After setting a timer on your iPhone, you can either glance at the Lock Screen or open the Clock app to see the remainder before it rings. Sadly, there’s no in-between; your iPhone either needs to be locked or you’ll have to glue your eyes to the Clock app.
That’s something that a new and free jailbreak tweak called StatusBarTimer by iOS developer ldefix2020 aims to fix, as it puts the timer remainder in the Status Bar so that you can see it from just about anywhere in iOS.
One of the things I really like about iOS and iPadOS is that a tiny colored dot manifests itself in the Status Bar when your handset’s camera or microphone activates. Not only is it a great way to be reminded that your hardware is being used in the background, but it also promotes privacy by ensuring you’re in the know whenever an app taps into your camera or microphone.
I can’t count on my own two hands the number of times I’ve witnessed someone who forgot their device’s flashlight on and failed to realize it either because they were out in the Sun or because the LED flash was being covered by something. Having said that, a similar Status Bar-centric indicator for the rear-facing LED flash could also benefit users.
Last month, we showed you a free jailbreak tweak called DNDBadges by iOS developer Ichitaso that turned your Home Screen’s app icon badges purple whenever Do Not Disturb mode was enabled.
I like that I can always glance at my Status Bar to see the time or even how much of my battery I have left before I’ll need to need to connect to a charger.
As a jailbreaker, I like adding a footprint of my own personalization to my iPhones and iPads whenever I get the chance. On the other hand, I don’t like anything too eccentric. More often than not, I prefer subtle customizations that don’t over do it.
Anyone in the same boat as me is likely to appreciate a new and free jailbreak tweak dubbed AdaptiveStatusBar by iOS developer MiRO. Just as the name implies, this tweak adaptively colorizes the Status Bar based on the icon of the app you’re using.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.