Jailbreak hack enables Siri on iPhone 4, 4th-gen iPod touch

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Hackers have succeeded in bringing a limited port of Apple's new Siri voice assistant feature onto "jailbroken" versions of the iPhone 4 and the fourth-generation iPod touch, though they have noted that the workaround is not ready for a public release.



Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) and Grant Paul (@chpwn) publicized the hack via Twitter late Saturday. The tweak requires that devices first undergo a jailbreak, the procedure for hacking an iPhone to run unauthorized code and applications.



The two hackers provided screenshots and a video (below) of their success, while reporting that the service was "literally just as fast" on the iPhone 4 as the iPhone 4S. According to Paul, UI on the iPod touch felt "slightly slower," though the actual Siri was "pretty much identical."



Troughton-Smith said that he had boiled the entire hack down to "one line of code" plus "a *ton* of filesystem changes." He also promised that all details of the workaround would be revealed once he confirmed "it works, doesn't break other things and is safe," probably after the release of an iPhone 4S jailbreak. When asked whether a release date had been set, he said no, adding that doing so would "anger the hive."



Apple unveiled Siri earlier in October, announcing the feature as an exclusive to the iPhone 4S. In April 2010, it was reported that the Cupertino, Calif., company had acquired the developer of the original Siri app, possibly for as much as $200 million.







Given that initial reviews of the iPhone 4S have pointed to Siri as a main draw and "standout feature" of the device, Apple could move quickly to block the workaround from hackers. This could potentially lead to a cat-and-mouse game similar to its continued efforts to prevent jailbreaking and unlocking.



Apple's first television ad for the iPhone 4S focused exclusively on Siri serves as further evidence that the company plans to, at least at first, rely on the service to distinguish the device from its predecessor. Some have criticized Apple for taking 16 months to release an iPhone with nearly the same design as the fourth-generation iPhone.







Though Siri is currently only officially available on the iPhone 4S, a recent report from The New York Times suggested that Apple may center the interface of a rumored high-definition connected television set around the voice assistant feature.



Apple co-founder Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson during an interview that he had solved the problem of a simple and elegant interface for an Apple-developed HDTV.



"It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine," Jobs was quoted as saying. "I finally cracked it."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 167
    Surprised the Apple apologists haven't come out yet, defending Apple's right to artificially restrict Siri to only the latest model, only to add a tiny bit more value to an otherwise underwhelming upgrade. "4 Steve," indeed. We all know this section would be full of insults and denigrations if Microsoft pulled this same crap with the latest Mango update.
  • Reply 2 of 167
    So? Did someone really thought that Siri can't run on other devices? It was a third-party app before lol - there are different reasons for this exclusivity.
  • Reply 3 of 167
    aizmovaizmov Posts: 989member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post


    Surprised the Apple apologists haven't come out yet, defending Apple's right to artificially restrict Siri to only the latest model, only to add a tiny bit more value to an otherwise underwhelming upgrade. "4 Steve," indeed. We all know this section would be full of insults and denigrations if Microsoft pulled this same crap with the latest Mango update.



    It is Apple's right to restrict Siri to iPhone 4S, no one is forcing you to buy an iPhone so no need to whine about it.
  • Reply 4 of 167
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post


    Surprised the Apple apologists haven't come out yet, defending Apple's right to artificially restrict Siri to only the latest model, only to add a tiny bit more value to an otherwise underwhelming upgrade.



    It's in BETA.



    If it exits beta and isn't on the iPhone 4, then you can bitch about it fairly. Until then, you're just blowing smoke up your own rear.
  • Reply 5 of 167
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Stupid Geek View Post


    So? Did someone really thought that Siri can't run on other devices? It was a third-party app before lol - there are different reasons for this exclusivity.



    No it wasn't. The 3rd party app you refer to and the current implementation of Siri are not the same thing.



