Pangu finally released their new jailbreak tool for iOS 9.2 – iOS 9.3.3 last week, but the way the new jailbreak works has left many users confused. We’ve been trying to answer as many questions as we can from our readers to clear up the confusion.
In this article, we will go through most of the important questions related to iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak in the hopes that it will clear any confusion remaining.
What is Jailbreaking?
Jailbreaking is the process of removing restrictions imposed by iOS. Hackers achieve it by using vulnerabilities or exploits in Apple’s mobile operating system. It provides root access to the iOS file system and manager, so you can run software that has not been approved by Apple. It allows users to install jailbreak apps, tweaks and themes from Cydia, a third-party alternative to the App Store, to customize the look and feel of their device and also enhance the functionality.
Is Jailbreaking legal?
Jailbreaking is legal. In October last year, the U.S. Library of Congress has granted Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemptions for jailbreaking smartphones like iPhone, tablets, smart TVs, and other all-purpose computing devices. This gives users who like to tinker the ability to modify their software without breaching copyright law.
Can I Jailbreak iOS 9.2 – iOS 9.3.3?
Pangu has released a new jailbreak tool for iOS 9.2 – iOS 9.3.3. This means that you can jailbreak iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch running on iOS 9.2, iOS 9.2.1, iOS 9.3, iOS 9.3.1, iOS 9.3.2 & iOS 9.3.3.
The jailbreak works only with 64-bit devices including:
- iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone SE
- iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad Pro
- iPod Touch 6G
What iOS firmwares does the new jailbreak support?
The new Pangu jailbreak supports the following iOS firmwares:
- iOS 9.2,
- iOS 9.2.1
- iOS 9.3
- iOS 9.3.1
- iOS 9.3.2
- iOS 9.3.3
If your device is running on an older firmware, you can check our downloads page to see if there’s a jailbreak available for the firmware.
What devices does the jailbreak support?
The iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak by Pangu works with 64-bit devices only including:
- iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone SE
- iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad Pro
- iPod Touch 6G
Pangu has confirmed that they have no plans to release a jailbreak for 32-bit devices such as:
- iPhone 5c, iPhone 5 and older models
- iPod touch 5G and older models
- iPad mini, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4
Does the iOS 9.3.3 Jailbreak work on iPad Pro and iPod Touch 6G?
The jailbreak was recently updated to version 1.1 to bring support for iPad Pro and iPod Touch 6G. If you own any of these devices, you can go ahead and download the latest version of Pangu and jailbreak it.
Is the Jailbreak Untethered?
Unlike past jailbreak tools, the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak is semi-untethered, which requires users to use the jailbreak app on their device to re-jailbreak every time it reboots.
With the semi-untethered jailbreak, when your device reboots, the jailbreak will be disabled but Cydia and all installed tweaks will remain on your device, but will not work. To re-jailbreak and use tweaks again, you will have to use the Pangu jailbreak app on your device.
Will an Untethered Jailbreak for iOS 9.3.3 Get Released?
There’s been speculations that Pangu may release an untethered jailbreak for iOS 9.3.3 soon. Unfortunately, the team has confirmed that they have no plans to release an untethered jailbreak. This means that you now have the choice to either update to iOS 9.3.3 and use the semi-untethered jailbreak or remain on stock iOS.
What are the advantages of Jailbreaking iOS 9.2 – iOS 9.3.3?
There are several reasons why jailbreaking is popular. Here’s a list of just some of cool things you can do after jailbreaking your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch:
- Install themes to customize the look and feel of your device.
- Change the duration of system-wide animations
- Customize the Control Center
- Enhance the Lock screen
- Add features to stock apps like Messages, Safari etc.
- Set Default Apps
- Lock folder or an app with Touch ID
- Get a full-fledged file manager
- Change System font
- Add cool animations
- Enable features that are not available on older devices like 3D Touch, Always-on Siri
- Give the dock a cool coverflow effect
If that is not enough, then you should check out Activator, a must-have jailbreak tweak for power users. It allows you to invoke actions using shortcuts from anywhere in the iOS. You would be surprised by the number of shortcuts you can use such as double tap on the status bar, triple tap the Home button, double press the sleep button to trigger stock actions or launch an app or go to the Settings toggle. It offers almost limitless shortcuts to make it easier to use your iOS device.
You can check the top 15 reasons to jailbreak iPhone, iPad and iPod touch post for more details.
Can I use Mac or Linux to Jailbreak iOS 9.3.3?
The Chinese Pangu jailbreak depends on 25PP software which supports Windows only. However, the new English jailbreak uses Cydia Impactor tool which works with Mac, Windows and Linux. Therefore, if you are a Mac, Windows or Linux user, then you can use the English tool to jailbreak iOS 9.3.3.
How to Jailbreak iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on iOS 9.2 – iOS 9.3.3?
You can use the Pangu iOS 9.3.3 Jailbreak and Cydia Impactor to jailbreak iOS 9.2, iOS 9.2.1, iOS 9.3, iOS 9.3.1, iOS 9.3.2 & iOS 9.3.3. It is available for Mac, Windows and Linux, so you will need a computer to jailbreak your device.
If you want to jailbreak, you can read our comprehensive guide on how to jailbreak iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch on iOS 9.2 – iOS 9.3.3 on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Can I use the Safari-based tool to jailbreak?
Not long after Pangu released a jailbreak for iOS 9.3.3, famed developers iMokhles and Ahmed ALNeaimy created a convenient browser-based version of Pangu’s jailbreak that enabled users to install the jailbreak app directly from their device without the need to connect to a computer.
