Installer hits the desktop, allows jailbroken apps without 'jailbreaking'

Cleve Nettles
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March 24, 2009
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Dan Moren at Macworld reports on an interesting development in the Jailbreaking wars. Installer.app now has a desktop application that lets you install those nasty jailbroken apps directly from the desktop...without 'jailbreaking' your precious iPhone.  The application looks like iTunes and works almost as easily.  If we weren't rocking the 3.0 firmware, we'd be testing this right now.  Anyone out there want to be the guinea pigs?

Update: a few brave souls in the comments have tried.  If you are using a Unibody MacBook, you'll need a USB hub.  Overall, it looks like it isn't really  working that well yet.  Reccomendation: wait and see.

 

Comments (33)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 3:06pm

I have it, although I'm jailbroken already. So far It's been a huge hastle to get working properly, and I'm getting a lot of error messages, plus you can't add custom sources... so I don't know if I can recommend spending the money until the kinks are ironed out.

Macman1745 (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 3:35pm

It doesn't work with iPhone 3.0 i tried it i and it didn't mess anything up on the phone

Some Other 9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 3:44pm

I'm going through the procedure to install the files on my phone and it's been "installing applications..." for almost a half hour. Not looking to promising right now.

Me (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 4:28pm

Same here... I'm stuck on "installing applications". Kinda frustrating. I've already emailed their support email but this isn't looking good. Will be great once they get all the kinks worked out!

kred (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 4:37pm

stuck on "installing applications" for past 15min. any hope?

dan (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 4:59pm

saaaaaame....
booo hooo hooooooo.

dan (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 4:59pm

saaaaaame....
booo hooo hooooooo.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:05pm

sadly same here, very frustrating.

Me (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:08pm

Just got this reply email from their support:

If you have a newer “unibody” MacBook or MacBook Pro, or you have Mac OS X 10.5.6 installed on your Mac, iPhone might not go into DFU mode properly — instead of InstallerApp logo it will show either black or white screen.

In this case you need to connect iPhone to Mac via active USB hub, so iPhone will be able to switch into DFU mode.

Thank you for you interest in InstallerApp!

Going to try it now. (I'm using an early-2008 [non-unibody] MBP with 10.5.6). Will update with any progress. Gotta go find that USB hub!

Some Other 9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:11pm

...after about an hour. Thankfully, after a re-boot, my phone came back just as it was before I started. I'd call this a waste of 7 bucks, but it could have been worse.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:14pm

Got the same email back, i have no idea what an active USB hub is though :(...

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:14pm

Got the same email back, i have no idea what an active USB hub is though :(...

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:27pm

Hahaha, it screwed my phone over. Restoring now though.

Cody (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:48pm

The USB tree in the aluminum does not support "jailbreaking" without an active usb hub (A hub that is either self powered off usb tree [not all are supported] or one that has a power supply).

Good luck

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 5:51pm

I've got a Unibody MBP and am having the same "Installing Applications" hang. I've got to go find my USB hub I suppose...

dan (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 6:23pm

I got the install working, it put the "Installer" application on my phone, but my phone keeps restarting randomly. I'm going to work with it a bit more...

dan (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 7:21pm

As of now, i wouldn't recommend this. I've spent several hours, and it just doesn't seem to work. The amount of time i've spent on this alone make's this app awful, the fact that I spent money on it makes it worse.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 7:26pm

Got it installed with a Unibody MBP and a USB Hub, but now it is randomly restarting... Dang.

Me (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 7:29pm

Got mine to install "Pusher" onto my iPhone but won't install any specific apps (just a bunch of errors). Hopefully they update it soon!!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 24, 2009 - 10:19pm

You know that doing all that will void warranty with Apple. I got a problem with my phone and i went to an Apple Store. And they told me they can't swap it even if my problem wasn't related to that (home button). They told me to call Apple and they explain that jailbroking an iPhone void any warranty with Apple. So don't be stupid and dont install all those shit on your phone...

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 4:40am

This is FUD. I've taken my

jailbroken iphone to apple (volume button problem) and they've swapped it for anew one. A friend of mine has done the same. Don't listen to these idiots

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 5:55am

Or you could always just click that ever-so-useful button in iTunes that restores your iPhone OS device of choice to a normal firmware.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 10:32am

Uhh, duh! Thank you for pointing out the obvious! We are all big boys and girls and can make decisions for ourselves without some idiot calling us stupid for wanting to improve our phones. Go pound some sand...

ck (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 1:40am

dont install it, it is not working, dont spend your time. I had the same problems that is mentioned above

DAJ (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 4:58am

You need to pay $7

No sure I want to pass my credit card details to a bunch of hackers

generic (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 6:14am

installed this app and now my iphone wont start. restoring it now.

dan (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 12:57pm

If you bought it, especially if you bought it from pay pal, dispute the transaction. Tell them the product simply does not work. If you bought with a card, call you credit card company and let them know. You'll get your money back and stick it to the company who releases a product still in beta stage and charges for it.

rofl (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 12:59pm

EPIC FAIL

DistortedLoop | March 25, 2009 - 1:04pm

Instead of giving these guys $7, why not just throw a couple of dollars Saurik's way to support his ongoing efforts with Cydia and app hosting...? It just takes clicking the donate button via paypal on his website.

SOME ONE WHO got it to work (not verified) | March 25, 2009 - 1:34pm

A. if you have new laptops/desktops with 10.5.6 you need to get the OLD USB drivers...

B. once you do that you can follow the instruction on InstallerApp and get it done...

C. when you finish doing this, you can update your USB drivers again to 10.5.6 and use the InstallerApp with no problem.

***
where to get the OLD and NEW drivers and HOW to do this:
***
1. To do this, you need to get yourself a free Apple Developer Connection account. Since you are using iTunes with your device, you are already almost there: Just log in with your Apple ID. The form will ask you to answer a couple of questions (just answer whatever you want), and you'll be done as soon as you click the Accept button.

this is where you need yo log in:
https://connect.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MemberSite.woa/105/wo/hw27f...

2. Download and install the old one and the new one so you can use it after you are done with it:

http://developer.apple.com/hardwaredrivers/download/usbdebug.html

3.
the old driver: 9F33 IOUSBFamily.kext 3.1.5
the new driver: 9G55 IOUSBFamily.kext 3.2.7

4. open the OLD driver (DMG) install IOUSBFamily-315.4.1.pkg

5. RESTART your MAC

6. follow the instruction on InstallerApp Exactly as it says,,, took me twice to do it but it got it right second time

7. when you follow the instruction (on the red push button) expect everything to be slow, you will get the WHITE or BLACK screen after holding the HOME button but wait a bit you will see the INSTALLERAPP logo on your iphone.

8. InstallerApp will tell you to Disconnect your iPhone, you do that as it says when it says and WAIT and WAIT, bcoz you will see spinning gears going on and on and on but wait let it go and finish and it will restart your iphone it self.

9. now you should have INSTALLER ICON on your iphone.

10. I recommend Quit the InstallerApp and then run it again with the iPhone connected, it will ask you if you want to get this iPhone register you say YES, and it will RESTART your iPhone again...

11. now you are done you can install any APPS from installer

12. go ahead and install the NEW USB driver which you download before

12. if you want to get CYDIA apps you need to leave the driver as the old one!

13. GOOD LUCK

14. this is not illegal until you put CYDIA on it! (as it says on the InstallerApp PDF manual)

15. yeeeehaaaay can't wait for iPhone OS 3.0 anyways