The iOS jailbreak community hasn’t yet tasted great success with the iOS 10. Of course, there has been a tool like Yalu102, but it had many limitations. Chinese hacker group Team Pangu hasn’t released an iOS jailbreak since Pangu9. Now a new report claims that Pangu could release a jailbreak tool for iOS 10.3 – iOS 10.3.1 as early as next week.
Team Pangu demonstrates iOS 10.3.1 jailbreak on iPhone 7
One of the members of Team Pangu recently demoed the 10.3.1 jailbreak on the iPhone 7 at a tech conference in Shanghai. The demonstration has fueled speculations that Pangu could be planning to release the iOS 10.3.1 jailbreak to the public in a few days. At this point, there is no jailbreak for iOS 10.3 -10.3.1 available to the public, though things may take a dramatic turn in a few days.
https://twitter.com/qwerty860320/status/856799784601923584
An image of the conference posted on Chinese microblogging site Weibo shows a member of Team Pangu presenting a 10.3.1 vulnerability. You can also see the Pangu app running on an iPhone 7 with “Jailbreaking…” written in the center of the screen. The title says “iPhone 7 iOS 10.3.1” indicating that the Pangu app is jailbreaking the flagship iPhone running the latest iOS firmware.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-JQfujxFqo
The tool works with all 64-bit devices
The Weibo post further states that the tool could be released “within a week.” If it turns out to be true, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus owners will finally be able to liberate their handsets. The jailbreak will reportedly be compatible with all 64-bit devices, not just the iPhone 7. It means the tool would work with almost all the iPhones and iPads running iOS 10 out of the box.
https://twitter.com/qwerty860320/status/856806397870129156
Will Pangu release it to the public?
While the idea of a 10.3.1 jailbreak sounds interesting, you should take the report with a bit of skepticism. Pangu hasn’t released a major public tool since the Pangu9. It’s quite possible that the vulnerability demonstrated at the Shanghai conference was merely a security research project, and Pangu may not intend to release it to the public.
Until Team Pangu officially comments on it, you would want to stay on the 10.3 or 10.3.1 instead of updating to newer iOS releases in the coming days. With consistent security patches, Apple has made it increasingly difficult for the jailbreak community to liberate the iOS devices. The last major jailbreak tool was for the iOS 9.2 – 9.3.3 in July last year.
Sure, Italian hacker Luca Todesco released the Yalu102 tool to jailbreak the iOS 10.2 in January. But it had multiple limitations, including the fact that it didn’t work with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Also, Yalu102 was a semi-untethered tool, meaning it required people to re-sign the app every seven days, which was frustrating. Apple has since patched the vulnerability exploited by Yalu102.
The iOS 10.3 introduced major new features and security fixes. It includes a new Apple File System (APFS) to enhance security and improve the read and write speeds. Other features include WiFi calling for Verizon subscribers, and Find My AirPods, which helps you locate one or both of your lost AirPods.