At the beginning of the year, we showed you a jailbreak tweak called Novus by iOS developer nicho1asdev that reimagined the iPhone’s native Phone app with new features that made it feel like an actual 21st-century app instead of something we’ve been using since the stone ages, and it received lots of praise from us, and deservedly so.
But if you’re using a modern rootless jailbreak, whether it’s Dopamine on an A12-A15 device running iOS 15.0-15.4.1 or palera1n on an A10-A11 device running iOS 15.0-16.x, then you wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of Novus because it didn’t support rootless jailbreaks – at least not until now.
Indeed, Novus was updated this week to version 1.1.0 with initial support for the aforementioned rootless jailbreaks, meaning that those using the latest tools can now redesign their handset’s Phone app with a modernized user interface that both looks great and functions better than stock.
As we discussed in our original review, Novus removes the dated tabbed interface of the Phone app and replaces it with a unified user experience where you can find everything you might need right in front of your eyes at first glance.
When looking at your Phone app following a fresh Novus installation, your eyes will love you. You’ll begin to wonder why Apple hasn’t done something similar right out of the box on the iPhone.
Toward the center of the interface, you’ll see a list of all your recent phone calls, while the top dedicates space to your favorite contacts so that you can get in touch with them easily. The bottom of the Phone app plays host to a grabber-esque interface that you can pull up on to reveal your full contacts list – not just your favorites – so that you can make those important calls to your not-so-favorite people.
Those interested in giving Novus a try can purchase it for $2.49 from the Havoc repository via their favorite package manager app. The tweak supports all jailbroken iOS 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 devices, to now include those running rootless jailbreaks.
Are you going to be taking full advantage of Novus now that it can be used on the latest jailbreaks? Be sure to let us know in the comments section down below.