A legal way to get Siri? No so fast

By: Chenda Ngak
Topics: Tech Talk

(Credit: Apple)

(CBS) - A new hack has come out for the iPhone 4S' Siri and developers claim it's legal.

Steven Troughton-Smith, Chpwn and Ryan Petrich recently launched Spire, a Siri port for jailbroken iPhones.

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"Spire uses a new method to obtain the files necessary for Siri, so it doesn't have the copyright issues encountered by previous attempts," said developer Chpwn on a blog post.

According to 9to5Mac, the port is said to mirror iPhone 4S functionality and works on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, third generation iPod touch, fourth generation iPod touch, and first generation iPad.

Technically it's legal to have a jailbroken iPhone and the developers claimed to resolve the copyright issues other hackers have faced.

But even if you get it to work, the hacked iPhone would still need authentication to use Siri's servers. Meaning, you need to have a really great friend with an iPhone 4S who's willing to let you tinker with their phone.

Another risk factor is that all of your data will run through Siri servers.

"I wonder how many server proxies are going to pop up for Siri now... Remember kids: keep safe - all your contacts/mail/SMS/GPS go through it," Troughton-Smith tweeted on Twitter.

If you're bold enough to try it, Spire is available at the Cydia market.

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