The new version of the unc0ver jailbreak works on all recent iPhones up to and including the iPhone 11 series running iOS 13.5. Installation is not difficult and allows you to run unauthorized apps and system changes.

"By allowing you to change what you want and operate within your permissions, unc0ver unleashes the true power of your iDevice," the unc0ver website advertises.

In general, however, we do not recommend iPhone users jailbreak their devices. Doing so removes many of the security protections Apple has built into iOS. Although we are not sure if that is the case for unc0ver.

Another jailbreak called checkm8, released in the fall of 2019, affects all iPhones from iPhone 4S to iPhone X and cannot be patched.

The unc0ver website claims that the latest version of this jailbreak, unc0ver 5.0.1, leaves system security "intact." If so, that would be impressive, but we have no way to confirm it at this time. one person who supposedly worked on uc0ver told Vice that unc0ver takes advantage of a "zero-day" vulnerability in iOS of which Apple is unaware.

The unc0ver website explains how to perform the jailbreak using several different methods using macOS, Windows, iOS, or Linux, some of which require an Apple developer account.

Perhaps the easiest method is to use a desktop application called AltStore, which leverages Apple's own iOS device management tools to grant elevated privileges to any user on iOS.

The instructions for using AltStore provided on the unc0ver site can be a bit confusing, but this video by Jeff Benjamin of 9to5Mac explains the process quite well.

The unc0ver 5.0 jailbreak has apparently been tested on all iPhone models since the iPhone 6s, including the new iPhone SE. The jailbreak apparently works on most versions of iOS from 12.4.1 to 13.5 and withstands reboots. The jailbreak does not appear to work on iOS 12.3, 12.3.1, 12.4.2, 12.4.3, 12.4.4 and 12.4.5.

Previous versions of unc0ver worked on a more limited number of iPhone models and iOS versions.

As is usual with jailbreaking, Apple tries to patch the underlying flaws that make jailbreaking possible as quickly as possible. Users who want to keep their iPhones jailbroken will want to hold off on system updates.