Software

Downgrades from iOS 13.5 halted as Apple stops signing iOS 13.4.1

Apple is no longer signing iOS or iPadOS 13.4.1 as of this evening, a move that prevents iPhone and iPad users from downgrading from the iOS and iPadOS 13.5 software updates that the Cupertino-based tech giant released to the general public just last week.

Downgrading iOS device firmware isn’t a common necessity, but it can be necessary if or when Apple releases a software update that introduces bugs or instability to its devices. This isn’t a particularly common thing to happen, but it did transpire last October when iOS 13.2 was found to be ‘too aggressive’ with backgrounding restrictions, compelling many users to downgrade until a software update could be released to fix the issue.

Unc0ver v5.2.0 adds support for iOS 13.5.5 beta 1, incorporates bug fixes

When Pwn20wnd released unc0ver v5.0.0 on Memorial Day weekend with support for iOS and iPadOS 13.5, it took the jailbreak community by storm. Not only was the firmware still signed at the time of release, but the exploit went unfixed for quite a long while after before Apple finally patched it in iOS and iPadOS 13.5.1. Just yesterday evening, Apple officially stopped signing iOS and iPadOS 13.5, a move intended to prevent jailbreak hopefuls from downgrading to a pwnable firmware.

But for those who accidentally (or intentionally) updated and now regret it, there's still hope, as unc0ver project lead developer Pwn20wnd updated the jailbreak tool to version 5.2.0 on Tuesday with novel support for iOS 13.5.5 beta 1, along with some other important improvements:

Unc0ver for TV v5.1.0 b1 released with support for latest tvOS

Team unc0ver has launched yet another iteration of its novel jailbreak, this time focusing on support for the latest versions of tvOS for the Apple TV. Unc0ver for TV is a separate fork from the traditional unc0ver jailbreak and begins at version 5.1.0 beta 1.

News regarding the new unc0ver for TV release was shared first by the unc0ver Team via Twitter Tuesday afternoon:

Unc0ver v5.0.1 brings secure unrestricted storage access to jailbreak apps

After successfully releasing unc0ver v5.0.0 Saturday evening with full-fledged support for all devices running iOS/iPadOS 13.5, hacker and unc0ver project lead developer Pwn20wnd has followed up this quiet Sunday evening with a minute update that brings additional improvements to the jailbreak experience.

The update, announced just minutes ago by Pwn20wnd via Twitter, has been dubbed unc0ver v5.0.1 and is now officially available to the masses:

Zebra v1.1.9 released to fix frustrating error message on latest unc0ver

If you excitedly jailbroke iOS 13.5 yesterday using the new unc0ver v5.0.0 jailbreak and then went to install the Zebra package manager as an alternative to the preinstalled Cydia package manager, then you probably found yourself plagued with error messages claiming “Operation Not Permitted” before your very eyes.

Evidently, you weren’t alone if you experienced this issue. Many Zebra users reported this problem after jailbreaking with the new unc0ver on Saturday, and now Zebra has been updated to version 1.1.9 with an official fix so that users can use the package manager error-free on their newly pwned handsets.

Unc0ver v5.0.0 officially released with support for all iOS 13.5 devices

Just as promised, the unc0ver Team officially delivered unc0ver v5.0.0 on Saturday with support for the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 13.5 (and iPadOS 13.5), on all handsets capable of deploying it. Apple only just released iOS 13.5 on Wednesday, making this a particularly jaw-dropping release as it's the latest available firmware at the time of this writing.

The announcement that the update was coming took the jailbreak community by storm following more than two months of silence on the unc0ver Team’s behalf, but the wait was unquestionably worth it as jailbreakers now have the ability to liberate the latest iOS release on Apple’s newest handsets for the first time in what feels like forever.

Checkra1n updated to v0.10.2 with support for iOS 13.5, additional bug fixes

The unc0ver jailbreak is about to be updated to version 5.0.0 with official support for all devices that can run iOS and iPadOS 13.5, and in a silent and rather unexpected undercut, the checkra1n team released v0.10.2 beta of its bootrom exploit-based jailbreak tool for macOS Saturday evening with official support for iOS and iPadOS 13.5.

According to the release notes for the updated version of the checkra1n jailbreak, v0.10.2 not only adds support for Apple’s latest mobile firmware versions, but also incorporates a few different bug fixes at that:

Countdown to release of unc0ver v5.0.0 with support for iOS 13.5 begins

On Wednesday, team unc0ver teased an upcoming v5.0.0 of its jailbreak tool with support for all iPhones and iPads that can run Apple’s latest and greatest iOS 13.5 firmware (iPadOS 13.5 included) by way of a brand-new 0-day kernel vulnerability from project lead developer Pwn20wnd.

At the time, the official unc0ver.dev website displayed a progress bar with the text “Performing Final Stability Tests 90%,” but things seem to be moving right along. The progress bar has now surpassed 95%, and several high-profile Tweets now indicate that unc0ver v5.0.0 will be released this weekend, sometime within the next 24 hours.

Unc0ver jailbreak v5.0.0 teased with support for every device running iOS 13.5

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything new from the unc0ver Team; in fact, the last time the tool was even updated was at the beginning of March. But that silence was broken Wednesday evening when the unc0ver Team teased the imminent release of unc0ver v5.0.0, which purportedly adds support for all devices running Apple’s freshly released iOS 13.5.

The particularly exciting announcement was shared via by the unc0ver Team on Twitter at approximately 8:08 P.M. Eastern time, and was quickly Retweeted by unc0ver lead developer Pwn20wnd:

Checkra1n team teases pwned Mac Pro, ‘the most expensive device ever jailbroken’

Most associate the term jailbreaking with devices like the iPhone, iPad, and in some cases, even the Apple TV. But when gifted hackers began experimenting with the powerful checkm8 hardware-based bootrom exploit earlier this year, things got more interesting. In March, for example, checkra1n team member Luca Todesco demonstrated nifty hacks on the OLED Touch Bar of a T2 chip-equipped MacBook Pro.

But the MacBook Pro isn’t the only Apple computer that sports a T2 chip. As a matter of fact, many do, and with that in mind, it may not come as much of a surprise that the checkra1n team has taken things a step further by jailbreaking yet another T2-equipped Mac – the elaborate and expensive Mac Pro: