Does Jailbreaking these days still slow down the iPhone and bring instability?

[MarlboroLite]

Hey everyone...I used to be an iphone 3G owner back in 2009 when I lived in Europe, then when I returned to the US I sold it as I did not want to switch to AT&T. Now that VZ iphone is finally here I am going to get it.

When I had the 3G I had the phone jailbroken for a while but this caused the phone to become slow, hang and just bring general instability to the OS. I eventually restored it because it became unbearable. It's been a long time since then...and I know that jailbreaking can even be done untethered, so I'm assuming there have been advancements....so my question is, how is the performance of a jailbroken iphone 4 compared to the past? Are there still negative side effects to jailbreaking?

 

[heisenberg123]

Hey everyone...I used to be an iphone 3G owner back in 2009 when I lived in Europe, then when I returned to the US I sold it as I did not want to switch to AT&T. Now that VZ iphone is finally here I am going to get it.

When I had the 3G I had the phone jailbroken for a while but this caused the phone to become slow, hang and just bring general instability to the OS. I eventually restored it because it became unbearable. It's been a long time since then...and I know that jailbreaking can even be done untethered, so I'm assuming there have been advancements....so my question is, how is the performance of a jailbroken iphone 4 compared to the past? Are there still negative side effects to jailbreaking?

ive only ever had a iphone 4, but havnt regretted jailbreaking it, i also havnt noticed anything major with speed or stability from prior to jailbreaking it

 

[macsrcool1234]

It never has and it never will. You clearly had no idea what you were doing.

 

[Myzhi]

Since the IP4 is so fast, you won't notice much, if any, of difference after JBing. As for instability, don't go all crazy and install tons of JB apps and tweaks. Stick to the popular = tested ones and you should be fine.

 

[maturola]

Jailbreaking DO NOT add any instability or slowdown.


Now,,,,what you installed after you are JBed is another story.

 

[grapes911]

Jailbreaking itself does NOT slow down your phone or make it unstable. All jailbreaking does it allow you to gain root access to your iPhone.

What apps you install after you jailbreak is another story. My recommendation is to install one app at a time and use the phone for a few days or so. If things are fine, install another. If things are slow, uninstall the last app and move on to the next.

 

[Applejuiced]

On the 2G and 3G you will notice slowdowns after installing a bunch of jb packages.
The 3GS and i4 can handle it without breaking a sweat.

 

[UCLAKoolman]

no performance issues on my jailbroken iPhone 4. Occasionally opening the settings app has a tiny amount of lag.

 

[Sedrick]

It never has and it never will. You clearly had no idea what you were doing.

So what's with the ****** attitude? OP has a legitimate concern and expressed it well.

If all you can muster up is a prick response, why do you bother? This kind of crap is what gives forums a bad name.

To the OPs point, as others have said, you shouldn't notice any performance issues with the jailbreak itself. It's very possible that nearly everything you install afterwords does though.

 

[EvryDayImShufln]

Playing with things like winterboard is likely to slow down the phone. Also (I think) that a few cydia apps would likely do it since they don't necessarily adhere to apple's rules on the phone, i.e. might be running in the background after you exit them by hitting the home button.

JB here and no performance problems, at least nothing I've noticed.

 

[hackthatphone]

Hell just turning a stock iphone on brings instability - I give you the proximity sensor issue which I had to resort to using a jailbreak program to fix. Take that Apple! The 3G is a dog before being jailbroken on 4.x.

 

[milamber]

I've had the jailbroken iPhone 4.1 since october. Not noticed anything slowing it down. Feels the same since day one!

I have plenty of jailbroken apps and tweaks too!

Jailbreak it! You won't regret it

 

[Mr. Chewbacca]

The jailbreak for 4.2 is tethered so you may want to wait until that is updated.

I have 103 packages, I just went through them to find some I could just delete and narrowed it down to 90

For me its not just the big stuff like bite sms and lockinfo. Its also about the convenience of using my vol buttons as a camera shutter or pulling down to refresh my mail.

From maps I have the option to navigate from tom tom (or navagon if I had it) Sounds minor but any time you click on an address link it open in maps. My safari has a download manager and I can save youtube videos from the native app.

The list goes on and on. I still cant tell if this is slowing my phone down or not but since I can tell it must not be bad

 

[hackthatphone]

I'm not aware of any publicly availalble firmware for the iphone designated as 4.2. I find 4.2.1. My 3G, 3Gs and iPhone 4 are all untethered and all on 4.2.1. Not sure which model the OP intends to purchase, or if it will be used or new but the iphone can be untethered on 4.2.1.

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

I'm going to disagree with some of the jailbreakers here who say it does nothing. I've been jailbreaking since the beginning, off and on, and what they say—that it doesn't slow things down—is mostly true. The iPhone will run nearly as well jailbroken as it did with Apple software. I have, however, noticed occasional hiccups (just go ahead and read the comments after a new jailbreak and you will see the bugs) and have had some occasional crashes which weren't normal. No big deal on these things, but it does require some time. I've also had some headaches dealing with iTunes and reformats/upgrades afterwards. Again, just some small headaches, and some more time.

