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Pangu releases Apple TV 4 jailbreak for units running tvOS 9.0 and 9.0.1

As promised, Pangu has released a jailbreak for the 4th generation Apple TV. This jailbreak, a first for the Apple TV 4, is capable of jailbreaking units running tvOS 9.0 and tvOS 9.0.1.

If you have an Apple TV that’s running a later version of tvOS, there is unfortunately no way to downgrade back to jailbreak-eligible versions. Instead, you can use our handy guide in order to find an eligible Apple TV at your local brick and mortar retail store. We’ll be sure to follow up with a full guide that shows you how to jailbreak the Apple TV 4.

You can download the Pangu 1.0 Apple TV jailbreak tool from Pangu’s website. You will need a USB-C cable, a Mac, Xcode, and an eligible Apple TV 4 in order to pull off the jailbreak. Pangu says that you will also need a paid Apple Developer membership, which means that the currently established method of sideloading apps for free using Xcode 7 doesn’t apply here. We’ve found that you can actually jailbreak your Apple TV with a free Apple ID, and will be posting a tutorial shortly.

As of now, the tool allows SSH access only, and features no GUI interface like Cydia. Stay tuned for more coverage of the Apple TV jailbreak throughout the day and coming weeks.

We’ve now posted a full guide on how to jailbreak the Apple TV 4. Check it our for full step-by-step details that outline the entire jailbreak process from start to finish.

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Comments

  1. Andrew Messenger - 8 years ago

    This is literally the most anticlimactic jailbreak announcement ever.

    • ag80911 - 8 years ago

      @Andrew
      you think ” You will need a USB-C cable, a Mac, Xcode, and an eligible Apple TV 4 running 9.0/9.0.1 in order to pull off the jailbreak ”
      this sounds like 2 guys will be jailbreaking this – I have 3 ATV’s and all are set to auto update which is probably common for most users.

      • Andrew Messenger - 8 years ago

        right? why would i choose a jailbreak over folders, dictation, and way more siri support?

  2. iSRS - 8 years ago

    This is basically a public Proof of Concept

  3. viciosodiego - 8 years ago

    Why do you even bother, Pangu team.
    Just no.
    Nobody is running that version.
    pointless jailbreak

  4. Lawrence Krupp - 8 years ago

    Why? Just because? Imagine the malware that will hit these jailbroken ATV4s.

  5. luckydcxx - 8 years ago

    I was really looking forward to this but there is no cydia? Terrible. Now i think I might upgrade to the new version. I was staying on 9.0 for this.

  6. JBDragon - 8 years ago

    I really see no point in this now!

  7. andymcarreon - 8 years ago

    Jeff,

    Can you please confirm that we need a PAID developer account?

  8. ichicolco (@ichicolco) - 8 years ago

    kodi on 9.2? check
    plex on 9.2? check
    infuse on 9.2? check

    does anyone know of an app that’s worth jailbreaking for?

  9. Pretty much the only people who could ever possibly care about this are Saurik (developer of Cydia) and other tinkerers in the jailbreak community. It’s pretty inaccessible and pointless for your average jailbreaker to even attempt this, especially considering you need to jump through so many hoops including obtaining a $100 Apple Developer program account. I can see this being a good testbed to develop tweaks in preparation for a future jailbreak exploit further down the line, but 9to5Mac suggesting people should go out of their way to buy an Apple TV running IOS 9.0.1 is almost as ridiculous as telling people to buy a second iPhone. I think we just need to be patient here.

    • Jeff Benjamin - 8 years ago

      The suggestion to go out and buy an Apple TV is geared toward those tinkerers. You can jailbreak without a paid developer account BTW. That all said, there really isn’t much you can do with a jailbroken Apple TV right now.

  10. Benjamin (@NSbenjamins) - 8 years ago

    lol while Apple work tirelessly to make your iPhone more secure, figthing against a mandatory backdoor on the iPhone, you install a backdoor for the Chinese government just because you don’t want to pay 99 cents for some apps.

  11. omersn - 8 years ago

    For all the keyboard critics decrying the merit of this accomplishment: love yourself.

    The history of the Apple TV Jailbreak marks this as a huge accomplishment, and the beginning of a new Jailbreak era. Historically NitoTV has delivered a GUI installer that makes it painless to Jailbreak an ATV, and install KODI, a WEB BROWSER, and numerous other enhancements.

    Bravo.

    To all of you short sighted critics, cough on the dust.

  12. chiobes888 - 8 years ago

    Hi everyone! So, the developer of nitotv has sent me this instruction on twitter to utilize the appsync and install tvos apps without needing to sign them with a developer account and won’t expire in after 7 days or 1 year. The problem is, I can’t seem to follow it. Is there someone out there who can futher decipher this into a step by step tutorial or better yet a video tutorial like above? Thanks!

    http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/wiki/AppSync

Author

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Jeff Benjamin

Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He initially joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.