Pangu releases iOS 8.x jailbreak untether update to fix Cydia Substrate loading, iMessage bugs, and Safari crashes!

The Pangu team has just released an update to their untethered jailbreak. Users who are already jailbroken can venture into the Pangu app on the Home screen in order to update.

The incremental update fixes the Cydia Substrate loading issue upon reboot, iMessage picture sending, and Safari bugs. It’s advised that all jailbroken users update now.

Note: It’s recommended that you do not set a passcode on your jailbroken device due to boot loop issues that many are incurring. This issue is being worked on as well.

To update, launch the Pangu app, which should be located on your Home screen and tap the Manager tab at the bottom of the screen. There, under the update tab, you should see the Pangu 8.0-8.1.x Untether update. Tap the download (arrow) button to install the update.

After tapping the update button, the new untether .deb file will download, and you’ll be prompted to reboot your device to install the update untether.

The actual Pangu jailbreak tool has yet to be update from version 1.0.1, but we presume that is coming shortly as well. For now, if you want to run the latest version of the Pangu untether, you’ll need to jailbreak using the tool, then update post jailbreak.

Have you updated yet? Does it fix many of the issues you’ve experienced with the Pangu jailbreak? Sound off down below.

—- Original Post: iOS 8 Jailbreak Released then Pulled out! —-

The Pangu team has released a jailbreak for iOS 8 – iOS 8.1 devices today, just about 35 days after the launch of Apple’s latest mobile operating system. The download link for Pangu for iOS 8 was briefly available on the official Pangu website before being pulled a few minutes later.

Although this is great news for jailbreakers, it does come with a few strings attached that make this initial iOS 8 jailbreak release somewhat useless for the time being.

Pangu iOS 8 – iOS 8.1 does not install Cydia yet

The first thing to note is that this jailbreak will not install Cydia at this time. Only providing basic SSH access, it appears that this initial release of Pangu is mostly geared towards developers so they can update their tweak for iOS 8. Of course, it is also necessary that Saurik updates Cydia for iOS 8 in order to make it compatible with the newly updated operating system, which explains why Cydia is not bundled into Pangu for iOS 8 right off the bat.

In short, although you could technically jailbreak your device, it wouldn’t do any good to the majority of users as Cydia wouldn’t be packaged with the jailbreak.

The good news is that Saurik is currently working on updating Cydia for the iOS 8 – 8.1 Pangu jailbreak, as announced on reddit recently, although he didn’t provide any ETA. Saurik explains:

So, windknown has contacted me, about a half hour ago, via e-mail. He has told me one of the issues that is keeping Substrate from working on the device, which will probably require me to build a little binary patch for dyld as part of the Substrate installation sequence. This was the worst possible day for me, as I’m traveling back to Santa Barbara today (I’m currently in Texas, having come here to give a talk at The Big Android BBQ), which means this will take me a little longer than I’d like, but clearly getting Cydia and Substrate working on iOS 8 is my highest priority. I thankfully think that I actually can start working a little on one of the Substrate issues using an iOS 7 “model” based on the information provided by windknown, which means I’ll lose less time to not having all of my devices with me. (I currently have no clue why Cydia itself is not functioning, but will find out later today when I can see it myself.)

A broken Windows only version (so far)

This release of Pangu iOS 8 – iOS 8.1 is for Windows only, but it appears that the Pangu team removed the download link, likely to fix issues linked to this initial release. The website still provides information about the jailbreak process, which might be useful to anyone looking to jailbreak their device once a stable version is available.

At this time, we were not able to successfully jailbreak any iOS device with this first release of Pangu. We actually have yet to see reports of a successful jailbreak instal. We will of course provide updates as a new version is released.

It is fair to assume that a Mac version will also be available at a later time.

Device compatibility

According to Pangu’s website, Pangu for iOS 8 – iOS 8.1 is compatible with the following devices:

iPod touch 5G
iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
iPad mini, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad, iPad Air, iPad Air 2 (we’re not entirely sure about the iPad compatibility here)
Preparing for the iOS 8 – iOS 8.1 jailbreak

Maybe the first thing anyone should do before playing around with this version of Pangu is to backup their device.

