Apple TV 4 Jailbreak Possible with Pangu

A jailbreak for Apple TV 4 has been released by the Pangu group. The jailbreak applies to the 4th generation Apple TV running tvOS 9.0 or 9.0.1, and will not work on the newly released tvOS 9.2 version.

Jailbreaking allows for unauthorized software modifications and installations to be performed on a device, and is generally best reserved for advanced users who understand the complexities and potential issues that may be encountered with the experience.

There are many reasons not to jailbreak a device, and those reasons apply equally to an Apple TV with tvOS as they do iPhone or iPad with iOS. Jailbreaking a device may result in unusual errors, performance issues, potential security breaches, unexpected behavior, and perhaps worst of all, Apple may choose to decline warranty coverage for a device that has been jailbroken.

For those users who are interested in jailbreaking their Apple TV 4th generation, and who are running older tvOS system software on the device, can find the tool available to download at the Pangu website here.

The process to jailbreak the Apple TV using Pangu is somewhat lengthy compared to the relatively easy process of jailbreaking an iPhone with Pangu, and it requires a third party application, an Apple developer account, a USB-C cable, and some degree of patience.

For those interested, the Pangu website has a complete tutorial on jailbreaking the Apple TV, and the video embedded below from 9to5mac walks through the specific process as well.

For the vast majority of users there is little reason to jailbreak an Apple TV or iOS device at this point in time, but many advanced users who like to tinker with their software enjoy the experience despite the complexities involved.

A similar Pangu jailbreak for iOS 9.1 is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.