On the other hand, there are many jailbreak modifications out there which can cause significant slowdowns and instability. I would suggest to someone that they jailbreak only for very specific features they want to add (say, emulation, or Facetime over 3G) and leave everything else alone. I have yet to meet someone with a tricked out iPhone (Winterboard running, all kinds of jailbreak apps and modifications installed), who have an iPhone that actually runs as nicely as it should.

 

[maturola]

I have yet to meet someone with a tricked out iPhone (Winterboard running, all kinds of jailbreak apps and modifications installed), who have an iPhone that actually runs as nicely as it should.

PM me next time you are in Atlanta, I'll show you my personal iPhone (restoring from backup since day one, I still got my very first SMS sent from my original iPhone back in 2007), It is a user issue not a software one.

 

[heisenberg123]

I'm going to disagree with some of the jailbreakers here who say it does nothing. I've been jailbreaking since the beginning, off and on, and what they say—that it doesn't slow things down—is mostly true. The iPhone will run nearly as well jailbroken as it did with Apple software. I have, however, noticed occasional hiccups (just go ahead and read the comments after a new jailbreak and you will see the bugs) and have had some occasional crashes which weren't normal. No big deal on these things, but it does require some time. I've also had some headaches dealing with iTunes and reformats/upgrades afterwards. Again, just some small headaches, and some more time.

On the other hand, there are many jailbreak modifications out there which can cause significant slowdowns and instability. I would suggest to someone that they jailbreak only for very specific features they want to add (say, emulation, or Facetime over 3G) and leave everything else alone. I have yet to meet someone with a tricked out iPhone (Winterboard running, all kinds of jailbreak apps and modifications installed), who have an iPhone that actually runs as nicely as it should.

it still goes back to question maybe people are being to specific with their answers but if you jailbreak and never add anything(ya i know why would you) but if you did your phone wouldnt know the difference, its the tweaks and mods that would have any effect on your phone, maybe its being picky to say the OPs question was asked wrong but to answer a question by assuming what they meant is pointless also

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

PM me next time you are in Atlanta, I'll show you my personal iPhone (restoring from backup since day one, I still got my very first SMS sent from my original iPhone back in 2007), It is a user issue not a software one.

I'm sure the sentiments you've expressed in this reply are common to many people here, whether or not accurate for their phones. You may very well have a jailbroken phone with a number of programs installed which runs quite well, but it is the software and modifications which causes the phone to run like crap after being jailbroken, and many of those programs do indeed cause performance changes in the iPhone. If you've installed any worthwhile number of jailbroken device solutions which make adjustments to the phone as an operating system, you've encountered these programs, and I'd be content to plainly call anyone in that position who says otherwise a liar.

I certainly do believe that it is possible to jailbreak a device and modify it with quite a number of applications while still retaining a very functional device, but doing so would require a large amount of time, would require backtracking and troubleshooting over the years to weed out the bad apples, and unfortunately I hardly see it as worth it because most of these changes do not improve the device in meaningful ways. I'm content to invest time in something which offers a worthwhile reward—my iTunes library is certainly quite well catered to—but this isn't it. And also worthy of discussion is noting that unless someone is quite technically proficient with the process and associated pitfalls, this probably won't even be possible.

it still goes back to question maybe people are being to specific with their answers but if you jailbreak and never add anything(ya i know why would you) but if you did your phone wouldnt know the difference, its the tweaks and mods that would have any effect on your phone, maybe its being picky to say the OPs question was asked wrong but to answer a question by assuming what they meant is pointless also

Well, not in the context I originally discussed this. Numerous jailbreaks have introduced some pretty funky bugs (ranging from small things like carrier logos vanishing to problems sending text messages, visual voicemail, or switching between wifi and 3G). These generally get cleared up well, but it should be discussed in response to someone who says jailbreaking introduces no instability. I have also seen very unusual but rare problems involving stability and graphical glitches. Overall I'd certainly agree that jailbreaking, itself, does not interfere with the OS's usability in meaningful ways (just read for known issues before performing that new jailbreak), but there have been some issues, and they shouldn't be completely ignored.

 

[maturola]

I'm sure the sentiments you've expressed in this reply are common to many people here, whether or not accurate for their phones. You may very well have a jailbroken phone with a number of programs installed which runs quite well, but it is the software and modifications which causes the phone to run like crap after being jailbroken, and many of those programs do indeed cause performance changes in the iPhone. If you've installed any worthwhile number of jailbroken device solutions which make adjustments to the phone as an operating system, you've encountered these programs, and I'd be content to plainly call anyone in that position who says otherwise a liar.

