App Switcher jailbreak tweak shootout: Auxo 3 vs Lylac vs Tage vs Seng

Seng beta iOS 9 03

There is no shortage of App Switcher replacement tweaks available for jailbroken iOS devices. Four of the most popular ones: Seng, Auxo, Lylac, and Tage, have all been updated for iOS 9, and all work reasonably well enough to warrant comparing the four.

With so many App Switcher alternatives available, which one should you consider using? This is far from an exhaustive breakdown and deep comparison, but we provide you with a basic high level overview of what to expect.

Auxo 3

This is the tweak that started it all, and as such, it deserves respect. The initial version of Auxo 3 for iOS 9 was sort of a mixed bag, and was filled with several bugs. Many of those bugs have been dealt with. For instance, the Quick Switcher is more stable, although it’s still not quite there yet.

More than anything though, fans of Auxo were disappointed with the direction of the new Multi Center. With the iOS 9 version of the tweak, Auxo maintained the visual style of iOS 9 and incorporated the Multi Center features into its own dedicated App Switcher card. Although this technically works, it arguably makes it slower to use features contained within Control Center.

Auxo is the original, so it would be foolish to outright dismiss it, but it definitely feels a bit long in the tooth. Compared to some of the newer App Switcher tweaks, Auxo seems to have lagged behind on innovation.

Lylac

The newest of the App Switcher alternatives, Lylac is like a light version of Auxo for iOS 8. It features a Multi Center inspired by Auxo, but it lacks a Quick Switcher. It’s a solid tweak that feels stable, but it lacks the diverse swipe-up-from-bottom gestures.

That all said, Lylac is the most feature-rich tweak of the bunch when it comes to customizing the visual look of things, but functionality isn’t as flashy as some of the other options. Unfortunately many of the changes made in the settings require resprings as well.

Tage

Tage is the tweak that you want to use if you want a stock looking appearance with advanced functionality. Tage’s App Switcher looks very much like a stock iOS 9 App Switcher, but advanced functionality lies beneath the surface.

Tage omits the presence of a so-called “Multi Center”—a combination of Control Center and the App Switcher—in favor of a more traditional setup. Tage incorporates gestures, and features lots of advanced and nuanced control.

If there’s one negative thing to say about Tage is that it isn’t flashy. It also features an annoying licensing setup that you don’t have to deal with when using the other three tweaks.

Seng

If there’s one negative thing to say about Seng is that it could be classified as a shameless rip off of Auxo for iOS 8. But in the history of ripoffs, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that does it this well. It’s so good, that it’s arguably better than the original. Seng features an iOS 8-style App Switcher infused with Control Center, and it also features dynamic App Switcher cards that resize depending on how many Control Center elements you have on screen.

Seng’s Quick Switcher works a little bit better than Auxo 3’s Quick Switcher, but it’s still not 100% perfect. The Quick Switcher would probably perform a lot better on newer iOS devices like the iPhone 6s, due to the presence of additional RAM.

Winner?

If I had to choose between one of the four tweaks in this roundup, my decision would be with Seng. The other tweaks bring some unique things to the table, but Seng is the most polished overall. It’s not as stable as Tage, and it is definitely a bonafide Auxo ripoff, but it’s stable enough while incorporating the pizzazz and features other tweaks like Tage and Lylac lack.

Ultimately, the choice will boil down to your usage style. Many of you will prefer the complex simplicity that Tage offers, while some will prefer the visual customization offered by Lylac. At the end of the day, none of these tweaks are bad, and all have valid use cases. I think that Seng is the best bang for the buck, but let me know whether or not you agree in the comment section below.