Cydia is a replacement packaging and repository manager for the original Installer.app for the iPhone or iPod touch. It was created by Jay Freeman to replace BSD Subsystem and Installer.app. Cydia is a UI frontend to his Open Source APT for Debian called Telesphoreo. Cydia pomonella is the scientific name for the codling moth, which is what we often think of as the stereotypical apple worm. Cydia itself looks similar to Installer.app but adds many improvements to organization, functionality and performance of Installer. With Cydia you:
- See the number of apps in each category
- See details of what installing each app includes such as file size and functionality added
- Search for apps by name
- See changes to your currently installed apps and available upgrades
- See details of currently installed apps and easily manage them
- A full user system for app purchases and reviews
- A theme system
- An iPad version
Cydia App Icon To install Cydia you need to jailbreak your iPhone/iPod touch or iPad. There are many ways you jailbreak depending on which device you own and what version of iOS you have installed. Most notably you can use blackra1n, redsn0w, PwnageTool, Spirit jailbreak, jailbreakme 2.0, and QuickPwn. Also, if you already have Installer.app installed just add http://apptapp.saurik.com/ as a source to Installer and install the package “Cydia Installer” from the “System” category.
Generally if you upgrade your iOS to the latest version from Apple, it will unjailbreak your device and/or prohibit you from being able to install Cydia. Jailbreak developers generally support things one release behind the active iOS version. Use this table to easily find out how to install Cydia depending on your iOS version.
| If you have this iOS version and Device | Install Cydia Using |
|---|---|
| iOS 5.0.1 (A5 iPhone 4S & iPad 2 ) | GreenPois0n Absinthe |
| iOS 5.0.1 (A4 not 4S or iPad 2) | redsn0w 0.9.10b3 (untethered) or Corona |
| iOS 5 (A4 not 4S or iPad 2) | redsn0w 0.9.9b5 (tethered) |
| iOS 5 beta 1 | redsn0w 0.9.8b1 (tethered) |
| 4.3.5 (not iPad 2) | redsn0w 0.9.9b1 (tethered) |
| 4.3.4 | redsn0w 0.9.8b3 (tethered) |
| 4.3.3 | redsn0w 0.9.6rc15 (untethered) |
| 4.3.2 | redsn0w 0.9.6rc14 (untethered) |
| 4.3.1 | redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 (untethered) |
| 4.2.1 | GreenPois0n 1.0 RC5 (untethered) |
| 4.0.2 | Not supported |
| 4.0.1/4.0/3.1.3, 3.2.1/3.2 (iPad) | JailbreakMe.com |
| 3.1.3, 3.1.2 (2G unlock), 3.2 (iPad) | Spirit (Windows + Mac OS) |
| 3.1.3, 3.1.2 (2G unlock) (no new 3GS) | redsn0w (Windows + Mac OS) |
| 3.1.2 (newer 3GS models tethered) | blackra1n (Windows + Mac OS) |
| 3.1.2 (but iPhone 3GS Issues) | PwnageTool (Mac OS) |
| 3.0 (3GS Only) | blackra1n (Windows + Mac OS) |
| 2.2.1 (Obsolete) | QuickPwn (Mac OS & Windows) |
Updates: Good News! GreenPois0n Absinthe has been released by the Chronic Dev Team giving you the ability to perform an untethered jailbreak on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 with the A5 chip. For detailed instructions check out the GreenPois0n Absinthe page.
The preliminary hacking has finally gotten some results. The iPhone Dev-Team has just announced the initial successful jailbreak of iPhone 4S and iPad 2 running iOS 5 with Cydia. The jailbreak is not yet ready for public use. They are working on a few more hurdles still so hang tight.
Check out the screenshots and video of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 below running Cydia.
This is a video of the first iPad 2 jailbroken running Cydia released by the iPhone Dev Team on Oct 28th 2011. Details to follow.
White Cydia Icon Fix
Sometimes after installing Cydia, you might notice an all white icon. To fix this white icon issue just follow these steps: Open Cydia > Manage > Sources >Edit > Add > Paste the following URL http://apt.saurik.com/cydia-3.7 > Add Source and wait while Cydia updates itself. This should now give you the official Cydia icon.
Cydia has a ton of apps for you to try but some of them can be complicated or not very exciting. This is why we review the best Cydia apps you can download here at AppSafari. To browse our reviews check out the Cydia apps category. We often add new reviews of popular Cydia apps so be sure to come back often.