    As far as this goes, jailbreaking is legal, but unlicensed use of software isn't. Jailbreaking your phoen to use Siri is no different than jailbreaking to side-load pirated apps.
  • Reply 6 of 167
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post


    Surprised the Apple apologists haven't come out yet, defending Apple's right to artificially restrict Siri to only the latest model, only to add a tiny bit more value to an otherwise underwhelming upgrade. "4 Steve," indeed. We all know this section would be full of insults and denigrations if Microsoft pulled this same crap with the latest Mango update.



    What else would you want other than a "larger screen." A dual core cpu, new antenna design, world phone, and 64gb of ram is fine. Fact is smart phones are rapidly maturing and I think the days of "HUGE" improvements are about over, it's like normal computers -- evolutionary movement/upgrades.



    For us 3GS owners, it's a great upgrade as the old 4 was long in tooth for me to have considered anymore. With the better internals it made my decision easy to stay with iOS
  • Reply 7 of 167
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    1. Anecdotes from a few brief tests don’t prove that Siri consistently runs as well on a single-core A4 as a dual-core A5, in all situations no matter what else the device is doing at the time. (It’s highly unlikely to run just as well, in just as many situations, on a slower CPU, even if it “sometimes” or “often” runs fine. Remember that the world is ready to jump down Apple's throat for the slightest flaw or delay in Siri’s performance. If Siri even sometimes bogs down on an A4 chip, at moments when more is going on in the background, that’s still a problem.)



    2. If Apple holds back a feature for a new model, for NO reason, obviously that’s their right. As long as they didn’t promise it to people and take it away again. Now, I wouldn’t be happy with that—I’m keeping my iPhone 4 for another year, and I want Siri now! But IF Apple did do what people are (based on no real info) accusing them of, it’s hardly unusual for ANY company. Now, if that’s the case, it IS worth complaining about, I agree. We all want what we want, when we want it, after all.



    3. On the flip side, Apple OFTEN brings new stuff to older systems. If they didn’t in this case, that’s the exception, NOT the norm. For instance, pre-4S devices got iOS 5, wireless synching, etc... If Apple’s business model were truly to “make" their customers buy new by withholding features, they’re not very good at executing that plan! (It’s almost as though their real business model is to keep their customers happy...) So while I might complain about this instance if I knew the real facts (Siri never bogs down, and the second core never matters?) I have numerous parallel instances in which I’m very happy with Apple.



    4. A comparison: we can be very thankful we’re not an the Android platform (abandonware central) where this would be nothing! Hardware makers there frequently totally abandon you before your 2-year contract is even up! See: http://theunderstatement.com/post/11...ory-of-support



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacInsider2 View Post


    What else would you want other than a "larger screen." A dual core cpu, new antenna design, world phone, and 64gb of ram is fine. Fact is smart phones are rapidly maturing and I think the days of "HUGE" improvements are about over, it's like normal computers -- evolutionary movement/upgrades.



    For us 3GS owners, it's a great upgrade as the old 4 was long in tooth for me to have considered anymore. With the better internals it made my decision easy to stay with iOS



    Troll feeding time is over They think the latest Android talking point (“bulkier is better”) will somehow change what a major upgrade the iPhone 4S is, on top of an already unbeatable smartphone experience. They expect people to care that the outside of the iPhone didn’t change, only the inside. But the market has spoken: very few people care.
  • Reply 8 of 167
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gmcalpin View Post


    It's in BETA.



    If it exits beta and isn't on the iPhone 4, then you can bitch about it fairly. Until then, you're just blowing smoke up your own rear.



    And the Siri servers already starte buckle under the strain of 4 million iPhone 4S users in 3 days. These asshat trolls never think what would happen if Apple rolled out Siri to 120 million iDevices at once.



