iOS9 jailbreak: Chinese team Pangu release the first jailbreak for Apple's newest mobile operating system

The jailbreak has been released only a month after the launch of iOS9

Chinese hacker team Pangu was behind the jailbreak (Pangu)

The first jailbreak for iOS9 has been released by Chinese hacker team Pangu, only a month after the new operating system was released to the public.

The jailbreak is currently compatible with all all iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices that are running iOS 9 to iOS 9.0.2. However, it's currently only availble for windows, so Mac users will have to wait, unless they install a virtual machine.

Jailbreaking is the practice of removing restrictions on Apple's iOS devices, allowing the owner to use a huge range of apps, themes and features that are not currently available on regular devices.

Apple's restrictions on their devices are fairly strict - you can download Apps and change your phone's wallpaper, but most of the key interfaces can't be changed, and Apple only allows approved to be distributed through the App Store. Jailbreaking offers a way round these restrictions, and leaves users free to customise their devices in whatever way they want.

The jailbreak was only released today, but early adopters seem to agree that it is stable and working fine on their devices.

In another bit of good news for jailbreakers, Cydia, a kind of unofficial App Store that allows users to access jailbreak-compatible apps and features, is now compatible with iOS9 and the new jailbreak - suggesting Pangu may have tipped off Cydia's creator Jay Freeman before releasing the jailbreak, to ensure he could make Cydia compatible in time.

Jailbreaking allows a number of useful and innovative tweaks, but it also violates Apple's user agreement and voids your device's warranty, potentially causing problems if your iPhone needs repairing. However, many users get around this issue by simply restore their phones to factory settings before taking them to the Apple Store.