Jailbreak tweaks developer shares screenshots as evidence

Mar 23, 2012 08:31 GMT  ·  By

Krishna Sagar talking to the people at iDownload Blog is offering an interesting look at some code inside iOS 5.1, indicating that Apple’s next iPhone should be LTE capable.

Using a jailbroken iPhone, the latest iOS 5.1 build, and a file exploring app (iFile), Krishna was able to find code strings indicating 4G connectivity activity during phone-exclusive stuff like calls, including some FaceTime actions as well.

Krishna is a hacker from India. He has developed several Cydia tweaks like Jailbreak FAQ for Siri, Awesome Facts for Siri, IP Tracker, and others.

The folks at iDownload Blog transcribed several of his screenshots from iOS 5.1. One of them is most indicative of several 4G actions:

"4G_ON_CALL_CANCEL" = "Cancel";  "4G_ON_CALL_OK_DISABLE" = "Disable";  "4G_ON_CALL_OK_ENABLE" = "Enable";  "4G_ON_CALL_WARNING_DISABLE" = "Disabling 4G will end your phone call. Are you sure you want to disable 4G?";  "4G_ON_CALL_WARNING_ENABLE" = "Enabling 4G will end your phone call. Are you sure you want to enable 4G?";  "4G_ON_FACETIME_4G_WARNING_DISABLE" = "Disabling 4G will end FaceTime. Are you sure you want to disable 4G?";  "4G_ON_FACETIME_WIFI_WARNING_DISABLE" = "Disabling 4G may end FaceTime. Are you sure you want to disable 4G?";  "4G_TEXT" = "Using 4G loads data faster, but may decrease battery life.";

Krishna says that amateurs will be able to spot this code themselves in a special file located at this address: var/stash/Applications/Preferences.app/English.lproj/Network.strings.

According to the report, “These strings are definitely indicative of 4G presence on a phone device.” The author points out to "4G_ON_CALL_OK_ENABLE, 4G_ON_FACETIME_4G_WARNING_DISABLE," and "Disabling 4G will end your phone call. Are you sure you want to disable 4G?" as solid evidence that 4G is headed to the next Apple handset.

Indeed, this does indicate Apple is at least testing ways to implement 4G into its next iPhone. That doesn’t mean it’ll happen, but common sense tells us that if the iPad 3 has LTE, the next iPhone would seem crippled without it.

Apple is widely expected to hold a special event this fall to launch its next generation of smartphones. WWDC 2012, scheduled for this summer, will most likely focus on OS X Mountain Lion and a sneak peek at iOS 6.