Hackers develops Siri workaround for jailbroken iPhones

Well-known iPhone hacker "chpwn" has developed a new way for users to run Siri on their Apple handsets.
Dubbed Spire, the solution is a simple download to a jailbroken iPhone. Once it boots up, the software downloads Siri from Apple's own servers. After that's done, you're not quite ready to start talking to Apple's virtual personal assistant. According to "chpwn," users must access an iPhone 4S' data and proxy to make Siri think it's running on an iPhone 4S.



Just how will you gain access to that information? "Chpwn" won't provide it, but on his site, he suggested a host of options, including buying an iPhone 4S and asking a friend for access to his or her authentication tokens.


iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 owners have been hoping to find a simple way to add Siri to their devices for months now. Unfortunately, there isn't a simple method available, as evidenced by the hoops folks must jump through just to get Spire working properly.


That said, it's worth noting that "chpwn" claims Spire is one of the few options available that skirts copyright issues. Unlike other services, Spire's ability to download Siri from Apple's servers means it's not taken from iOS 5 firmware built for the iPhone 4S. Previously, hacks were criticized for extracting Siri information from iOS 5, effectively violating Apple's copyright.


Spire comes just a couple weeks after another iPhone hacker, MuscleNerd, revealed that Apple had left ramdisks unencrypted in iOS 5.0.1, giving iPhone 4 owners the opening to write a simple script and extract Siri files from the update so it could be used--legally--on their device. Shortly after the update was made available, however, Apple closed the door on that option.


Although owners of legacy devices need to jump through hoops to run Siri, it's quite likely future Apple product buyers won't need to do so. Aside from the fact that Siri will likely play a role in all future iPhone models, there's a chance it might come with the next iPad. The service is also rumored to be coming to the as-yet announced Apple television, which is expected to launch next year.


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