Ever European Union-based regulators shook things up for Apple, the Cupertino-based company is now forced to allow third-party App Stores such as AltStore PAL and the Epic Games Store in the EU. Sadly, these experiences aren’t available anywhere else in the world because Apple predictably region-locked them to the EU.
The TrollRestore utility that recently made waves as the first public TrollStore installer for iOS & iPadOS 17.0 is being used for a lot more than just TrollStore, it seems. The SparseRestore exploit that it’s taking advantage of is already being used by the MisakaX device customization tool, as well as a similar project called Nugget by iOS developer LeminLimez – the same developer who brought us Cowabunga and Cowabunga Lite.
You may remember the once popular Misaka package manager app by iOS developer @straight_tamago, which could be used in conjunction with the Kernel File Descriptor (KFD) exploit on compatible handsets to customize non-jailbroken devices.
Many jailbreakers and non-jailbreakers alike are familiar with the TrollStore perma-signing utility, which utilizes a CoreTrust exploit in iOS & iPadOS 14.0-16.6.1 and 17.0 to permanently install .ipa files as System apps with elevated permissions.
It seems to be a big day for TrollStore. Not only did we witness the first public release of TrollStore Lite early Monday morning, but just this evening, TrollStore co-developer @alfiecg_dev took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the much-anticipated launch of a TrollStore installation method that supports iOS & iPadOS 17.0.
Just over a week ago, we teased an AppSync-based TrollStore Lite for jailbroken devices that developer Lars Fröder (@opa334dev) said would be coming soon with a plethora of benefits over using the traditional TrollStore perma-signing utility. As of today, the day has finally come for such a project to be released.
Lars Fröder (@opa334dev), a security researcher with Cellebrite Labs who is perhaps best known for his work on the Dopamine jailbreak and the TrollStore perma-signing utility for the iPhone and iPad, has regularly given speeches and attending security research conventions throughout the year, including GeekCon and Zer0con.
Lars Fröder (@opa334dev), the mastermind behind the Dopamine jailbreak and the TrollStore perma-signing utility that many of us have come to use on a regular basis, shared a teaser last night of what appears to be a “Lite” version of TrollStore.
Just last week, we told you about a fork of the Serotonin semi-jailbreak called NathanLR by iOS developer Nathan (@dedbeddedbed) that improves compatibility with rootless-oriented jailbreak tweaks and uses a more reliable exploit — the same one used by TrollInstallerX.
Anyone who has a CarPlay-enabled vehicle knows just how convenient the additional iPhone connectivity features can be. CarPlay allows certain iPhone apps to run on the vehicle’s head unit, making those features more accessible and safer to use while driving. Unfortunately, some features are locked out for obvious safety reasons.
Before the Dopamine v2 jailbreak came out, the Serotonin semi-jailbreak was all the rage because it allowed users to install and use various forms of jailbreak tweaks without the full jailbreak environment. Serotonin remains relevant on iOS & iPadOS 16.5.1-16.6.1 even today because these firmware versions aren’t yet jailbreakable on arm64e devices. Serotonin, on the other hand, does support them.
Having the skillset to reverse engineer things with respect to the iPhone and iPad can be particularly valuable, especially if you’re a security researcher, developer, or advanced-level power user. But what if reverse engineering could be made easier and more approachable?