How Can I Tell If My iPhone is Jailbroken

If you've bought or are going to buy a second-hand iPhone, one thing you may concern the most about is whether the iPhone is jailbroken or not. So is there a way to tell if the iPhone (or any iOS device) is jailbroken?

Of course there is. You can tell if your Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch is jailbroken in just a few steps:

1. Turn on your iPhone and go to the Home screen;

2. If you're on iOS 6 or below, just swipe all the way to the left to get to the search screen; if you're on iOS 7, swipe down on your home screen to open the search box;

3. Type "Cydia" in the search box. If you find that app, the phone is jailbroken.

If you didn't find Cydia but still want to be sure it isn't jailbroken, check for other possible installer names, including "Icy," "Absinthe", or "Installer". If you don't find any of those, it's likely a stock iPhone.

One last telling point that an iOS device is jailbroken is the absence of default apps:

On an iPhone or iPod Touch, the default apps include App Store, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Camera, Contacts, iTunes, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music (or iPod), Notes, Photos, Safari, Settings, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Weather. iPhones should also have a Phone app and recent iPhones should have Compass.

On an iPad, the default apps include App Store, Calendar, Contacts, iTunes, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music (or iPod), Notes, Photos, Safari, and Settings.

If you see apps like the above is missing, the phone is jailbroken, as you cannot remove these apps normally.

Hopefully these tips help you find out the status of your phone! If you want to restore a jailbroken iPhone to factory settings, please read: How to Restore a Jailbroken iPhone to Factory Settings