Apple has officially released the iOS 11.4 for compatible iPhones and iPads as an over-the-air(OTA) update. You can download and install the software from Settings > General > Software Update. However, people in the jailbreak community are wondering whether there is an iOS 11.4 jailbreak on the horizon.
There is no iOS 11.4 jailbreak available to the public at this point, but the possibility of a future jailbreak release can’t be ruled out. Apple had seeded six beta versions of iOS 11.4 before releasing the final version, so developers had plenty of time to play around with the firmware.
Not a single developer has teased a full-fledged iOS 11.4 jailbreak. But earlier in May, developer Abraham Masri teased a Houdini-like semi-jailbreak for iOS 11.4. Masri also released a YouTube video demonstrating the semi-jailbreak. The video shows Houdini beta 3 running on an iPad with iOS 11.4 beta. You can also see Houdini booting and running through various features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vst7JIUBLD4
Masri’s video shows a number of Quick Actions such as the ability to respring and reboot the device, clear space by cleaning up files and cache, and the ability to enable or disable software updates. He also demonstrated the access to the Sources and Packages tabs towards the bottom of the interface. Both of them seem to be functioning well.
The video doesn’t reveal how it was achieved, neither has Masri announced if or when he would release his semi-jailbreak. His video also indicates that we might soon see a full-blown iOS 11.4 jailbreak.
In the past, we have seen two iOS 11.3.1 jailbreaks. One of them came from Min Zheng of Alibaba with a fully functioning Cydia installation. Another iOS 11.3.1 jailbreak was demonstrated by Qixun Zhao of Qihoo 360 Vulcan Team. The jailbreak activity has slowed considerably in the last few years as Apple continues to patch loopholes that developers exploit to create jailbreak tools.
The iOS 11.4 brings some interesting new features and bug fixes. The update is roughly 254MB in size. It added the AirPlay 2 and Messages in iCloud features that were originally announced at last year’s WWDC event. The AirPlay 2 will allow you to use ‘multi-room audio’ from iOS devices. You will be able to control speakers using the Home app, with Siri, or from the Control Center. Until now, users could control speakers only through iTunes in macOS or Windows.
The AirPlay 2 will allow people with more than one HomePod to listen in stereo. It brings the stereo and multi-room pairing to Apple TV and HomePod.
The Messages in iCloud moves your messages to iCloud, allowing users to sync their conversations across all devices including the watchOS, macOS, and iOS. It means deleting a conversation on one device will delete it from others as well.
The iOS 11.4 also brings ClassKit and Schoolwork for educational users. ClassKit allows developers to add new features that can be used by institutions with Managed Apple IDs and Apple School Manager.
Meanwhile, Apple is preparing to unveil iOS 12 at the WWDC event on June 4th. The iOS 12 will focus on performance and stability improvements besides bringing a revamped Stocks app and Do Not Disturb feature, better parental controls, multi-person support in AR glasses, and Animoji for FaceTime. You can watch the WWDC keynote address livestream by going to this link in your browser at 10 AM Pacific Time on June 4th.
