Flex 2: create your own jailbreak tweaks for iOS 7

Resized Flex 2 patch

When a jailbreak app inspires the creation of its very own subreddit, you know it’s something special. Flex 2 is the follow up to one of the most popular apps of last year, and like its predecessor, it allows you to change the way your favorite apps look and feel without having to know the intricacies of iOS development.

To be sure, it doesn’t hurt to have some knowledge of development in general, and the logic behind the way things work, but it’s not a requirement. Flex features a well-designed and intuitive interface to help you easily modify the way your favorite apps work.

Flex 2 is a much-improved version of its predecessor, and has been re-built from the ground up for iOS 7. But even if you don’t run iOS 7, Flex has maintained its compatibility with both iOS 5, and iOS 6, a remarkable feat for a jailbreak app of this nature.

For those of you new to Flex, you should watch our video walkthrough inside for a demonstration of how it works. If you’re already a Flex user, then check inside for some of the vital upgrade details that make Flex 2 a worthy successor.

Once you install Flex 2, you’ll notice the Flex app icon on your Home screen. There are no separate settings to be configured via the stock Settings app, as all settings are adjusted by means of the app itself.

At the bottom of Flex 2’s screen, you’ll see three tabs: patches, cloud, and info. The info tab contains some sparse information from the app’s creator, John Coates, but not much else at the moment.

Resized Flex 2 tabsThe patches, cloud, and info tabs

The two tabs you’ll want to focus on most are patches and cloud. From the patches tab, you can create new tweaks or patches for any of the apps currently installed on your iOS device. By tapping the plus sign in the upper right-hand corner, and selecting an app, you can easily modify specific characteristics of the app’s library in order to make it look different or do different things. You’re basically creating your own jailbreak tweak without getting your hands dirty.

Resized Flex 2 patch editor
The patch editor lets you create your own tweaks

The cloud tab is the place to go if you’d rather download someone else’s pre-created patches and apply them to your apps. The cloud section features three sections: installed, recent, and popular. The installed section will display patches for every app on your device. The recent and popular tabs will show recently uploaded and the most popular patches for the apps your have installed on your device.

Resized Flex 2 cloud
Tons of pre-made patches are available via the cloud tab

Downloading and enabling the patches is extremely easy; just tap the patch, tap the cloud button in the upper right-hand corner, and go to the patches tab to enable the patch. Most patches should work without a respring, and at most, you’ll have to kill and restart an app for the desired effects to take place.

Resized FLex 2 Tweetbot 3 patch
The Tweetbot 3 white keyboard patch

Previous users of Flex may be wondering what new features Flex 2 brings to the table besides iOS 7 compatibility. You’ll be happy to find that you can now modify any argument passed to a function, instead of just modifying return values. The ability to do this opens up a whole new way to tweak apps on your device.

You’ll also find a redesigned and refined cloud experience, more power, more patches, and a better way to go about discovering new patches. I highly recommend Flex 2 for anyone who’s the slightest bit curious about what makes jailbreak tweaks tick.

You can find Flex 2 on Cydia’s BigBoss repo for $3.99. Let me know what you think about it in the comments below.