One of the major players in utilizing the MacDirtyCow and kernel file descriptor (kfd) exploits from iOS & iPadOS 15.0-16.6.1 over the past couple of years has been the Misaka package manager app, which serves as a not only a centralized hub for developers to host their hacks and add-ons, but also as a leading TrollStore 2 installation method on newer versions of iOS & iPadOS 16.
To say that Misaka had a good run would be an understatement, but even some of the project’s developers appear to be coming to the realization that its purpose has been fulfilled and that it may be nearing time to end future work on Misaka.
First to share insight into Misaka’s long-term future over the weekend was @straight_tamago, the project’s lead developer:
Their full comment, shared via a post made on X (formerly Twitter) is quoted below:
I think Misaka’s role is probably almost over. People will move to Dopamine and SpringBoard tweak injection with CoreTrust and kfd. I think I started this service at a very good time. Thank you very much. I will probably work on something else. There will be updates for a while.
As it would appear, the developer seems certain that people are going to gravitate away from using Misaka and more toward using Dopamine 2 if it launches for newer firmware in the future. And then of course, there is also the emerging progress on tweak injection for non-jailbroken devices by way of the kfd exploit paired with the CoreTrust bug.
Another person to echo this thought was private tester and add-on developer Huy Nguyen (@Little_34306), who took to X to share the following:
I think it’s time that Misaka is EOL. We hope that someday we will announce another project that can be helpful for everyone just like Misaka. Enjoy SpringBoard injection.
Personally, I think part of this analysis is spot on, however I do think that Misaka still plays an important role in the community, and that’s why even if it does go EOL, the community will continue to use it.
For one, jailbreakers will always prefer to use their jailbreak over a simple hack-based package manager app like Misaka, but a jailbreak doesn’t yet exist for many of the firmware versions that Misaka supports. Another fact is that while tweak injection is being developed for non-jailbroken devices using the kfd exploit and the CoreTrust bug, most users are going to avoid this because it carries a risk for boot-looping their devices.
The other point I want to make is that Misaka is still a popular TrollStore 2 installation method. It’s one of the easiest and least-problematic installation methods that I’ve used, and given the importance of TrollStore 2, Misaka easily follows simply because it’s one of the best installation methods.
My opinions aside, the Misaka team has accomplished a lot recently, including adding support for tvOS. It’s clear that the developers are interested in branching into new territory, and this may explain why they’re considering moving on from Misaka.
Just Sunday morning, Misaka lead developer @straight_tamago took to X to share that they were searching for qualified developers to work on new projects:
Some of the sought skillsets are telling about what the team could be planning. Those include knowledge of objective-c and Swift, knowledge of bootstrap, and knowledge of tweak injection.
Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and given the team’s thoughts on tweak injection becoming the future combined with the desired skillsets for onboarding developers, it seems evident that the team could be venturing into uncharted tweak injection territory in the future to push the boundaries of what’s possible with the tools available to us today.
It will indeed be interesting to see what becomes of the Misaka team, but for now, Misaka will continue to receive updates until the project is truly EOL. That said, those who continue to use Misaka can continue to use it without any concerns.
What are your thoughts about the future of Misaka? Be sure to let us know in the comments section down below.