Timeline

2009

July

• July 14 -- Geohot releases purplesn0w, a software unlock for the iPhone 3GS using the same exploit as ultrasn0w, but handled differently. Minutes later, an explanation and source code was posted.
• July 7 -- The dev team updates redsn0w and ultrasn0w to version 0.8, now with iPhone 3GS support. Saurik also updates Winterboard to support the iPhone 3GS.
• July 3 -- Geohot releases purplera1n, a software jailbreak for the iPhone 3GS.

June

• June 28 -- Geohot posts pictures on his blog of the first fully jailbroken iPhone 3GS.
• June 25 -- It's discovered that iPhone 3GS is vulnerable to 24kpwn exploit.
• June 24 -- The dev team release ultrasn0w unlock for iPhone 3G thanks to a new exploit discovered by Oranav.
• June 23 -- Geohot announces he's found a new exploit in iBoot he calls purplera1n.
• June 19 -- Release of iPhone 3GS to the public and the release of Pwnage Tool 3.0 and Redsn0w for jailbreaking devices running firmware 3.0
• June 17 -- Release of firmware 3.0 to the public.
• June 8 -- Apple announces the iPhone 3GS.

March

• March 10 -- The untethered jailbreak for the iPod touch 2G is released thanks to the combined work of chronic, CPICH, posixninja, pod2g, ius, planetbeing, MuscleNerd, and co after being leaked and sold by NitroKey. To prevent users wasting their money on a stolen exploit, the Hybrid DevTeam decided to release it immediately.

January

• January 31 -- The dev team released a "lite" version of RedSn0w, a tethered jailbreak for the iPod touch 2G. It combines the ARM7 Go exploit with the well-established pwnage flow for other Apple mobile devices. It is bundled in a way that will allow usage on the 2.2.1 firmware.

• January 25 -- 0wnboot is released to chronicdev google code page, thanks to AriX, chronic, CPICH, westbaer, ius, pod2g, the rest of the iPod devel crew on IRC, and to the #iphone-hax lab rats. Within days, the AriX and the chronic dev team got a ramdisk booting for a tethered jailbreak.

• January 17 -- The dev team shows a video demo of the first jailbroken iPod Touch 2G. This tethered jailbreak is released 2 weeks later.

• January 16 -- ARM7 Go hole disclosed where else but here on The iPhone Wiki, for developers to poke and prod at

• January 15 -- The dev team tweets the vfdecrypt key for the iPod touch 2G 2.2 firmware, demonstrating for the first time that unsigned code can now be run on that device.

• January 1 -- The dev team releases yellowsn0w 0.9 beta for baseband 02.28.00.

2008

December

• December 21 -- MuscleNerd, of the dev team does a live demo of the 3G unlock, dubbed as 'yellowsn0w': http://qik.com/video/729275

August

• August 18 -- The dev team releases QuickPwn, a 2.x pwnage/ramdisk combination exploit that allows jailbreaking without needing to create custom IPSWs.

July

• July 22 -- TA_Mobile hardware dumps the 3G baseband (bootloader 5.8 & FW 1.45.00) by desoldering the NOR.
• July 19 -- The dev team releases PwnageTool 2.0, jailbreaking and unlocking the 2.0 software on the iPhone 2G and jailbreaking the 2.0 software on the iPhone 3G.
• July 11 -- iPhone 3G is released.

June

• June 9 - iPhone 3G is announced at WWDC '08.

April

• April 3 -- Dev team releases PwnageTool 1.0, making use of the pmdx exploit (to patch RSA checks out of the kernel, to write unsigned to NOR)

March

• March 12 -- Dev team releases dual-boot jailbreak method, only to be silently fixed in 2.0.
• March 4 -- George Zhu (n000b) releases ILiberty / ILiberty+.

February

• February 28 -- Cydia is released as an open-source alternative to Installer.app, and prepares to take over the jailbreak application scene upon 2.0's release.
• February 11 -- Zibri releases ZiPhone, the first all-in-one unlock, activate, jailbreak solution.
• February 8 -- geohot releases software unlock for 4.6, Apple states 25% of phones were never activated with AT&T.

January

• January 28 -- Dev team releases soft upgrade jailbreak for 1.1.3.
• January 18 -- Geohot and his friends unlocked 1.1.2 OTB 4.6 by test point, the unbeatable version at that time.
• January 18 -- Dev team posts YouTube video of a jailbroken 1.1.3, which was made possible by the dual boot jailbreak from bgm.

2007

November

• November 15 -- New baseband bootloader (4.6) comes out, new iPhones can't be unlocked.
• November 2 -- Jailbreakme is released, bringing jailbreaking to the mainstream iPhone user.

October

• October 23 -- iPhone-Elite Team releases the Virginizer.
• October 14 -- AriX releases iJailBreak, the first automated iPod touch jailbreak for the Mac.
• October 12 -- planetbeing releases touchFree, the first automated iPod touch jailbreak.
• October 10 -- niacin, cmw, and dre release the LibTiff exploit to jailbreak the iPod touch, which is later adapted for use in Jailbreakme.

September

• September 11 -- The dev team releases iUnlock, first free software unlock.
• September 10 -- IPSF releases first paid software unlock.
• September 9 -- Apple announces the iPod touch at a media event.

August

• August 23 -- geohot and team release hardware unlock method.
• August 21 -- Installer.app is released by Nullriver, first GUI apps are distributed.

July

• July 23 -- First phones are used with other carriers by means of SIM hacks.
• July 20 -- nightwatch adapts a toolchain to the iPhone. The first apps are compiled.
• July 9 -- The dev team releases a jailbreak method. The first use of this is ringtones.
• July 3 -- DVD Jon first cracks activation. People can use the apps on the phone without a subscription.

June

• June 29 -- iPhone is released. World's most hyped consumer product.