks will integrate with Siri, making it easier to get directions on the fly.

The first non-jailbreak tweak involves simply adding “via transit” to your command in Siri (“Give me directions to the nearest Apple Store via transit.”) Siri will initially open Apple Maps, but will immediately switch to a list of “transport apps” where it will list Google Maps, and from there, you can click “route” and it will give you transit directions with Google Maps. From there, you can select car directions or walking directions from the top.

The second non-jailbreak tweak is an easy one, but it’s a little complicated to gather your head around, since it involves several workarounds. Essentially, you save a custom URL as a contact, and ask Siri to find it. When she does, she can launch it and that’ll bring up Google Maps with directions from your current location. It’s certainly not a perfect solution and it only works with addresses you already know, like your home or work address, but it can still be handy when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and need to find your way home.

Read our full review of Google Maps for iOS, and check out our side-by-side comparison between Apple Maps and Google Maps.

Dream says that the “entire series [of] events was planned from start to finish.” He initially mentioned a December 22 release date for the jailbreak, but released it early on the 12th because he claimed he didn’t want to wait any longer, and wanted to prove to the world that the supposed jailbreak was real. However, he actually planned to release it sooner than the 22nd all along, although he wasn’t sure what day exactly.

He says that he “would not have been able to keep the community’s attention” if he waited until the 22nd — the experiment was starting to “fall apart” and “professionals were starting to analyse everything.” Dream notes that it was then time to release the fake jailbreak on the 12th, as he felt that he “would make the most impact on [his] viewers and followers.”

Dream says that he created the social experiment “due to articles popping up on reputable jailbreak blogs and sources regarding a recent string of frauds and fakes. So many people are falling into fake jailbreak traps and getting scammed out of their money.” He says he wanted to teach a valuable lesson to users and hackers alike, that you should only follow the reputable dev team members for jailbreak updates, and that other fakers out there in the world should be warned.

“Is what I did controversial? Absolutely. But in order to make a splash in the scene you have to be drastic. As more and more followed me on Twitter, the word of my “jailbreak” started to spread around some non reputable news sources, and slowly started to trickle into more reputable news sources.”

He notes that his website received almost 700,000 unique visitors from the time his experiment started, to the time that he released the fake jailbreak. His Twitter account, which has since been deleted, got more than 20,000 followers in less than a week. Dream says that if he “can save even 10%” of those visitors and followers, he’s happy with what he did. It was a “harsh lesson for many right now, but it will be appreciated further on down the line.”

So when will a real untethered iOS 6 jailbreak arrive? According to reputable iOS hackers, don’t count on one. Stefan Esser (better known as i0n1c) says that an untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 isn’t coming anytime soon. Even if an iOS 6 untethered jailbreak was discovered, Esser believes that the hacker will hold the exploits until Apple releases the iOS 6.1 firmware update.

Dream ended up uploading a video of the jailbreak process earlier in the evening, and at the end, it shows the Cydia app on the homescreen, suggesting that the jailbreak was successful. However, a lot of other iOS hackers have noted that the video is, indeed, edited and fake. A keen eye spotted that the time on the device changes erratically throughout the video, suggesting that the video was spliced together. Watch the video below to see for yourself.

After the Rick-roll, Dream teaches us all a valuable lesson, and to only “follow the dev team members for true and meaningful updates in the JB world.” He also sends out a message to all of the other iOS jailbreak hoaxers and says, “Let this be a lesson to all current and future jailbreak fakers.” This probably won’t stop future fakers, but it definitely will make excited iOS 6 users slow down and think rationally about whether a jailbreak is real or not.

Dream says that the project was meant to be social experiment. He mentions that over 20,000 people followed him on Twitter in less than a week, and his website ended up getting over 300,000 unique visitors. He continually insists that anyone interested in jailbreak happenings should only follow the official dev team members, and he also says that the experiment was simply “exactly as it was named. Simply just a dream.”

However, what’s mysterious about this whole thing is that the jailbreak won’t come from the iPhone-Dev Team, which has been the go-to hacker team for iOS jailbreaks in the past. Instead, it comes from this new guy, Dream JB. While we’ve never heard of this guy before, it seems he’s legit from what we’ve seen — his website lists an FAQ and he also provides a support email address, as well as a Twitter account for public relations efforts.

For those who are extremely skeptical of this, Dream JB has promised that he’ll post up a video sometime tomorrow proving that the untethered iOS 6 jailbreak is real. Dream JB says that the video “will be a single-take shot of the entire jailbreak process, including a restart and usage of the device to prove it is untethered.”

Obviously, we’re still a little skeptical, of course, but we’re excited to see the video once it goes live tomorrow, and we’ll be sure to post it up here on SlashGear for you to watch as well. We’ve heard that this could be a trollish effort, since the world supposedly ends on the 21st, and the jailbreak would be posted on the 22nd as a joke of sorts, but we’re prone to believe that it’s slightly more legit than that. Stay tuned!

