Will Gadd opens the doors of ice climbing with his new app, “Ice and Mixed”

Ice climbing has notoriously been associated with difficult route finding — especially with the limited print beta that stocks the shelves of climbing shops around North America. To seize this opportunity of creating a comprehensive ice climbing application, renowned ice climber Will Gadd took it upon himself to provide a lasting resource (and guide) for climbers.

No more shelling out hundreds of dollars on Amazon for the now-out-of-print guidebook “Waterfall Ice,” as Gadd makes this — along with books like Sean Isaac’s “Mixed Climbs” and his own climbing insight — available in the convenience of a smartphone application. Titled “Ice and Mixed,” Gadd’s work appears likely to change the way ice climbers locate, approach, and tackle some of the world’s best mixed and ice climbing routes.

Changing the ice climbing game

The “Ice and Mixed” climbing application is a complete guide to more than 1,300 routes in the Canadian Rockies and selected parts of Western Canada, including hundreds of photographs and topography maps. A boon for all kinds of climbers, Gadd chatted with Digital Trends about his game-changing application, sharing his motivation behind creating an app of this functionality and magnitude.

“A GPS-based app makes a lot more sense when dealing with complex approaches and other issues.”

“I originally wanted to just do a new paper guidebook but I was using a lot of mountain biking and other apps that just worked a lot better than a paper guide,” Gadd told us. “A GPS-based app makes a lot more sense when dealing with complex approaches and other issues.”

Originally the goal of the project was to get printed routes onto a digital platform, but this soon transformed into an even bigger project with more promise for area ice climbers. The development process began with print books currently on the market before undergoing its functionality makeover.

“I first bought the rights to a couple great but out-of-print guidebooks then loaded all that information into a huge database,” he continued. “I originally planned to just load it all into a searchable e-book but with GPS laid on top, it turned into a really neat app.” 

Finding climbs is key

The available routes are completely searchable by grade, length, aspect, avalanche hazard, location, aspect, and other input variables. One of the most difficult aspects of ice climbing is physically locating the climb, which is why the GPS overlay serves as such a powerful, real-time tool. All routes feature approach descriptions and a bevy of information is constantly being added to the database. The top 100 classic routes have GPS locations for the parking, route, and descriptions for the approach — but this is where expansion is most prevalent.

Though there is a lack of photographs, ice climbs constantly change their appearance, making certain photos unusable in the event the area becomes altered by warm weather and melt effects.

“More photos are good and we’re continually adding more, but right now we’re mainly adding more GPS information,” Gadd explained. “This app fills a direct need: Finding climbs. What they look like is less important than where they are and keeping the app fast and functional is more important than photos.”

The maps, GPS locations, and route descriptions are all accessible offline, making for a useful tool no matter the cell coverage — an important factor to consider when navigating the backcountry. 

Just the beginning

While finding climbs is the app’s key feature, “Ice and Mixed” still takes into account the inherent dangers of ice climbing and incorporates measures of safety. All routes are classified according to the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and offer legitimate suggestions on where to go for low avalanche hazard climbs. Regarding the next chapter for the application, Gadd pointed to developing a sort of social function — which remains the main component of the rock climbing application “Sloper”  that was released earlier this year.

Red Bull

“Ultimately, we could do a social component but with limited resources, it’s most important the app works well for people,” Gadd said, maintaining that the primary purpose of “Ice and Mixed” is to help people evaluate and locate ice climbs. “The social side of things is important but a lot of the time it’s not high-quality information, and it doesn’t really help. There are already a lot of strong social groups for real-time conditions out there on the web and Facebook.”

“This app is all about curated, useful information that will help people have a better time climbing.”

With this well-defined goal in mind, “Ice and Mixed” continues to grow and update its database with new climbs and GPS information. For now, the application is limited to Canada, though there is a hint of promise for global expansion. 

“I think we’ll cover Canada first and then go from there if it’s working and selling well,” he revealed. “This app is all about curated, useful information that will help people have a better time climbing. There’s lots of information out there in [the] digital land but increasingly it’s the quality of that information that matters. I want edited, verified information, not just a sea of opinion in the apps I use, and Ice and Mixed does that.” 

The “Ice and Mixed” app is available on iOS and Android for an annual cost $25 or a discounted rate of $50 for five years, which includes free updates during the entirety of the subscription.

Great Holiday Gadget Gifts at $50, $100, and $200

What tech gifts can I get for $50, $100 or $200?

