iOS 11 – iOS 11.3.1 Jailbreak FAQ: All Your Questions Answered

BY Gautam Prabhu

Published 15 Feb 2018

iOS 11 - iOS 11.3.1 Jailbreak FAQ

If you’re planning to jailbreak your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on iOS 11 or later, but confused by the number of jailbreak tools available, we have you covered. We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions for iOS 11 – iOS 11.3.1 jailbreak in the hopes that it will clear any confusion.

Frequently Asked Questions About iOS 11 – iOS 11.3.1 Jailbreak

What is Jailbreaking?

Jailbreaking is the process of removing restrictions imposed by iOS, freedom from Apple’s walled garden. Hackers achieve it by using vulnerabilities or exploits in iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system. It provides root access to the iOS file system and manager, so you can run software that has not been approved by Apple. It allows users to install jailbreak apps, tweaks, and themes to customize the look and feel of their device and also enhance the functionality.

Is Jailbreaking legal?

Jailbreaking is legal. The U.S. Library of Congress has granted Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemptions for jailbreaking smartphones like iPhone, tablets, smart TVs, and other all-purpose computing devices. This gives users who like to tinker the ability to modify their software without breaching copyright law.

However, Apple’s support document about jailbreaking claims that they “may deny service for an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that has installed any unauthorized software.” Therefore, anyone who is jailbroken, warranty or not, may or may not get support from Apple. However, it is quite easy to restore the device to factory settings to prevent Apple from detecting that the device was jailbroken.

Can I Jailbreak iOS 11.3.1 – iOS 11?

You can currently jailbreak iOS 11, iOS 11.0.1, iOS 11.0.2, iOS 11.0.3, iOS 11.1, iOS 11.1.1 and iOS 11.1.2. You can jailbreak iOS 11.1.2, iOS 11.0.1, iOS 11.0.2, iOS 11.0.3, iOS 11.1, iOS 11.1.1 and iOS 11.1.2 using LiberiOS jailbreak and Electra Jailbreak.

You cannot jailbreak iOS 11.2, iOS 11.2.1, iOS 11.2.2, iOS 11.2.5, iOS 11.2.6, iOS 11.3 and iOs 11.3.1.

LiberiOS Jailbreak

LiberiOS Jailbreak is a semi-untethered jailbreak developed by hacker Jonathan Levin. It makes use the async_wait exploit released by Ian Beer. It was the first jailbreak released for iOS 11, iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Currently, Cydia is not included so it won’t be that easy to install the jailbreak apps and tweaks. Cydia Substrate needs to be also updated for iOS 11 by saurik, so most jailbreak tweaks may not work currently.

Electra Jailbreak Tool

Electra Jailbreak toolkit is a semi-untethered jailbreak for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch running iOS 11 – iOS 11.1.2 by coolstar, a well-known hacker and developer. coolstar has released the jailbreak primarily for developers so that they could test their jailbreak apps and themes.

Electra jailbreak tool is recommended as it includes Cydia for iOS 11, which makes it easier to install jailbreak tweaks and themes.

What is an Untethered Jailbreak?

A semi-untethered jailbreak is similar to an untethered jailbreak, it gives the ability to reboot your iOS device on its own. On each boot, the iOS device startup sequence is unmodified and it boots into its original, non-jailbroken state. However, instead of needing to use a tool from a computer to re-jailbreak the iOS device again, like a tethered or semi-tethered cases, the user can re-jailbreak their device with the help of an app running on the iOS device such as the Electra app in case of Electra jailbreak.

The iOS 11 Jailbreak Tools Support Which iOS Devices?

LiberiOS and Electra jailbreak tools support all iOS 11 compatible devices such as:

  • iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s
  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 2nd generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 1st generation 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad
    5th generation, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2
  • iPod touch 6G

I am on an Unjailbreakable iOS Version, Can I Upgrade or Downgrade to iOS 11 – iOS 11.1.2?

If you’re on iOS 11.2 or later or iOS 10.3.3 or lower, then you can’t upgrade or downgrade to iOS 11 – iOS 11.1.2 as Apple has stopped signing iOS 11.1.2.