If you have iOS 4.3.1 you can install Cydia using either redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 (Mac and PC) or PwnageTool 4.3 (Mac only) for an untethered jailbreak.
If you have iOS 4.2.1, you can either use GreenPois0n to do an untethered jailbreak, and you can also try a tethered jailbreak using redsn0w.
With the release of the iPhone 3G which comes with OS 2.0 and the related iPhone pwnage tools many of the apps written for the older Installer.app have to be ported over so developers are working on that. In the next few weeks you will start to see more and more apps in Cydia with lots of cool new features, so check back often.
For Windows users with the iPhone 2.1 software update, you can get both Cydia and Installer on your iPhone really quickly and easily by installing the QuickPwn software on your Windows PC. The entire process is streamlined and takes only a few minutes.
Ultrasn0w for iPhone 3G or 3GS can unlock your iPhone 3G or 3GS with OS 3.0 firmware.
1. Ensure you have upgraded to iPhone OS 3.0
2. Jailbreak your iPhone 3G using redsn0w or PwnageTool & if you have the 3GS use the purplera1n installer app to jailbreak it instead. (after this step you will have Cydia)
3. Run Cydia
4. Add the repo repo666.ultrasn0w.com to Cydia. (that last o is actually the number zero)
5. Search for “ultrasn0w” in cydia and install ultrasn0w
6. Reboot your iPhone 3G
7. T-Mobile USA users should disable 3G before using ultrasn0w
Purplesn0w can also unlock your iPhone 3GS, so use it instead of Ultrasn0w if you wish. The steps are exactly the same as the above. Only use this repo source in Cydia apt.geohot.com and install Purplesn0w from there.
If you have OS 3.1.2 you can use blackra1n or PwnageTool 3.1.4 to jailbreak and get Cydia installed on your iPhone or iPod touch.
If you are running OS 3.1.2, 3.1.3 or 3.2 and want to install Cydia on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, use Spirit. It is simple, takes 30 seconds and best of all it is untethered.
Important: If you install SSH on your device, be sure to change the default root password on your jailbroken device:
1) Install Mobile Terminal From Cydia and run it
2) Type in “su root” and tap return
3) When promted for a password, enter “alpine” hit return
4) Type “passwd” and hit return
5) Type a new password and hit return
6) Re-Enter your new password to confirm and hit return
7) You’re done. You’ve successfully changed your default root password and should feel safer now.
The website jailbreakme 2.0 let’s you install Cydia on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch by just visiting a website, if you have not updated past 4.0.1 yet. No installs or cables needed. Get Cydia in 3 minutes flat.
Most people new to jailbreaking ask the question; is it legal to jailbreak my device?
The answer is, technically yes. Jailbreaking your iPhone will void your contract, but it is not illegal. Having said that, you can restore your device to its factory settings if all else fails as a last resort. Now, it is possible that your device will have issues and you might lose your data stored on the device. This is why it is highly recommended that your always backup your device via iTunes before jailbreaking. This assures that you can restore to a working backup as a worst case scenario.
Cydia keeps getting better on every release and update, and saurik’s support is exceptional. Below are a list of additional features that have been added to Cydia so far.
- Rock was a new mod app store which has been acquired by Cydia.
- Theme Center has been added to Cydia. It gives you the ability to buy and manage jailbreak themes on your iPhone from a single location, as an alternative to a competing app called Theme It. Right now you have a selection of the top selling themes from Cydia in the Theme Center and staff picks. You will soon be able to rate the themes as a user, thanks to the new user account system in Cydia.
- A new user account management system has been added to Cydia that lets users check previously installed packages.
- Cydia is coming to the Mac! Apple is soon to release the Mac App Store. The new Mac App Store won’t allow Mac developers sell in-app purchases for “Lite” apps, create Game Center integration or even to generate promo codes. Since some developers don’t want to deal with going through Apple, Mac Cydia will let you do just that. Contact Cydia via patrick@saurikit.com if you are a developer and want more details on getting your Mac app into the Cydia Mac App Store, set to launch in a few weeks.
- Cydia developers Jay Freeman & chpwn have a new version of Cydia, with full iPad support. It will be out soon with iOS 4.2 jailbreak. Here’s a quick look at how the iPad version of Cydia looks like.
Apple should and sometimes does (folders for example) take a few elements from the Cydia Store and port them to the App Store.
