How to Jailbreak an iPod Touch

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Last Updated: March 27, 2026

Jailbreaking your iPod touch will allow you to tweak your device to suit your preferences. You can install new themes, apps that Apple doesn’t allow on their store, and much more.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using Dopamine (iOS 15.x)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. Dopamine jailbreak is supported on iPod touch (7th generation) running iOS 15.0 to 15.8.7.^{[1]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About.^{[2]
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Install TrollStore. The process of installing TrollStore varies depending on the iOS version, but for iOS 15.5 through 15.8.6, you need to perform the TrollInstallerX method, whereas for iOS 15.0 through 15.4.1, you need to perform the TrollHelperOTA method. For iOS 15.8.7, perform the TrollRestore method.^{[1]
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Download the Dopamine IPA on your iPod touch, and open the TrollStore app, tap the plus button at top-right, select the Dopamine IPA file from files, then tap Install to install the Dopamine app. It is recommended to reboot your iPod touch after installation.^{[1]
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4
Run the Dopamine jailbreak. Open the Dopamine app, and tap Jailbreak to jailbreak your iPod touch. After a moment, the iPod touch should reboot and after that the home screen should have Sileo installed.^{[1]
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- If your iPod touch crashes unexpectedly and doesn’t have Sileo installed, rerun the jailbreak again.
Open the Sileo app, search for ElleKit tweak and tap Get, Queued and Confirm to install the tweak. Repeat with PreferenceLoader. Tap Restart SpringBoard to restart SpringBoard.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using palera1n (iOS 15.x)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. palera1n jailbreak is supported on iPod touch (7th generation) running iOS 15.0 through 15.8.7.^{[3]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About.^{[2]
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- palera1n only works with macOS and Linux.
- For Linux, Intel CPUs are preferred.
- palera1n jailbreak is semi-tethered, meaning you need a computer to rejailbreak your iPod touch. Dopamine jailbreak is a better choice (unless you want the jailbreak to be rootful) because Dopamine is semi-untethered.
Use USB-A to Lightning cable. Plug the Lightning end into your iPod touch and USB-A end into your computer.^{[3]
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3
Install palera1n. On your computer, open a terminal window and run sudo /bin/sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://static.palera.in/scripts/install.sh)" to install palera1n.^{[3]
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- If using Linux, before installing palera1n, open another terminal window, and run sudo systemctl stop usbmuxd and sudo usbmuxd -f -p.
4
Run the palera1n jailbreak. Type sudo palera1n -l and press the Enter key to run. Follow the instructions to put your iPod touch into DFU mode.^{[3]
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- After you perform this step, your iPod touch should reboot, and palera1n loader app should appear.
5
Install Sileo. Open the palera1n loader app on your iPod touch and tap Sileo, and set a password for command line things.^{[3]
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- After performing this step, Sileo app should be installed.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using Chimera (iOS 12.x)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. Chimera jailbreak is supported on iPod touch 6th and 7th generations running iOS 12.0 to 12.5.8.^{[4]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About.^{[2]
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2
Download and install the necessary files. Download the appropriate version of Chimera, listed below, and PlumeImpactor on your computer, and install PlumeImpactor.^{[4]
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- If your computer is running Windows, you also need to download and install iTunes (not the Microsoft Store version).
- Chimera IPAs:
  - For iPod touch 6th generation running iOS 12.3.x / 12.4.1 to 12.5.8
  - For iPod touch 6th generation running iOS 12.0-12.2.x / 12.4, as well as iPod touch 7th generation running iOS 12.3 to 12.4.1
Use USB-A to Lightning cable. Plug the Lightning end into your iPod touch and USB-A end into your computer. Trust the connection on your computer and on your iPod touch. ^{[4]
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Open PlumeImpactor and click Settings and Sign In. Enter your Apple Account details. Drag and drop the Chimera IPA into the main PlumeImpactor window. Install the IPA by clicking Install.^{[4]
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5
Trust the developer. Go to Settings -> General -> Device Management -> [your Apple Account] on your iPod touch and tap Trust [your Apple Account] to trust the developer.^{[4]
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- It is recommended to reboot your iPod touch after doing this step.
6
Run the Chimera jailbreak. Open the Chimera app on your iPod touch and tap Jailbreak. Wait for a prompt to appear, then reboot your iPod touch, then open Chimera and tap Jailbreak again. After you perform this step, your iPod touch should have Sileo installed.^{[4]
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- If your iPod touch crashes unexpectedly and doesn’t have Sileo installed, place your iPod touch in ziploc bag in the freezer for 1 to 2 minutes and rerun the jailbreak again.
Open the Sileo app, search for libiosexec1 tweak and tap Modify, Upgrade, Queued and Confirm to upgrade the tweak. Search for libhooker (common), PreferenceLoader and RocketBootstrap tweak and tap Install on all. Tap Queued and Confirm to install these tweaks. Once installed, tap Restart SpringBoard to restart SpringBoard.^{[4]
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8
Rejailbreak without using app. Chimera is a semi-untethered jailbreak, meaning, after rebooting, you normally have to use Chimera app to rejailbreak, but there is another method that utilises the WebKit exploit called TotallyNotSpyware-v2. Open Safari on your iPod touch, go to http://jbme.h4ck.kr/ and tap re-jailbreak to run the rejailbreak. Tap Close on any prompts that may appear within the Safari app and tap userspace reboot to reboot into a jailbroken state.
- If the webpage crashes, close Safari in App Switcher, reopen Safari and repeat the process.^{[4]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using Carbon (5th gen, iOS 8.0-9.3.5)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. Carbon jailbreak is supported on iPod touch 5th generation running iOS 8.0 to 9.3.5.^{[5]
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- Carbon is an untethered jailbreak for iOS 8.0–9.3.4 and is a semi-untethered jailbreak for iOS 9.3.5, though the latter version can be fully untethered with iocaste untether.
- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About. ^{[2]
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Open Safari. The icon resembles a compass on a blue circle on a white background. ^{[5]
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Go to the Carbon website. Enter http://carbon.sep.lol/ in the address bar on Safari, and tap Go.^{[5]
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- You can add the website to home screen for easy access by tapping the share icon at the bottom and tapping Add to home screen.
4
Run the Carbon jailbreak. On the Carbon website, tap Run button to run the exploit. Wait until the device reboots. After you perform this step, your device should have Cydia installed.^{[5]
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5
Untether the jailbreak using iocaste untether (iOS 9.3.5). Open Cydia on your device, tap the sources tab, tap Edit button and plus button, type https://lukezgd.github.io/repo and tap Add Source. Search for the iocaste untether tweak, go to that tweak and tap Install, then confirm the installation. It may take around 5 minutes to install. Reboot your device when prompted.^{[5]
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- Do not exit the Cydia app when installing iocaste untether tweak, or your device will end up bootlooping.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using Aquila (iOS 4.3-7.1.2)

