Is asking how to get a game working on a jailbroken device on-topic?

Question

Recently, some people haven't been able to play Pokemon Go because their phones are jailbroken. Would discussing how to get the app running on their phones be on-topic, or is that an area we don't want the site to get into?

Answer 1

Yes, these questions are fine and on-topic. Jailbreaking a phone is not illegal, so answering these questions is not supporting illegal activity any more than answering questions about ROM emulations is.

Answer 2

First and foremost...we should always assume good faith on the part of the user. And I do mean always. If the question doesn't ask how or where to obtain a ROM, game or app then we shouldn't assume this is a question asking how to get a pirated game running. Otherwise, we should vote to close as off-topic (illegal release OR shopping advice would be suitable reasons).

The second most important point is to assume that it is not illegal to own a jailbroken device. The only reliable sources I found concerning jailbreaking seem to suggest that it isn't illegal to jailbreak your device in most countries (including the USA). You'll probably void your warranty, which is about the limits of what I can find. I couldn't see anything that suggests you would be breaking a law by possessing a jailbroken device (regardless of who actually performed the jailbreaking). If someone can find a credible source that says owning a jailbroken phone is illegal then I would guess all of the below can be ignored, and just make such questions off-topic. Otherwise...

If the question is asking how to jailbreak, we should vote to close as off-topic because jailbreaking is a speciality beyond gaming. Other SE sites may be suitable, although in general most other sites don't really like "give me a tutorial" style questions. Regardless, I don't think this site should be the source of such questions (even if the sole purpose of jailbreaking is to run a game).

If the question is simply how to get a game running on a specific platform (whether it is an emulator, a jailbroken phone or whatever) we should keep the question open (assuming it doesn't fall foul of other off-topic reasons).

If the question is in the above form (i.e. how to get a game running on a specific platform/device) but mentions that the game was obtained by (potentially) illegal means we should apply some common sense. If the source of the game is irrelevant (i.e. question still holds for "legal" means) we can (note: "can" not "should") edit out the offending parts to keep the question open (as I believe already occurs occasionally for other questions). Otherwise we close at off-topic (because we don't support illegal releases, and this problem seems to only concern an illegal version). Essentially, this meta covers the same ground.

Specifically concerning Pokemon GO releasing an update that blocks rooted devices, DJ Pirtu commented a suitable answer:

The game is specifically made to not run with rooted devices. Sorry, you're out of luck.

I believe that is a suitable answer to an "How can I get Pokemon GO running on my rooted device?" type question. Such a question also offers scope for other answers that concern supporting older versions, and potential for changes in the future (maybe a future rooted/jailbreaking method will work around such restrictions?).

This model seems to already match what we are doing with emulation questions. This model could also apply to "How can I get running without Steam?" - because some Steam games can be run without Steam. We can remove questions that are clearly about pirated source support, and keep questions that are valid for legitimate purchases of the game.

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Short Version

Q: Can someone ask an "How can I run Pokemon GO on my rooted device?" question?
A: Yes. Potential answer = "The game is specifically made to not run with rooted devices. Sorry, you're out of luck."

Answer 3

Generally speaking, such questions would be fine—we can assume good faith on the part of the user. However, in this case specifically, the developer has intentionally implemented a check to prevent rooted and jailbroken phones from playing.

I find this similar to Tom Clancy's The Division, which requires internet even in solo mode. Sure, I might have good faith in asking for an offline crack, so I can play by myself. but that would be breaking the DRM, so we cannot support it. Here, I view the anti-root check as a form of DRM, albeit simple and easy to bypass. Nonetheless, since it acts as a form of DRM, my perspective is that we shouldn't support breaking it.

On the other hand, if rooting or jailbreaking somehow caused a game to not work, but not because the developer explicitly tried to prevent it, then I think it should be fine.

In short: if the developer puts in access controls, no matter the type or triviality, we should not support users in trying to break them.

_{NB: I think this form of DRM is pretty draconian, but developers still reserve the right to be so...}

Answer 4

I'd say that we should judge on a game-by-game basis.

That's because, while rooting the phone isn't illegal per se, there may be other factors that are game dependant that make the question fall in the off-topic area.

In the specific case of Pokemon Go, update 0.37.0 made the game not compatible with rooted/jailbroken devices, so asking how to make it work on those phones makes the question fall, in my opinion, in the "Piracy/Illegal" close motivation.

EDIT because there seems to be a misunderstanding: Im not saying that these questions fall into the Piracy close reason every time. I'm in favor of questions/answers about ROM setup, emulators configurations and others. I'm talking SPECIFICALLY about these questions for Pokemon Go to be considered off-topic, not because using the game on rooted devices COULD lead to cheating, but because the game, in the latest update, has been INTENTIONALLY made not compatble with rooted devices. While I don't liike this kind of change, overriding this lock is, in my opinion, lke cracking a DRM of a game you don't own, or using a keygen, all things currently considered off-topic here on Arqade