UI

ReachPlayer fills the Reachability interface’s void with Now Playing info

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 8, 2021

Apple knows that its largest handsets can be unwieldy for one-handed usage, and that’s the primary reason why all modern iPhones come equipped with an accessibility feature dubbed Reachability.

I take advantage of Reachability somewhat frequently on my massive 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max, and while doing so, I often think to myself about just how much potential screen real estate is being wasted at the top of the display. After all, Apple could at least show device information of some sort in the unused Reachability space so that it isn’t occupied by a whole lot of nothing.

The Shy dims iPhone Home Screen icons after moments of inactivity

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 15, 2021

As a jailbreak hobbyist, I’m always in the market for quirky jailbreak tweaks that make my iPhone do interesting things. I not only enjoy being taking advantage of these small hacks and add-ons for myself, but I also enjoy showing others what they do and watching the expression of surprise that comes across their face before they eventually ask, “how’d you do that?”

One of such tweaks is a new and free release called The Shy by iOS developer haoict, which simply dims your Home Screen’s app icons after a user-determined amount of inactivity. In other words, when you go idle for a few seconds, you get a cool Home Screen effect to complement your inattentiveness.

Set any image as your Dock’s background with PhotoDock

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 11, 2021

If after jailbreaking your iPhone, you’ve started looking for a fun and quirky way to customize the Home Screen’s aesthetics, then we’ve got a treat for you.

PhotoDock is a newly released and free jailbreak tweak developed by PopsicleTreehouse that lets users set a custom background image for the Home Screen’s Dock.

Miss iOS 13’s wheel-based date picker? This jailbreak tweak ports it to iOS 14

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 11, 2021

If you ever set up alarms in your iPhone’s native Clock app or upcoming events in the Calendar app, then you’re probably used to having to enter a specific time and date for those types of configurations.

As many noticed, iOS & iPadOS 14 have replaced the traditional wheel-style date selector with an inline version that displays a combo box for the time and a full-blown calendar picker for the date. While some really like this new inline selector, others aren’t used to it and have found it to be more cumbersome.

Libellum lets jailbreakers jot notes down directly on the Lock Screen

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 10, 2021

Note-taking is an incredibly useful way to ensure you don’t forget something later on, and while Apple’s Notes app is a great tool for jotting down a note here and there, it can be a nuisance trying to get to the app in a pinch when I need it.

Libellum is a newly released and free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer LacertosusDeus that offers refuge from the aforementioned qualm, and it does so by putting a convenient note-taking widget directly on your Lock Screen that you can interact with without any delay of any kind.

iPhone newly jailbroken? This tweak upgrades the native keyboard in more than one way

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 9, 2021

Whether you send a ton of text messages, spend a lot of time browsing the Web, or like to jot down notes from time to time, the keyboard is something most iPhone owners interact with on a daily basis.

While Apple’s keyboard offers perhaps one of the most refined keyboard user experiences on the market today, it’s not uncommon for the jailbreak community to develop ways of making it better. The latest of such attempts comes by way of a new and free jailbreak tweak dubbed Shortmoji 2 by iOS developer MiRO.

MediaBar14 augments the Home Bar with powerful media controls

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 9, 2021

All of Apple’s notched devices, iPhones and iPads alike, come equipped with a software alternative to the Home Button known as the Home Bar — the thin line that manifests itself at the bottom-center of the display.

I love the Home Bar as an alternative to the antiquated Home Button, especially when paired with the bigger edge-to-edge displays that modern iPhones and iPads now possess. But with a jailbreak, it’s possible to make the Home Bar even better than it already is.

Customize the toggling sound of your pwned iPhone’s flashlight with FlashSound

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 9, 2021

If you use your iPhone’s rear-facing LED flash as a flashlight to help you navigate dark environments from time to time, then you’re far from alone.

Right out of the box, Apple provides a shortcut on the Lock Screen for the aforementioned purpose, and it even offers a satisfying amount of haptic feedback when toggled. As for a cool sound effect, however, users are left underwhelmed.

CallFavorites lets iOS 14 users dial favorite contacts via a Haptic Touch gesture on the Home Screen

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 11, 2021

We all probably have at least a few favorite contacts saved on our iPhones, whether it’s close family or our best of friends. Fortunately, Apple allows you to set up favorite contacts in the Phone app so that it’s easier to get in touch with them when life necessitates it.

Designating a contact as a ‘favorite’ contact in the Phone app moves that person’s contact information to the dedicated Favorites tab at the bottom of the app, but if you were looking for even more added convenience, then we think you’ll come to appreciate a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called CallFavorites by iOS developer pixelomer.

RingPercentLabel adds battery percents to items in iOS 14’s Battery widget

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 8, 2021

It was only a couple of days ago that we showed you a free jailbreak tweak called CompactBatteryAvocado, which improved the overall look and feel of iOS & iPadOS 14’s native Battery widget by adding numeric battery percentage labels to each item that appears inside of it.

But as it would seem, CompactBatteryAvocado isn’t the only jailbreak tweak in town that can serve the aforementioned purpose. Enter RingPercentLabel, an alternative to CompactBatteryAvocado by iOS developer P2KDev that serves the same purpose, albeit with a slightly different aesthetic.

RomanPad brings Roman numerals to your iPhone’s passcode & dialer keypads

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 8, 2021

If you’re searching for quirky and unique ways to make your pwned handset stand out from the rest, then a new and free jailbreak tweak dubbed RomanPad by iOS developer Simalary might be able to help.

Just as the tweak’s name implies, RomanPad replaces the traditional numbers on the buttons on the passcode and phone dialer interfaces with Roman numerals.

SmartBattery 2 gives jailbreakers more control over their handset’s battery & device behavior

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 8, 2021

One of the things that most iPhone users pay close attention to is their battery consumption. Apple likes to insinuate all-day battery life for most of its iPhones, but the unfortunate reality is that most activities drain substantially more battery than we’re led to believe, such as online gaming, operating the device in a low signal environment, using the device as a personal hotspot, and so on.

To help combat the issue of a draining battery, some users carry external battery packs or extra charging cables on or about their person to ensure that they’ll always have a way to keep their handset alive throughout a demanding day. But why do that when you can fine tune your handset’s software to keep the battery powering your handset even longer?