A newly released utility called Pogo by iOS developer elihwyma is sure to turn a few heads this weekend, but what exactly is it, and should you rush into the line to install it?
Depending on where you get your information from, you might read that Pogo is a jailbreak or that it isn’t a jailbreak. On the project’s GitHub page, the developer spells out the words, “this isn’t a jailbreak” in black and white, but if viewing the Sileo & Odyssey Team Discord channel, then 23 Aaron is seen saying “this is the first public jailbreak utility for iOS 15, but requires checkm8 to work.”
Our position is that Pogo is somewhere in the middle, and that it isn’t for everyone.
Pogo lets those with a checkm8 exploit-vulnerable device install a working Procursus bootstrap along with the Sileo package manager. In theory, this should allow you to install jailbreak tweaks, but it’s important to keep in mind that no jailbreak tweaks currently support the rootless dynamic on iOS or iPadOS 15 yet, hence the delays affecting the Odyssey Team’s upcoming Cheyote jailbreak for iOS & iPadOS 15.0-15.1.1.
What this means is that while Pogo users may be able to use rootless-supported jailbreak tweaks for iOS & iPadOS 15, none are available to use or try yet. Still, it will be possible to browse packages and repositories in the Sileo package manager app. Pogo users should also be able to install .deb apps manually, assuming they support the rootless dynamic.
The Pogo GitHub page’s readme is clear: this project is only intended “for developers to mess about with.” This statement should ultimately deter ordinary users from wanting to try it out, but if you need further explanation as to why ordinary users shouldn’t bat an eye, it requires a lot of setup by the end user with developer tools such as Xcode that you may or may not have the skills to perform.
Because Pogo takes advantage of the checkm8 bootrom exploit, you need a device vulnerable to checkm8. Ordinarily, this would mean any device sporting an A7-A11 chip, however only A9-A11 devices can run iOS or iPadOS 15, which means Pogo only supports the latter. Devices with supported chips should include:
- iPod touch (7th generation)
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone SE (1st generation)
- iPad (5th generation)
- iPad (6th generation)
- iPad (7th generation)
- iPad Pro 9.7-inch (2016)
- iPad Pro 10-5-inch (2017)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2015)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
Assuming you meet the above criteria, you would then need to boot your device with a modified kernel that disables AppleMobileFileIntegrity (amfi), then open Pogo with TrollStore, and use the Install button in the Pogo app.
If you want to read more about Pogo, then you can head over to the Pogo project’s GitHub page. But keep in mind that since Pogo is only intended for developers, you probably won’t be able to use it for anything and should continue waiting for a user-friendly iOS & iPadOS 15 jailbreak tool to be released.