Every year, the recommendations pour in like not enough coffee in a too-small cup. But what if you’re just trying to find something at a particular price? We’re here to help.

• Gifts for under $50
• Gifts for under $100
• Gifts for under $200

Under $50

Sphero Mini

The Sphero Mini is an inexpensive and diminutive version of the smartphone-controlled robot orb that has been entertaining kids and adults (and annoying pets) for a few years now). This $50 version is aimed squarely at kids with its flexible plastic outer shell and cutesy games, but it’s easily enjoyable by a person of any age as a way to pass a few minutes in the office between work sessions.

See at Best Buy

TYLT Y-Charge

Find yourself consistently without any battery power in the car? Get a double-headed Tylt Y-Charge. It’s designed to keep cables separate but organized. Each USB port charges at 2.1 Amps. It works with both smartphones and tablets of all sorts and comes in four different colors. Starts at $10.

See at Amazon

Chromecast

The original streaming stick, the 2015 Chromecast costs just $35 and provides access to any number of apps and services — a list that is growing daily. The beauty of Chromecast is that, unlike Amazon’s Fire TV or Roku’s Premiere sticks, Chromecast works entirely from your phone, Google Home, or anything that works as a “casting” source — which, in the Android world, comprises most media apps. Chromecast is absolutely essential.

See at Google Store

Chromecast Audio

Unlike the regular Chromecast, this is all about music. Help your pals turn any speaker into a Chromecast-connected one. Chromecast Audio lets you stream apps like Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio and Google Play Music from your smartphone to your favorite speakers of choice. At $35, Chromecast Audio is also a cheap way to turn that dusty amplifier in the garage into a party machine.

See at Google

Tile Mate

Surely, you’ve misplaced your keys or wallet at least once in your lifetime. We bet your friend knows what that feels like, too. Help them out preemptively for the next time this happens with a $25 Tile Mate key finder. It’s a small, thin Bluetooth tracker that you can clasp onto your keys — or whatever else you might want to track — to keep tabs on your stuff. When you’re desperate to locate your things, use the app to determine its last-pinged location. There’s also the Tile Slim for affixing to phones, tablets, and wallets.

See at Amazon

Google Home Mini

Home Mini is Google’s version of Amazon’s Echo Dot, and while both are great, the $50 Home Mini has Google Assistant on board. It also sounds much better than Amazon’s Dot, which makes it an easier recommendation. Google Home Mini sits and listens for the “OK Google” hot word and jumps into action to play music through a number of services, or answer burning questions like “How many days until Christmas?” Not soon enough, Timmy. Not soon enough.

See at Google

Anker SoundBuds Curve Bluetooth headphones

You probably think you have to spend $100 or more to get great-sounding Bluetooth headphones, but then you’re unlikely to have heard of Anker. This company specializes in trouncing price-to-quality expectations. Case in point, the SoundBuds Curve around-the-neck headphones sound far better than their $30 price would suggest. They’re comfortable enough to wear for hours on end, and can withstand the sweat (so much sweat!) of your workout.

See at Amazon

Under $100

Philips Hue LED Starter Kit

If your friend has already got a Google Home or Echo in the home, consider pairing them with a Philips Hue LED Starter Kit to get their voice-activated apparatus even more revved and roaring. The $70 kit includes two white LED bulbs and a Hue bridge hub, which is also compatible with any other ZigBee-certified and Wink home automation gadgets.

See at Amazon

A year of Amazon Prime

What’s better than free shipping? Just about every other feature that Amazon Prime gets you. There’s no shortage of goodies that come with Amazon’s $100 per year “premium” service, but here’s a sampling: unlimited music streaming; awesome free shows through Prime Video; unlimited high-quality photo storage; Kindle Unlimited book subscription; and lots more.

But we’re sure one-day shipping is reason enough, right?

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo (2017)

Yes, the old Echo wouldn’t have fit into this category, but thankfully Amazon decided to lower the price of its famous in-home assistant when it gave it a redesign this year. Now starting at a hair under $100, the new Echo looks better and still sound great. And it works with a lot more services than it used to. Oh, and it also comes with an auxiliary out to connect to a louder, better speaker if you’re into that sort of thing.

