Siri for Pre-iPhone 4S Jailbroken iPhones Available, but It Remains Complicated

[MacRumors]

Grant Paul (chpwn) has posted a new tool for Jailbroken iPhones that allows Siri to run on pre-iPhone 4S devices. The tool (called Spire) gets around any copyright issues by downloading Siri from device images housed directly on Apple's servers and installs them on your device. The download is about 100MB, so a Wi-Fi connection is recommended.

It's not quite as simple as that, however. Siri still requires special authentication when connecting to Apple's servers. For early testers, this has meant pulling the authentication key from a valid iPhone 4S. Not only that, but the key must be regenerated every 24 hours.

For Spire users, that means setting up a proxy server, and connecting an iPhone 4S to it regularly.

However, Spire is not a complete solution. Apple still requires authorization to use Siri, so information from an iPhone 4S is still required. To insert this information, Spire allows you to enter your own proxy server address. By using this (ancient) SiriProxy fork, you can setup a proxy using your own iPhone 4S to insert the needed information reasonably easily.

So, it's not quite as plug-and-go, but it's a step closer to that reality, if you are desperate for Siri -- and have an iPhone 4S at your beck and call. The proxy workaround is required while we wait for the iPhone 4S jailbreak that should simplify the matter somewhat, but even then you'll still need regular access to an iPhone 4S-generated authentication key.

Article Link: Siri for Pre-iPhone 4S Jailbroken iPhones Available, but It Remains Complicated

 

[besweeeet]

See, this requires a proxy, which requires a lot of extra workarounds, and has to be running on a computer (or dedicated server, which I guess would basically be the same thing) the entire time, and is only available on a local network.

This solution is a little better: http://thetecherra.com/2011/12/10/tutorial-run-siri-on-your-iphone-4-from-start-to-finish-wip/

It's still rather complicated, but can easily be done if the person who wants to do this follows the directions. All you need is a GUI of Siri, which I suppose can now include Spire, some 4S auth keys (which that post explains how to obtain), and Sirious to actually inject those legit auth keys into the Siri GUI.

Spire's GUI can probably be used in conjunction with Sirious to insert real 4S keys into Siri (and it maybe won't have the dyld cache problem), so that it'll work without dealing with proxy servers, as well as working anywhere no matter your connection.

 

[jreed91]

I've downloaded this but don't have an iphone 4s to test a proxy on. Will the siri gui only show up when a working proxy is inputed?
nevermind forgot you have to tun it on

 

[Cougarcat]

Useless until there's an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak.

 

[besweeeet]

I've downloaded this but don't have an iphone 4s to test a proxy on. Will the siri gui only show up when a working proxy is inputed?
nevermind forgot you have to tun it on

GUIs will always at least activate itself, but it won't be able to do anything. It'll usually say that it can't connect, and that'll be it.

You don't really need a 4S. You just need its auth keys, which there is a tutorial for in my post above.

Useless until there's an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak.

How's it useless? Many are using semi-tethered jailbreaks without any (or major) issues.

 

[BaldiMac]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/9A405)

Why does this article imply that this solution avoids copyright issues? Seems like some pretty bad advice to give your readers, considering the complete lack of legal analysis.

 

[besweeeet]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/9A405)

Why does this article imply that this solution avoids copyright issues? Seems like some pretty bad advice to give your readers, considering the complete lack of legal analysis.

Especially considering that the majority of users can care less about legality issues, so it's irrelevant IMO.

 

[goobot]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/9A405)

Why does this article imply that this solution avoids copyright issues? Seems like some pretty bad advice to give your readers, considering the complete lack of legal analysis.

It downloads every part of siri from apple servers, it is completely legal.

 

[Cougarcat]

Especially considering that the majority of users can care less about legality issues
, so it's irrelevant IMO
.

The creators cared, and that stopped progress for a while. Now it's apparently OK because the Siri files are now unencrypted in iOS 5.0.1. But Apple issued a cease and desist for SiriN1ght and I don't see why they won't do the same for this.

 

[thewitt]

Unless you pay Nuance their license fee, you are running the software illegally. Apple pays Nuance for every 4S shipped...

