Track Your iPhone's Data Usage The Easy Way

This post is for those with a limited data plan for their iPhones. Telcos often charge a fair bit when you exceed your specified data limit, and if you're anything like me, you'd have definitely exceeded your quota at least once.

Well when I exceeded mine, I had no choice but to pay the charges, and after that I went on a search for the best way to track my data. At the time of my search, which is around a year ago, there was no worthy data tracking app except Data Usage.

My problem with Data Usage is every time you reboot your phone, you have to start up the app again otherwise it does not track your usage. Well, most people would accept that as a small price to pay, but not me!

Well, the commonsense approach would be to go into Settings and reset your data counters every month, but you know, that seems like too much work compared to searching and trying all possible solutions for a better one.

With iOS 5, Apple introduced Notification Center (you know, that grey piece of cloth you pull down from your statusbar). WeeTrackData is a jailbreak tweak by Albert Schulz that takes advantage of that, and it essentially tells you how much of your monthy data quota you've used so far. A swipe to the left gives you your usage for the week, and another swipe gives you your usage for the day. Simple, minimalistic, and it gets the job done.

Open up your Cydia app and search for it, give it a shot.

Jailbreak for Dummies: How To Actually Do It

Generally speaking, the mark of a jailbroken device is the Cydia app whose natural habitat is the home screen of your device. I say generally because dev teams (groups of hackers working together) sometimes release a jailbreak tool that jailbreaks the device, but does not install Cydia. This is usually because the jailbreak is still not ready for public use, perhaps it's not stable yet and the dev teams want to give some sort of beta testing to a smaller crowd, usually those who actually knows all this stuff in-depth; or the dev teams simply want to give jailbreak developers a head start in developing jailbreak contents first. It's their choice, and we should respect that. These people put in countless hours finding and developing jailbreaks, and they give it to you for free.

A screenshot containing Cydia, as well as some feature unique to the particular device often serves as evidence of a successful jailbreak attempt. The image above is from a time not too long after the iPhone 4S was released. At that time, the iPhone 4S was the only device with Siri, so that screenshot was all the evidence needed to prove the iPhone 4S has been jailbroken. Similarly, in the picture at the beginning of this post, we see Cydia on a device with five rows of icons and a dock. Unless you've been living under a rock, that's the mark of an iPhone 5.

Of course, skeptics can say it's photoshopped or whatever and it's all lies. Fair argument, but when the jailbreak is actually released, you skeptics better not be using it. For us jailbreak fans however, these pictures gives hope that a jailbreak is round the corner.

Enough of background stories, now back to the topic.

Checking Your iOS Version

In the Settings app, go to General, then About. Once there, you should see a row labeled Version, and that's your iOS version right there.

As you can see, mine's iOS 5.1.1. The first number refers to the major iOS version (in this case iOS 5), and the numbers that follows is the smaller update/revision of that major iOS version. It's important to note your iOS version because different each version's jailbreak, if available, uses different jailbreak tools because of the different exploits/vulnerabilities used each time.

I'll show you how to jailbreak the two latest iOS versions, namely iOS 5 and 6. Note that iPad 3 refers to the ridiculously named 'new iPad', and iPad 4 is obviously the one newer than that, launched after the iPhone 5.

iOS 6

I stayed away from iOS 6 because I didn't want to lose my Google Maps, and more importantly my iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak. However, if you're on this iOS, check to see if you're on the devices listed below.

• iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS
• 4th-gen iPod touch

If you device is on the list, then congratulations, you are entitled to a free, all-expense-paid, 10 minutes journey to tethered jailbreak-land. If you're not, don't bother reading the next part.

Redsn0w is a jailbreak tool provided by the iPhone Dev-Team. This tool is often updated to support jailbreaks for newer iOS versions, and we are now at version 0.9.15b2, supporting iOS 6.

I emphasize here, this is a tethered jailbreak, meaning if your device runs out of juice or reboots, you have to connect your device to the computer and use Redsn0w to boot it. Read this if you want to know why.

Download Redsn0w for Windows here, or for Mac here.

Extract and run it. Be sure to run it in administrator mode (Windows) or ctrl+click then select open (Mac).

Click on Jailbreak, then follow the steps to put your device into DFU mode.

If you've done it right, the tool will jailbreak your device. Be patient and try to contain your excitement, don't do anything funky. When it's done, go to Extras, and Boot Tethered. Select “Autoboot this device when it connects in DFU mode”. 

