Security

This tweak lets you unlock your iPhone with a piano-based passcode

More than six years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the release of a fun and quirky jailbreak tweak called Piano Passcode that would let you unlock your iPhone by entering a specific piano tune in place of a numeric passcode.

It seems like these fun and quirky jailbreak tweaks don’t come around as often as they used to, and that’s precisely why I’m excited to show you a new jailbreak tweak release called PianoPassby iOS developer SparkDev.

How to view iCloud Keychain passwords on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

View passwords stored in iCloud Keychain on iPhone

If you use iCloud Keychain to store and remember passwords, there may come a time when you want to view a particular password. Maybe you need it to log in on another device that doesn't have iCloud Keychain, or perhaps you are setting up a new password manager and need those details. Whatever the case, here's how to access iCloud Keychain passwords on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Improve your iPhone’s notification privacy with Blurification

If you’re a privacy nut, then chances are you spare no expense to protect your personal data from all the prying eyes around you. Those in the same boat will likely enjoy a newly-released jailbreak tweak dubbed Blurification by iOS developer smokin1337.

Blurification veils all your incoming notifications with a gaussian blur effect that makes their contents entirely illegible until you first authenticate yourself. This tweak is particularly useful because it extends far beyond any of the native notification privacy features that come standard with iOS.

KeenLab demos jailbreak on iPhone XS Max running iOS 12.2

The talented Liang Chen of security research group KeenLab has once again flexed his hacking prowess this week after showing off what is believed to be the first-known jailbreak demonstration to support iOS 12.2.

Chen’s video demonstration, which has been published on YouTube, demonstrates what appears to be an iPhone XS Max running iOS 12.2:

Scribble brings drawing-based passcodes to your jailbroken device

Modern-day iOS devices come equipped with advanced forms of biometric authentication right out of the box, such as Face ID or Touch ID, but you can still resort to an alphanumeric or numeric passcode if you wanted to.

It might seem counterproductive to do such a thing given just how fast and zippy Face ID and Touch ID have become, but a new jailbreak tweak release called Scribble by iOS developer Boo is sure to make you actually want to use your passcode interface over biometric authentication.

Blanka protects specific apps with Touch ID or Face ID

If you’re more anxious than most, then you probably wouldn’t mind adding an extra layer of security to the plethora of apps you have installed on your iOS devices. Fortunately, that’s completely possible on a jailbroken handset.

Blanka is a new jailbreak tweak by iOS developer maximehip that lets you lock specific apps on your Home screen with Touch ID or Face ID (depending on what your handset comes equipped with). It’s particularly useful for when you want to hand your unlocked device over to a friend or family member, because they can then use the phone without going through your personals.