On Monday, ours and many other news sites wrote about how a new exploit had been discovered in iOS 10.1.1 and how the Italian hacker/security researcher Luca Todesco promised to develop a working solution. Now it seems that unless you’ve taken steps to downgrade from 10.2 or protected your device is other ways, Apple has rocked the boat by no longer signing 10.1.1, which means an iOS 10 jailbreak could be further away than we thought.
How does this prevent an iOS 10 Jailbreak?
Because Apple has chosen to act so quickly to plug the gaps in its firmware’s security, the most up-to-date release, iOS 10.2, is the only firmware it’s signing. This means that 10.2 is the only version of the software which can be installed on devices. So if you didn’t find the time to downgrade from 10.2, you can’t, and if you’re on 10, your only option now is to upgrade to 10.2, which is far from ideal.
Apple on the move
This move by Apple is nothing new, but it has come as a surprise to many. Given that 10.1.1 is not much more than one month old, the problem for Apple is protecting those who don’t jailbreak. That is its priority; it sees those who do as somehow operating outside of its law.
What this also means is that if you’re using the old iOS 9.3.3 solution, you’re going to be stuck for longer because your only option for upgrading is to the version of iOS that is being signed. This isn’t great news, but you’ve been patient this long, so we’re sure a few more weeks/months won’t hurt.
Still being worked on
So where does this leave Luca Todesco and an iOS 10 jailbreak? The answer is simple; if you, as an iOS user, managed to downgrade or just didn’t upgrade in the first place, he can still release a solution for your version of the software. It would feel like being trapped, like those still using the PanGu solution released over the summer, but it would be a jailbreak which would give you access to Cydia, so maybe it’s worth it.
Having paid his Twitter a visit, there’s no mention of Apple halting the signing of iOS 10.1.1 within the first dozen tweets. Instead, there seems to be a lot of activity surrounding his working on an iOS 10 jailbreak. It does not seem as if Apple has fazed him or his followers, with the talk still centered around 10.1/10.1.1. This only goes to show that with coding talent and some perseverance, there’s a possibility that something still may happen. So don’t hang your head in despondency or raise your fist and shake it at Apple; there may still be hope.
Were you waiting for Todesco to deliver on his jailbreak promise, or had you already written his promises off as hot air?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
