
While sometimes compared to rooting an Android device, jailbreaking bypasses several types of Apple prohibitions for the end-user.

Apple views jailbreaking as a violation of the end-user license agreement and strongly cautions device owners not to try to achieve root access through the exploitation of vulnerabilities. Different devices and versions are exploited with a variety of tools. A jailbroken device permits root access within the operating system and provides the right to install software unavailable through the App Store. Typically it is done through a series of kernel patches. On Apple devices running iOS and iOS-based operating systems, jailbreaking is the use of a privilege escalation exploit to remove software restrictions imposed by the manufacturer.

Not to be confused with bootloader unlocking or SIM unlocking.