    As for Cash907's comment on Mango it's been for how long now and I still haven't had the update pushed to me. Apparently it's ok for MS to do a systematic and controlled release, but not Apple.
  • Reply 9 of 167
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post


    Surprised the Apple apologists haven't come out yet, defending Apple's right to artificially restrict Siri to only the latest model



    You just did. You called it "Apple's right to." See, you clearly believe they have the right to do that with their products. Don't you also believe that Microsoft has the right to artificially restrict, say, Halo Reach to the Xbox 360 and not allow it to run on the PC, in order to sell more 360s? You make a fine apologist for these company's rights.
  • Reply 10 of 167
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post


    an otherwise underwhelming upgrade.



    HU-DUR, IT LOOKS THE SAME, IT MUST BE IDENTICAL DURRRR…



    Quote:

    if Microsoft pulled this same crap with the latest Mango update.



    At least Microsoft updates old phones with new software. Unlike some companies.
  • Reply 11 of 167
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    You just did. You called it "Apple's right to." See, you clearly believe they have the right to do that with their products. Don't you also believe that Microsoft has the right to artificially restrict, say, Halo Reach to the Xbox 360 and not allow it to run on the PC, in order to sell more 360s? You make a fine apologist for these company's rights.



    I'm glad you brought up Halo. No longtime Mac user I know of was made at MS for buying Bungie, but at Apple for not buying them or taking gaming more seriously.
  • Reply 12 of 167
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Can someone explain that A5 chi feature Phil Schiller mentioned when discussing Siri during the special event? He made it sound like it was for processing voice on the client end more effectively.
  • Reply 13 of 167
    Wow, what an accomplishment. A hobbled and slow version of cutting edge software running on hardware neither designed or optimal for it. I'm inspired to put a 12-cylinder engine in my Mini. Kewl.



    If they ever bring Beavis and Butthead back they should be a little older, and jailbreaker/hackers.
  • Reply 14 of 167
    eehdeehd Posts: 137member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Stupid Geek View Post


    So? Did someone really thought that Siri can't run on other devices? It was a third-party app before lol - there are different reasons for this exclusivity.



    These aren't reasons, they are speculations. As the post says, Apple is the only one that knows, and without an explanation, Apple is just asking for people to jailbreak their devices by limiting Siri to the new iPhone. I've never jailbroken any of my previous iPhones, but Apple's nonsense and lack of explanation, might just lead me to jailbreak my iPhone 4.
  • Reply 15 of 167
    linkgx1linkgx1 Posts: 742member
    All of those phones will be banned for life!
  • Reply 16 of 167
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eehd View Post


    These aren't reasons, they are speculations. As the post says, Apple is the only one that knows, and without an explanation, Apple is just asking for people to jailbreak their devices by limiting Siri to the new iPhone. I've never jailbroken any of my previous iPhones, but Apple's nonsense and lack of explanation, might just lead me to jailbreak my iPhone 4.



    Yes, Apple owes the world a complete explanation of all their strategic planning for software and hardware. And if we shoot ourselves in the foot doing work arounds, it's their fault.
  • Reply 17 of 167
    linkgx1linkgx1 Posts: 742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Robin Huber View Post


    Yes, Apple owes the world a complete explanation of all their strategic planning for software and hardware. And if we shoot ourselves in the foot doing work arounds, it's their fault.



    I hope this post was sarcastic......
  • Reply 18 of 167
    Only Apple can increase the price of an app to $199 and call it magical.
  • Reply 19 of 167
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by realitycheck69 View Post


    Only Apple can increase the price of an app to $199 and call it magical.



    If only there were only other aspects to the iPhone 4S that would make it the best selling smartphone and fastest selling CE on the planet.
  • Reply 20 of 167
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post


    Surprised the Apple apologists haven't come out yet, defending Apple's right to artificially restrict Siri to only the latest model, only to add a tiny bit more value to an otherwise underwhelming upgrade. "4 Steve," indeed. We all know this section would be full of insults and denigrations if Microsoft pulled this same crap with the latest Mango update.



    Yeah, I've been calling bullshit on this 4S exclusivity thing. It's software. There is no reason the 4 can't run it. This is clearly Apple's attempt to make people plunk down cash for a new phone so they can get the feature.
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