Jailbreak

Aperio is a lightweight, yet functional app launcher for jailbroken iPhones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 5, 2021

If there’s anything to be said about app launcher concepts, it’s that they’re a cornerstone of the jailbreak community’s existence. There’ve been literally countless app switcher concepts released as jailbreak tweaks over the years, and even today, they continue to materialize. One of the latest of such tweaks is one called Aperio by iOS developers burrit0z and Thenatis.

As you might’ve discerned already from the screenshot examples, Aperio is a Lock Screen-based app launcher interface that comes with different display modes to appease both minimalists and power users alike. If you’re more of a minimalist, then you’ll probably opt for the compact interface option, whereas power users will likely go for the more crowded interface.

FastAppLS adds a wheel-shaped app launcher to the iPhone’s Lock Screen

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 13, 2020

The Lock Screen serves as a secure barrier between the user and the Home Screen, but there are sometimes instances where you might want faster access to certain apps without the delay of unlocking your device and browsing the Home Screen.

Enter FastAppLS, a newly released and free jailbreak tweak created by iOS developer Dcsyhi that puts a user- configurable app shortcut interface at the bottom of the Lock Screen so that users can more quickly access their favorite apps in a pinch.

ImTrynaVibe keeps users from accidentally force-closing a Now Playing app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 10, 2021

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I’m playing music in the background and I begin force-closing apps from the App Switcher only to learn that I’ve accidentally killed the Now Playing app. This frustrating experience often results in the cumbersome process of re-launching the Now Playing app and finding the track I was playing just to try and scrub back to the point where I was before prematurely killing the music.

If you’ve ever been in the same boat and understand just how irritating this experience is, then you might turn to a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called ImTrynaVibe by iOS developer PopsicleTreehouse for help, as it effectively prevents users from accidentally force-quitting the Now Playing app via the App Switcher.

This tweak lets you customize the Siri interface background on iOS 13

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 12, 2020

Siri's traditional interface is fairly Apple-esque with its darkened, yet blurred background that overshadows any app or interface that you summon the virtual assistant over the top of. But what if you could give Siri just a small touch of additional personality?

Thanks to a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called CustomSiriBG13 by iOS developer TylerD3v, now you can. If the tweak’s name wasn’t self-evident enough, CustomSiriBG13 lets jailbreakers replace the Siri interface background with virtually any image they want.

Jailbreak tweaks of the week: Aurore, Signal Reborn, Viper, and more…

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 12, 2020

Those seeking ways to take their jailbroken iPhone or iPad to the next level have come to the right place. Here, we’ll be showcasing all the latest jailbreak tweaks released throughout the past week, starting Monday, July 6th and ending Sunday, July 12.

As usual, we’ll kick things off by discussing our favorite releases first, and then we’ll wrap things up with an outline of the rest afterward.

Brandon Plank launches open source RootlessJB4 for iOS 12.0-12.4.7 on A7-A11 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 12, 2020

More good news surfaced for the jailbreak community this weekend as hacker and iOS tinkerer Brandon Plank launched a new open source semi-untethered rootless jailbreak that supports all versions of iOS 12 dubbed RootlessJB4.

Rootless jailbreaks are essentially a category of jailbreak that avoid messing with the device’s root filesystem. As you might come to expect, this makes them more restrictive than their full-fledged jailbreak counterparts, such as checkra1n or unc0ver. On the other hand, rootless jailbreaks are, by nature, more difficult to detect by apps that implement jailbreak detection.

Rename Bluetooth devices via your pwned iPhone with BTDeviceRenamer

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 11, 2020

One of the great ways you can amplify your iPhone’s user experience is through the extension of Bluetooth accessories, including but not limited to headphones and/or speakers. But have you ever tried to pair your newly acquired Bluetooth device only to find that it had an odd or unappealing name in the Bluetooth list?

If you answered yes to the question above and have a hard time distinguishing between one device from the next, then we’d like to recommend an excellent new and free jailbreak tweak dubbed BTDeviceRenamer by iOS developer Tr1fecta. Just as the name implies, this tweak lets you rename virtually any Bluetooth device that you’ve paired with your jailbroken iPhone or iPad.

Lock your handset’s current volume level with VolumeLock

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 11, 2020

It’s relatively easy to accidentally adjust your handset’s volume level when gripping your handset wrong in the midst of listening to music or watching a video. I’ve personally had this happen to me when enjoying videos late at night and trying to catch my iPhone before it fell off the side of my bed – the ensuing death grip resulted in instantaneous maximum volume, perhaps unsurprisingly waking up the entire household.

If you ever find yourself in similarly clumsy predicaments involving your handset’s volume level, then you’ll probably come to appreciate the likes of a free jailbreak tweak dubbed VolumeLock by iOS developer LacertosusDeus. Just as the name implies, this tweak lets you lock your current volume level with a simple gesture to prevent such mishaps from happening.

Valentine brings iOS 14’s updated Calendar icon to jailbroken devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 10, 2020

Apple first demoed iOS 14 at WWDC 2020 and showcased a number of the operating system’s upcoming changes. Hiding behind the scenes, however, were a plethora of smaller changes that were seemingly too tiny to mention on stage. One of those changes included an updated and more aesthetically pleasing Calendar app icon.

If you’re jailbroken on iOS 13, then you’re probably hesitant to upgrade to iOS 14 this Fall, and understandably so. Fortunately, the community is bringing several of iOS 14’s unique features to pwned iOS 13 devices. One of the latest of such add-ons is a free jailbreak tweak dubbed Valentine by iOS developer ArtikusHG, which ports iOS 14’s new Calendar app icon to jailbroken iOS 13 handsets.

Viper supercharges the Home & Lock Screens on jailbroken iPhones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 10, 2020

While Apple does its best to keep the iPhone’s user interface simple by design, sometimes it takes things to such extremes that it actually handicaps the smartphone’s potential user experience. If you, like many others, wish your handset’s Home Screen and Lock Screen were a bit more capable, then you may want to do yourself a favor and look into the likes of a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed Viper by iOS developer Esquilli.

Viper augments the iPhone’s Home Screen and Lock Screen interfaces in more ways than one. Not only does it bring interactive widgets to the Home Screen, but it also incorporates an App Drawer for faster app access and more informative Lock Screen interface with both Weather and time information. Examples of some of Viper’s features are depicted in the screenshot examples above and below.

Modernize your iPhone’s App Switcher experience with Spear

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 10, 2020

There’s no shortage of jailbreak tweaks that try to improve the iPhone’s native App Switcher, but one of the latest concepts to have caught my eye is a new release dubbed Spear by iOS developer Dylan West (iOSthemem0d).

Spear not only replaces the native App Switcher interface with a better looking one, but it adds useful new functionality that most iPhone users are likely to find particularly useful. As depicted in the screenshot examples above, Spear incorporates a swipe-up interface at the bottom of the App Switcher that contains shortcuts and toggles, among other things.

Cydia Substrate receives third update to improve stability under heavy memory strain

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 9, 2020

Cydia Substrate users have probably noticed quite a substantial number of updates to this particular package over the past couple of days. Two consecutive updates for Cydia Substrate were launched Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but the excitement didn’t stop there. Saurik pushed a third update for Cydia Substrate Thursday afternoon, officially bringing the package up to version 0.9.7104.

Cydia Substrate is used for tweak injection on both the checkra1n and unc0ver jailbreaks for devices up to and including those equipped with A11 chips. Cydia Substrate never received support for A12 and newer handsets because of technical challenges, and so any of these devices that have been jailbroken with unc0ver use Substitute for tweak injection instead.