How To Jailbreak Apple TV: 2 Ways

BySumit Bagga Posted on
how to jailbreak apple tv 3

Apple TV allows you to access apps, play games, and stream content such as music and movies through your television, turning your regular television into a smart TV.  This streaming media comes with a variety of plans that you can choose based on your convenience. 

Apart from features common to other streaming media such as Roku, Apple TV has added benefits for users who have other Apple devices. You can cast media from your iPhone or iPad and have access to services that are only found on Apple Stores.

However, all these features are multiplied when you jailbreak your Apple TV. Jailbreaking has now become a standard process. When a device is jailbroken, you have access to features and programs that were restricted before, making the use of an Apple TV a more enjoyable experience.

What are the benefits of Jailbreaking Apple TV 3?

Though there are numerous options available on a regular Apple TV 3, a jailbroken device offers much more.

Apps

An Apple TV is limited to the apps and services offered by the Apple Store, but through a jailbroken device, you can access and download third-party applications and softwares through the Apple TV.

Files

When you jailbreak your Apple TV, there is no limit to what you can achieve through it. You can install additional software, no longer restricted by the Apple Store, and play all Audio and Video formats available. 

Interface

Apple devices are known for their stick interface, and users have often complained about being unable to change it. On a jailbroken Apple TV, you can change the background of your Apple TV to any image of your choice. Apart from background changes, you can customize the main menu to your liking.

Media

In terms of content or media, once your device is jailbroken, you pretty much have access to all streaming platforms available today, with no restrictions whatsoever.

These are a few of the extensive list of features that can be accessed through a jailbroken Apple TV.

Connectivity

Once jailbreaking is done, you also have added connectivity. The regular Apple TV can only be controlled by the remote, which does not have a lot of features. But once the TV is jailbroken, you can use other devices to control the Apple TV, which brings additional features, such as the ability to type.

How to Jailbreak Apple TV 3: Two Ways

Way 1: Untethered Method using Trailers

Before you start this method, you need to ensure that the auto-updates for your Apple TV have been disabled.

  1. Switch on your Apple TV; using the remote, go to the Settings of the TV.
  2. Under Settings, you will see a list of various options present. Click on the one titled General.
  3. Under General, choose the option labeled Network.
  4. Then click on Wifi.
  5. Under Wifi, you will see a list of all the networks available around you. Click on the Network that you are using.
  6. Click on the Configure DNS option, and you need to set your own DNS for this jailbreak method.
  7. Hence click on Manual.
  8. You can now type in your DNS. Change your DNS from the existing one to  46.166.144.59 (046.166.144.059).
  9. Once you have changed, save it and then click on the back button till you reach the General section window.
  10. In the list of options available, navigate to the option named ‘Send Data to Apple.’ Once this option is selected, double-click the play button.
  11. Now click on the option that says Add Profile. You will be asked to enter information. Enter the link http://trailers.apple.com/trailers.cer.
  12. Once you have entered the link written above, click the Submit button.
  13. Then click the back button on the remote till you reach the main screen of the Apple TV 3.
  14. On the main screen, you will see the Trailers app. Launch the application.
  15. Once the app opens, you will see etasonATV displayed.
  16. Using your remote, navigate to the #etason displayed on the screen. The jailbreak process will start when you click on that option.
  17. Wait for a couple of minutes for the jailbreak process to get over once it is done. Switch off your Apple TV3 and reboot it.
  18. Once it turns back on, follow the instructions described in steps 1 – 7. Revert your DNS to normal.
  19. Install untether to your Apple TV 3 through a Secure Shell connection (SSH). Type in the following command to install untether.
ssh [email protected]
password: alpine
dpkg -i /var/root/untether.deb
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
reboot

You have now successfully finished jailbreak on your Apple TV 3. 

Please note that there will be no icons displayed on the Apple TV 3 main screen once the jailbreak is over.

Method 2: Snow3rd Method

This method will explain how to jailbreak your Apple TV 3 using Snow3rd. However, for this method to work, you will need to have an Apple TV 3 with an iOS 5.2 or versions that have been released earlier. 

Until now, there has been no method found to jailbreak the recent iOS versions using Snow3rd, and it only works on iOS version iOS 5.2 or prior.

To check which version of iOS your Apple TV is running on, follow the steps written below.

  1. Switch on your TV and go to the Settings Application.
  2. In the list of options that are present under Settings, click on General.
  3. Next, you need to click on the option titled About.
  4. In the window that opens, all the details of your television will be displayed, including the iOS that it uses. 

Additionally, you need to be using a computer that runs on Windows XP, Windows 7, or Windows Vista. Snow3rd cannot be run on the latest Windows 8, nor is it compatible with Mac OS X. 

If you have an Apple TV with iOS 5.2 or earlier and have a computer with previous versions of Windows, follow the steps written below to jailbreak your Apple TV 3.

  1. Switch on your laptop and open a web browser according to your choice.
  2. Go to the Snow3rd website. The web address is http://snow3rd.com/.
  3. You will find an option labeled ‘Snow3rd Download’. Click on it to begin the download of the Snow3rd software onto your laptop.
  4. Save the Snow3rd file as a .zip file onto the desktop
  5. Once the software has been downloaded and saved, ensure that you close all additional web tabs, applications, or other background functions.
  6. Then use a micro USB cable and connect the computer to your Apple TV 3. The USB port on the laptop will be found on the sides. The USB port on the Apple TV can be found in the back.
  7. Once you have connected the laptop to the Apple TV, remove the power outlet cable in front of the Apple TV. 

You need to ensure that there are no other wires or connections attached to the Apple TV. The only connection that should be there after the power cord has been removed is the cable that connects the Apple TV to the laptop.

  1. On the desktop of the computer, you will file the Snow3rd zip file that you have saved. Double click the file to extract it. When you double click, you will see a dialogue box appear with the phrase “Connect Apple TV 3 and Click Jailbreak Button”.
  2. Below that, you will see a progress bar and the Jailbreak button. The jailbreak process will start when you click on that option. The status of the jailbreaking process will be displayed through the progress bar.
  3. Wait for a couple of minutes until the jailbreak process is fully finished.
  4. You will see a success message displayed in a dialogue box when the process is completed. 
  5. You can close the dialogue box as soon as the message is displayed.
  6. Then remove the USB cable that connects the laptop from the Apple TV. Once that is done, restart the Apple TV.
  7. After the television turns on, connect the USB cable again to the USB port on the Apple.
  8. Once the two devices have been connected again, open iTunes on your laptop.
  9. On opening the iTunes window, if you see the Apple TV logo on the top bar, that means iTunes recognizes your Apple TV 3. This is an indication that the jailbreak process was a success.
  10. This means you can plug reconnect the HDMI cable on your Apple TV as well as connect it back to its power outlet.

Now you can resume using your Apple TV 3. It is jailbroken, which means you have the option of using this-party applications that are not from the App Store.

Conclusion

Jailbreaking a device opens up the device potential, allowing you to download third-party applications and perform other functions that might not have been previously available. In this article, we discussed two methods to jailbreak your Apple TV 3, as well as the added benefits you receive when you jailbreak your Apple TV 3. 

The first method described uses the Trailers App and is an untethered method. The second method was using the Snow3rd application. The Snow3rd method can only be used on Apple TV 3 with earlier versions of iOS, while the Untethered method works on recent iOS versions as well.

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Sumit Bagga is a Tech Enthusiast who is looking to add meaning to what people read. He has been writing on Apple and its products for 3 years now and continues to share the solution to your everyday issues with everything technology.

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