iOS 8 News & Download: Pangu Releases Mac Support Following Windows

Patience pays off.

Mac users waiting for iOS compatibility finally got their break, thanks to the Pangu team which just released a jailbreak update for iOS 8 and 8.1.

According to MacRumors, the new system follows a week after the release of its Windows update, which enabled automatic installation of Cydia -- Apple's alternative App Store for jailbroken devices -- and English language support.

The iOS jailbreak tool for Mac may not be surprising, since Pangu has announced in an earlier tweet that the update is underway.

Cydia's creator appears to be in full support of Pangu's work. Jay Freeman (Saurik) said over Twitter, "If you are waiting to jailbreak your iOS 8.0-8.1 device until things are 'stable enough': we now seem to be ready!" He also announced that Cydia vendors are now able to mark their products iOS 8-compatible.

MacRumors noted that Pangu's tool is the first system compatible with any iOS device, including Apple's latest releases such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.

Meanwhile, iDownloadBlog provided instructions on using Pangu for Mac to jailbreak iOS 8.1. The outlet pointed that the procedures are "exactly identical," regardless of the device used.

1. Restoring the iPhone via iTunes prior to jailbreaking is recommended if the device has been updated to iOS 8.1 OTA. Backing-up files is always encouraged.

2. Download Pangu for Mac here.

3. Extract the Pangu8 app by double-clicking the DMG file. Save at desktop.

4. Right-click the Pangu8 app and select "Open."

5. Connect the iPhone to Mac via USB cable.

6. Be guided by instruction prompts on the Pangu8 app.

7. Unlock the iPhone and choose "Trust."

8. Click the "Start Jailbreak" button. Read and understand the appearing guidelines.

9. Put iPhone in Airplane mode.

10. Click "Already Did."

11. Jailbreaking process commences. Follow the prompts.

12. The iPhone reboots; Pangu and Cydia apps then appear on Home screen.

As we have previously covered, jailbreaking allows third-party app installations and more versatile user customization. While the process definitely deviates from what Apple has intended its devices to be, efforts to legalize it have surfaced -- most notably the latest petition from EFF that seeks to "extend and expand the exemption that allows you to 'jailbreak' your phone from those restrictions."

We also noted earlier that the iOS 8.1.1 beta patches up Pangu's jailbreak exploits. 9to5Mac wrote that once the official update rolls out, Apple will block the device's ability to install previous versions, ultimately leaving the user stuck without a jailbreak.

For a visual reference, watch how the system works (via iTwe4kz) below.