What does it mean to jailbreak your phone—and is it legal?

What is jailbreaking?

Let’s get our terms straight first. Technically, “jailbreaking” refers to iPhones in particular. It means getting around Apple software restrictions so you can manage your phone at an administrator level. “Rooting” refers to achieving the same results on an Android. The term rooting highlights the fact that when you take administrator-level control of your phone, you can configure and alter it at the root, also known as the superuser, level.

Are jailbreaking and rooting legal?

Jailbreaking has been legal in the United States since the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was passed in 2010. The act grants users the right of root access to their phones, but there are still limitations. You’re legally responsible to abide by copyright law when deciding which apps and operating systems to download. If you use a pirated copy of an app or operating system, for instance, you are still breaking copyright law.

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What are the benefits of jailbreaking or rooting?

Let’s say you’ve decided to jailbreak your phone. First of all, be sure to create a backup of your device (which is good practice even if you aren’t jailbreaking). Here’s what you might be able to do with a jailbroken phone:

• Enjoy more control over the look and operation of your phone, including the ability to change visual elements of the theme
• Free up space by removing bloatware and other apps/software that you don’t want or need
• Change the operating system, for instance, installing a legally obtained Android OS on an iPhone
• Change phone settings at the administrator level, including deciding how much CPU to use (though overclocking CPU may drain your battery)
• Install apps that aren’t available or allowed via official stores, including apps that turn your phone into a hotspot or extend web-based calling options

What are the risks of jailbreaking or rooting?

So, what is the price of freedom? Here’s what could go wrong if you jailbreak your phone. You could do all the following:

• Void your phone’s warranty
• Miss out on valuable updates, including new functionality and security patches
• Brick your phone, so that it becomes inoperable due to jailbreaking improperly or a faulty app
• Expose your phone to malware and hacks that compromise your data
• Lessen your phone’s reliability and be more likely to experience a crash, freeze, and/or data loss due to problematic, unsanctioned apps or missing security updates
• Lose accuracy of location data
• Lower functionality due to apps and other processes using unregulated battery life, storage space, and processing power

But should I jailbreak or root my phone?

From a security and functionality standpoint, jailbreaking isn’t a good idea. You leave your device and data open to too many risks, which only increase as updates and security patches are missed over time. Also, a jailbroken phone may have a higher likelihood of malfunctioning due to cyberattacks and overtaxing the processor, etc., so voiding the warranty may be an even more significant threat. For optimal and ongoing functionality, we recommend more security, such as using Microsoft Defender, not less. All that said, the choice is yours. You have the freedom to determine your own reasonable level of risk.