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Apple Quietly Drops iOS Jailbreak Detection API

Posted by kdawson on from the if-i-were-to-ask-you dept.

bednarz writes "Without explanation, Apple has disabled a jailbreak detection API in iOS, less than six months after introducing it. Device management vendors say the reasons for the decision are a mystery, but insist they can use alternatives to discover if an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad has been modified so it can load and alter applications outside of Apple's iTunes-based App Store."

4 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Because they realized it was fruitless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you can jailbreak the phone, you can trick the detection API. Once the system is "untrustable" it is not trustable.

  2. Class action? by mewsenews · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Jailbreaking became legally protected recently. Disabling functionality when a jailbreak is detected seems like it might open Apple to a class action lawsuit.

    I'm sure they're legally allowed to say that jailbreaking voids the warranty, but I'm not sure they're willing to risk crippling a jailbreaker's device with an api flag.

    "Sorry, you can't play our game because you jailbroke your phone" -- if Apple encouraged app developers to do this, things could get nasty.

    IANAL - this post is total speculation

  3. Re:Reasons by zn0k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Damn skippy you don't jailbreak the phone that your workplace gave you. After all, they own that phone. Literally.

    Which is what the article is actually about - functionality that allows enterprise software to detect whether a phone deployed through that enterprise has been jailbroken. It's a simple part of compliance testing of work issued equipment.

  4. Re:Reasons by cmdahler · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sigh. You really ought to RTFA, otherwise you just come across as a dumbshit. This story has nothing to do with preventing you from doing what you want with your i-Device. It has everything to do with an enterprise-provided and -owned device reporting itself to the enterprise-owner that you as the non-owner-user have jailbroken your i-Device, thus causing a security hole the size of the one in your backside in the enterprise's system. And yes, Virginia, the enterprise that owns said device does have the right to know if you're being said dumbshit and jailbreaking a device that you don't even own.