Oliver Haslam·

Houdini Is A “Semi-Jailbreak” For iOS 10.3.2 That Lets You Install Tweaks, Themes Without Full Jailbreak

A new app called Houdini, sideloadable via Cydia Impactor, offers the option to install certain jailbreak tweaks and apps to 64-bit iOS 10.0 – 10.3.2 devices. Here are the details.

There has been quite a bit of talk over the past few weeks surrounding the possibility that jailbreaking is dying or, at the very least, that the community that was once so vibrant is beginning to shrink. While there is no doubt that public jailbreaks aren’t as easy to come by these days as they used to in the past, to say jailbreaking is dying may be a little premature. With brand new jailbreaks being released less often than ever before, those who like to heavily customize how iOS looks and behaves are starting to run out of options. One of those options is all-new, and while not a jailbreak as such, it does offer some of the benefits. Welcome to Houdini, dubbed as “semi-jailbreak” of sorts of iOS 10.3.2 and below devices.

Installable via Cydia Impactor, it is very important to remember that this is not a full jailbreak or even something that is intended to replace one. What it does do, though, is allow people to install and run some customization and theming tweaks without needing a full jailbreak. Nothing that requires Cydia Substrate will work, however, so keep that in mind right off the bat. The lack of Cydia Substrate also means that there is no Substrate Safe Mode, meaning if things go wrong, you will probably need to restore your device. Houdini is built by the same person behind Saigon, though, so there we do have some faith in Houdini’s stability at least.

Houdini is compatible with any 64-bit device running iOS 10.x (except 10.3.3) and can be installed relatively simply, with tweaks and such installable from within Houdini once it itself is installed. The instructions, as per the Houdini website, are:

  1. Download the .ipa file and Cydia Impactor
  2. Open Cydia Impactor and connect your device
  3. Drag the Houdini.ipa file onto the Cydia Impactor window
  4. Enter your Apple ID (email and password)
  5. Open Settings → General → Profiles & Device Management
  6. Trust the new certificate → open Houdini
  7. Tap ‘start’ and enjoy!

And that’s all there is to it. Just remember, folks, just about anything could happen here. Just keep that in mind when tweaking your iPhone or iPad to within an inch of its life!

You can download the beta version of Houdini right now from iabem97.github.io/houdini_website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qcGsslwA0

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