Use iPhone mods and hacks at your own risk! Installing 3rd Party iPhone apps requires you to jailbreak the iPhone before installing the native software and apps. Browse the full list of all iPhone and iPod touch native 3rd party apps filed under the software category.
Cydia Developer’s website is here
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Hi.
I’ve recently purchased a 3gs that has 3.0 installed on it.
I keep getting prompted by iTunes to update to 3.1 but not done it.
Has anyone succesfully jailbroken their 3gs on 3.0 and if yes what did you use.
I don’t need to unlock it as I’m happy on o2 and normally all o2 contract phones are already unlocked anyway.
Anyway all I’d like to do is jailbreak.
Any help please as I get confused by the many bloggs, some saying use this others say use something else, some say keep sim in some say don’t, some say have iTunes connected, some say don’t.
As u can see I’m confused, lol.
Thanks for any advice and/or help given. Ron
GABER you should still be able on a jailbroken to get apps from the apple app store. You can get skype on there for free
My iphone after downloading it was not on what should i do please give me sujession that i can use my iphone again
uhmmm… my iphone is stuck in recovery mode because of one single reason: IT CAN’T RESTORE MY IPHONE BECAUSE IT NEEDS THE SUPPORTED SIM CARD. and i can’t have a supported sim card because i’m in the philippines and my father’s sooooooooooo far away to give me a supported sim card… What must I do to restore my phone w/o a supported sim… NEED HELP BADLY!!! BECAUSE I MIGHT BE DEAD(KILLED BY MY MOTHER) IF I DON’T RESTORE THIS BACK… ANY HELP WOULD BE GLADLY APPRECIATED… THANKS FOR THOSE WHO WOULD HELP ME… I’D BE IN YOUR DEBT…
please, send me all steps to install skype program on my mobile Iphone
my iphone 3gs is stuck with the purplera1n picture and wont do anything, i think its fozen. HELP!!!
For those of you who broke your iPhones go into dfu mode. Dfu mode is a step in the jailbreak process where you turn off iPhone and plug it into the computer then turn it on and press a certain combination of buttons that quickpwn tells you. It’ll fix your iPhone and allow you to restore
Just got all apprication downloaded to my Windows computer, when I started to install qwckpwn it failed and said I have to install .NET framework v2.0.50727. What does it mean ??? In which folder should I put the downloaded application in my computer ?
cydia worked fine downloaded a few apps and now it is not working keeps telling me UNABLE TO LOAD[TIMED OUT] and at the top it says NETWORK ERROR someone please help
jailbreaked phone cydia worked fine downloaded a few apps and now it is not working keeps telling me UNABLE TO LOAD[TIMED OUT] and at the top it says NETWORK ERROR someone please help
Ok I have cydia but am wondering how to jailbreak it from this point…..help?
when you download the program onto your comp, make sure your phone is off before you think about plugging the phone into the comp.if you need help go to YouTube.com
omg. ive download the wrong appplication now i cant restore my iphone 3g 3.0 i used the 3gs purple rain application and now its dead . help any1?
hi mi nombre es yony zuniga me gustaria q por favor me mandaran el programa de cydia y jailbroken me gustaria tener el programa de camara de video y el de vos activitin se los agradecere mucho gracias
hola me llamo william y nesecito que me envien por favor el cidya y el jilbrake ya soy nuevo en esto y no lo encuentro en el internet y tambien no tengo la camara de video,envienme a mi correo bilyboys_andy27@hotmail.com.por favor enviar y gracias por tener este espacio.
Ijailbroke my phone i went to go and downlaod the energizer battery bar and as soon as it went to the reboot system it reboot then shut off and ever since it wont wont turn back like the apple sign will coem up for about 5 secs then jsut shut off ??? what do i do about thsi ????
Hey guys.
in the above it says “Note: The quick and easy way to get Cydia on your iPhone is to install it using QuickPwn.”
is that the only way to get cydia onto an iphone?
if so please tell me how.
thanks =)
i had the same problem you will have to reload the back up in itunes and start over. open itunes then with your phone unplugged hold the home button and then plugg it in. it should show a plug and itunes logo.
and when you down load cydia again be sure to run the update before you do anything. i would stay away from that mms till they get it fixed.
Is there anywhere else other than cydia (which i find patchy and kinda shit) where you can get decent apps?
Friends im fron méxico my error was erase my cidya, what can i do to recover?