Review

Centauri lets jailbreakers on iOS 14 customize the native Batteries widget

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 3, 2020

One of the most substantial changes Apple implemented in the new iOS and iPadOS 14 software updates a couple of weeks ago involves widget functionality. Once confined to the Today page, widgets can now be integrated directly into the Home Screen user experience; furthermore, those same widgets have become more advanced and interactive than they were in previous versions of iOS and iPadOS, but they’re still far from perfect.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a jailbroken iOS or iPadOS 14 device at your disposal (currently only possible with the checkra1n jailbreak and an A9 or A9X handset at the time of this writing), then you may now take advantage of a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed Centauri by iOS developer MTAC to unlock new features specifically designed for iOS and iPadOS 14’s native Batteries widget.

Dove is a free all-in-one jailbreak tweak for customizing iOS 13

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 3, 2020

All-in-one jailbreak tweaks have become a dime-a-dozen these days as jailbreak tweak developers begin to realize just how much jailbreakers prefer using one tweak that can do everything over using a plethora of smaller tweaks to achieve the same means.

The latest all-in-one jailbreak tweak to hit the shelves is a new and free release called Dove by iOS developer fahlnbg, and it covers a wide variety of iOS elements, including but not limited to the App Switcher, the Home Screen, the Lock Screen, Control Center, and notifications, among other things.

Surenix launches Vantaye, a Dark Mode-friendly icon theme for all iOS & iPadOS devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 9, 2024

One of the takeaway new features that shipped with iOS and iPadOS 14 just a couple of weeks ago is the ability to “theme” your Home Screen’s app icons. This is one of many features from Apple’s latest and greatest mobile operating systems that seems heavily inspired by the jailbreak community. That said, it’s not surprising that some jailbreak community theme creators have started porting themes over to iOS and iPadOS 14.

Joining that list is esteemed graphic designer and theme creator Surenix, who just this week released a new Dark Mode-friendly theme for iOS and iPadOS 14 dubbed Vantaye. This theme puts a darker spin on your handset’s Home Screen app icons, and if you recall a theme for jailbroken devices that Surenix named Ayedapt that was released earlier this year, then some of these icons probably look familiar…

PerfectGrabber upgrades the Notification Center grabber in full-screen apps & games

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 2, 2020

Gamers and full-screen app users alike share the likelihood of benefiting from the likes of a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed PerfectGrabber by iOS developer Netskao.

PerfectGrabber makes it easier to determine the time and your current battery level by incorporating them directly into the Notification Center grabber that traditionally appears when you pull down from the top of the display in a full-screen app, including but not limited to games.

Puck brings an ultra low power mode to jailbroken devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 5, 2020

Some people are more battery conscious than others, but some folks truly don’t mind letting their battery level get so low that it lurks in the danger zone — a state of inevitable automatic shutdown.

If you align with the latter camp and you’re using a jailbroken device, then this may pose problems for tweak reliability and usability because modern jailbreaks tend to be semi-tethered or semi-untethered. With that in mind, a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called Puck by iOS developer Litten may be a handy addition to handsets that see deeper battery drain than others on a regular basis.

Colorize 3D Touch and Haptic Touch menus on the Home Screen with Koi

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 30, 2020

Having the ability to customize iOS or iPadOS’ native aesthetics is one of the top reasons to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad. That said, if you have a pwned handset at your disposal and you enjoy making it stand out from the crowd, then we think you may come to love a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called Koi by iOS developers Litten and woodfairy.

Koi is an incredibly simple tweak that offers its users an aesthetically pleasing color upgrade for the Home Screen’s 3D Touch or Haptic Touch menus, but unlike other tweaks released in the past, Koi colorize the background blur rather than the menu interface itself.

CClock adds a date and time module to Control Center on pwned iPhones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 30, 2020

The Status Bar plays host to a digital clock almost all of the time, except of course when you launch Control Center. Once you do, the clock disappears from the Status Bar and is replaced by the cellular and Wi-Fi connection indicators and your carrier’s name instead.

Few people would refer to this as a problem, but it’s an annoyance for some who wish that the time would merely remain in the Status Bar even after Control Center is launched. Fortunately, a new and free jailbreak tweak called CClock by iOS developer Obumbravit offers a useful workaround.

Unlock true app backgrounding on your jailbroken iPhone or iPad with bakgrunnr

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 31, 2022

One of the things Apple continues to improve on the iOS and iPadOS platforms with every major yearly software update is multitasking, and while they’ve achieved leaps and bounds over the years while maintaining minimal impact on a device’s limited system resources, one thing that we can honestly say is still lacking is true, full-fledged application backgrounding.

It remains to be seen if Apple will ever integrate true application backgrounding into its mobile operating system experience, but if you’re jailbroken, then you won’t need to wait that day to come. A newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed bakgrunnr by iOS developer udevs lets you have this ability right now, starting today.

SmoothAppLibrary removes the sectional backgrounds from iOS 14’s App Library

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 27, 2020

iOS and iPadOS 14 were only just recently released to the general public, and while a jailbreak is only currently available for a very small subset of iOS and iPadOS 14 devices via checkra1n at the time of this writing, we’re already beginning to witness the initial trickle of new jailbreak tweaks for the new mobile operating system.

The latest of such tweaks is a new free release dubbed SmoothAppLibrary by iOS developer CydiaGeek, and as depicted in the before and after screenshot examples above, it’s an aesthetic tweak that makes minor changes to the new App Library interface.

Square replaces the Phone app’s round dialer buttons with square ones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 27, 2020

Those looking to do away with the round Phone app dialer buttons in favor of something a bit more rigid are likely to take a liking to a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed Square by iOS developer PlatYkor.

As depicted in the screenshot examples above, Square replaces the aforementioned buttons with squarer alternatives that can be configured in a bevy of different ways depending on the user’s own tastes and preferences.

Jailbreak tweaks of the week: BigBangX, SafariWallaper, Velaris, and more…

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 27, 2020

Now that iOS and iPadOS 14 are officially available to the public, many are wondering when a new jailbreak supporting these firmware versions might drop. We’re right there with you, but the good news is we’ll be sure to keep everyone apprised as soon as a breakthrough regarding this particular topic materializes.

In the meantime, those already jailbroken on iOS 13 or earlier can count on our weekly jailbreak tweak roundups to ensure that they’re getting the most out of their pwned handsets. In this roundup, we’ll showcase all the latest jailbreak tweaks released from Monday, September 21st to Sunday, September 27th. As usual, we’ll kick things off by discussing our favorite releases first and then wrap everything up with an outline of the rest afterward.

SafariWallpaper lets iPhone and iPad users set a custom background in mobile Safari

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated December 2, 2022

One of the takeaway features that shipped with the new Safari 14 update for macOS this month is the ability to configure a custom background for the Start Page. It’s a commonsense feature that I think Apple should have offered from the start, but perhaps even more peculiar is the fact that Apple still hasn’t enabled such a feature for the mobile Safari web browser on iPhone or iPad.

If you’re jailbroken, then the good news is you won’t need to wait for Apple to pry their heads out of their <expletive> to deliver a solution. A free jailbreak tweak named SafariWallpaper by iOS developer Litten brings this much-requested feature to pwned iOS 13 devices.