Accessibility

KillBackgroundXS lets you force-quit all App Switcher apps in one fell swoop

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 4, 2019

Closing out of all the applications in your App Switcher is generally frowned upon because it defeats the whole purpose of having apps suspended for faster loading times the next time you go to use them. On the other hand, some people just can’t help themselves.

If you fall under this category and you wish there was an easier way to close out of all your App Switcher’s apps in one fell swoop, then you just might take a liking to a jailbreak tweak release called KillBackgroundXS by iOS developer ichitaso.

YTStatus lets you access the Status Bar while enjoying YouTube videos in landscape mode

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 3, 2019

One of the things I’ve always disliked about the YouTube app is how elusive the Status Bar becomes when you begin watching a video in landscape orientation. Obviously, I wouldn’t want the Status Bar to be in the way while a video was playing, but I also don’t like being compelled to switch to portrait orientation to check the time.

iOS developer Karimo299 has devised the ultimate solution and released it in the form of a new free jailbreak tweak called YTStatus. As you can discern for yourself in the before and after screenshot examples embedded above, this tweak implements the native iOS Status Bar into YouTube’s own video controls interface.

HapticVolume brings haptic feedback to your volume buttons

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 3, 2019

Those who know me best also know that I have a soft spot for jailbreak tweaks that give my iPhone simple haptic feedback capabilities. For that same reason, I’m excited to share the news about a free release called HapticVolume by iOS developer MayBeMe.

In a nutshell, HapticVolume compels your iPhone to exhibit a tidbit of haptic feedback whenever you depress either of the volume adjustment buttons on the side of your device.

HomeList ports watchOS’ List View-based Home screen to iOS

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 1, 2019

Apart from some minor modifications over the years, the iPhone’s Home screen has remained ultimately unchanged since the first iteration of iOS; it’s still comprised of a grid of app icons that fill ‘pages’ on your Home screen. But what if we told you that you could replace this with something entirely different?

HomeList is a new jailbreak tweak released by iOS developer Blake Boxberger that takes a watchOS-style approach to organizing your Home screen’s bevy of applications. With it, you can scroll vertically through an alphabetically-sorted list of apps instead of paging from left to right through a traditional grid:

This tweak lets you know when your iPhone will finish charging

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 29, 2019

Sometimes when I’m in a rush to go somewhere, I’ll plug my iPhone into a power source or set it on my Qi wireless charging stand while getting ready to juice it up as much as I can beforehand. But I’ll be the first to admit that waiting for the battery percentage to rise while charging can be a daunting process, especially since iOS doesn’t provide any sort of ETA for a full charge.

Here to change that is a new free jailbreak tweak called Remaining Charge Time by iOS developer Teun Strik, which adds a charging remainder to the bottom of the Lock screen whenever your handset is charging to let you know (approximately) how long you’ll need to wait before it’s done.

AutoInvert automatically toggles Smart Invert based on your display brightness level

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 22, 2024

A hidden accessibility feature on your iPhone called Smart Invert lets you enjoy a Dark Mode-like experience on your handset on demand, but you still need to invoke it manually if you wish to use it.

With that in mind, iOS developer Cole Cabral has just released a new jailbreak tweak in Cydia called AutoInvert that automatically facilitates your handset’s Smart Invert feature based on your current display brightness level.

VideoSwipes adds swipe gesture controls to iOS’ native video player

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 2, 2019

The iOS platform sports a gorgeous native video player interface, but as you might come to expect from Apple, those good looks aren’t coupled with the oodles of functionality that you might find on other platforms such as swipe gesture-based controls.

In response to this apparent shortcoming, iOS developer AnthoPak has just released a new free jailbreak tweak in Cydia called VideoSwipes, and just as the name implies, this tweak brings swipe gesture-based controls to iOS’ native video player.

Augment iOS’ native power down interface with ModernPower

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 25, 2019

Pressing and holding a certain button sequence on your iOS device (the sequence varies depending on the device) invokes the power down menu from which you can easily turn your handset off. Unfortunately, iOS’ native power down menu has an ongoing reputation for being somewhat ‘featureless.’

In an attempt to change that, iOS developer conorthedev released a new free jailbreak tweak called ModernPower, which gives iOS’ native power down menu a modern facelift and supercharges it with additional features that you won’t find out of the box on a stock device.

InstaLauncher helps you launch any app on your device in a jiff

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 24, 2019

One of my favorite parts about jailbreaking over the years has been installing custom app launchers that make accessing my apps easier. There haven’t been that many tweaks of this nature in recent memory, and that’s why I’m excited to show you the rebirth of a classic jailbreak tweak dubbed InstaLauncher by iOS developer Jonathan Winger-Lang.

InstaLauncher has been around for several years, but it was just recently re-released with full support for the latest Electra and unc0ver jailbreaks encompassing iOS 11 and iOS 12. Those who remember the original tweak should see InstaLauncher for what it is: a tweak that lets you launch any app on your device in a jiff without having to scour multiple Home Screen pages.

Improve your iPhone’s multitasking capabilities with PullOver Pro

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 23, 2019

Multitasking is something that the iOS platform has always fallen short on, and that’s precisely why we’re excited to talk to you about a newly-released jailbreak tweak called PullOver Pro by iOS developer c1d3r.

As you might’ve noticed from the screenshot examples above, PullOver Pro is exactly what it sounds like. The tweak adds a small grabber to the side of your display that you can interact with to gain quick access to your favorite or most recently-used apps.

DNDAllow lets you configure Do Not Disturb on a per-app basis

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 22, 2019

iOS’ native Do Not Disturb feature is immeasurably useful for those instances when you don’t want to be disturbed by phone calls, social media, and text messages. On the other hand, that doesn’t always mean you want all your apps to be silenced.

DNDAllow is a new free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer Karimo299 that lets you designate Do Not Disturb on a per-app basis, effectively letting you receive notifications from specific apps even when your iPhone’s Do Not Disturb mode is toggled on.

Konban replaces the Today page with your favorite app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 22, 2019

The Today view is an integral part of iOS that contains all your favorite widgets for a quick glance at app-centric information. As cool as it is, the fact remains that not everyone uses the Today view as Apple intended, leaving a lot of wasted space on your Home screen.

If you’re one of many who thinks that the Home screen’s Today view would be more useful if repurposed for something else, then you might take an interest in a new free jailbreak tweak called Konban by iOS developer Nepeta.