See at Amazon

Razer Hammerhead USB-C headphones

We’re all about Bluetooth, but sometimes you just want something that connects. Not only do wired headphones tend to sound better, but you don’t have to worry about batteries and charging and annoying little boxes. Razer’s new $80 Hammerhead USB-C headphones fill a particular niche we’re interested to see grow: USB-C headphones. You can’t take for granted that your new phone will have a 3.5mm headphone jack, but chances are it will have a USB-C port. Razer’s headphones are bass-tastic but sound great overall, and have a dramatic green flair you’ll either love or hate. We love ’em.

See at Razer

Under $200

Sonos One

Alexa, get me the best-sounding speaker that works with… you. The Sonos One looks like the similar-sounding Play:1 but it’s all new. With long-range microphones and support for Amazon’s intelligent assistant, Sonos One has everything the company’s other speakers do — including an amazing app experience and unrivaled sound — for just $199. Buy two and pair them for a true stereo experience in any room.

See at Amazon

Google Home

It looks like a fancy air freshener, but it’s really one of the simplest ways to technologize a home. Google Home gives you immediate access to Google Assistant. All you have to is call out, “Ok Google” to ask it questions and tell it do things. You can also use it to play music and voice-control other smart devices in your living room. If you want something that sounds better than the Home Mini, the $130 Home is a gorgeous addition to any living space.

See at Google

Nest Cam Indoor security camera

Be your friend’s gateway to home security. The $140 Nest Cam Indoor security camera is simple to set up and offers around the clock video. It records in Full HD and features night vision. Once it’s activated, you can easily check in from anywhere with the Android app. Nest Cam also comes with a free trial of Nest Aware, which is required to activate intelligent alerts and continuous cloud recording.

See at Amazon

Your turn

What are your favorite gifts at any price? Let us know!

The best PlayStation 4 games

There’s a big reason why the PlayStation 4 is the best-selling console: It has a smattering of games that you can’t play anywhere else. Think: blockbusters like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Horizon: Zero Dawn and Bloodborne. But even if Indiana Jones simulators and massive open worlds where you hunt down robo-dinosaurs aren’t your thing, there are still plenty of exclusives to pick from. Whether it’s the best baseball video game franchise, a choose-your-own-adventure horror or an engrossing social simulator/JRPG hybrid, there’s a lot to play on Sony’s latest console. And then there are games from massive third-party publishers like Activision and Ubisoft, along with quirky indie offerings to round out the selection.

AAA vs indie darlings

It was with the PlayStation 3 that Sony started making a name for itself as the home for thoughtful, quirky, sometimes weird indie games. This directive naturally carried over to the console’s successor. In the PS4’s early years, a steady stream of free (with a PlayStation Plus subscription) indies like Resogun and Outlast helped keep the system afloat while everyone waited for sequels to Uncharted or the forever-in-development The Last Guardian. While Sony isn’t courting indie studios quite as aggressively as it once did, the PS4 is still a great way to play niche games you might’ve missed these past few years.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

With Uncharted 4, developer Naughty Dog took everything it learned about character development and narrative delivery from its previous game, The Last of Us, and applied it to treasure hunter Nathan Drake’s potentially final tale. Four adventures in, the crew’s past exploits have strained or bolstered their relationships. Nate isn’t quite such a wisecrack anymore, and prefers dad jokes to one-liners. His wife, Elena, would rather spend a night playing Crash Bandicoot on the couch than fend off zombies on a Nazi U-boat hidden in the jungle. If this is your first Uncharted, you might not pick up on some of the fan service, but the constantly changing set pieces, puzzles and scenery should be more than enough to pull you through to the epilogue.

Until Dawn

If you’ve ever found yourself screaming at the TV while watching stupid teens do absurd things in horror movies, Until Dawn should be the first “game” you play on PS4. Developer Supermassive Games’ take on “teenagers stranded in a remote cabin while something terrorizes them” isn’t a typical game, per se — it’s an interactive movie where you guide a group of the oldest teenagers you’ve ever seen from one shiny object to the next to advance the narrative. You’ll make dialogue choices along the way, press buttons in time with prompts onscreen and, if you aren’t careful, kill a handful of the teenagers by botching said button prompts in the heat of the moment. But rather than becoming a schlocky genre trope-fest, it feels genuine and earnest. Even better, it makes for a great pass-the-controller party game.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

After making nothing but Killzone first-person shooters since 2004, developer Guerrilla Games knocked it out of the park with its first open-world RPG Horizon: Zero Dawn. You play as outcast and motherless Aloy as she searches for answers about her past and the world she and her tribe inhabit. It’s a world where robotic, quasi-headless brachiosaurs lumber through primeval forests, and mechanical raptor-and-saber-toothed-tiger stand-ins want to make you their lunch. Horizon’s ever-present sense of mystery and its massive open world will keep you busy for a long time, even after you finish the story. And if the base game isn’t enough, Sony released an expansion not long ago that takes Aloy to new areas and introduces new enemies.