As I said, next time you are around Atlanta, PM me, I show you my Phone, I got plenty of Application even some Script wrote by myself running and it runs as smooth as stock firmware. this is a user issue and not a software issue. I work with Firmware and software development everyday so I am familiar with development, I am iphone developer myself and I own about 6 iPhones and 3 iPads, I test everything before installing on development phones, I check the source code if it is available, I chat with developer over irc. I know exactly what I am installing on my phone, I don't usually run the most current version until I know it is stable. I installed Package one by one and test them for a few days (or hours depending on the package) before installing the next one.

yes my case is extreme and I don't expect every user to go to all that work but in the other side of the coin my phone is exactly as i want it, run as fast and smooth as factory with all the freedom and control on my hands and not on Apple's.

If user are more careful of what they install and pay attention to release notes and warnings a lot more people will have smooth phones.

I certainly do believe that it is possible to jailbreak a device and modify it with quite a number of applications while still retaining a very functional device, but doing so would require a large amount of time, would require backtracking and troubleshooting over the years to weed out the bad apples
.

years is not really required, just a few minutes to read and search. You wouldn't drink or take a pill without reading the label (well, some people would...). same thing should be for Software install if you value and want your device to keep running smooth

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

As I said, next time you are around Atlanta, PM me, I show you my Phone, I got plenty of Application even some Script wrote by myself running and it runs as smooth as stock firmware. this is a user issue and not a software issue. I work with Firmware and software development everyday [...] I [...] I [...] I [...] I [...] I [...]

You, and I'll take what you say at face value in this response, are absolutely not representative of even the typical tech enthusiast. It is an operator issue insofar as the choice to install these modifications is concerned; but we cannot reasonably expect anyone to adequately predict the extent to which many of these modifications may impact phone performance.

If user are more careful of what they install and pay attention to release notes and warnings a lot more people will have smooth phones.

Read that again and consider, from memory, just what kinds of descriptions and warnings tend to go along with so much of the stuff in, say, Cydia. The most responsible of modifications there may be clear and direct about what a user should respect, but to suggest that the user has adequate information to assess the stability of most things there is disingenuous.

years is not really required, just a few minutes to read and search. You wouldn't drink or take a pill without reading the label (well, some people would...). same thing should be for Software install if you value and want your device to keep running smooth

See above.

 

[maturola]

You
Read that again and consider, from memory, just what kinds of descriptions and warnings tend to go along with so much of the stuff in

Every package worth installing have a changelog and warning, you can check developer website for more info, if none of them exits, them you should not be installing such a package, if Developer can't take a few minutes to let you know what changed, his code must be trash. That simple.

I said it twice and I say it again, this is purely a user issue not a Software issue.

 

[ssdeg7]

I think the problem is not the jailbreak itself but the things you add from sources that aren't really made for a proper functionality of the device

 

[MarlboroLite]

Ok thanks for the responses....because it was some time ago I cannot remember every program I installed, the ones that I can remember were SBS settings, one of the SMS programs, an internet tethering app, and some app that added notification icons to the top bar...and unlocking it. I probably installed some others that I cannot recall now. I know that I did not install any apps to add backgrounds or skins. I remember the OS slowing down over time and crashing more often. I distinctly remember SMS functionality becoming painfully slow. I guess it's possible it was due to some software I installed that caused the instability...

In any case I will be getting the VZ iphone so jailbreaking for unocking will be pointless. Don't really care about customizing the look and feel. I would only jailbreak for SBSettings which I find extremely useful until apple overhaul notifications, and one of the SMS apps, maybe get internet tethering without having to pay and that's about it.

 

[milamber]

Ok thanks for the responses....because it was some time ago I cannot remember every program I installed, the ones that I can remember were SBS settings, one of the SMS programs, an internet tethering app, and some app that added notification icons to the top bar...and unlocking it. I probably installed some others that I cannot recall now. I know that I did not install any apps to add backgrounds or skins. I remember the OS slowing down over time and crashing more often. I distinctly remember SMS functionality becoming painfully slow. I guess it's possible it was due to some software I installed that caused the instability...

In any case I will be getting the VZ iphone so jailbreaking for unocking will be pointless. Don't really care about customizing the look and feel. I would only jailbreak for SBSettings which I find extremely useful until apple overhaul notifications, and one of the SMS apps, maybe get internet tethering without having to pay and that's about it.

I have a jailbroken phone as you described. iPhone 4 (albeit in the UK) with SBSettings, BiteSMS and My-Wi.

Runs great.

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Every package worth installing have a changelog and warning, you can check developer website for more info, if none of them exits, them you should not be installing such a package, if Developer can't take a few minutes to let you know what changed, his code must be trash. That simple.

Oh please. Some of the good apps in Cydia and other sources have pretty crappy documentation and warnings, let alone the poor ones. And a change log does not a comprehensive explanation of warnings and potential system performance impacts make.

I said it twice and I say it again, this is purely a user issue not a Software issue.

You can say it as many times as you want. You can say the ocean is yellow and the sky is green. Aside from the fundamental fact that the user does choose to install the software in the first place, what messes up a jailbroken device is the nature of so many apps available for these devices.