Here's how you can jailbreak your iPhone using an Android device

Iphone Andoird Jailbread
Iphone Andoird Jailbread (Image credit: Cult of Mac)

What you need to know

  • Checkra1n is the newest jailbreaking tool for iOS.
  • It's an update to the Checkm8 bootrom exploit and works on iOS 12.3 onwards.
  • You can now use an Android device as the tether when you jailbreak.

The latest jailbreaking tool for iPhone, Checkra1n, allows users to jailbreak an iOS device using Android.

As reported by Cult of Mac:

Checkra1n, the newest jailbreaking tool for iPhone, has some big advantages of its predecessors. It's the first that can successfully crack iOS 13. It works across system updates. And it's the first that allows you to jailbreak your iPhone using an Android device.Still in beta for now, but very much a working tool, Checkra1n supports a whole host of iPhone and iPad models, and can jailbreak iOS 12.3 and up. It's based on the Checkm8 bootrom exploit that has been used in previous cracking tools, and it brings some nice improvements.The downside to Checkra1n is that it's a tethered jailbreak. That means every time you reboot your iOS device, you must run Checkra1n to jailbreak it again. Now that the tool works on Android, however, it's easier than ever to do that on the go.

Now, it's obviously important to remember that jailbreaking comes with all of the usual risks, so if you're thinking of trying this you should definitely make sure you know what you're doing.

As the report notes, to jailbreak an iPhone using Checkra1n, you just download the tool, put your iPhone/iPad into DFU mode, and let Checkra1n do the rest. It's available on macOS (Windows support is on the way), and more importantly, Linux, which means it can now be tweaked to run on Android:

Using Checkra1n on an Android device is a rather lengthy, but not extremely complicated process. Full instructions on how to do it, and details on the setup you'll need, can be found on Reddit. Is it worth the effort? It is if you need to jailbreak anywhere.

As the report notes, using an Android device means you can jailbreak on the go without a Macbook or a desktop Mac tying you down.

If you want to check it out, here is a Reddit link to a quick video, a list of prerequisites and a tutorial for jailbreaking your iPhone using Android.

*Jailbreaking should not be undertaken lightly. You risk losing out on future iOS updates, voiding your phone's warranty, reducing your phone's security and flat-out bricking your device(s). *

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9