Update: You can upgrade or downgrade to unsigned iOS firmwares like iOS 11.1.2 using futurerestore if you have saved SHSH2 blobs. You can check our post if you need help on how to restore to unsigned firmwares like iOS 11.1.2 so that you jailbreak your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using LiberiOS or Electra jailbreak.

Can I Install Jailbreak Apps and Themes on my Jailbroken Device running iOS 11 – iOS 11.1.2?

Yes. Coolstar has released a new version of Electra iOS 11 Jailbreak which includes a patch version of Cydia that is compatible with iOS 11.

Which Jailbreak Tweaks Are Compatible with iOS 11 Jailbreak?

There are several tweaks compatible with iOS 11 – iOS 11.1.2 if you’ve jailbroken using Electra jailbreak tool. You can check our post for more details.

What is the Status of iOS 11.2 – iOS 11.3.1 Jailbreak?

It is great to finally have an iOS 11 jailbreak, but it is not possible to jailbreak iOS 11.3.1, iOS 11.3, 11.2.6, iOS 11.2.5, iOS 11.2.2, iOS 11.2.1, and iOS 11.2. It would be ideal if we could jailbreak iOS 11.3.1, the latest iOS version since we cannot downgrade to iOS 11.1.2 as Apple has stopped signing the firmware file.

Security researchers at Alibaba’s Pandora Labs have been able to jailbreak iOS 11.2.1 as well as iOS 11.2 on iPhone X. But they have said that they don’t plan to release a jailbreak. So it remains to be seen if someone from the jailbreak community can discover the vulnerabilities to develop the jailbreak for iOS 11.2.1, the latest version of iOS currently.

the good news is that Ian Beer, the security researcher at Google, who had released the iOS 11.1.2 exploit that was used to develop the first jailbreak for iOS 11, is back with some good news. He has released an exploit for iOS 11.3 to the public earlier in the week. The exploit has been patched by Apple in iOS 11.3.1. It remains to be seen if the iOS 11.3 exploit will result in a jailbreak. If it is possible, then the tool should be able to jailbreak iOS 11.3 – iOS 11.2. You can check our post for the latest iOS 11.3.1 jailbreak updates.

Should I Take Any Precaution After Jailbreaking iOS 11?

You should change the default root password of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch if you’ve used Electra Jailbreak as it installs SSH server to prevent someone with malicious intent to get access to your device.

How can I remove the iOS 11 Jailbreak?

We haven’t tried it but you should be able to remove the iOS 11 – iOS 11.1.2 jailbreak on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch without restoring your device using Cydia Impactor.

Why do I need to provide my Apple ID for jailbreaking?

The LiberiOS and Electra jailbreak use Cydia Impactor for sideloading the jailbreak app (IPA) onto your device. To install and execute this app on your device, it first has to be signed with a valid Apple developer certificate. By providing a valid Apple ID, a free certificate is created and installed on your device so that you can launch the jailbreak app.

Rather than using your real Apple ID, we would recommend that you create a new Apple ID for the purpose of this jailbreak to stay on the safe side.

Will the iOS 11 Jailbreak expire?

If you install the jailbreak app with a non-developer Apple ID, it will work for 7 days before expiring. After it expires, you can use Cydia Impactor to install the jailbreak app again.

Will tweaks get removed after the jailbreak certificate expires?

Cydia and tweaks will remain on your device after the certificate expires. Also, keep in mind that your jailbreak will not be disabled if the certificate expires. Only the jailbreak app will stop working, which is required for re-jailbreaking your device after it reboots.

What happens after the jailbreak certificate expires?

After the certificate expires, all installed tweaks, Cydia, and jailbreak will remain on your device. Only the jailbreak app will stop working, which is required for re-jailbreaking your device after it reboots.

If you want to renew the certificate, you will have to use Cydia Impactor on your computer to install the jailbreak app onto your device again.

How can I fix Cydia Impactor error: “provision.cpp” errors?

There could be several reasons for hitting the ‘provision.cpp’ errors. You can check our post to find out how to fix them.

Ask iPhoneHacks

We hope we’ve answered all the questions you may have about jailbreaking iOS 11 – iOS 11.3.1. If you’ve any other questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments below, and we will be happy to answer them.

So don’t forget to subscribe to our Daily Newsletter for the latest jailbreak news.

This post was last updated on May 5, 2018.