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1
Make sure you have a compatible device running the compatible iOS version. Aquila jailbreak is supported on iPod touch 3rd, 4th and 5th generations running iOS 4.3 to 7.1.2.^{[6]
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- You can check the iOS version by going to Settings -> General -> About.^{[2]
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- Aquila requires a computer running 64-bit Windows or macOS.
- If running iOS 7.x, make sure that your iPod touch has been powered on and waited for at least 2 minutes before jailbreaking.
2
Download Aquila. Download the latest appropriate version of Aquila for your computer.^{[6]
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- If your computer is running Windows, you also need to download and install iTunes (not the Microsoft Store version).
- If your computer is running macOS, you need to extract the Aquila archive.
Use USB-A to Lightning or USB-A to 30-pin cable. Plug the Lightning or 30-pin end into your iPod touch and USB-A end into your computer. Trust the connection on your computer and on your iPod touch.^{[6]
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Run the Aquila jailbreak. Double-click the appropriate Aquila file for your computer platform to run the Aquila jailbreak to your iPod touch. Your iPod touch should be jailbroken when Aquila says "Done."^{[6]
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- Cydia should be installed on home screen on your iPod touch.

Community Q&A

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Question

When I previously jailbroke my iPod Touch 4, I could no longer update it through iTunes. Will your method have the same effect?

Community Answer

You typically cannot update a jailbroken device through iTunes. Attempting to do so usually removes the jailbreak or causes system issues.

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Tips

If you don't like your jailbroken iPod, use the restore button on iTunes.

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These steps will only work with the iPod Touch. iPod video, Nano, Mini, etc. cannot be jailbroken.

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To force your iPod into restore hold down the menu and power button at the same time. Keep holding down the buttons till the screen goes blank (this will restart your iPod). Push the power button to turn on the iPod but still hold down the menu button. After a while the iPod screen will prompt you to plug your iPod into iTunes.

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Warnings

Jailbreaking your iPod Touch will void your warranty with Apple.

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Never upgrade iTunes without first restoring your iPod.

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Read all warnings on the jailbreak sites before jailbreaking your iPod Touch. Failure to do so could result in bricking your iPod.

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When you jailbreak and your warranty was still active, it will now expire immediately, since jailbreaking is not covered by Apple, as of one time it has been illegal, but there has been a bill passed that allows people to jailbreak and root their phones.

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If done incorrectly or your computer has some sort of error, your iPod has a slight chance of changing to a completely white screen and not turning off until dead, and it will continue this, thus rendering the device useless. That is also one of the reasons the warranty expires, because that could happen.

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