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.
• 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.

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.