UI

Flashy lets jailbreakers customize their iPhone’s screenshot flash

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 25, 2020

It has become quite the norm to snap a screenshot whenever you feel like sending someone a representation of your iPhone or iPad’s display, but one thing that hasn’t changed even slightly over the years is the bright white screen flash effect that was designed to simulate that of an actual camera flash.

If you’re interested in customizing the screenshot flash in any way, shape, or form, then you might take a liking to a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed Flashy by iOS developer CydiaGeek. In a nutshell, this tweak lets you customize the screenshot flash’s color and make other minor adjustments to the screenshot flash behavior.

Velaris is the Home Screen user experience that all jailbreakers deserve

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 10, 2022

Apple’s new iOS 14 update is jam-packed with enticing new features that offer a strong argument for upgrading from a jailbroken iOS 13 device. But as veteran jailbreakers will say, it’s generally better to stick with the jailbroken device, even if the firmware isn’t the ‘latest and greatest.’

A newly released jailbreak tweak called Velaris by iOS developer Ben Giannis provides an stout example of why that’s the case. As depicted in the screenshot examples above, Velaris upgrades the iPhone’s Home Screen interface by incorporating alarm, calendar, and weather information in an aesthetically-pleasing manner — in fact, it looks so good that some might even prefer it over iOS 14’s new Home Screen widgets.

Iconify makes missed notifications more discernible from the Home Screen

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 2, 2023

If you somehow manage to overlook the plethora of notification banners that stack up on top of one another on the Lock Screen, then you’ll be met later on with a myriad of red notification badges from the moment you authenticate and arrive at the Home Screen. But whoever said iOS’ notification experience needed to be so bland? Ah yes… Apple did.

Spori makes it easier to use Siri to dictate music playback in Spotify

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 22, 2020

If you’re jailbroken on iOS 13 and use Spotify as your primary music streaming app, then chances are you might find yourself wishing that Siri worked as smoothly with Spotify as it did with Apple Music. Fortunately, a free jailbreak tweak called Spori by iOS developer udevs can make that happen.

Siri can already play tracks via the Spotify Music app if you specifically articulate that you’d like to play that song in Spotify, but who wants to waste their time adding those extra words to each and every Siri command? I, for one, certainly don't.

Zefy makes Spotify behave more like a default media player on jailbroken iPhones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 21, 2020

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services available for the iOS & iPadOS platforms apart from Apple's own Apple Music streaming service. But if anything’s painfully obvious, it’s the fact that Apple nerfs the functionality of third-party apps and services that compete with its own by limiting what they can do on their platform; this effectively makes Apple’s own services look better by comparison, and intentionally so.

If you’re an avid Spotify user and you also have a jailbroken iPhone or iPad at your disposal, then you could probably benefit from the likes of a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed Zefy by iOS developer udevs. This tweak implements a few handy workarounds for iOS to make Spotify feel more like a native music player than just a third-party alternative to Apple’s.

ExplosiveIcons makes it fun to delete apps from a jailbroken iPhone

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 18, 2020

If you’re rocking a jailbroken iPhone or iPad and are looking for fun and exciting ways to spice up the user experience, then you should definitely consider taking a minute out of your day to check out a newly released jailbreak tweak called ExplosiveIcons by iOS developer Wes.

Just as the name implies, ExplosiveIcons makes it fun to delete apps from your iPhone or iPad by providing users with an exciting animation upon doing so. Below, you’ll find an animated GIF depicting the newfangled animation in all its glory:

Lumi gives jailbroken iPhones better low-light camera performance

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 2, 2021

There’s no doubt that Apple pours tons of cash into researching and developing some of the best mobile camera experiences for smartphones in the world, but that doesn’t make it perfect. In fact, low-light photography is one area in particular where the iPhone’s camera seems to lag behind some of the competition.

If Apple’s native Night Mode feature isn’t enough for you, then you might want to consider upping your ante and trying a new jailbreak tweak called Lumi by iOS developer FoxfortMobile. Lumi requires a jailbroken device to work, but the results are particularly pleasant, especially if you’re an amateur iPhone photographer and struggle to capture the ideal shot in the most demanding of low-light conditions.

BTManager+ gives jailbreakers more control over Bluetooth peripherals

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 17, 2020

iOS is a very user-friendly platform when it comes to Bluetooth device connectivity. On the other hand, ease of use comes with certain trade-offs, such as the scope of configurability and advanced settings and/or features.

If you walk among the plethora of iPhone power users out there, and you use a lot more Bluetooth devices than the average Joe, then we think you might benefit from the likes of a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed BTManager+ by iOS developer Beckett O’Brien.

MediaBar14 adds music controls to the iPhone’s Home Bar

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 8, 2021

One of the things Apple does really well is provide a quality music streaming service that can be accessed from all of your favorite devices, whether they’re mobile handsets or desktop computers. On the other hand, Apple could always do better by improving the experience of the user interface, especially in terms of music control accessibility on the iOS & iPadOS platforms.

Jailbreakers know all too well about the many shortcomings of Apple’s stock user interface, and that’s one reason why there are so many jailbreak tweaks available to the aftermarket. MediaBar14, for example, is a newly released jailbreak tweak by iOS developer MegaDev that lends a hand to Apple’s user interface in this particular department.

iWhatsApp lets you set up automatic replies for WhatsApp Messenger

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 16, 2020

It was only a couple of months ago that we gave you the grand tour of a jailbreak tweak called iAutoReply by iOS developer MeBlackHat, which effectively allowed you to set up automatic replies for incoming texts to help you manage the bevy of messages you might receive when you’re unable to respond immediately.

It was only a matter of time before someone said, “but what about (insert third-party messaging service here),” and thus a new jailbreak tweak dubbed iWhatsApp was conceived.

Crash is a gorgeous new crash log viewer for jailbroken iOS 13 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 13, 2020

Anyone with a jailbroken device can tell you that SpringBoard crashes are often par for the course. This is particularly the case after loading your handset up with a plethora of jailbreak tweaks, namely those that aren’t well-made or that tend to conflict with each other for one reason or another.

In some cases, jailbreak tweak developers may request crash logs from users to troubleshoot and determine why a tweak caused SpringBoard to crash. It’s because of this that having easy access to crash logs can be useful, and that’s why we’re excited to show you Crash, a new crash log viewer made especially for iOS 13 by iOS developer Antique.

Lobelias upgrades iOS’ Now Playing interface with slick aesthetics

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 13, 2020

It’s no secret that the music listening experience on the iOS platform has remained somewhat stagnant over the past few years, but if you’re avidly searching for something to make things a bit more exciting and you have a jailbroken handset at your disposal, then a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called Lobelias by iOS developer Litten offers a great place to start.

As depicted in the screenshot examples above, Lobelias gives iOS’ Now Playing interface a much-needed facelift and integrates a plethora of user-configurable aesthetics so that you can achieve the look and feel you want. Right off the bat, notable changes include the rounded album artwork, redesigned media controls, changes to the background, and new text label positions, among other things.