Bloodborne

There’s a good chance you’ll throw a controller at the wall while you’re playing Bloodborne. But if you’re a fan of the Dark Souls series, that probably won’t surprise you. Bloodborne has the same developer (Fromsoftware), but, rather than a setting with dragons and golems, here you’re exploring a vaguely steampunk Londonesque town and fighting off horrific beasts like werewolves, witches and infected boars. One or two false moves in the course of battle with these beasts will do you in, and there’s a strong emphasis on learning their attack patterns. The result, when you finally dispatch an enemy, be it your first or your 45th, is a sense of accomplishment few other games can match. But yeah, prepare to die a lot along the way.

Persona 5

JRPG Persona 5 feels like a vacation disguised as a video game. It’s equal parts social simulator and dungeon crawler, and for our money, it’s one of the best re-creations of Tokyo in all of gaming. Neighborhoods are bustling with karaoke bars, arcades and bathhouses, all begging to be explored. And then there’s the social element of just hanging out and talking with your friends, or dating. But this all ties back into the game’s dungeon crawling; the relationships you form offer benefits when you’re fighting enemies in the game’s alternate universe. For example, there’s an apothecary that will revive you after your party is defeated in a battle so you don’t have to reload the last checkpoint. It’s all brilliantly conceived and executed, addressing tough themes like sexual assault and youth suicide with the gravity they deserve. If all of this isn’t enough to sell you, maybe the game’s jazzy and wildly inventive soundtrack will.

MLB: The Show ’17

Sony’s MLB: The Show series has long been a benchmark of what PlayStation hardware can do. No other baseball game faithfully reproduces a TV-style broadcast the way The Show does, and it’s convincing enough that you might be able to trick a few friends into thinking you’re watching a game on ESPN, versus actually controlling the action on the diamond; the graphics and presentation are that good. Better than that, there’s “Road to the Show” mode. It’s a career mode that has you guiding your custom player from the minor leagues all the way up to the World Series, playing one position only when there’s action happening for them. Meaning you can burn through a three-game series in less time than it’d take to play nine innings in a different baseball game.

The Last Guardian

For almost a decade, it seemed as if we’d never actually get to play The Last Guardian. It was announced back in 2009, and then director Fumito Ueda and his Team Ico spent years toiling away in the shadows on this thoughtful adventure game. In 2016, we finally got to see and play the beautiful, melancholy tale of a boy and his friendship with an overgrown cat/griffin/bird creature named Trico. While the game bears the scars of its protracted development time — the camera and controls feel like relics of the PlayStation 3 — the result is a gorgeous experience that would feel out of place on just about any other gaming platform. It’s hardly perfect, but you can’t help but feel the love and hard work that went into the game at nearly every turn.

The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt

Assuming you either already picked up this year’s Horizon: Zero Dawn or just want something that’s steeped in fantasy rather than sci-fi, CDProjekt Red’s third Witcher should be right up your alley. As in Horizon, there’s a sprawling open world, except this one is filled with monsters, magic, swordplay, bloody barons, political machinations and side quests spread across several continents. Tying it all together is Geralt of Rivia, the titular Witcher (read: monster hunter), who’s equally word weary and wry. Thanks to meticulous writing and design, those side quests feel just as important as the critical path — not just filler added to stretch out the runtime. And if you want a subtle way to track how long you’ve played, just look at Geralt’s beard: It grows in real time along your journey.

Journey HD

Okay, so this is technically cheating, considering that Journey made its debut on the PS3, but the game is too special to not include its PS4 remaster on the list. And really, this is the type of game that deserves to be in everyone’s library. It’s a quiet meditation on life and loss, told entirely through gameplay and a wordless adventure toward a mountaintop that’s forever beckoning you to come closer. The game may start out with you sliding down sand dunes in an endless desert, but, without giving too much away, know that isn’t all you’ll see along your path toward the peak. Its clever cooperative multiplayer mode still feels as fresh as it did five years ago, too. If you’re looking for a way to introduce a significant other or family member to gaming, there’s no better place to start than here.

