How to Unjailbreak iOS 8

This guide will show you how to unjailbreak iOS 8 and iOS 8.1.2 to return your iPhone to a normal state in case you need to update to a new version like iOS 8.2 or to iOS 9 later this year. This is also something you should do before you send an iPhone in for repair or service, but you don’t need to do it before you go to a genius bar as long as it isn’t immediately clear that you are jailbroken.

If you need to unjailbreak because of poor performance or an unstable iPhone, you should first try to identify which iOS 8 jailbreak tweaks are causing the problem, as many times that will fix it. On the other hand, if you are ready to go back to stock, you can quickly unjailbreak an iPhone on iOS 8 with a restore.

You will end up on the latest version of iOS, which means you may upgrade to a version that you cannot jailbreak. Keep that in mind before you start. The easiest way to unjailbreak is to use a computer with iTunes installed. This works on Mac and PC. You can unjailbreak iOS 8 quickly in some cases, but if the computer needs to download the new version of iOS 8 this could add 30 to 60 minutes to the process. It is a good idea to budget at least an hour for this process, even though many users may finish in less than half that time.

You will need a USB cable, a computer, iTunes and an Internet connection or a previously downloaded full ispw for the device and version of iOS you want to restore to. Apple must still be signing the version of iOS, so you cannot use this to downgrade to an old version of iOS 8 even if you have the file downloaded to your computer.

How to Unjailbreak iOS 8 on iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch

You can use this guide to unjailbreak an iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It will work on any of these devices, even the newest iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 and the oldest iPhone 4s or iPad 2. The process is the same across older jailbreaks as well, but keep in mind it will upgrade you to the newest version.

1. Plug the iPhone into your computer and perform a backup in iTunes or rely on your iCloud backup.

2. To do this, click on the iPhone tab in the upper left. On this screen click on Back Up Now. Do this even if you back up the iPhone to iCloud as a local restore is good to have on hand.

3. After the backup is complete look for the Restore iPhone option on the same screen. This will restore the iPhone to factory settings. This may require iTunes download an iOS update file that could take some time to download. If prompted you will need to agree to the update terms to start the download.

4. Wait for the download to complete and for the update to take place. You will need to turn off Find My iPhone for this to work. The process will take about 5-10 minutes after the restore starts.

5. When prompted choose to restore from a backup if you want to restore from a local backup, and follow the instructions to restore the backup you just made to the iPhone or iPad. You can also disconnect and choose to restore from an iCloud backup.

6. Sync the iPhone or iPad with the computer to complete the restore if you chose to do so and install the apps and music from before the restore.

After this completes your iPhone will no longer be jailbroken. Cydia will be gone from the phone and so will your Cydia tweaks. Apple will not be able to tell that you previously used an iOS 8 jailbreak on this device.