The latest revision of Apple's smartphone platform, iOS 4.1, is set to release today, based on reports, as well as an accidental early leak from Apple's UK site last week. That screenshot, captured above before Apple removed it, said that iOS 4.1 was coming this week. Despite the anticipation over features like Game Center and HDR (high dynamic range photos), some say, "don't do it (update); it's a trap."
Warnings that iPhone 4.1 iOS update could destroy future unlocking chances.
It is the iPhone Dev Team, the group responsible for most of the jailbreaking activity around iOS, that warns that iOS 4.1 is "a trap." The reason is because there is no jailbreak, as yet, for 4.1. Jailbreaking allows the installation of apps that are useful (such as a useful lock screen) but banned from the App Store. It also allows unlocking of the device, but only in certain circumstances.
Here's what the iPhone Dev Team reminds users:
Today you’ll likely start seeing iTunes innocently offer you a new version of iOS ... version 4.1. Don’t accept it…it’s a trap! (note: this will occur when you plug your iPhone into your computer and iTunes starts, then next time it checks for an update).
This time of year there are lots of new iPhone owners, and not everybody knows that accepting new iOS updates is the surest way to lose your jailbreak and/or unlock. While those of you who have Cydia or TinyUmbrella backups of your FW hashes will always be able to get back to 4.0.1 if you make this mistake, this doesn’t hold for unlockers. There’s currently no known way to revert your baseband — if you update your baseband you’ll lose the ultrasn0w unlock, possible forever.
Please stay away from this 4.1 release until a safe jailbreak procedure (which also preserves ultrasn0w) is developed and released.
P.S. There are a tiny number of iPhone3G owners who can revert their basebands due to a flaw in very early bootloaders…you will already know if you fit in this category!
If you don't know about Cydia or TinyUmbrella, you probably haven't jailbroken your iPhone or iPod touch. The key is that once your baseband code is changed, the iPhone Dev Team's ultrasn0w, which is used to unlock your device so you can use other carrier's SIMs, may not be able to work on your device.
The U.S. Library of Congress recently issued a DMCA exemption that includes jailbreaking and unlocking. Thus, both of these are legal. While they do void your warranty, that's only if Apple detects you have done so, and you can easily unjailbreak your device (assuming it's not bricked, of course).
As for why they refer to iOS 4.0.1 above, rather than iOS 4.0.2, which is the latest code already released, it's because they warned the same thing about 4.0.2 as they are currently doing for iOS 4.1 (that is, do not upgrade). 4.0.2 was simply to fix a security flaw, nothing else, and a patch was released for jailbroken iPhones that had the same effect.
iOS 4.1 does, of course, have some nice changes. None of them are game-changers however, although changes for the iPhone 3G do significantly improve its performance on iOS 4.1 vs. earlier iOS 4 versions. Aside from that, however, there's no reason a jailbreaker shouldn't wait for the Dev Team to do its work.
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