Dock

How to stop Mac apps from opening automatically on startup or login

Login Items in Mac's System Preferences

You might like to have some apps open automatically each time you start or log into your Mac. For instance, if you use a Mac for work, you might want Slack to open right up for quick communications. However, if you are experiencing apps opening that you don't want, there are a few ways you can change this.

In this short tutorial, we'll show you how to stop Mac apps from opening automatically on startup or login.

DockRemover hides the application Dock from your Home screen

Most people use the Dock on their Home screen for fast access to their favorite apps, but that isn’t the case for everyone; some jailbreakers, for example, run custom Home screen setups and may prefer to hide the Dock altogether.

If you fall into the latter group above, then you may take an interest in a new free jailbreak tweak dubbed DockRemover by iOS developer Blake Boxberger. As you've probably inferred from the name already, DockRemover hides the  Dock from your iOS device’s Home screen, offering a cleaner overall aesthetic.

Five Icon Dock lets you exceed your iPhone Dock’s four icon limit

Given just how expansive Apple made the Dock on macOS and on iOS for iPads, it’s almost a shame that Apple limits the number of app icons you can have on your Dock in iOS for the iPhone and iPod touch.

With that in mind, I’ve always had a soft spot for tweaks that shattered that limitation, and that’s mainly why I’m excited to share the release of a free jailbreak tweak called Five Icon Dock (iOS 11 & 12) by iOS developer Guillermo Morán, the same creator behind the popular Eclipse dark mode tweak.

NoIdleTimer negates the Lock screen’s lockout timer if your device is charging or playing music

Apple designed your iOS device’s Lock screen to go back to sleep after a predefined timeout period, and while this can be useful for battery savings in certain circumstances, there are some instances where this might be irrelevant or where you may favor performance over battery life.

For that reason, iOS developer Nepeta came out with a new free jailbreak tweak called NoIdleTimer that lets you disable the Lock screen’s automatic lockout period so long as certain conditions are met.

Essentials: An all-in-one SpringBoard customization tweak for iOS 11 and 12

If you’re jailbroken on iOS 11 or iOS 12 and looking for the ultimate one-stop-shop jailbreak tweak to customize the bulk of your operating system’s primary aesthetic and function, then you’re sure to take a particular liking to a new jailbreak tweak release called Essentials by iOS developer Adam Seiter.

Essentials provides a long list of options for iPhone and iPad users, much like the original classic that we’ve all come to know and love called Springtomize. On the other hand, Essentials supports the latest jailbreakable versions of iOS, whereas Springtomize hasn’t been officially updated since the golden days of the iOS 10 jailbreak.

LockDock lets you access your Dock from the Lock screen

When I first started jailbreaking many years ago, you were the cool kid on the block if you had access to application shortcuts on your iPhone’s Lock screen. For whatever reason, application shortcut add-ons have all but disappeared in recent memory, but a new jailbreak tweak called LockDock by iOS developer Blake Boxberger appears to revive this once popular concept.

LockDock takes advantage of an application launcher that already exists on the iOS platform – the Home screen’s application Dock – and makes it accessible from the Lock screen in addition to the Home screen, as shown above.

iPad Features XII ports some of the iPad’s best UI differences to the iPhone

iOS powers both Apple’s iPhone and iPad platforms; however, each handset exhibits unique software-centric features that have been tailored to the devices’ particular hardware specifications.

Anyone that has used both devices knows exactly what we mean – subtle differences in interfaces such as the App Switcher, Camera app, Dock, and Status Bar are evident right off the bat. But with a new free jailbreak tweak called iPad Features XII by iOS developer Adel Hammoud, you can port many of those differences over to your iPhone.

Move the Dock to the top of your iPhone’s Home screen with stratosphere

Most iPhone and iPad users are accustomed to having their application Dock at the bottom of their Home screen, but if you’re feeling courageous enough to change things up, then you might take a liking to a new free jailbreak tweak called stratosphere by iOS developer Sam Gardner (A.K.A. Samg_is_a_Ninja).

As shown in the screenshot example above, stratosphere moves the application Dock from the bottom of the Home screen to the top, delivering an entirely different aesthetic and user experience.

Improve the multitasking experience on the iPhone with FloatingDockPlus

Every iOS device sports a Dock at the bottom of its Home screen, but not every Dock is created equally. Case in point, anyone who has used an iPad before has likely taken notice of unique behavior that isn’t necessarily present on iPhones and iPod touches; more specifically, the iPad’s Dock shows recently-used apps in a separate section just right of the usually docked icons.

This is just one of several ways that the iPad makes multitasking easier, and with that in mind, iOS developer Kiran Patil set out to port many of these features to other iOS devices. The end result? – a jailbreak tweak dubbed FloatingDockPlus is now available to download from Cydia.

My favorite accessories for the Apple Watch Series 4

The Apple Watch Series 4 is perhaps one of my favorite tech gadgets of all time, and as you might come to expect, I use a plethora of third-party accessories to augment my Apple Watch experience.

I’m far from the only Apple Watch Series 4 user in the world, but that’s not to say everyone knows about the best gadgets that can be paired with Apple's smartwatch. For that reason, I’ve compiled this list of my favorite accessories with the hope that it might help some of you in your search.

How to add a folder from your Finder Sidebar to the Dock on Mac

Folder on Mac Dock

The Sidebar in Finder on your Mac is a great spot for accessing folders, locations, and tags that you use often. But your Dock is just as convenient, if not more.

We’ve shown you how to add a folder of your recent items as well as your favorite websites to your Dock. So, how about quickly adding a folder from Finder’s Sidebar to it?

This short tutorial shows you how to add a folder from your Finder Sidebar to the Dock on Mac.