As noted on the official Pangu website, it is recommended to update to iOS 8.1 or restore to iOS 8.1 via iTunes before proceeding with the jailbreak process. Over The Air updates can apparently cause problems during the process, and restoring/updating to iOS 8.1 via iTunes seems to be the best option at this time.

The Pangu Team also suggests turning off Lock screen passcode and Find My iPhone via Settings > iCloud before proceeding. Finally, the team notes that similarly to the official iOS 8 update, users are required to have some storage space left on their device in order for Pangu to run.

These are basic rules shared by the Pangu Team that are unlikely to change, even when a more stable version packaged with Cydia is available a little later.

Jailbreak instructions

We are currently looking at Pangu for iOS 8 – iOS 8.1 and will provide a set of instructions in a separate post when done. But again, note that these instructions will be limited by the current nature of this jailbreak. As we always do, we’ll provide updated instructions as Pangu is updated.

As we noted above, we’re currently unable to get Pangu to work with any iOS 8 device we tested. Like most people, we’re getting a Touch ID error.

ECB’s recommendation

At this time, we highly suggest you stay away from this jailbreak until further notice. As noted above, this release is mostly for developers and for Saurik himself to update Cydia for iOS 8. Even if you were able to jailbreak now, you wouldn’t be able to do much with your device at this time, unless you’re a developer.

Although the only download link for Pangu that was available has been pulled, there are still a few mirrors floating around the web. We don’t believe it’s a good idea for most users to use one of these links at the time, for all the reasons mentioned above. If you do, please proceed at your own risks.

What you can do now is get ready for an upcoming version of Pangu by updating or restoring to iOS 8.1 using iTunes (not OTA). This will ensure that you’re fully ready when a stable version of Pangu is released.

Source

Apple releases iOS 8.1 with Apple Pay, iCloud Photo Library, SMS Relay & Instant Hotspot, bug fixes and improvements.

As promised, Apple on Monday released iOS 8.1 for public consumption. Users who have an older version installed on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad can now update to the latest software over-the-air, by choosing Software Update under Settings > General.

iOS 8.1 flips the switch on Apple Pay in the United States on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the newly released iPad Air 2and iPad mini 3.

It also re-enables the missing Camera Roll album in Photos and beta iCloud Photo Library (in beta) while bringing additional Continuity features like Text Message Forwarding between iOS 8 devices and Yosemite Macs and more.

Apple Pay, a headline new feature in iOS 8.1 supports mobile payments in apps, on websites and at select brick-and-mortar locations. On devices that don’t have NFC, like the iPhone 5s, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, Apple Pay only works when you buy stuff online and through apps.

To recap, here are the supported devices for Apple Pay:

• iPhone 6 (in-app, online and in-store purchases)
• iPhone 6 Plus (in-app, online and in-store purchases)
• iPad Air 2 (in-app and online purchases only)
• iPad mini 3 (in-app and online purchases only)

Although Apple’s marketing materials don’t make the distinction between in-app and online purchases, Safari is technically and app. Moreover, company executives did say during the WWDC keynote that Apple Pay will be supported by participating online stores through a browser.

Apple Pay is also coming to Apple Watch early next year, extending Apple Pay to over 200 million owners of iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s worldwide, Apple said in a media release.

Another cool new feature: Text Message Forwarding.

It lets you receive text messages in the Messages app alongside iMessages on Macs running Yosemite and iPads and iPod touches running iOS 8.1. Text messages are actually routed through a user’s iPhone, allowing you to both send and receive SMS directly from a Mac or iPad.

Text Message Forwarding requires that both your Mac and iOS device be on the same Wi-Fi network and have Bluetooth turned on for proximity.

iCloud Photo Library, a built-in service that puts your entire photo library in the cloud, is now available as a beta to everyone in iOS 8.1. Once enabled in Settings > iCloud > Photos, your device will automatically upload and store your photos and videos in iCloud and sync any changes between devices.

You can elect to “Optimize Storage” to keep device-optimized versions of photos on an iOS device or “Download and Keep Originals”, which stores full-resolution photos and videos on your device. Just to clear up any confusion, iCloud always keeps your snaps and videos in their original resolution.

