Jailbreak

AltDeploy v1.1 brings a new icon, support for multiple Apple IDs, and more

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 11, 2020

In the absence of any updates to Saurik’s jailbreak-centric Cydia Impactor tool since it stopped working several months ago, Chimera, Electra, and unc0ver jailbreak users have faced frustrating times. Luckily, a working alternative called AltDeploy made its first public debut a few days ago.

Just this weekend, AltDeploy received its second official update since being released. The latest update brings the young side-loading utility up to version 1.1 and incorporates both bug fixes and improvements that help make the app better for end users.

Zebra v1.0.5 released with more bug fixes and improvements

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 10, 2020

The Zebra package manager for jailbroken iOS devices received a fresh update Friday evening, officially bringing the software up to version 1.0.5.

Just like previous updates issued before today, Zebra 1.0.5 incorporates beaucoup bug fixes and improvements that are expected to improve the package manager’s user experience in day-to-day usage.

Configure iPhone volume on a per-app basis and more with Volumizer

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 10, 2020

Depending on how you use your iPhone, you might prefer to crank up the volume in certain apps and leave others at a lower volume level. Apple doesn’t provide volume-tuning of this magnitude in iOS out of the box, but with a jailbreak tweak called Volumizer by iOS developer SynnyG, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Volumizer brings beaucoup improvements to the iOS volume level experience, including per-app volume settings, improvements for landscape orientation, and more.

Banana brings automatic ANC and Transparency mode switching to AirPods Pro

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 9, 2020

If you’re lucky enough to own a pair of Apple’s new AirPods Pro, then you already know just how great their active noise cancellation is in terms of augmenting your audio’s sound quality. On the other hand, we can think of a few different ways that the implementation in iOS could be improved in daily usage.

Enter Banana, a new and free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer LaughingQuoll that makes the AirPods Pro’s transition from active noise cancellation mode to transparency mode an automatic process, depending on what the user is doing.

This tweak generates a QR code for your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 9, 2020

Personal Hotspot is an indispensable feature of my iPhone that I use virtually every day as I move out of range of Wi-Fi, and while Apple has made it super easy to pair other iOS devices with the tap of a button, the same can’t be said about non-iOS devices, which often necessitate that you enter the hotspot’s password manually.

If you’re lazy like me and hate having to take the aforementioned steps when you or a friend attempts to connect a new device, then you just might come to appreciate a new and free jailbreak tweak called HotspotQR by iOS developer KingPuffdaddi.

Assistability13 augments iOS 13’s Reachability interface with shortcuts

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 8, 2020

When it comes to the features people use most on their iPhones, Reachability is somewhat of a moot point, especially for those with hands large enough to finagle with Apple’s largest handsets. Apple provides a way to disable Reachability if you never use it, but wouldn’t it make sense to repurpose the interface instead of disabling it entirely?

Playing on this train of thought is a newly released jailbreak tweak called Assistability13 by iOS developer DODGraphics, which implements an AssistiveTouch-inspired shortcut palette into iOS’ native Reachability interface.

New solder-on cable allegedly permits DFU mode entry on Apple TV 4K

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 7, 2020

One of the most substantial things to happen in the jailbreak community in the past decade was the release of @axi0mX’s hardware-based checkm8 bootrom exploit. This exploit can’t be patched by Apple in a software update, and it essentially guarantees the jailbreakability of several of Apple’s devices using the A5-A11 SoC for life.

While checkm8 is already being used in the checkra1n jailbreak for handsets ranging from the iPhone 5s to the iPhone X, it’s also true that the same exploit can be used to jailbreak compatible Apple TV units. The newest Apple TV, on the other hand, purportedly sports a hidden Lightning port that would necessitate a special adapter to utilize for such an exploit.

Personalize your Home screen and Lock screen with Kage

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 7, 2020

When it comes to installing jailbreak tweaks on a pwned handset, my motto has always been that it’s best to install an all-in-one tweak instead of a plethora of one-off add-ons. Not only can this be beneficial from a performance standpoint, but it also keeps your installed tweak list nice and tidy in any package manager that you might be using.

Depending on what your needs are as a jailbreaker, finding the best all-in-one tweak can be a challenge. While there have been some notable releases in the past, many cost money of some sort. Fortunately, a new release called Kage by iOS developer YaYPIXXO brings a slew of customization options to both the Home screen and Lock screen at no extra cost to you.

This tweak disables the voice recording button in iMessage

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 7, 2020

If you use Apple’s Messages app as your primary means of talking to people each day, then you’re probably accustomed to seeing the app’s voice message button in the text message composition field. This button lets you record yourself speaking and send your voice as an audio clip as opposed to typing it out or using Dictation to send a written message.

While this feature has its uses for a small subset of niche scenarios, you’ll probably very seldom use it if you don’t like recording yourself and prefer sending written messages. For those people, a new and free jailbreak tweak called AudioMessageBeGone by iOS developer burrit0z swoops in to save the day.

Cydia Impactor alternative ‘AltDeploy’ officially released for side-loading apps

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 6, 2020

Those using the side-loadable Chimera and unc0ver jailbreak apps have experienced quite a rough patch these past couple of months given Cydia Impactor’s current broken state and the scarcity of reliable signing services that don’t get their certificates revoked shortly after going online. These issues have made it unusually challenging to get the jailbreak(s) running again after the host device endures a power cycle.

Saurik hinted in November that he would be looking into ways to fix Cydia Impactor, but we’ve since passed the expected ETA for such an update, prompting members of our very own jailbreak community to take action themselves. The newfangled efforts have resulted in a Cydia Impactor alternative for macOS called AltDeploy by @pixelomer.

DeadRinger makes iOS 13’s ringer/silent UI even better

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 6, 2020

iOS 13 brought with it a slew of improvements that, despite a few kinks, made it exponentially better than Apple’s preceding mobile operating system for iPhones and iPads alike. One of my favorite upgrades was to the ringer/silent UI, which now displays a substantially less intrusive pop-up at the top of the display as opposed to a massive pop-up in the center.

While many give Apple props for finally making this change after years’ worth of dissatisfaction with iOS’ native UI, some continue to believe that the iOS 13-based ringer/silent UI could do with some improvement. To that end, a free jailbreak tweak called DeadRinger by iOS developer Kritanta was conceived.

LightsOut uses ambient light to switch between iOS’ dark and light modes

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 6, 2020

If you’re jailbroken and you enjoy using dark mode to reduce eyestrain at night but prefer the standard light mode during the day for visibility, then you just might come to appreciate the convenience of a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called LightsOut by iOS developer Skitty.

iOS 13 can be configured to automatically switch between dark and light mode based on the time of day, but this unfortunately doesn’t compensate for unusual situations, such as walking into a dark room during the day. LightsOut effectively solves this problem by automatically switching your device between dark and light mode depending on the brightness level around you.