This post is part of a 4 part series that overviews jailbreaking, addresses common misconceptions about the process, discusses its pros and cons, and describes how perform a jailbreak on iOS 6 on your iPhone, iPad (Mini), or iPod Touch. 

This post, part 3 of a 4 part series on jailbreaking iOS devices, will discuss some of the major benefits and some drawbacks to the process. If you missed them, check out Lesson 1: An Overview of Jailbreaking and Lesson 2: Common Misconceptions about Jailbreaking. Also check out Lesson 4: How to Perform a Jailbreak.

Pros of Jailbreaking

The benefits of jailbreaking an iOS device are numerous.

1. Many jailbreak modifications customize and simplify how a user interacts with their device. Some jailbreak modifications let the user use swipe gestures to navigate, place settings toggles in the notification center or multitasking tray, or create shortcuts to commonly used apps or system functions. These tweaks have the potential to redefine how a user relates with their device on a basic level and make iOS more customizable and intuitive. Notice the app switcher in the picture at left. This tweak is called Auxo. It features full-screen previews of running apps in the app switcher, allows the user to close an app with a simple swipe down, offers expanded music controls, and integrates settings toggles into the switcher tray.

2. Some jailbreak modifications actually extend the functionality of iOS.  Such tweaks allow the user to set snoozes on received notifications or re-add them to the device’s lock screen, utilize their device as an Airplay receiver, or allow them to select a different default application for viewing email or navigating with maps. The tweak pictured at left is called MiniPlayer and brings iTunes’ MiniPlayer view to iOS.

3. Jailbreaking has the potential to lengthen the life of an iOS device.  As well as making the user experience more intuitive, many jailbreak packages have the potential to save a device from physical wear and tear. Packages like Activator and Zephyr that allow the user to navigate using swipes and other gestures significantly reduce the number of times a user has to push the device’s physical buttons. These physical buttons are often what break on an iDevice with normal usage. Pushing them less often will extend their life.

4. Jailbreaking allows the user to customize the look of their device by installing themes, making their device unique in a sea of identical iOS devices. Many quality themes exist on the Cydia store, allowing the user to customize the look of their device and make it their own. The theme pictured at left is called Aplo and was created by a designer named Sentry.

5. Perhaps most importantly, it’s fun.  It’s fun to see new ideas that are generated by developers and then made reality. It’s fun to be able to do something with your device that you were never able to do before. Jailbreaking puts the user on the cutting edge of new ideas. Many of the new features that will be released with iOS 7 this fall have existed in the jailbreak community for a long time (true app multitasking, toggles, swipe gestures, accessing settings from the lock screen, and extended notification center functionality, to name a few). As a jailbreaker, it’s possible to experience and use many of these features before they’re released on a new version of iOS. Thus, it could be argued that this makes those who jailbreak their iOS devices true early adopters.

Cons of Jailbreaking

1. Jailbreaking often prevents users from upgrading to the most recent version of iOS.  Because a public jailbreak takes time to develop, it’s often months after a new major version of iOS comes out that a jailbreak solution is released. For example, with the upcoming release of iOS 7 likely in September 2013, it is probable that an untethered jailbreak will not be ready until sometime around February 2014. That means that users running a jailbroken version of iOS 6 will have to decide whether to upgrade to iOS 7 when it comes out in September and lose their device’s jailbroken state for several months, or continue running iOS 6 until a jailbreak tool is released.

2. Jailbreaking could void your device’s warranty.  Apple is not black and white about this issue, but if a user brings their device to the Apple Store for repair and it is visibly obvious that the device’s software has been modified, the Apple employee may void the device’s warranty and refuse to repair the device. Fortunately, the odds that a broken or damaged device would be in such a state that the jailbreak could not be eliminated by restoring the device to factory settings prior to taking it in for service are pretty slim.

3. If a user doesn’t know what they’re doing, jailbreaking could make a device less stable, more difficult to use, or lead to reduced battery life.  Jailbreaking is a relatively simple process and most people with moderate skills in using computer software should be able to navigate the Cydia Store and install, uninstall, use, and configure packages. That said, it could be possible for a user with limited knowledge to put themselves into a tight spot by installing packages that conflict, installing an unstable package, or configuring a package incorrectly which could lead to a reduction in device performance. A good test to see if managing a jailbroken device is a good option for you is to think about your skills using a Mac or PC computer. If you feel comfortable configuring system settings, installing and uninstalling applications, and managing a file system on a computer, learning to use a jailbroken device should be pretty easy for you. If, however, you struggle with things like locating a file and opening it, downloading and installing applications from the Internet, or if you try to avoid having to use System Preferences or Control Panel on your Mac or PC, you may have a difficult time with some aspects of using a jailbroken device.

I hope that the first three lessons in this series have helped you determine if jailbreaking your iOS device is a good option for you. If so, be sure to check out Lesson 4, coming soon, where we will overview how to perform a jailbreak on iOS 6.0-6.1.2 using the Evasi0n jailbreak tool.