Do you have an iPhone? Have you ever wondered if it is Jailbroken? Wondering what that even means? If so, this article is for you!
You might not know how to tell if your iPhone has been Jailbroken or why someone would want to do such a thing. But don’t worry!
I’ll walk you through the process of checking and explain everything in simple terms.
It’s important to understand that there are both good and bad reasons for Jailbreaking your iPhone. Some people choose to do it because they want more control over their device, while others may use it as a way of installing third-party apps not in the Apple Store.
In some cases, it could point to your phone being hacked as most spy apps require Jailbreaking.
First things first. How will I know if my phone has already been Jailbroken?
Well, some pretty obvious signs can help point us in the right direction and once we’ve identified them, we’ll move on to some apps that can help you find out if the phone has a Jailbreak.
Let’s take a look at some of these potential warning signs shall we…?
Signs That Your iPhone is Jailbroken
There are several signs that you can watch out for to check if your iPhone is Jailbroken. Let’s take a look at what these are so that you can get a better idea about checking your iPhone for them.
Cydia or Sileo Apps
Apps like Cydia or Sileo are often downloaded on your phone in case it is Jailbroken. These apps provide support to Jailbroken devices by functioning as unofficial app stores for your iPhones.
If you notice that these apps are present on your phone, you can take this as an indicator that your iPhone has been Jailbroken.
However, these apps can be hidden to disguise the fact that your iPhone has been jailbroken. To make sure, you can search for these apps through the app search option.
If either of these apps shows up through this search, you can figure out how to proceed.
Uncommon Apps – Not From the Apple Store
There might be several other apps on your iPhone that you might not have seen before or are not generally supported by Apple.
If you do not remember downloading them on your own, then these can be a sure sign of the fact that your iPhone is Jailbroken.
It might be a good idea to check then look up the app and figure out what exactly it is used for. Several of these apps might either be tracking apps that are monitoring your activity or they might be designed to maintain the Jailbreak on your iPhone.
You can either find them on your home screen or through a list of your apps in your settings.
Security Scanners for iOS
Another way to tell if your iPhone has a Jailbreak is by downloading a scanning app that can scan your phone and identify apps that are harmful or figure out whether or not your iPhone or Apple device has been Jailbroken.
Several of these scanning apps will be able to provide a clear answer for you, after that, you can take the next few steps to remove the Jailbreak from your phone so that you can go back to the original iPhone settings and features. Check out this one from Incognito.
Keep in mind that many of these scanning apps might require a paid account. However, it can help you figure out the issue once and for all, after which you can choose to cancel your subscription.
Jailbreak Detection Apps
Whilst there are a few Jailbreak detector apps in the Apple Store they might not be the best way to go. Apple has removed several of these without warning.
The main issue is that these apps have been targeted by the Jailbreaking community. They are constantly providing tweaks to get around the inbuilt Jailbreak detection. Many apps in the App Store already have inbuilt Jailbreak detection – see this list for example.
Risks of a Jailbroken iPhone
Apple itself has tried to restrict jailbreaking on its iPhones since this practice allows people to make use of apps, software, and features that are not part of Apple’s own system. Despite this, there continue to be ways to Jailbreak iPhones.
There are four main ways Jailbreaking puts your device at risk:
- Risk of Viruses
- Malware infection
- Security issues
- Performance problems
You should be especially careful about viruses because they could lead to identity theft or even financial loss.
If you want to keep your iPhone safe, then it’s important to understand these risks and how they can affect your iOS device. That way, if something goes wrong or you notice any suspicious activity on your phone, you can take action right away!
Jailbreaking can allow someone to install unofficial or third-party apps on the iPhone.
In a more damaging way, it can also open up your iPhone to tracking, spying, and hacking, which can disclose your personal and confidential data to hackers, leading to minor or major issues of privacy. See my article about spying on iPhones for examples of how this can happen.
How to Restore Original Settings
If you find that your iPhone is Jailbroken without your knowledge or consent, it is still possible to restore it to its original settings. One way to do this is by simply updating the software operating system (iOS) to get rid of the Jailbreak.
Another way is to Factory reset your iPhone. Make sure you back your data up before resetting the device. Once you do this, you can go to your General Settings and click on ‘Reset’.
For older devices, you might need to connect your iPhone to iTunes on a laptop or computer and click on ‘Restore iPhone’ to get rid of the Jailbreak and erase all the saved data on your phone.
If you think you might have been the victim of spy apps I have a couple of security guides for you: How to detect spyware on an iPhone and then learn how to remove spyware from your iPhone. This will definitely help!
Final Thoughts
If you want to know whether your iPhone is Jailbroken the first thing is to take a look at the signs mentioned above.
How is your iPhone behaving? Do you have any unfamiliar apps on it or do they seem out of place?
I also covered how you can download an app that will scan for Jailbreak tweaks and see if there are any installed. Then I covered some of the risks Jailbreaking can present and how to fix them.
I think that just about covers it – thanks for reading and good luck.
