Apple Approves 'Jailbreak' App on iTunes App Store

Here's something you don't hear every day. A “Jailbreak” application with an extremely misleading description and a hefty price tag has been approved in the iTunes App Store with the potential of tricking unwary customers who may believe they’re downloading a jailbreak solution for their handsets.

The app is a game, not a jailbreak app. But it’s certainly advertised as one when you access it on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

The screenshot above shows what developer RiliSoft advertises for its app when accessed from the iOS App Store.

Accessing the same app on a desktop computer through iTunes will serve up a slightly different description, as well as screenshots that clearly show it’s a game, not a hack tool.

For the life of me, I can’t even begin to understand how Apple approved an app called “Jailbreak” in the App Store, let alone one whose description begins with “Jailbreak for all iPhones, iPods Touch & iPads. of all firmwares (from 3.0 to 5.0). Let's do it right now!”

And all this while the company kicks out well-intended security researcher Charlie Miller for exposing a dangerous flaw in the system. Talk about irony.

Granted, the app’s description doesn’t say anything about hacks. In fact, it can well be regarded as a compatibility list for devices and firmwares, though RiliSoft’s intentions are more than obvious.

Credit goes to BlogsDNA (via Musclenerd, who helped spread the word on Twitter) for pointing this one out.

Numerous jailbreak solutions have been advertised lately riding on the hype of Apple’s iOS 5 release. These advertisements, sometimes supporting scams, capitalize on the iPhone Dev Team’s inability to deliver a full-fledged jailbreak that all users can employ.

They won’t go away any time soon, so it’s your job to keep your eyes wide open and stay informed about the development progress for hacks that are reliable (‘legitimate’, if you will).

I’m not going to try and guess Apple’s next course of action, since RiliSoft doesn’t seem to be breaking any laws, but the developer should at least get a slap on the wrist for pulling a stunt like this.