When you change the operating system of an iPhone you may be disrupt the network, void your warranty and infringe on Apple's copyright.
Apple has issued a support article that warns against the "jailBreaking" and messing with the iPhones OS. Titled "Unauthorized modification of iPhone OS has been a major source of instability, disruption of services, and other issues"
They have also told the copyright office that altering the OS could crash a mobile phone network's transmission towers or allow people to avoid paying for phone calls. Apple argues that s that the practice constitutes copyright infringement.
The support article warns of adverse issues experienced by customers who have made unauthorized modifications to the iPhone OS (this hacking process is often called "jailbreaking").
Issues that have been encountered include instability, disruption of services, and compromised security.
The most important warning is this statement:
"Apple strongly cautions against installing any software that hacks the iPhone OS. It is also important to note that unauthorized modification of the iPhone OS is a violation of the iPhone end-user license agreement and because of this, Apple may deny service for an iPhone or iPod touch that has installed any unauthorized software. "
Here's what jailbreaking an iPhone can cause:
- Crashes, freezes and data Loss - frequent and unexpected crashes of
the device, crashes and freezes of built-in apps and third-party apps,
and loss of data. - Unreliable voice and data: Dropped calls, slow or unreliable data connections, and delayed or inaccurate location data.
- Botched services - services such as Visual Voicemail, YouTube,
Weather, and Stocks have been disrupted or no longer work on the
device. Additionally, third-party apps that use the Apple Push
Notification Service have had difficulty receiving notifications or
received notifications that were intended for a different hacked
device. Other push-based services such as MobileMe and Exchange have
experienced problems synchronizing data with their respective servers. - Security problems - security compromises have been introduced by these modifications
that could allow hackers to steal personal information, damage the
device, attack the wireless network, or introduce malware or viruses. - Shortened battery life - he hacked software has caused an
accelerated battery drain that shortens the operation of an iPhone or
iPod touch on a single battery charge. - Inability to apply future software updates - some unauthorized
modifications have caused damage to the iPhone OS that is not
repairable. This can result in the hacked iPhone or iPod touch becoming
permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone OS update is
installed.