Google’s Search app has long been available on iOS, but they recently just added Voice Search, meaning that iOS users could take of advantage of Google Search in a Siri-like environment. However, users couldn’t make it their default voice search service, so holding down on the home button would still bring up Siri, while users would still have to open up the Google Search app to use that voice search option.

However, if your iOS device is jailbroken, you can install a tweak from Cydia called NowNow that completely replaces Siri with Google Voice Search. However, there are a couple of caveats. Google Voice Search doesn’t integrate with Apple’s built-in iOS app, so you won’t be able to set alarms, leave reminders, or call someone using Google’s option.

Then again, Google Voice Search has proven to be a lot faster than Siri at finding out stuff, so if speed is important to you, this little tweak may be just what you need. It’s absolutely free, so you have nothing to lose but a little bit of time. The tweak is available in the Cydia store via the BigBoss repository.

[via AppAdvice]

The only catch is that you need a developer account in order to run the tethered jailbreak for now, which is obviously not good news for regular users who are dying to jailbreak their devices. However, the good news is that with the accomplishment of a tethered jailbreak, an untethered jailbreak is just around the corner.

However, we’re not sure how long it will take to break out of the requirements of needing a developer account. However, a developer-only untethered jailbreak will at least open the door for an untethered jailbreaks for everyone at some point, so at least it’s something we can get excited about and know that it will eventually come.

Apple‘s iPhone 5 comes with the company’s new A6 dual-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz with 1GB of RAM. Of course, the new device has the larger 4-inch display with the Retina 1136×640 resolution at a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has an 8MP rear camera and 1.2MP front-facing camera. Check out our full review of the device if you haven’t yet gotten your hands on one yet.

[via Cult of Mac]

The Kindle Paperwhite has only been available for a few days now, and there’s already a jailbreak for it. Then again, it seems that hackers were able to break into it pretty easily from the looks of things. It turns out the exploit is similar to the hack that was initiated on the Kindle Touch, so half the battle was already complete.

Installation is quite easy as well. It only requires you to upload a certain file to the root directory of the Kindle Paperwhite and then restart the device. When it boots up again, your Paperwhite should be completely jailbroken. From here, you can do a lot of cool things that you normally wouldn’t be able to do, including displaying different information like the weather, or hooking it up to a Raspberry Pi for some extended fun.

Despite how easy this certain jailbreak works, we obviously want to warn you that jailbreaking anything is not for the faint of heart, so if you’re not sure you have the capabilities or even the guts to do such a thing, it’s probably best to just let it be. If you’re giving yourself the green light, just be aware that there’s always a chance of bricking your device no matter how experienced you are — things just happen in mysterious ways. Good luck!

[via Hack A Day]

Don’t get too excited though, because details are still painfully scarce. The jailbreak isn’t ready for prime time yet, and it seems that Paul merely wanted to tweet these images to claim the title of “first to jailbreak the iPhone 5.” If he actually did jailbreak the device, you can bet that Apple is pretty upset that he did it so quickly following the iPhone 5′s launch. After all, Apple already has a problem with people jailbreaking their iPhones, so the fact that one hacker managed to do it in such a short amount of time can’t be sitting too well with the company.

Some people are naturally expressing some skepticism that he’s truly jailbroken the iPhone 5, and to quell those suspicions, Paul posted more images of his iPhone 5 running Cydia. Jailbreaking an iPhone, as many of you already know, allows users to do any number of things, from running homebrew apps to unlocking additional functionality. Many use jailbreaking as a way to tether without having to pay extra, and with many carriers imposing additional fees for tethering these days, it’s an increasingly popular reason to jailbreak your device.

Of course, jailbreaking also allows users to install pirated apps, but the jailbreaking community will tell you that there’s much more to it than just free software. Though Paul has already jailbroken the device, it looks like other iPhone 5 users will be waiting a bit longer for the jailbreak to be made public, either by Paul himself or by someone else. Have a look at our timeline below for more recent news on the iPhone 5.

The coders behind the hack do recommend performing a full backup before hand, and then erasing everything from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch before jailbreaking. That makes the whole thing run quicker, they claim, plus it’s good advice just in case something goes wrong.

Currently, the iPad (1,1 – 2,1 – 2,2 – 2,3 – 3,1 – 3,2 – 3,3), iPhone (2,1 – 3,1 – 3,3 – 4,1) and iPod (3,1 – 4,1) are supported. If you have an iPad2,4 – i.e. the iPad 2 model using 32nm chips released earlier this year – you’ll have to wait a while, as that’s coming later on.

Once you’ve backed-up, wiped and then plugged in via USB, you can run Absinthe 2.0 and simply wait for it to do its magic. A restore-from-backup brings all your content and apps back home. It’s available for OS X 10.5/10.6/10.7 and Windows XP/Vista/7, as well as Linux x86/x86_64 from here.