App Switcher

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.

Modernize your iPhone’s App Switcher experience with Spear

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 9, 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.

Astrid brings a snazzy new multitasking experience to jailbroken handsets

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 1, 2020

Multitasking is an important feature on modern smartphones and tablets, not only because we demand more and more out of our apps at any one given time, but also because we want to be able to do more than one thing at once to save time. Multitasking has come a long way on the iOS platform over the years, but one fact remains true: the jailbreak community continues to have of the best multitasking concepts that Apple still has yet to incorporate out of the box.

Astrid by iOS developer MTAC is the latest of such multitasking concepts to come to fruition in the form of a jailbreak tweak as of late. Astrid aims to be a no-BS interface for simply accessing your most recently-used apps in a jiffy. Best of all, it includes creature comfort features that the standard App Switcher doesn’t.

Personalize your App Switcher experience with Custom SW

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated April 29, 2020

Most people use their iPhone’s App Switcher as a means of quickly returning to a recently-used application, but the current interface certainly leaves a lot to be desired, especially if you like what you see on the iPad.

If you find yourself in this situation a lot, then you might be interested in a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed Custom SW by iOS developer mustafa89. As shown in the screenshot examples above, Custom SW provides users with a plethora of ways to augment the appearance and usability of the iPhone’s native App Switcher.

Switcher is a retractable app drawer for your favorite or recently used apps

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated December 31, 2022

Most iPhone and iPad users rely on iOS’ native App Switcher for fast-paced app-to-app multitasking, but if you wanted something a bit less intrusive (and perhaps even more aesthetically pleasing), then you might enjoy a newly released jailbreak tweak called Switcher by iOS developer neoish.

QuitAll lets you force-close all App Switcher apps with one tap

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 1, 2020

As you use apps on your iPhone or iPad, your App Switcher begins to accumulate a running history of recently used apps in the order you’ve use them. These apps are suspended in a frozen state to make multitasking more efficient, but even suspended apps use some of your handset’s RAM to make relaunching them faster.

iOS automatically manages your device’s memory to ensure smooth operation, but if you’re a RAM nut then you may habitually force-close all your App Switcher’s suspended apps when you finish using your device. QuitAll is a newly released and free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer Dave van Wijk that lets you do this in one fell swoop as opposed to swiping up on each of the App Switcher’s individual app preview cards.

First major iOS 14 leak: a new iPad-like grid design for the app switcher on iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 24, 2020

A somewhat reliable leakier last evening shared alleged videos on social media of iOS 14's purported new iPad-style multitasking switcher on iPhone with recent apps displayed on a grid.

SwitchGlass is a dedicated app switcher for your Mac with tons of customization options

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 13, 2020

SwitchGlass is a new project from John Siracusa which brings a dedicated application switcher to the Mac with tons of customization options.

Castmary gives your iPhone an iPad-like grid App Switcher

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 12, 2020

The App Switcher experience on the iPhone leaves a lot to be desired, especially if you’ve ever used an iPad before. That said, it’s mind-blowing that Apple hasn’t done anything about this yet.

If you’re tired of waiting for Apple to implement an official solution, then you can now take advantage of a new free jailbreak tweak called Castmary by iOS developer Simulation to get an iPad-style grid-based App Switcher on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Kill all App Switcher apps in one fell swoop with KillX Pro

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 6, 2022

If you’re the type of person that likes to kill all the apps in your App Switcher when you’re finishing using your iPhone, then chances are you’ll come to appreciate a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed KillX Pro by iOS developer cemck.

Like the name implies, KillX Pro lets users kill every app from their App Switcher in one fell swoop without having to swipe on each app preview card individually to accomplish the same effect. Instead, as shown in the screenshot examples above, KillX Pro adds a single button to the bottom of your App Switcher to do this with just a tap.

Add new features to your App Switcher with XSwitcher

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 31, 2019

If you’re in search of a way to make your jailbroken iPhone’s App Switcher more useful, then you may want to turn your attention to the likes of a new and free jailbreak tweak dubbed XSwitcher by iOS developer CUNSTUCK.

As shown in the screenshot example above, XSwitcher lets you access various useful shortcuts in the App Switcher by just swiping down on any of your available application preview cards in the App Switcher interface.

SwitchShades gives the iOS App Switcher a fresh coat of paint

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 25, 2019

The iOS App Switcher is somewhat bland out of the box, but it doesn’t have to be. A newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed SwitchShades by iOS developer AnthoPak promises to add a splash of color to the App Switcher background based on the application preview card that appears front-and-center at any given time.

As you can see in the screenshot examples above, the background color changes to match the dominant color of the app icon above the application preview cards themselves. This can be changed to colorize based on the application snapshot itself if you wanted to, or you could configure a custom color to display at all times.