A legitimate concern among those who use outdated iOS & iPadOS versions in an attempt to keep jailbreakable or exploit-susceptible firmware on their device is the risk that Apple’s over-the-air updating mechanism might automatically try to force a software update.
While prospective jailbreakers have always been able to install tvOS profiles to block firmware updates, and jailbreakers have always been able to install jailbreak tweaks that block software updates, the reality is that the tvOS profile can expire, so other methods are important to have handy.
A new add-on called KYSOTA by iOS developer FaBiRuz for kfd exploit-vulnerable devices running iOS & iPadOS 16.0-16.6 beta 1 can automatically block software updates from appearing and automatically downloading or installing on those devices.
Citing the early beta release post on /r/jailbreak, we can gather that KYSOTA disables iOS & iPadOS’ native OTA functionality until the user manually re-enables it, likely either by using a setting of the add-on or by uninstalling the add-on.
It would seem that KYSOTA is only available for arm64e devices; that is, A12 and newer devices. All arm64e iPhones, including the iPhone XS and later are supported, as well as a few different iPad models, however not all iPads appear supported in this early beta.
If you’re using an older device that KYSOTA doesn’t support, or a version of iOS or iPadOS that supports the MacDirtyCow exploit (15.0-16.1.2), then you can use the older KillMyOTA add-on that we showed you in January instead if you need OTA update-blocking functionality.
Those interested in giving KYSOTA a try can acquire the early beta. ipa file from the project’s Discord server. Once acquired, it can be sideloaded by way of AltStore or Sideloadly, whichever is more convenient for the user.
Are you planning to give KYSOTA a try? Let us know why or why not in the comments section down below.