Once the device reboots, you should see the Cydia icon on your home screen.

If your device powers down in the future, connect your device and run Redsn0w. Go to Extras, click on Just Boot and follow the instruction. Should be a piece of cake.

iOS 5
There's four iOS versions; iOS 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.1, and 5.1.1.
The cool thing about redsn0w is that it is only updated to support the newer jailbreaks, it's not a different tool every time. So the same redsn0w that jailbreaks iOS 6 will jailbreak iOS 5 and all previous versions, provided that the device model fulfills the requirements. For each version of iOS 5, redsn0w supports different devices. Sometimes certain device gets an untethered jailbreak while others get tethered ones, so check if your device can be jailbroken untethered or tethered in the list below.

iOS 5.0 

• Not supported
• iPad 2

• Untethered 
• iPhone 4s

• Tethered
• Everything else

 iOS 5.0.1

• Untethered 
• All devices

iOS 5.1

• Not supported
• iPhone 4s, iPad 2, iPad 3

• Tethered
• Everything else

  
iOS 5.1.1

• Untethered 
• All devices

Redsn0w download links and jailbreak instructions are the same as for iOS 6. Scroll up.

I should remind you guys that if you have an old-bootrom 3GS, the criteria listed above for being able to jailbreak doesn't apply to you. Your device will be jailbroken untethered by redsn0w. Find out why and how to check your bootrom here.

That's it. In the next post I'll show you how to convert tethered jailbreaks to semi-tethered.

Update:

I just jaibroken iOS 6 myself and it seems like without semitether, the iPhone boots but without jailbreak content. It seems like redsn0w now jailbreaks with some sort of semitether protection, but this is just my guess.

Anyway, if you are on iOS 5 or your iOS 6 device cannot boot without plugging into the computer, semitether can be downloaded through Cydia.

In Cydia, go to Manage > Sources > Edit > Add, and add this repo http://thebigboss.org/semitether. 

Search for SemiTether and install the package. Be sure to check on the semitether app installed on your springboard every now and then to ensure you are protected.

Jailbreak for Dummies: Types of Jailbreak

What?! There's different types of jailbreaks?

Yes. Jailbreaks ultimately gives you root access and Cydia, but each jailbreak is different. 

A little backstory...
Since the day iPhones walked the earth, jailbreaks have been attempted. Apple doesn't like this, and tried to make jailbreaking illegal, but court rulings allowed jailbreaking. Previously all devices are allowed to be jailbroken, but the latest court ruling decided that tablets (iPads) cannot be jailbroken anymore. It's a good thing I don't own one then. 

Using the analogy of fencing up the iOS in the previous post, each time a hacker use the holes he found in the fence to enter iOS and release a public jailbreak, Apple patches the holes. The holes here are 'security vulnerabilities', weak spots in the fence that can be exploited to do more than just jailbreaking, if the hacker has ill-intentions. Therefore it's important that Apple patches these holes quickly, usually in the next iOS update.

As a result, each new jailbreak generally uses different holes in the fence, and each update patches the holes that Apple knows about. This is basically a cat and mouse game that goes on and on.

Untethered Jailbreaks
I'll start my description by explaining the 'magic' (again, see the previous post) that hackers do. Think of spies in the movies. They infiltrate some organization, place some tech gadgets around, and suddenly they can monitor and control everything, shutting doors and turning on self destruct to kill the hero of the film, which incidentally is very likely to not die. When hackers enter through the holes in the fence, insert place some codes/scripts/tech-stuff (let's refer to them as magic spells) into iOS. Once done, every time the device reboots, their spell makes iOS boot without the usual restrictions allowing jailbreak content. Untethered jailbreaks are essentially powerful spells that are left inside the fence, working it's magic as long as it's untouched, even if the hacker does not enter anymore.

Tethered Jailbreaks
Tethered jailbreaks are a little more confusing. Sometimes hackers enter through the fence, but the area contains dangerous explosive that will detonate if the magic levels in the air gets too high. Therefore, to prevent devices from blowing up (just kidding, iPhones don't explode, everyone knows that it's Siri who dies) the spells they cast cannot be as powerful, leaving half the spell sitting inside the fence, while the other half has to be brought in from the outside each time the spell is required. Therefore every time the device reboots, without the external spell, devices with tethered jailbreaks cannot boot, stuck forever at the Apple logo screen till the phone dies.

To boot successfully, the user needs to plug the device into their computer. Using programs provided by the hacker, the other half of the spell is inserted through the fence and BOOM, the spell is in full power and the device boots successfully into its jailbroken state.

