So this morning's Apple Music discussion got me thinking about how while I like my iPhone I despise how little control I actually have over it. Personally I've considered switching to Android in the past (I'm typing this on their Nexus 7 tablet right now) but I started with iPhones and the only complaint I've ever really had is the stranglehold they have on what you're allowed to do on your own damn $700 magicbox. I jailbroke my last iPhone and I enjoyed the innovative apps and customization but things weren't always peachy. It became glitchy at times and unpredictable. Luckily I never bricked it but the threat was real.
Anyways the music thread got me thinking. I've got the Google Play Music app on my iPhone but what if Apple bans it in the future (wouldn't surprise me) and force my hand? I can't have that.
So Hubskiers I'm curious if any of you have jailbroken your iPhone with the latest Cydia. Would you recommend it?
I'm in the opposite boat. I have an Android phone and an iPad. Honestly, I can't imagine using iOS for a phone. The notification system is completely broken, the lack of widgets or any useful way of getting to your data (which is what I need in a phone), is just weird and counterproductive. That being said, as an entertainment device (Netflix, Civilization, other video games, music, etc), makes a lot more sense, and the resources are used much more efficiently on iOS due to the restriction on background apps (freezing the app most of the time, but not always) and games can be done better on iOS due to the pixel perfect resolutions and development. I only really do one thing at a time on my iPad, but when I do multiple things, the ability to multitask is "good enough" for entertainment. Personally, I jailbroke my iPad because AdBlocking is a requirement for any device I own. The least intrusive visual ad service (Google Text Ads) even tracks your internet usage to extremes, and they have been hacked to be serving malware multiple times. I might find ads annoying, but the privacy invasion of tracking what you are doing through Facebook Like buttons or Google Plus buttons or ads is too great for me, and the usage of a centralized system that is on nearly every website that could be used to serve malware is just unacceptable to me. That being said, the additional 4x4 folders was useful as well, but I haven't dug through Cydia enough to know much about what else is available.
What's a good ad blocking solution for a jailbroken iOS device?
Yeah. You're absolutely right about iOS' flaws as a, you know, telephone. It's funny how I've never even thought of it that way. I honestly use it more for entertainment than actual communication just like you said. I probably use 5% of my phone for actual texts and calls. But I'd go insane with boredom at work without my mobile Hubski (plug!) or music. Entertainment. One example off the top of my head are the speakers\headphone jack. iPhones play music SO much better than any Android I've tested. I get what you're saying about multitasking though. Thanks for the thoughtful reply!
Jailbreaking means unlocking the iPhone so you can download whatever you want onto it. Cydia is very good for that. To use the iPhone with another cellphone provider (for instance, I wanted to use my T-Mobile prepaid sim), you need to both a jailbreak and a carrier unlock. I'm going to talk about needing to do both. I've done it several times, and each time I found it to be a long, complicated process. There isn't just one magic program that'll do it for you. Instead, you have to get your phone's serial number, other metadata, do google searches, figure out firmware, which version to downgrade from, which to upgrade to, and each individual case could require its own process, specially tailored. Google "redsnow" to start the process of figuring out what's involved. And then every so often you'll find a phone that simply can't be unlocked. Only encountered that once. So, if you're fairly good with tech, computers, figuring stuff out, troubleshooting, it's very worth it. However, last time I did this was a year ago, so maybe things have changed.
I jailbroke my iPod touch last week (finally, I was waiting for a jailbreak for iOS 8.1.3-8.4 for quite some time) and I'm very happy with it. It just gives you access to a bunch of small things, but those add up to a real improvement. I also have a rooted android phone. You have to be considerate about what you install, some tweaks that affect the same areas might result in conflicts, but other than that I don't think the risk is too big. If something causes glitches, just uninstall it. If you're not happy with the jailbreak altogether, just restore firmware. Though I'm a person who has always rooted/flashed/unlocked his devices, partly for fun, partly for ownership like you mentioned, so don't take my word for it.
I used to root my Android phones, but since I switched to iPhone, I've not really cared. No jailbreak for me. Everything's fine as is for me.
If apple bans the app, you can still use it and even redownload it if you have before. Generally they just remove it from the app store, but even on phones that don't have the app, you can just log in with someone's account who has downloaded it and it will be under their 'purchased'. That being said, just do a little research about jailbreaking because it's worth it. It took me a few days to get myself fully familiarized with it but I ended up having so much control over my phone that I just couldn't go back.
Cool. I've been researching it since it came out. Just nervous to take the plunge without hearing a testimonial from an eyewitness like you. Thanks.