Spire crack brings Siri to jailbroken iPhones

Siri, Apple’s much loved or otherwise personal assistant, can be accessed by jailbroken iPhones using an application dubbed Spire, says noted cracker Chpwn.

The Spire crack, posted on Cyndia, enables the download of Siri code from Apple’s servers - which takes around 100MB so Chpwn recommends Wi-Fi use. Once installed, the code requires activation via a proxy server using the credentials of an iPhone 4S – a problem encountered by other Siri cracks that want to stay on the right side of Apple’s legal team.

“Spire is far from perfect, but at least at this point in time, it’s the best that I can do,” Chpwn wrote in a blog post. “Maybe in the future someone will find a way to evade the authorization requirement, but from my position here that’s unlikely. Hopefully, however, you’ll be able to figure something out.”

Chpwn offers a number of suggestions as to how authorization might be achieved. One could buy an iPhone 4S, and use the authentication via a proxy, or convince a (pretty understanding) friend to let you use theirs. The software may also work if Apple offers a pay-as-you-go service.

Intriguingly Chpwn suggests this may allow iPhone users to access to the Android rival Cluzee or Google's Majel, or let Siri simply recite Google’s own search results. Given the litigious nature of the IT world at the moment this could mean a whole host of problems for the search giant in the future. ®