Switchy: a webOS-inspired App Switcher for jailbroken iOS devices

Most iPhone and iPad users are accustomed to using Apple’s native App Switcher when they want to access recently-used apps, but jailbreakers have access to a wide variety of jailbreak tweaks that can replace the native App Switcher experience with something much cooler.

With that in mind, we’re proud to show you Switchy, a jailbreak tweak made by iOS developer William Vabrinskas that brings a webOS-style App Switcher to jailbroken iPhones and iPads.

You can see the differences between Switchy and the default App Switcher in the before and after screenshot examples above. For the most part, both switchers can accomplish the same task, but depending on your perceptions, one might look more appealing to you than the other.

Notably, Switchy doesn’t replace your handset’s native App Switcher interface in its entirety and it can only display up to five of your recently-used applications. With that in mind, you may still want to use the native App Switcher in certain circumstances.

After you’ve installed Switchy, double-pressing the Home button still launches the native App Switcher. Switchy is accessed with an entirely different gesture, which involves swiping up from the bottom-left of your display like so:

Without lifting your finger, you can swipe left and right through all your recently-used apps and choose one to launch.

Switchy also adds a preference pane to the Settings app where you can configure the tweak to your liking:

Here, you can:

  • Toggle Switchy on or off on demand
  • Enable swiping up from the bottom-right of the display to lock your handset
  • Hide or show app previews while scrolling through the switcher
  • Blur the background behind the app icons and previews

Respringing your handset isn’t required to save the changes you make, so it’s particularly easy to adjust Switchy and see how they impact the interface.

Replacement App Switcher tweaks aren’t for everyone, but if you’d like some added eye-candy that will help your handset stand out from the crowd, then you’ll find Switchy in Cydia’s Packix repository for $1.99. The tweak currently supports jailbroken iOS 11 and iOS 12 devices.

How do you feel about Switchy’s design and price point? Discuss in the comments section below.