Your iCloud Photo Library is also available via a brand new Photos app in iCloud’s web interface, depicted above, using any Mac or Windows PC running the latest version of Safari, Chrome or Firefox. And in early-2015, a Mac edition of iOS’s stock Photos app will launch allowing for the complete end-to-end photo-syncing solution between desktop, mobile and the web.

iCloud Photo Library is great, but you’ll quickly run out of space as every iCloud account includes a meager five gigabytes of free storage. Apple’s iCloud storage upgrade pricingisn’t the most competitive: the firm is offering 20 gigabytes for 99 cents per month, 200 gigabytes in exchange for five bucks per month, 500GB for $9.99 per month and 1TB for $19.99 per month.

Compare this to the $9.99 1TB Dropbox Pro plan (same as Google).

Microsoft is offering 1TB OneDrive bucket for seven bucks per month and they’re also throwing in Office 365 for that price. By the way, if you’re serious about iPhone photography you should consider Yahoo’s Flickr service, which includes one terabyte of free storage for your photos.

As mentioned before, iOS 8.1 also brings back the Camera Roll album which went missing in iOS 8. The Camera Roll album collates only the photos you’ve taken directly on the device or saved from Mail and other apps. The Camera Roll comeback makes the operating system compatible with applications that required it, such as WhatsApp.

The problem stems, as many have complained, from the fact that iOS 8.0 has removed the system-wide Camera Roll album for no apparent reason. In addition to these features, iOS 8.1 contains bug fixes, performance enhancements and several improvements listed below.

iOS 8.1 includes other nice-to-haves

A new Enable Dictation toggle in Settings > General > Keyboards (seen above) is now available. Moreover, you’ll notice slightly larger app icons when managing your widgets in the Notification Center. The iBooks icon has been slightly redesigned and there’s now an alternative way to access privacy settings on a per-app basis, through their respective pane in the Settings app, as pictured below.

Note that certain iOS 8 features are only available in select markets.

The operating system is compatible with:

• iPhone 4s
• iPhone 5/5c
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone 6/Plus
• iPad 2, 3 and 4
• iPad Air and iPad Air 2
• iPad mini and iPad mini 2
• iPod touch (fifth-generation)

Apple accidentally confirms ‘iPad Air 2′ and ‘iPad mini 3′ with Touch ID and Burst mode!

An inadvertent (or is it?) slip-up on Apple’s iBooks Store on Wednesday all but confirmed that tomorrow’s media event will in fact serve as a launchpad for at least two new iPads, as suspected: a second-generation iPad Air and third-generation iPad mini. Furthermore, the images suggest Touch ID fingerprint scanning for both new tablets, in addition to the Burst camera mode but only on the regular-size iPad.

These revelations were made public through iTunes screenshots for the iOS 8 iPad User Guide that can be downloaded to iBooks, as first discovered by the prolific Apple blogger Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac.

As depicted top of post, the Apple-made electronic guide detailing iOS 8.1 for iPad has also confirmed device branding as ‘iPad Air 2′ and ‘iPad mini 3′.

And here’s an iTunes Preview of the iPad User Guide for iOS 8 on the web.

Don’t bother tapping the e-book link for Apple’s already removed the page from iBooks, though it was still accessible at post time as an iTunes Preview on the web when following the URL on desktop.

The Burst camera mode was first introduced with the iPhone 5s release last Fall to allow the user to take multiple frames per second, and has since made its way to the iPhone 6and iPhone 6 Plus.

If the iPad User Guide is anything to go by, it would appear that only the second-generation iPad Air 2 will gain an improved camera with Burst mode, not the iPad mini 3.

If true, this in turn might indicate that the upcoming full-size iPad could indeed run a more powerful A8X processor leaked yesterday on photos of a claimed printed circuit board.

Couldn’t be more obvious than that, no?

