In the world of hardware resurrection, the iPhone 4S held a mythical status. It was the last phone vulnerable to the "checkm8" hardware exploit, a permanent crack in the silicon armor that Apple couldn't patch with a software update. But knowing the theory and executing the bypass were two different things.

Once bypassed (or if you have a clean device), the iPhone 4s becomes a minimalist lifestyle companion. Here’s how:

: Some users recommend using the Legacy iOS Kit on a Mac to downgrade the device to iOS 6.1.3 , where it may be easier to perform a "hacktivation" than on iOS 9.3.5.

This method requires a jailbroken device and may not work on all firmware versions.