Unfortunately, Apple has revoked the certificate used to install the PP/Pangu Jailbreak app from Safari. If you attempt to jailbreak with the Safari-based tool, you’ll be greeted with an error that says “‘PPJailbreak’ could not be installed at this time.”
There may be other Safari-based tools out there but we’d recommend you to use the official English or Chinese jailbreak from Pangu, which is more reliable and safer.
Can I remove the jailbreak from my device?
Yes, it is very easy to remove the jailbreak. All you need to do is to restore your device using iTunes, and then restore your personal data from the backup using iTunes or iCloud.
Read how to remove Pangu iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak safely from your jailbroken iPhone, iPad or iPod touch for more details.
How can I remove the PP app store?
The 25PP app store usually comes with Chinese jailbreak tools and promotes app piracy. Such apps could contain malwares that would put the confidential information on your device at risk.
If the app is installed on your device, you can easily delete and remove it. To find out how, read our post on how to remove PP app store from your jailbroken iOS 9.3.3 device.
Is the English Pangu Jailbreak better than the Chinese tool?
Both the English and Chinese jailbreaks have been released officially by Pangu and they both jailbreak your device in the same way, except that the English tool depends on Cydia Impactor and the Chinese one depends on 25PP.
If you don’t understand Chinese, it’s better to use the English tool so that you will know what the errors are saying.
Why do I need to provide my Apple ID for jailbreaking?
The Pangu jailbreak for iOS 9.2 – iOS 9.3.3 depends on sideloading the jailbreak app onto your device. To install and execute this app on your device, it first has to be signed with a valid Apple developer certificate. By providing a valid Apple ID, a free certificate is created and installed on your device so that you can launch the jailbreak app.
Rather than using your real Apple ID, we would recommend that you create a new Apple ID for the purpose of this jailbreak to stay on the safe side.
Will the jailbreak expire?
The PP/Pangu jailbreak app installed on your device is signed with a certificate. This certificate could either be a free certificate, a developer certificate or a developer enterprise certificate. With the free one, the certificate is valid up to seven days from the time it was installed. With the developer or developer enterprise certificate, it is valid up to 1 year.
After the certificate expires, you will have to renew it to be able to use the Pangu jailbreak app.
Will tweaks get removed after the jailbreak certificate expires?
Cydia and tweaks will remain on your device after the certificate expires. Also keep in mind that your jailbreak will not be disabled if the certificate expires. Only the jailbreak app will stop working, which is required for re-jailbreaking your device after it reboots.
What happens after the jailbreak certificate expires?
After the certificate expires, Cydia, installed tweaks and jailbreak will remain on your device. Only the jailbreak app will stop working, which is required for re-jailbreaking your device after it reboots.
If you want to renew the certificate, you will have to use your computer to install the jailbreak app onto your device again.
How do I renew the jailbreak app certificate?
Renewing your jailbreak certificate is simple and straightforward. All you have to do is to use your computer to install the jailbreak app onto your device again. After you do so, the certificate will be renewed to 7 days or 1 year depending on whether you are using the free, developer or developer enterprise certificate.
How can I replace the Chinese jailbreak app with the English one?
If you have installed the Chinese jailbreak app onto your device, you can easily replace it with the English one. All you have to do is to use Cydia Impactor and English Pangu jailbreak to install the English app onto your device. You can read our detailed guide on how to use the English Pangu jailbreak to install the app on your device.
Why is Location Services not working after jailbreaking iOS 9.3.3?
Some users have reported that Location Services has stopped working after jailbreaking iOS 9.3.3. If you’re facing the same issue, we have a couple of solution that will help you fix Location Services and get it back to work.
Pokemon Go is crashing after iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak. How can I fix it?
Apparently, the developers at Niantic/Nintendo have placed a jailbreak detection code within the game that is capable of determining whether a device is jailbroken or not. Due to this, Pokemon Go crashes on devices that are jailbroken.
Luckily, there is a tweak in Cydia called ‘Masterball’ that fixes the crash issue. You can read our post on how to install this tweak on your jailbroken device.
How can I fix “failed in buffer_write(fd) (8, ret=-1)” Cydia error?
When Pangu released the iOS 9.3.3 jailbreak, may users were getting a “failed in buffer_write(fd) (8, ret=-1)” error in Cydia that prevented packages from being installed. The reason for this error is that Cydia is using the system partition to install the tweaks on but since the storage is limited and not enough, the installation gets terminated with the aforementioned error.
To fix this problem, you’ll have to update Cydia Substrate to version 0.9.6200 or higher.
Which jailbreak tweaks are compatible with iOS 9.3.3?
Cydia developers are hard at work to update their tweaks for iOS 9.3.3. There are some tweaks that have already received an update for the latest firmware. To find out which tweaks are compatible, you can take a look at our list of jailbreak tweaks compatible with iOS 9.3.3.
Why can’t I buy tweaks from Cydia?
The reason behind this restriction is that the jailbreak is not yet stable, so purchases have been disabled to protect you from buying packages that aren’t compatible with iOS 9.3.3. As soon as the tool is made stable, Saurik will enable purchases on Cydia again.
Can I Unlock iPhone After Jailbreaking?
A long time back you could unlock your iPhone using a software-based method. It was as simple as installing a tweak called Ultrasn0w developed by the iPhone Dev team to unlock your iPhone so it could be used with any carrier. However, it is not possible to unlock iPhones using Ultrasn0w since the fourth generation iPhone. There also hasn’t been any news or development on the software based unlocking method since Ultrasn0w 1.2.5 was released to unlock iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS running iOS 5.0.1 with older basebands, which was back in late 2011.
Ask iPhoneHacks
We hope we’ve answered all the questions you may have about jailbreaking. If you’ve any other questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments below, and we will be happy to answer them.
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