Apple releases iOS 8.0.2 with fix for cellular and Touch ID issues

Apple released iOS 8.0.2 to the public Thursday night, addressing issues that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users encountered when updating to iOS 8.0.1, as well as several other improvements and bug fixes. The update is available for iPad 2 and newer models, iPhone 4s and newer models, as well as iPod touch 5th generation via an over-the-air update or directly through iTunes.

iOS 8.0.2 fixes a critical issue where iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who updated to iOS 8.0.1 on Wednesday lost cellular signal and the ability to use Touch ID. It also addresses a HealthKit bug that prevented apps supporting the new APIs to function propery, as well as several other bugs.

The full iOS 8.0.2 changelog is as follow:

Fixes an issue in iOS 8.0.1 that impacted cellular network connectivity and Touch ID on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Fixes a bug so HealthKit apps can now be made available on the App Store
Addresses an issue where 3rd party keyboards could become deselected when a user enters their passcode
Fixes an issue that prevented some apps from accessing photos from the Photo Library
Improves the reliability of the Reachability feature on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Fixes an issue that could cause unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages
Better support of Ask To Buy for Family Sharing for In-App Purchases
Fixes an issue where ringtones were sometimes not restored from iCloud backups
Fixes a bug that prevented uploading photos and videos from Safari
The release of iOS 8.0.1 on Wednesday incapacitated the devices of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 users who updated immediately. Apple quickly pulled the update but it was already too late for many users who had already updated and lost cell signal as well as the ability to use Touch ID. ECB provided a fix for this, followed by Apple 10 hours later who provided a similar set of instructions and noted the company would release an update rapidly.

Users might feel a little wary about updating to iOS 8.0.2 but we can confirm that we didn’t encounter any issue after updating an iPhone 6.

Hopefully this will ring then end of Apple’s rough week.

Here’s Why It’s A Rough Week For Apple!

Everything started so well for Apple this week. After the launch of the company’s two new devices, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple revealed on Monday that this was the most successful iPhone launch ever, with 10 million units being sold during the opening weekend. The only thing that prevented Apple to sell more iPhones during that time was simply that they couldn’t make them fast enough. That’s a nice problem to have.

But then things started turning sour on Tuesday when the first reports of what is now commonly known and referred to as #bendgate emerged online. If the negative press about bendgate wasn’t enough, Apple shot itself in the foot on Wednesday when it released iOS 8.0.1, an update supposed to fix several bugs, but which turned out to be the biggest software release fiasco in modern Apple history.

With fanboys and Apple haters alike putting their own spin on both sides of the story, I thought I’d put some perspective to all this and share my thoughts on the situation.

When the news “broke” that someone had successfully bent his iPhone simply by having it in his pocket, I quickly dismissed it as one of those silly claims that although true, doesn’t hold any weight. The problem is the same every year with every new iPhone. This year bending problem is last year’s Touch ID hack problem. To us, it was a non issue, and to me, it still is today. It’s just an issue that has been blown out of proportion, because what better company to talk about than the most successful one in the world?

I’m not going to deny that your iPhone can’t bend. It can. There are many laws that can be broken, but the laws of physics are the ones that people like you and me can’t actually break. Even though science wasn’t my forte during my school years, I learned that if you apply a certain amount of force to any material, it will start changing shape, bend, and eventually break. To my knowledge, this applies to any material, but I could be wrong. It certainly applies to aluminum and glass, two very visible elements that make your iPhone.

So again, yes you can bend an iPhone 6. You can bend an iPhone 5s too. You can also bend a MacBook Air (I’ve accidentally done it before but I didn’t feel the need to make a YouTube video about it). You can bend the hood of your car if you stand on it. I have never tried, but I’m sure with the proper entourage, you could bend a 55 inch flat screen TV as well. Everything is bendable.

Now the iPhone 6 might be more bendable than the Samsung Galaxy S5 or Note 4. It might be more bendable than the Blackberry Passport. That’s definitely a disadvantage to Apple but it certainly isn’t a design or build flaw. It’s just the way it is.

Should you be worried about bending your iPhone 6? No. Should you take extra precaution when putting it in your pocket? Sure. Should you avoid buying an iPhone 6 because of that? Of course not. Is this story just blown out of proportion? Absolutely.