Semi-tethered Jailbreaks
Semi tethered jailbreaks are fairly new, beginning only in iOS 5. When there is only a tethered jailbreak available to the public, people are fairly apprehensive. What happens if their device requires a reboot, or runs out of juice during a trip where a computer is not accessible? Installed through Cydia as a package/tweak, semi-tether protects the user from the downside of tethered jailbreaks. When the device reboots without a computer, semi-tether allows the device to boot into a usable state, just without all the jailbreak contents. Basically you can call, text, and all the basic original iDevice functions. Just no Cydia or any jailbreak tweaks and themes. How this is done is beyond my little brain, but may God bless the person who came up with this. Read more about semi-tethered jailbreak here.


Summary
Untethered jailbreaks are the best, because the device functions fully like a normal device, plus jailbreak contents. 

Tethered jailbreaks requires the device to be attached to the computer every time the device reboots, otherwise the device will be stuck at the Apple logo startup screen; at least until it is tethered to a computer and rebooted again.

Semi-tethered jailbreaks are originally tethered jailbreaks, which the device user then goes into Cydia and install the semi-tether package/tweak. Semi-tether protects the user from the disadvantages of tethered jailbreak, while waiting for a full untethered jailbreak to be released.

Jailbreak for Dummies: What Is It?

I thought it'd be nice that my first post discusses the main reason why I started this blog: to tell the people what a jailbreak really is, and how simple and safe it is. I'll try and explain this in a simple, everyone-can-understand manner.

First things first, what's a jailbreak?

Well, when Apple made iOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch (that's like Windows Vista/7 for your desktop or laptop), they made sure the security was tight. Imagine your desktop computer. You could install virtually anything on it: Google Chrome, Photoshop, even cracked games that are supposed to cost hundreds of bucks. Now the problem with that is every now and then your antivirus (if you have one) pops up and tells you that the software is unsafe, contains a virus bla bla bla. Apple decided that this cannot be the case for their beloved iDevices, and therefore imposed strict restrictions. Think of your desktop. Imagine that you can only install Microsoft approved software. That's what Apple did. Only apps they approve can be installed, and all apps can only come from the AppStore. Music can only be synced through iTunes. All you can change is the wallpapers of the lockscreen and homescreen. That makes the iOS environment much safer, users install apps without worrying about virus or personal information being stolen.

How all the security features implemented work will not be discussed, but basically Apple has built an imaginary fence around the iOS, and only they have the keys to enter. Now hackers look for holes or weak spots in this fence, and use this hole to enter and work some magic. Sort of like the cat next door that never fails to poop in your garden every morning even though you fenced up your house with spikes and all the repellents possible. There's always somewhere you missed. The 'magic' is that they make the device boot into a jailbroken state, turning off Apple's restrictions to gain 'root' access to iOS and an app called Cydia.

Root Access
Root access basically means you can access the filesystem and modify files. Think of user accounts on your university/office computer. Normal users can run the usual programs, but restricted in certain ways. Maybe you can't install or download stuff, or certain websites/softwares are blocked. When the IT guy comes along, he logs in with his account and he can do everything. Gaining root access basically is getting the login and password of the IT guy. So imagine using a non-jailbroken iPhone. How boring is that? :p

Cydia
Cydia is essentially the AppStore for jailbreak contents. There, you'll find tweaks and themes. 

Tweaks: Stuff that changes the way your phone works, such as double pressing the '@' button to  automatically insert your email address.

Themes: Anything that changes the appearance of the interface, see lockscreen of the iPhone above.

Cydia is the first non-AppStore app that is installed on your phone upon jailbreaking. The way Cydia work is slightly different. Imagine Cydia as a shopping center, say MidValley Megamall. Within it there's shops like MNG, Forever 21 and G2000. These shops are the equivalent to 'repo's in Cydia. Like clothes suppliers, developers produce all these tweaks and themes and sells them through these stores. For example, the BigBoss repo comes together when Cydia is installed. Others can be added at the user's will.

In conclusion..
The point of commercial jailbreaks is to install Cydia so users can install non-Appstore content. To do so requires root access.


Some notes
1. Not all holes in the fence are usable.
2. I've made hacking and jailbreak sound easy for the sake of simplicity. In real life it's not.
3. This article is based on my understanding of jailbreaks, and is meant to be only an introductory explanation. I do my best to explain it in a way that even a 10 year old can understand.

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