Resogun

Resogun comes from Finnish developer Housemarque, and it was the highest-rated PS4 title between the system’s November 2013 launch and when Bloodborne was released 16 months later. Why? Because it’s the best modern take on arcade classic Defender you’ll likely ever play. Instead of flat, 2D worlds, you’ll guide your spaceship around a cylindrical environment blasting at aliens, rescuing humans and generally trying not to die amid screens full of bullets. You can make custom spaceships and play cooperatively, either online or locally. The beautiful voxel-based graphics still look great four years after it first came out, too. Plenty of games on this list require tens (or hundreds) of hours to play through, and don’t quite lend themselves to quick sessions. You could spend that much time playing Resogun, especially if you want to master it, but it’s also a perfect way to kill 20 minutes before your favorite TV show starts.

Nier: Automata

Learning to love Nier: Automata takes time. Created by the eccentric Yoko Taro, Nier starts off simple, playing out like a typical action RPG. Plowing through enemies feels great, as you’d expect from a game by the combat specialists at PlatinumGames. It might take 5, 10 or even 15 hours, but the game’s truly extraordinary world will sink its teeth into you and not let go. You play as a robot, fighting on behalf of humans in a proxy war for control of a ruined earth. The trouble is, it’s impossible to fully detail the story, or even explain why Nier is so special, without spoiling the game. The story loops, twists and contorts, and these shifting narrative perspectives also affect the gameplay, to the point where entirely new mechanics strong enough to carry an entire game are added 20, 30 or 40 hours in. Nier: Automata has rough edges, sure, but it’s a weird, wonderful, ambitious game that’s worthy of your time.

Night in the Woods

You can never go home again: People change, friendships atrophy, your old stomping grounds get paved over by faceless conglomerations. It’s heady stuff for a video game to tackle, but Night in the Woods does it with aplomb. Anthropomorphic feline Mae returns to her hometown of Possum Springs, after dropping out of college her sophomore year, and discovers that nothing’s the same anymore. Considering that you’ll spend the bulk of your time in the game talking to friends and family, it’s a good thing that the writing is so consistently strong. It’s something that makes you want to actively search out new conversations; to comb the 2D world for new folks to talk to. There are a few rhythm games and platforming sections thrown in for good measure too, but, again, the main attraction isn’t traditional gamey stuff. No, that’d be exploring Possum Springs’ charming city streets and seeing the reactions to Mae and her friends’ relentless cynicism.

The FTC is looking into Uber’s latest data breach

This week, Uber revealed that a security breach that happened in October of 2016 exposed personal data from around 57 million customers and drivers. But rather than inform the affected individuals, the company instead chose to pay off the hackers that stole the data in order to keep them quiet. Now, Reuters reports that the FTC is looking into the data breach and Uber’s subsequent mishandling of the situation. An agency spokesperson told Reuters, “We are aware of press reports describing a breach in late 2016 at Uber and Uber officials’ actions after that breach. We are closely evaluating the serious issues raised.”

But here’s the thing, the FTC just wrapped up an investigation into the company over issues with how it managed its security. The agency determined that Uber didn’t adequately protect data and misrepresented how secure that data actually was. Part of Uber’s settlement with the FTC over that investigation included an agreement to undergo third-party privacy audits every two years for the next two decades and a promise that it would no longer misrepresent how it monitors, protects and secures consumers’ personal information. At the time that settlement was announced, Uber said in a statement, “We’ve significantly strengthened our privacy and data security practices since then and will continue to invest heavily in these programs. […] This settlement provides an opportunity to work with the FTC to further verify that our programs protect user privacy and personal information.”

That settlement was announced in August of this year. “It appears they violated the FTC consent order before the ink was dry on it,” former cybercrime prosecutor Ed McAndrew told CNET. “At the very time they were negotiating a consent order with the FTC, they were knowingly not disclosing it.”

Along with the FTC, Uber could also be investigated by several states, laws from which it violated when it didn’t disclose the breach to its customers. Reuters reports that at least six states’ attorneys general offices have said they’ll be looking into the issue as will authorities in the UK, Australia and the Philippines. An Uber spokesperson told CNET, “We’ve been in touch with several state attorney general offices and the FTC to discuss this issue, and we stand ready to cooperate with them going forward.”