You can bend your iPhone 6, but unless you put it in your back pocket and sit on it, it most likely won’t happen to you. If you’re wearing tight pants and the phone is in your side pocket, simply be mindless of it, just like you were mindless of your iPhone 5. Make sure it’s not sideways in your pocket, and go on with your day without worrying any longer about it.

Bendgate is a non story. This is not the Apple enthusiast telling you this. It’s a 33 year old man with just a bit of good commonsense. Bendgate is a story that the media needed to counterbalance the record breaking iPhone 6 launch. It is the story that every one is talking about today, but will just as easily forget next week. If you don’t believe me, I invite to revisit this topic next Wednesday. By then, everything will already be over, because again, there was nothing substantial to begin with.

Now about that iOS 8.0.1 botched release.

It probably would be an understatement to say that this was the most epic fail in the history of iOS updates. Not only did Apple release an update that disabled cellular service and Touch ID on certain devices, but it also took the company an hour to pull the update. Even worse, the company hasn’t issued an official fix yet for the mess it created (update: it has now offered a “workaround“).

Before we get too hard on Apple, we have to rationalize the story. The not-so-bad side of it is that not may people were actually affected. Those that were the most likely to get affected in this hour and some minutes timeframe that iOS 8.0.1 was available were geeks like you and me. The average person wasn’t even aware there was an update for iOS when they saw the headlines on CNBC taking over what would appear to be more important problems in the world (ie. a man being beheaded by extremists in Algeria). So in the grand scheme of things, it’s really a tiny fraction of iOS 8 users who were affected.

But that doesn’t make it right.

Several hours have passed an I still can’t get my head around how iOS 8.0.1 could have shipped. How could have it passed internal testings and approval and been made available to the public? How could an issue as obvious as loss of cellular signal could have gone unnoticed?

Did Apple rush the update to finally make apps that support HealthKit available in the App Store? I’m sure that was a high priority item, but certainly not one that would have justified delivering unbaked goods.

It’s been roughly ten hours since Apple pulled the iOS 8.0.1 update and there is still no fix for it. The company acknowledged the issue by saying they “are actively investigating these reports and will provide information as quickly as we can.” As quickly as Apple can is not fast enough today. Not when you mess up that bad.

What could be infuriating to people will no technical knowledge is that these persons haven’t even been informed about how to fix the problem. If you read iDB, you know you can downgrade to iOS 8 and get everything back in order. But what if you don’t read ECB or other tech blogs? You’re pretty much left on your own, and this is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable and alarming.

When you’re a company with over half a billion people using your products, you can’t afford to make that kind of mistake. You could argue that corporations big and small can make mistake, but I think it’s only barely acceptable if you explain clearly what you’ve done wrong, offer an apology, and fix the problem in a timely manner. Apple has done none of that today.

If the bendgate was a non issue to me from the get go, the botched release of iOS 8.0.1 has been quite the opposite, and while I don’t expect Apple to comment on the laws of physics that can make your iPhone bend, I do expect them to be upfront and clear about a software update that has incapacitated thousands of devices.

How To Downgrade from iOS 8.0.1 to iOS 8.0:

Step 1: Download the iOS 8.0 firmware for your device.

Step 2: Turn off Find My iPhone on your device if you have it enabled. Go to Settings → iCloud, and disable the Find My iPhone switch.

Step 3: Connect your device to a Mac with iTunes installed.

Step 4: Open the device page on iTunes, and hold the Option key (Shift for Windows users) while clicking the Check For Update button. Find the IPSW firmware file that you downloaded in Step 1, select it, and click Open.

Step 5: A pop-up box will tell you that iTunes will update your iPhone to iOS 8.0 and will verify the update with Apple, click the Update button. Wait until your device updates, and enjoy your iOS 8.0 installation, with working Touch ID and cellular data!

The great thing about this method is that you don’t lose any of your phone’s settings or data. All of your pictures, messages, email, etc. should be ready and waiting on your when you downgrade.

Apple will probably issue an iOS 8.0.2 update in record time, but until then, this will likely be the best solution for those of you who need access to cellular data and Touch ID now.

Source: iDB, Edited By ECB