How to Decide between Jailbreaking an iPhone or Unlocking

Aleksandra Mednikova August 18, 2013 in iPhone - 2 Minutes

To jailbreak it, unlock it, or do nothing? All Apple users have faced this dilemma at some moment in their lives. The question of whether to jailbreak or unlock an Apple device can be confusing, but only if you don’t know what these terms mean.

All you need to know is the difference between the terms and you can make the right decision. Basically, both these techniques offer you more control over your Apple device. Here are the basic differences between the two terms:

Jailbreaking allows you to install the iOS version you want. Let’s say you have the 4.0 and you want a new one because all your friends have the iOS 6. Get it jailbroken. But what if all you want is to use another carrier because the current one sucks? Then, my friend, you have to unlock your phone. It is also good for people who travel internationally. If you are presently in the U.S., and decide that you want to move to Australia, unlocking is what you would want to do.

Jailbreaking

The problem of being able to use only selected apps on their iOS device haunts many people and this is why they opt for jailbreaking. It offers them the flexibility to use the apps that are not present in the iTunes Store. These apps may be available online but are not accessible by normal iOS device users. They cannot be installed unless the device is jailbroken. Jailbreaking can be done by using many software tools like JailBreakMe. This helps you to use alternative app stores like Cydia.

That sounds really cool, but it has its own list of demerits. When you get apps from external sources, you are putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. The app you download from shady stores can be a virus that can virtually render your phone useless or worse yet, steal your important information and use it for malicious purposes. That’s a difficult tradeoff there- freedom versus security.

Unlocking

Unlocking is also about freedom from being restricted to one mobile carrier. With an unlocked phone, you can use any carrier all over the world. But on the downside, if you unlock it, you void the warranty. Another disadvantage is that it will not be easy to install Apple firmware upgrades. So what would you prefer? If you are planning to get it unlocked, I would advise you to wait until the warranty is over.