iOS 9.1 Jailbreak Status Update

Can I jailbreak iOS 9.1 on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch? Here we look at the state of the jailbreak with Apple having now released iOS 9.1 final version to the public.
After seeding five development betas to registered developers and testers over a period of a month, iOS 9.1 is here, and it’s finally available, but where does that leave those individuals who choose to have a liberated iOS device?

 The introduction of a jailbreak solution last week with Pangu 9 for iOS 9.0, 9.0.1, and 9.0.2 took many by surprise. It was, of course, a very welcome surprise for those who were yearning for an untethered jailbreak on Apple’s latest mobile OS, but it still managed to blindside a lot of individuals. Of course, Pangu 9 release also meant that any vulnerabilities used to exploit iOS essentially enter the public domain, leaving Apple to tear the jailbreak apart and patch any of those holes. It’s widely accepted that the security loopholes used in the latest Pangu jailbreak were patched by Apple in beta 4 of iOS 9.1.
It’s for that reason that it’s vitally important to not go through the process of upgrading to iOS 9.1 if you wish to remain jailbroken. We officially need to wait for actually verified confirmation from Pangu Team that their methods of exploit have been patched by Apple, but in the meantime we can safely assume that this is the case. That really makes iOS 9.1 a danger zone for anyone who is currently enjoying all of the spoils that being jailbroken offers.
If you’ve accidentally gone through the process of upgrading to iOS 9.1 without thinking of the consequences, then it’s definitely advised to downgrade back to iOS 9.0.2 while the signing window is still open on Apple’s side. The same can be said if you’re on an earlier version of iOS and haven’t yet updated to iOS 9.0.2. The signing window won’t last for long though so you better hurry up if you want to update or downgrade to iOS 9.0.2 while it’s still possible. You can find the instructions for it here: Downgrade iOS 9.1 To iOS 9.0.2, Here’s How [Tutorial]. It seems that the age old game of jailbreak cat and mouse between Apple and the teams involved in serving up jailbreak solutions is about to begin once again.
The bottom line is that there’s currently no public jailbreak solution available for iOS 9.1. As previously mentioned, we really need to wait for that official confirmation that the vulnerabilities used for the iOS 9.0 – 9.0.2 jailbreak have been patched. Until then, stay away from the latest version of iOS if you’re a jailbreaker.

Update x1: Apple in a document about iOS 9.1 security has confirmed that they have patched two vulnerabilities found by Pangu team. More details on it can be found here.
Update x2: Apple has now stopped signing iOS 9.0.2 firmware, making it impossible to downgrade from iOS 9.1 for jailbreak.
Update x3: A browser-based untethered jailbreak for iOS 9.1/9.2 apparently exists, but it will likely never be released to the public. Details on it here.
You may also like to check out:

• Download iOS 9.1 Links For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch [IPSW]
• Jailbreak iOS 9, 9.0.2, 9.0.1 With Pangu 9 On iPhone And iPad [Updated]

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First inside photo of iPad Pro’s A9X chip reveals custom GPU with 12-clusters

Apple’s latest and largest iPad model, better known as iPad Pro, comes with an all new Apple A9X chip that powers the device. Now we have the very first look at the insides of the A9X chip, thanks to the Chipworks – an electronic devices’ teardown firm. The inside shots of the die, which have been posted below, are obtained by Motley Fool.

The inside photo of the die reveals a dua-core processor and a custom 12-cluster GPU that handles the graphics on the massive iPad Pro. This also reveals that Apple’s A9X chip contains the same number of CPU cores as found inside the A9 chip of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, however, the GPU of A9X is made up of 12-clusters as compared to the 6-cluster GPU built in the A9 chip and there is no level-three cache memory found inside the A9X chip. Other than the number of GPU clusters and the L3 cache, the A9X die has the same built as that of the A9 chip.

Chipworks’ Dick James tells me that he sees a 12-cluster GPU, two CPU cores, and an absence of the level-three cache memory found inside the A9 chip […]
I agree with his assessment. The two CPU cores can be seen in the green box, and I believe that inside of each blue box are two GPU clusters, for a total of 12 clusters.

Chipwork confirms that the A9X chip reveals int he photo is fabricated by TSMC and does share many similarities to the A9 chip found inside the latest iPhone models.

The Moley Feel explains that the A9X chip on the iPad Pro has a memory interface twice the width of an A9 die which gives it increased memory width. This increased memory width is the reason behind the absence of 8MB 3rd level cache memory on the A9X chip, suggests The Motley Fool.

I believe that the A9X is easily the most advanced mobile system-on-a-chip available today. It has best-in-class CPU/graphics performance and it is an extremely large chip built on a bleeding-edge foundry manufacturing process.

The blue areas in the photo indicate the 12-cluster GPU (two in each rectangle), while the green area, represents the dual core CPU indie the A9X chip.

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iOS 9 hack brings 3D Touch responses to iPad Pro via Apple Pencil

Apple launched its 12.9-inch iPad Pro earlier this month but, unfortunately, Apple’s latest pressure sensitive touch screen technology dubbed as 3D Touch, could not make its way into Apple’s latest and largest iPad model. However, that’s changed now, thanks to some tinkering, though.

Thanks to Hamza Sood who is a developer and has an extensive knowledge of Apple’s mobile operating system. After jailbreaking iOS 9, he somehow managed to links relevant bits of software’s code to manipulate Apple Pencil’s pressure data to correlate into 3D Touch responses. This, however, is only possible on an iPad Pro provides support for the Apple Pencil. The array of sensors made it possible to bring 3D Touch responses to the iPad Pro. These sensors allow users to read layers of pressure data for writing, sketching, and painting.
We have embedded below the brief video posted by Hamza Sood on his Twitter handle, which clearly shows Peek and Pop feature of the 3D Touch working on an iPad Pro through the Apple Pencil. The developer certainly has come up with a neat trick that involves a combination of the hardware and software. This shows how differently the technology released by Apple can be used and implemented other than the ways Apple has released it for.
If you’re curious to learn more about Sood’s method of implementing 3D Touch on iPad Pro, he has posted the full process on Github here.

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