With iOS 12 more than halfway through its lifecycle, the lack of jailbreak utilities is becoming more and more apparent. Whether this is down to more security from Apple or fewer developers willing to produce them is anyone’s guess. The good news is, we do now have a choice of two jailbreaks for iOS 12.
Unc0ver and RootlessJB are slightly different from the jailbreak utilities we have been freely used to in the past but they are both usable, although one is a little easier than the other. Read on to find out more.
How to Jailbreak iOS 12:
The first thing to do is make sure you haven’t got any OTA files on your device from previous updates – if you have, these jailbreaks won’t work. Open Settings > Storage and remove them now.
Method 1: Unc0ver Jailbreak
Unc0ver works on iOS 12 to iOS 12.1.2 and is quite easy to install. There is only partial support for the newer iPhone XS, XS MAX, and XR and the latest iPad Pro which means you cannot install Cydia – a future update should fix this.
Make sure you have backed up all your data and be aware that, due to iOS 12 bugs, there are a few repos in Cydia that may not work just yet. Lastly, some users have reported a boot loop issue so be aware of this and, if you choose to proceed, it is at your own risk.
- Download TweakBox app onto your device and open it
- Search for Unc0ver and tap Get > Install
- Wait for the jailbreak to be installed and then open Settings > General on your device
- Tap on Profiles and tap the developer name; tap Trust and close Settings
- Tap the Unc0ver icon on your device and tap on Jailbreak
- When your device resprings and you see Cydia on your home screen, the jailbreak is successful
If the “Extracting Cydia” message doesn’t clear, reboot and try again.
Method 2: RootlessJB
RootlessJB is slightly more complicated and is more suited to those who have experience at code injection. You don’t get root access with this jailbreak so many of the tweaks will not work. It is compatible with iOS 12 to 12.12 but does not support the A12 chip so newer devices cannot use this until an update is issued.
- Download and open Tweakbox on your device
- Search for RootlessJB and tap Get > Install
- Wait; when the jailbreak is installed, open Settings
- Tap General > Profiles and tap the developer name in the list
- Tap Trust and close settings
- Put your iPhone or iPad into Airplane mode
- Tap on RootlessJB on your homepage and make sure the Tweaks toggle is enabled
- Tap Jailbreak
- When your device resprings, the jailbreak is done.
- If it restarts instead of respringing, you will need to try again as it hasn’t worked
Method 3: Chimera Jailbreak
Chimera is the latest jailbreak to be released and is the only one to support the newest devices with the A12 chip.
- Download Emus4U onto your device and open it
- Search for Chimera Jailbreak and tap the result
- Tap Install and wait for it to be downloaded on your device
- Now go to your home screen and tap the Chimera icon
- Tap on Jailbreak and leave it; when it has installed, your device is successfully jailbroken
- You should see two icons on your home screen – Chimera and Sileo, which is an alternative to Cydia.
You can understand why it is so important that your data is fully backed up before you begin. These are not jailbreaks like we used to get and are a bit trickier to install. If you cant use these tools r you don’t want to, have a look at our Cydia alternatives. They are not replacements and cannot offer what Cydia does but are well worth trying.
Why Cydia?
Cydia is the number one third-party app store in the world offering more features than any other. Here’s why people choose to use it:
- It is free but only with a jailbreak utility
- Thousands of apps, games, tweaks. Mods, and more
- Have your device work how it should with tweaks and mode
- Use themes and tweaks to change how your iPhone or iPad looks
- Download thousands of modified games and apps
- Loads of games emulators
- Themes, ringtones, comics, iBooks and so much more
- Almost everything is free – some developers may charge a dollar or two for their tweaks
Give it a try. You can always delete the jailbreak if you can’t get on with it and try one of the alternatives on offer instead.
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