 

[BaldiMac]

It downloads every part of siri from apple servers, it is completely legal.

That's just plain wrong. Copyright law doesn't disappear because you have access to copyrighted material.

 

[besweeeet]

That's just plain wrong. Copyright law doesn't disappear because you have access to copyrighted material.

True, but seriously... Who honestly cares about that sort of thing? The people just want the stuff and can care less as to the legality of it all.

 

[BaldiMac]

True, but seriously... Who honestly cares about that sort of thing? The people just want the stuff and can care less as to the legality of it all.

Maybe people who rely on copyright law to make a living?

Regardless, my point was just that I feel MacRumors should avoid giving out (bad) legal advice in their posts.

 

[goobot]

That's just plain wrong. Copyright law doesn't disappear because you have access to copyrighted material.

Ya but it says they can't distribute apples software, and they are not, you are getting it directly from apple.

 

[BaldiMac]

Ya but it says they can't distribute apples software, and they are not, you are getting it directly from apple.

This discussion is pointless if you don't have a basic understanding of copyright law. You don't have unlimited rights to Apple's software just because you can access it

 

[User3977]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

Funny thing all this work aroun and what not. I have Siri and I could care less about it right now. Maybe after a few more iOS updates it would be worth something but I have never really used it other than to toy around when bored or drunk is fun too.

 

[bse3]

The tool (called Spire) gets around any copyright issues by downloading Siri from device images housed directly on Apple's servers and installs them on your device.

This is so awesome! From now on I'll just download trial software [Siri] from the authors homepage [Apple], and use a key [iPhone 4S] which I found on the internetz. And it will be completely legal!

 

[goobot]

This discussion is pointless if you don't have a basic understanding of copyright law. You don't have unlimited rights to Apple's software just because you can access it

Again, the devolpers arent breaking any laws, they arent distributing any of apples software, they arent doing anything against the law. Please tell me how they are.

 

[trajen]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4S: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

What a waste of time... If you have to own a 4S or have access to one every 24 hours just to get this "hack" to work, WTF is the point?

 

[MarkMS]

This is interesting. As long as I'm running the proxy server, no one sees the commands I'm asking Siri, right? It goes from iPhone -> my proxy server -> Apple servers -> text commands processed -> comes back down to my proxy server and then to iPhone 4? I remember the other Siri hacks going to a third party proxy which can have commands logged.

Anyway, whether this is legal or not ... Apple is taking notice. Just like the iPhone 2G and stupid webapps when it launched, hackers are telling Apple we want Siri on older iPhones (at-least on the iPhone 4) with an API. It's still "beta" so maybe this was a way to test the Siri servers before iPhone 4 users got a hand on it, I don't know. Kinda wish I was more into the jailbreaking scene, but I like my vanilla iOS too much.

 

[qtx43]

Again, the devolpers arent breaking any laws, they arent distributing any of apples software, they arent doing anything against the law. Please tell me how they are.

In today's USA you have no idea whether you're breaking the law without consulting a lawyer. Or maybe i should say you ARE breaking the law daily, maybe even hourly and while you sleep, there are so many of them.

Plus you're changing the subject. He didn't say the developers were breaking the law, he meant you probably are if you do this.

 

[thewitt]

You would be running unlicensed software, which is illegal. No lawyers needed.

 

[sweetbrat]

You would be running unlicensed software, which is illegal. No lawyers needed.

Exactly. The point wasn't that the developers are breaking the law...that will have to be figured out by lawyers. But people downloading from Apple and installing it on their phones are breaking the law, because they're downloading and installing unlicensed software. Yes, people install unlicensed software all the time. That doesn't make it legal, though.

 

[aeaglex07]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/9A405)

Why does this article imply that this solution avoids copyright issues? Seems like some pretty bad advice to give your readers, considering the complete lack of legal analysis.

i know right. If it were legal it would be much simpler to implement.

 

[roadbloc]

If a user feels they'd rather break the law than pay for a product, the product is clearly at fault. Apple made this very clear when they opened the iTunes Store to take on Music Piracy. If people would prefer to go about the hassle of 'pirating' Siri than buy a 4S, Apple have got something wrong. I'd say it was that they didn't offer Siri to 4 and 3GS users.