Status Bar

BattiBar colorizes the Status Bar with a slow-changing transitional gradient based on your battery level

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 17, 2021

The Status Bar of every iPhone and iPad is home to a battery level indicator that keeps the user aware of when they’re going to need a charge. Unfortunately, the indicator tends to be somewhat bland and there doesn’t seem to be any indication that Apple will change that any time soon.

Enter BattiBar, a newly released and free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer HallieHax that offers a solution to the aforementioned quandary. More specifically, it colorizes the entire Status Bar with a transitional gradient color that transforms slowly over time as your handset’s battery discharges with use.

Alternate your iPhone’s Status Bar time indicator between the date and time with TimeStamp

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 10, 2021

The iPhone’s Status Bar has always been home to a time indicator so that you can always glance there from any interface you might be using to see what time it is. But how many times have you found yourself wondering what the date is — just to find yourself going back to the Home Screen or Lock Screen to check?

I’ve long wondered why the iPhone’s Status Bar didn’t display the date in addition to the time, and interestingly enough, iPadOS now does this natively. This begs the question of why a similar feature isn’t yet available for the iPhone or iPod Touch, especially with the extra vertical real estate afforded by the device’s notch.

ByeBackgroundBreadcrumbs fixes one of my biggest complaints about iOS’ Breadcrumb links

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 5, 2021

If you’ve ever noticed the name of an application on the left side of your iPhone or iPad’s Status Bar after being jolted from one app to another, then you’ve witnessed what Apple calls a Breadcrumb link. This handy link lets you get right back to the app you were just using when you’re finishing in the app you were just jolted to.

I really like the concept behind Breadcrumb links, but if there’s anything that really grinds my gears about them, it would be the fact that they can sometimes remain in the Status Bar even after you’ve forcefully closed the origin app. Tapping on the Breadcrumb link is often the only way to get rid of it, and then this would would re-launch that app whether it was needed or not.

IPCarrier replaces the Status Bar’s carrier text with your IP Address

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 25, 2021

Intermediate and advanced jailbreakers often do more with their devices than merely download and install jailbreak tweaks — many will SSH into their devices to carry out deeper device customization in the file system itself.

SSH connections require knowledge of the handset’s local IP address, which can be found in the Wi-Fi preference pane in the Settings app. But those who use SSH often, especially on networks besides their own, might be interested in a faster way to access their handset’s local IP address, and we have the solution.

This tweak enables the numeric battery percent in the Status Bar for notched iOS 14 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ November 15, 2021

A popular feature that is noticeably missing from notched iPhones that continues to exist on older Home Button-equipped handsets is the Battery Percent display for the Status Bar’s battery level indicator.

For whatever reason, Apple thought it would be a good idea to remove this feature entirely while continuing to harbor assets in the mobile operating system for an upgraded and better looking Battery Percent display on such devices.

Hijack allows jailbreakers to dictate where and when the Status Bar appears

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 19, 2021

It was only a couple of days ago that we showed you a free jailbreak tweak dubbed ForceBar, which permitted the end user to hide or show their handset’s Status Bar on a per-app basis.

But a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called Hijack by iOS developer Lightmann one-ups the first release by providing not only app-based controls over when the Status Bar does or doesn’t appear, but also systemwide controls.

This new jailbreak tweak can forcibly hide or show the Status Bar for specific apps

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 17, 2021

The Status Bar is something I like to keep in view at all times since it displays pertinent information about my device including the time, my current battery level, and my current wireless signal strength — be it cellular or Wi-Fi.

Unfortunately, many apps hide the Status Bar from view when you might want to see it, especially when they’re designed to operate in full screen. Some apps even display the Status Bar when you might want to hide it. Sadly, Apple offers no configurations to alleviate these concerns.

BatteryBuddy is a cute Status Bar battery icon extension for pwned iPhones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 9, 2021

Many different forms of device customization exist for jailbroken iPhones and iPads. Whether you’re trying to make the device behave differently than it does out of the box or you’re looking to personalize the user interface with themes, there’s a little bit of something out there for everyone.

One great example would be a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed BatteryBuddy by iOS developer Litten, which provides the end user with a much cuter battery indicator in the Status Bar.

StonksBar displays the price of your favorite stock in the Status Bar

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 13, 2021

Whether you invest in stocks or you simply have a fascination with monitoring stock value trends over time, a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed StonksBar by iOS developer CokePokes might be of interest to you.

StonksBar ensures that your favorite stock’s value is always in view by implementing a Status Bar-centric display that appears just beneath the time on notched handsets including the iPhone X and later.

Croutons13 makes iOS’ breadcrumb links look more aesthetically pleasing

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 21, 2021

It used to be that when iOS jolted you from one app to another, you’d then need to open the App Switcher to return to what you were doing in the first app. That all changed after Apple introduced Status Bar-based breadcrumb links starting with iOS 9 and later.

To put it briefly, a breadcrumb link appears in the Status Bar as a string of text with a left-pointing arrow beside it. You’ve probably seen one after tapping on a link in an app, as this usually kicks you into either the App Store or Safari, but other apps may also apply in certain circumstances.

Emerald: A new Status Bar experience that Apple needs to take notes on

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 20, 2021

Your iPhone’s Status Bar is intended to provide useful information at a glance, and while it definitely seems to have the basics covered, Apple could have went so much further in terms of implementing an immersive Status Bar-centric user experience. Given what an iPhone costs these days, wouldn’t you think they’d give this some thought?

While it seems unlikely that Apple will be upgrading the iPhone’s Status Bar any time soon, those lucky enough to have a jailbroken handset at their disposal won’t need to put up with the stock Status Bar experience any longer. Why, you ask? Just have a look at a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed Emerald by iOS developers LaughingQuoll and thetimeloop, and all your questions will be answered.

3 ways to find your carrier on iPhone

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ March 5, 2021

With older iPhone models that had a Home button and no notch at the top, you could see your cell phone carrier in the status bar. But if you’ve recently upgraded to an iPhone X, iPhone 11, or iPhone 12 model, you can’t see the carrier like before. These phones have a notch at the top that limits the screen space for the status bar.

You can still find out your iPhone carrier company quickly if necessary, with a couple of gestures or the Settings app, here’s how.