So you’re a developer, like me, and want to get a bit more out of your phone. But either you own an Apple device, and can’t get anywhere, or you’re frustrated with Android and how they aren’t as free as they seem.

Apple

Let’s face it: if you are really wanting to get more out of your phone, don’t use Apple tech and get a nice Android phone or tablet instead (the Nexus series are great for hacking on, too). There is an alternative, however: jailbreaking. The goal of a jailbreak is to obtain root and keep it there, and it does so not by brute force, but by winding its way through lots of little bugs in the OS. However, this just gets you userland root: you cannot modify or install the core operating system, unlike Android.

To see if your phone can be jailbroken, try jailbrea.kr (and if you’re on iOS 7: evasi0n.com)

Android

So Android doesn’t let you do as much as you hoped, eh? Well, that’s quite an easy solution. The art of rooting lets you gain root and much more: by having a rooted phone, you can also install completely new modified versions of Android (called ROMs) and build your own! It’s a developer’s paradise!

To get started with rooting, I recommend you try the excellent CyanogenMod. If you aren’t a developer, or just want to have a program root it for you, CM comes with a nice installer for Mac and Windows. (Linux users: follow instructions on the wiki!)