Cydia founder Jay Freeman has revealed that the Cydia app store will no longer sell apps for jailbroken iPhones. This announcement marks the end of an era for the jailbreaking community, which has relied on Cydia as a primary source for apps and tweaks not available through Apple’s official App Store.
The news was posted on Reddit, and the shutdown is happening earlier than Freeman had initially planned due to a security issue that was discovered. This unexpected development has accelerated the timeline for Cydia’s closure, impacting many users who still rely on the platform for their jailbroken devices.
The reality is that I wanted to just shut down the Cydia Store entirely before the end of the year, and was considering moving the timetable up after receiving the report (to this weekend); this service loses me money and is not something I have any passion to maintain: it was a critical component of a healthy ecosystem, and for a while it helped fund a small staff of people to maintain the ecosystem, but it came at great cost to my sanity and led lots of people to irrationally hate me due to what amounted to a purposeful misunderstanding of how profit vs. revenue works.
The Rise and Fall of Cydia
Cydia was launched in 2008 by Jay Freeman, also known as “saurik,” as an alternative app store for iOS devices. It quickly became the go-to platform for users who wanted to customize their iPhones and iPads beyond the limitations imposed by Apple. Through Cydia, users could download apps, tweaks, and themes that were not available on the official App Store, offering a level of customization and functionality that was otherwise unattainable.
For many years, Cydia thrived as the jailbreaking community grew. It played a crucial role in the ecosystem, providing developers with a platform to distribute their work and users with the tools to enhance their devices. However, as Apple continued to improve iOS and introduce features that were once exclusive to jailbroken devices, the demand for jailbreaking began to decline.
The Challenges of Maintaining Cydia
Maintaining Cydia was not without its challenges. Freeman has been vocal about the financial and emotional toll it took on him. Despite its popularity, the Cydia Store was not a significant source of profit. In fact, Freeman has stated that the service often lost money, making it unsustainable in the long run.
Moreover, the jailbreaking community could be demanding and, at times, hostile. Freeman faced criticism and backlash from users who misunderstood the financial realities of running Cydia. This, combined with the technical challenges and security issues, made it increasingly difficult for Freeman to continue supporting the platform.
The recent security issue that prompted the early shutdown is a testament to the ongoing challenges of maintaining a platform like Cydia. Security is a critical concern for any app store, and vulnerabilities can have serious consequences for users. By shutting down the store, Freeman is prioritizing the safety and security of the community, even if it means ending a significant chapter in the history of jailbreaking.
You can find out more details about the plans for Cydia over at Reddit at the link below.
Source Reddit, Gizmodo
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