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Reuters

Google will downrank Russian state news agencies

The extent to which fake news is propagating the internet has become increasingly clear in recent months. In October Facebook revealed some 3,000 politically-charged adverts had been placed in crucial swing states in the US, while Freedom House this month demonstrated that governments in no less than 30 countries are creating content to distort the digital landscape in their favour. Russia’s influence appears time and again in these stories, and Google is now preparing to take action by “de-ranking” the Russian news sites it believes is at the heart of the issue.

Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google’s parent company Alphabet, says the problem is largely down to Russia Today and Sputnik, and that the company is “trying to engineer the systems to prevent it”. Speaking at an event in Halifax, Canada, he said that Russia’s disinformation strategy should prove easy to tackle as it hinges on “amplification around a message”, and that such patterns can be detected and therefore “taken down or deprioritised”. He firmly denied simply banning the news sites, saying the focus is on using Google’s skill in algorithms and ranking. “We don’t want to ban the sites. That’s not how we operate. I am strongly not in favor of censorship. I am very strongly in favor of ranking. It’s what we do.”

Russia Today’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan issued a statement in response to Schmidt’s comments, saying that Google’s own internal review system didn’t find any wrongdoing on Russia Today’s behalf. “His colleagues admitted three weeks ago that RT did not violate any rules of the platform,” she said.

Schmidt’s proposed solution to the fake news epidemic seems overly simplified given the pervasive and complex nature of the issue. If it were that easy to combat, surely the problem wouldn’t have reached the extent it has. Plus, some might argue that purposefully deprioritising certain sites or stories is a kind of censorship in itself. Finding the line between preventing harmful disinformation and censorship is one of the biggest quandaries facing the digital age so it seems unlikely it’ll be solved by a simple algorithm.

Via: The Guardian

Two Major Cydia Hosts Shut Down as Jailbreaking Fades in Popularity

ModMy today announced it has archived its default ModMyi repository on Cydia, which is essentially an alternative App Store for downloading apps, themes, tweaks, and other files on jailbroken iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.

A jailbroken iPhone running iOS 6 via New Atlas
ZodTTD/MacCiti also shut down last week, meaning that two out of three of Cydia’s major default repositories are no longer active as of this month. ModMy recommends developers in the jailbreaking community use the BigBoss repository, which is one of the last major Cydia sources that remains functional.

The closure of two major Cydia repositories is arguably the result of a declining interest in jailbreaking, which provides root filesystem access and allows users to modify iOS and install unapproved apps on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

When the iPhone and iPod touch were first released in 2007, jailbreaking quickly grew in popularity for both fun and practical reasons. Before the App Store, for example, it allowed users to install apps and games. Jailbreaking was even useful for something as simple as setting a wallpaper, not possible on early iOS versions.

Even in later years, jailbreaking remained popular for a number of popular tweaks that Apple has eventually implemented into iOS, such as system toggles, lock screen widgets, quick reply for text messages, screen recording, multitasking, picture-in-picture mode on iPad, and keyboard trackpad mode.

With many of those features now available out of the box, the allure of jailbreaking is considerably less for many people.

“What do you get in the end?” asked Cydia creator Jay Freeman, in an interview with Motherboard. “It used to be that you got killer features that almost were the reason you owned the phone. And now you get a small minor modification.”

One downside to jailbreaking is that it has always been a violation of Apple’s End User License Agreement that every iOS user agrees to. While not illegal in the United States, due to an exemption in the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, jailbreaking also technically voids your device’s warranty coverage.

In a statement provided to Cult of Mac back in 2010, Apple said jailbreaking can “severely degrade the experience” of an iPhone.

Apple’s goal has always been to insure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience. As we’ve said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably.

Apple’s cat-and-mouse game with jailbreaking has been ongoing for over a decade, and it may be finally winning the battle given advancements in iOS security and decreasing interest in jailbreaking.

iOS 11 is the first major version of Apple’s mobile operating system that has not been publicly jailbroken. A few developers have claimed to exploit iOS 11 at various security conferences, but no Mac or PC tool like Pangu has been released for the public to download and jailbreak their own devices with.

The lack of a public jailbreak for the latest iOS version after several months has fueled a so-called “death spiral” for jailbreaking.

“When you get fewer people bothering to jailbreak, you get fewer developers targeting interesting things, which means there’s less reasons for people to jailbreak,” said Freeman. “Which means there’s fewer people jailbreaking, which causes there to be less developers bothering to target it. And then you slowly die.”

iOS users still interested in jailbreaking can visit our Jailbreaks and iOS Hacks forum section and /r/jailbreak on Reddit.

Tags: Cydia, jailbreak
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