UI

TinyBanners provides less intrusive notification banners for iOS 12

Apple originally introduced the humble notification banner to replace the intrusive notification alert pop-up in iOS, but Apple has since made those notification banners much taller, making them more intrusive than they were initially designed to be.

Here to solve that problem is a new jailbreak tweak called TinyBanners by iOS developer donbytyqi, which just as the name implies, makes iOS’ notification banners smaller such that they aren’t as intrusive.

FreshWall gives you a new wallpaper to look at every time you unlock your device

At iDB, we understand the importance of finding the right wallpaper for your handset, and that’s one of the reasons why we host a weekly wallpaper roundup. But if you have a jailbroken handset and feel the need for more frequent wallpaper changes, then you might take a liking to a new tweak release called FreshWall by iOS developer SparkDev.

As you might have inferred already from the context above, FreshWall keeps things ‘fresh’ by updating your wallpaper whenever you unlock your handset. The tweak makes use of numerous wallpaper sources to grab images, which ensures you get something fresh to look at each and every time.

BigCards fills the App Switcher’s empty space with larger application cards

Most would agree that the iPhone’s App Switcher interface leaves a lot of unused space for the taking, and while some have proposed making better use of that space with grid-centric switchers or App Switcher/Control Center hybrids, iOS developer CydiaGeek had a different idea: fill that space with bigger App Switcher cards.

Enter BigCards, a new free jailbreak tweak that increases the size of the App Switcher’s application cards such that they make better use of the excess empty space normally found in the app-switching interface.

SmartRotate: a video-friendly Rotation Lock for your iPhone

While iOS’ built-in Rotation Lock feature can be an asset at times, there are also instances where it tends to be a real pain in the fanny. Case in point: when you begin watching a video and your handset won’t rotate into landscape mode until you manually turn Rotation Lock off.

iOS developer LaughingQuoll understood the problem with this implementation by Apple and set out to come up with a better solution. The result? – A new jailbreak tweak called SmartRotate has now been released.

Meteoroid automatically sets your wallpaper from various NASA image sources

One of the most personal aspects of any iPhone or iPad is the wallpaper we choose to decorate our Lock screen and/or Home screen, but sometimes choosing the ideal image for the job can be a grueling challenge.

A new free jailbreak tweak called Meteoroid by iOS developer Jeff Rescignano attempts to make this much easier for the end user by automatically selecting and applying high-quality wallpapers for you.

BottomBannersX2 moves notification banners to the bottom of the display

iOS device users have long been accustomed to seeing their notification banners pop up at the top of the display, but with modern handsets adopting taller, larger displays, it becomes more challenging with each passing day to reach said banners one-handed without doing some serious thumb articulations.

Given the circumstances, iOS developer Rishanan has just released a new free jailbreak tweak called BottomBannersX2, which as the name implies, moves all inbound notification banners to the bottom of the display for easier one-handed access.

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.

These jailbreak tweaks let you record phone calls with the press of a button

Have you ever wanted to record your inbound and outbound phone calls from your iPhone? If so, then you’re not alone; in fact, this is quite possibly one of the most highly-requested features that Apple hasn’t natively implemented in the iPhone’s calling interface.

While a slightly convoluted process exists that may or may not work depending on your carrier, those with jailbroken handsets can make this process a whole lot easier by installing one of two recently-released jailbreak tweaks dubbed Call Recorder X+ (iOS 12) and Super Recorder X+ (iOS 12) by iOS developer hacx.

Give your Status Bar’s cellular strength indicator a rainbow makeover with PrideBars

The cellular signal strength indicator is perhaps one of the most pertinent displays in your iOS device’s Status Bar, so why not go the extra mile to help it stand out from the crowd?

If you’re onboard with the idea, then you just might take a liking to a new free jailbreak tweak called PrideBars by iOS developer Blake Boxberger. Once installed, this tweak gives your cellular signal strength indicator a multi-colored makeover in the form of a rainbow.

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.

This tweak displays the number of tweaks you’ve installed from each Cydia repository

As a minimalist, I tend not to overload my jailbroken handset with a lot of tweaks; on the other hand, I know lots of people that do just the opposite, modifying their iPhone’s operating system almost beyond recognition.

Depending on the number of packages you have installed, you might find a new free jailbreak tweak called Package Count by iOS developer Oliver Boudet to be a useful addition to your handset.

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.