Inside the Rise, Fall and Legacy of iOS Jailbreaking

Explore the rise, fall, and lasting impact of iOS jailbreaking in this 26-minute conference talk by Nicolas Haunold, a former iPhone hacker turned Airbnb Software Engineer. Gain firsthand insights into the cat-and-mouse game between Apple and hackers, the vibrant community that formed around jailbreaking, and its eventual decline as Apple incorporated popular jailbreak features into iOS. Learn about the technical aspects of jailbreaking, including sandbox escape and kernel exploitation, and discover how this movement influenced the development of iOS features like Wallpapers, Notification Center, and Personal Hotspot. Reflect on the broader implications of extending technology beyond its intended capabilities and consider how these lessons can be applied to emerging technologies. Delve into the ecosystem surrounding jailbreaking, including tools like Cydia Substrate and popular tweaks, while examining the legal and community aspects of this phenomenon. Draw parallels to other modding communities like wiibrew and contemplate the future of device customization and user control in the mobile landscape.