Jailbreak enables code execution on TI-84 Plus CE calculator again

A developer has announced arTIfiCE for TI CE calculators with OS 5.5 and 5.6. This makes it possible to run Assembly code on, for example, the TI-84 Plus CE. TI recently dropped that option.

Users can put artiCE on their TI CE calculator and use Cabri Jr. open app 5, after which they can run Assembly again on their device and, for example, can play all kinds of games and other programs on the calculators. Programs can then be started quickly with the Cesium shell. The jailbreak works with the TI-83 Premium CE, TI-83 Premium CE Python Edition, TI-84 Plus CE and TI-84 Plus CE Python Edition running OS 5.5 or 5.6. Calculators with earlier OS versions do not need to be jailbroken to run the code.

TI dropped the ASM functionality from OS 5.6 and 5.5 in May to prevent app cheating. That sparked outrage in the homebrew community around TI calculators. According to the creator of arTIfiCE, YvanTT, the jailbreak is not a cheat tool but simply restores functionality that has been in the calculators for years.

He expresses the expectation that TI will undo the jailbreak, but also reports that more bugs have been found on which new jailbreaks can be based. He promises to publish the source code of jailbreak via Github and has provided all exploits with ‘funny code names’.

TI dropped the ability to run ASM with current versions of the TI CE calculator software at a time when videos were popular on the Internet explaining how to bypass exam mode on TI CE calculators. The manufacturer would like to maintain confidence in the mode through education. In exam mode, the settings are adapted to the exam and the memory, and thus access to all programs and applications of the graphing calculator, is blocked. The mode is intended to prevent exam fraud.