Abraham Masri has been the first individual involved in the jailbreak scene to tip his hat after the release of the latest Ian Beer exploit. With almost alarming haste, Masri has released Houdini semi-jailbreak beta 3, which comes with new firmware support up to iOS 11.3.1.
Houdini is by no means new in the world of jailbreaking. It’s been around for a while offering a semi-jailbreak experience which allows device owners to get access to certain features and functionality which would otherwise not be available on a stock device running a stock Apple-supplied version of iOS. It’s worth reiterating that Houdini is by no means a full jailbreak experience like Electra and it won’t entirely open the device up for the installation of Cydia and other tweaks and packages which require Substrate or Substitute to be installed on the device. It is, however, a fun installation which offers some great positives.
Citing the official Houdini web page, beta 3 encompasses the following changes:
- Support for iOS 11.2 to 11.3.1 (thanks to Ian Beer)
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
(temporarily disabled) - Added Passcode customization in iOS 11
(with new features included) - Re-enabled themes in iOS 11
(partially works) - Added customizable icons
- Customize iOS 11 Control Center
- Option to disable system updates
- Option to remove Houdini (stock iOS)
- Faster startup time
- UI Changes and bug fixes
- Cleaner code base
With the release of Houdini beta 3 – which is available to download with immediate effect – it’s not just support for iOS 11.2 through iOS 11.3.1 which has made an appearance. New support for Home and Lock screen widgets has been included as well. Themes have also been re-enabled in this version, although, by the developer’s own admission they are only partially working.
Notably, Houdini beta 3 requires a paid developer account from Apple due to the nature of the exploit method used. This may steer a lot of people away from using it, and understandably so. If you are pumped for Houdini, then you can grab the latest and greatest beta 3 version of it right now over at iabem97.github.io/houdini_website/.
For anyone interested in moving forward with Houdini beta 3, our tutorial shows how to install it on your device. Please keep in mind that Houdini is in its beta stages and may not be entirely stable in its current form. That said, you use the tool at your own risk with no warranty expressed or implied.
Not running iOS 11.3.1? No problem! Luckily, Apple is still signing the older firmware, meaning you can downgrade to it to enjoy Houdini now, and then Electra jailbreak (when released) later. Learn more on how to downgrade to iOS 11.3.1 here.
Have you tried the Houdini semi-jailbreak before? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments section below.