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  • Jailbreaking/Unlocking legal in the US

Thanks to the EFF, it is now legal to unlock and jailbreak your iPhone in the US. I wonder if that will pressure Apple to drop the warranty voiding process for unlocked phones.
The U.S. government on Monday announced new rules that make it officially legal for iPhone owners to "jailbreak" their device and run unauthorized third-party applications. In addition, it is now acceptable to unlock any cell phone for use on multiple carriers.
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You can add Rooting Android devices as well as bypassing security on phones. But this doesn't mean anything. Apple will keep saying they won't serve Jailbroken phones, and will continue to patch JBs, it just means they can't take you to court.
I don't think they will reinstate the warranty. It seems that Apple like to assimilate hardware and software into the same thing.
It's good they made this legal, I think it is outrageous that you would be restricted by law about being able to modify a device that you bought yourself.
rolf wroteI don't think they will reinstate the warranty. It seems that Apple like to assimilate hardware and software into the same thing.
It's good they made this legal, I think it is outrageous that you would be restricted by law about being able to modify a device that you bought yourself.
I also think its good that phone companies are forced to legalize this, but remember that this blocked phones we get from companies are also very cheap. So, how are the phone companies supposed to keep selling cheap new cellphones if the end user is allowed to just buy them and use another network? I don't think this might be so great for us as end users.
Dont worry about the phone companies. I bet they will find ways to make jailbreak-proof phones.
Apple issued a statement that Jailbreaking your phone will still void your warranty. And Jailbreaking is not complete legal because when you buy the device you sign the Terms of Service (ToS) which is a contract. And it says in the contract it is not allowed that the device to be modified to access root permissions (aka jailbreaking).
In several states breaking the contract is illegal, thus the whole Jailbreaking being legal thing is not legal everywhere. But it's a step forward.
No matter the state, you could take the jailbroken iPhone and wave it in front of Steve Jobs and there's no god damn thing he could do about it.
He can't take you to court, but he still has the rights to stop service for jailbroken iPhones as Apple's issued statement regarding the court's decision says.
EddieEC wroteHe can't take you to court, but he still has the rights to stop service for jailbroken iPhones as Apple's issued statement regarding the court's decision says.
Jailbreaks and unlocks are reversible, just restore before taking it to Apple.
Didn't you hear about the rumors saying Apple will watermark jailbreaks. and the watermark will still be there after restore? They will still know if you jailbroke.
im sure someone will come up with a way to break those watermarks.
My previous iphone (3G) was jailbroken since I didn't want to get a data plan at the time. Four months ago, I cracked my screen. The phone still functioned but was unusable. I restored the firmware and took it to an apple store where they changed my screen on the spot, no questions asked.

They probably would of still fixed the screen even with a modified OS since the damage was cosmetic, but I didn't want to risk it. I ended up selling the phone on ebay (making a profit) and getting a 3GS with a 2 year plan for dirt cheap, since they recently released this year's version. I'll eventually jailbreak this one, just for winterboard and a few folder/sorting hacks.
If they had noticed that your iphone was jailbroken they could have just said no or charged you for the repair.
then you restore and go to another apple store
Another step to an open-source world!