I know I’ve caught a lot of flack in the past for comparing other tweaks to Auxo. Some people think that I’m biased when it comes to Auxo and its creators, but as I’ve said in the past, I just like to call a spade a spade.
If you get offended by the mere mention of Auxo, then you may want to jump right into the article, and skip the next sentence.
Seng is a tweak that’s heavily inspired by Auxo. There I said it. There’s simply no denying that fact.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not a great tweak. Auxo 3 isn’t even updated for iOS 8.4, so your options are limited if you enjoy its functionality. Developer Charlie Hewitt saw this as an opportunity, and has stepped in to offer Seng—a tweak that pays homage to the Auxo series, but finds enough solid footing to stand on its own two feet. Watch our in-depth video walkthrough for all of the details.
How to try Seng
First and foremost, Seng is still in beta, so you’re not going to find it on the stock Cydia repos. That said, it’s still extremely easy to get a hold of, as there’s a free beta for the tweak available right now.
Simply add the following beta repo to your list of Cydia sources:
http://chewitt.me/repo
Once you do, download the Seng beta, and you’ll be good to go.
Overview
After installation, head over to the Settings app and find Seng’s preference panel. Seng’s preferences are composed of three main parts—Top View Sections, Bottom View Sections, and Other Options.
The basic premise of Seng is that it merges the App Switcher with Control Center. Therefore, you have everything that you need at your fingertips by simply invoking the App Switcher. Seng also makes use of gestures so that you can slide up from the bottom of the screen to invoke the App Switcher as well.
The Top and Bottom View Sections allow you to customize the Control Center elements around the App Switcher. The App Switcher cards stay in the middle of the screen, and you can place Control Center elements on bottom, on top, or have a mix of the two. The App Switcher will resize itself automatically depending on how sandwiched-in it is. You can even have redundant elements on top and on bottom if you wish to do so.
Some of the items in the Bottom View Sections and Top View Sections have their own individual customization. For example, with music transport controls, you can choose to only display the controls when music is playing.
The great thing about Seng is that all of this can be customized on the fly with no resprings. It’s super-easy to play around with different setups in order to find the perfect one that works for you.
In addition, users will find Zephyr-inspired app dismiss functionality that can be customized via the Other Options section of Seng’s preferences. This makes it so that you can swipe up from the corner of the screen in order to dismiss an app, instead of invoking the App Switcher.
A worthy alternative?
What’s remarkable about Seng is that, even though it’s in beta, I’ve found it to be extremely solid and stable. Granted, it’s still a beta, so your mileage may vary, but I was nonetheless impressed.
Is it as polished as Auxo? Few tweaks are. But it’s a solid alternative to Auxo on iOS 8.4, and it’s free to try if you’re okay with using a beta.
What are your thoughts on Seng? Have you tried it?