Apple Censoring 'Jailbreak' in U.S. iTunes Store Listings [Update: Fixed] - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Censoring 'Jailbreak' in U.S. iTunes Store Listings [Update: Fixed]

Exploring an observation initially made by iOS hacker @planetbeing, Shoutpedia notes that Apple has mysteriously begun censoring the word "jailbreak" in the U.S. iTunes Store. While not all mentions of the word are affected, the vast majority of them across all content types are currently being censored to "j*******k".

thin lizzy jailbreak censor
Apple has long objected to the jailbreaking process, which opens up iOS devices for installation of apps from non-Apple approved sources and other system tweaks. But it is unclear what the company is trying to achieve with its iTunes Store censoring, which affects such content as Thin Lizzy's song and album of that name and an episode of the The Roy Rogers Show from the early 1950s.

roy rogers real world jailbreak censored
The censoring appears to only affect the U.S. iTunes Store at the present time, but it has been in effect for over eight hours now.

Update: The censoring appears to be inadvertent. Searches for 'jailbreak' on the Apple Store now return results without any asterisks.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
imac video apple feature

Apple Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever This Year

Wednesday July 29, 2026 12:03 pm PDT by
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019. Q.ai...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...

Top Rated Comments

Sky Blue Avatar
185 months ago
Wow. That's pretty ridiculous. Will they censor the word android next?
Score: 71 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AustinIllini Avatar
185 months ago
apple censoring jailbreak in u s itunes store listings image

"Jailbreak doesn't even belong!"
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
185 months ago
This is going to garner some sweet free publicity for Thin Lizzy!
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
185 months ago
My guess is that they probably meant to limit this is APPS but inadvertently applied the censor to music as well. Now I'm wondering about movies and TV.

Tony
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
185 months ago
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that executives at Apple did not sit around a table and say "let's remove every instance of the word "jailbreak" from the Apple store including classic songs because that makes perfect sense to do" but instead they didn't want it to appear in any instance like a tutorial podcast or app that might show someone how to jailbreak and it censored more than what was intended.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Amazing Iceman Avatar
185 months ago
Here we go, a little Apple non-sense, and just before brunch...

So, is it now 'J*******k You!' going to replace :'[F word] You!' ?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors