When the iOS 6 jailbreak was unveiled in February, iPhone users rejoiced at their newfound freedom, providing access to new widgets, helpful new apps, and more. To help those new to the jailbreaking community, we've rounded up the finest free and paid apps for your freshly unchained iDevice.
Dreamboard
Though the simplicity of the iOS theme is designed to be intuitive and user friendly, occasionally our hearts do yearn for something more. With Dreamboard (or its earlier iteration, Winterboard), users can choose from a generous selection of themes in the Cydia store and install them onto their devices. Dreamboard makes it easy to switch between themes – with saved customizable preferences within each one – in a matter of seconds, all without having to reload the springboard. The app comes preloaded with Endroid, in case you ever wanted to make your iPhone look like an Android device. Fair warning: some Dreamboard themes can be a drain on the battery so it’s a bit of a trade-off between aesthetics and functionality.
Stride
This app adds a more creative level of security to jailbroken iOS device than Apple’s standard lock screen. Stride allows you to design your own gestural password and it can be as simple or as complex as you desire. Users can replace the stock slider completely or layer their security with a combination of a PIN entry, the lock screen slider, and the drawn Stride password. The level of recognition strictness can also be adjusted to allow for some wiggle room in your drawings if you have trouble consistently duplicating the exact gestures time after time.
Intelliscreen X
The updated version of Intelliscreen for iOS 6 lets users take control of their lock screens and notifications by adding a whole new level of customizability far beyond the scope of Apple’s no-frills design. With Intelliscreen X, the lock screen takes on a life of its own as messages, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Weather, and a variety of other applications can be viewed and, to a certain extent, accessed without unlocking the screen. Likewise, the notification system – a rather pithy element of iOS – is significantly beefed up with an array of added functions including Mail, Twitter and Facebook integration.
Activator
Activator is a simple, straightforward app that lets users customize their iPhone’s controls. You can play your iPhone like a well-designed fiddle with home button options like long hold and short hold as well as single, double, and triple press. Motion and voice controls can also be customized to perform a variety of tasks like opening or activating assigned apps.
CameraTweak
It’s no secret that the iOS camera app leaves something to be desired. CameraTweak addresses some concerns users have had with the cameras on their iDevices by adding several options to maximize their photography experience. The app comes with a timer function, white balance adjustment, exposure and focus settings, video frame rate and resolution options, and composition overlays.
PKG Backup
As any jailbroken iOS device owner knows, upgrading and/or restoring the device isn’t the easiest task in the world. Firmware updates from Apple can undo the jailbreak, forcing users to start from square one if they want to reinstall their tweaks. PKG Backup untangles that mess by backing up third party Cydia apps on the cloud or a computer and restoring them without the user having to break a sweat.
NoNewsIsGoodNews
I readily admit to jailbreaking my device just to use this app. Few things have driven iOS users to such extreme levels of irrational annoyance as the ever present Newstand app. The icon, with its vengeful little empty shelves, has been an eyesore on many a device and for reasons that still perplex and disgruntle, Apple had designed it so that it was virtually impossible to hide it in a folder with all the preloaded apps no one uses. Newstand was simply there, taunting you with its stubborn refusal to disappear. But no longer. Installing NoNewsIsGoodNews in the Cydia store makes the Newstand app disappear in a metaphorical puff of smoke so that it haunts your screen no longer.
Dashboard X 2.0
Apple’s dislike for widgets is well known but Dashboard X 2.0 makes you the master of your universe by allowing incredibly easy installation of widgets right on the home screen. After purchasing the app through Cydia, users can pimp out their home screens with a number of free widgets, like a music player, live weather information, clocks, and calendars just to name a few. Widgets are, as always, a bit of a battery suck so it’s prudent to be mindful of how much juice your phone has left if you go widget-mad.
biteSMS
Apple’s own messaging app is fairly bare bones, but biteSMS adds a slew of options to amp up your messaging experience. Once the app is installed, users can choose from a variety of customizable options that includes which buttons appear on reply windows (read, mark for later, Skype, Facetime, etc.), listing favorite contacts, and selecting templates. Though it might not prove more economically friendly depending on your iDevice’s plan, biteSMS also offers the option of purchasing credits to use on their own network.
iFile
If you’re feeling adventurous, iFile grants access to your iPhone’s file system, allowing you delve into the nitty gritty details of your device’s software. Fiddling with the root directory isn’t recommended for the casual user, but for those with the technical know-how, access to the iPhone’s innards can open up a whole new world of possibilities for control and customization. Apple’s strict OS prohibits tampering with the file manager, but iFile puts the user in the driver’s seat as the app allows for copying, editing, and renaming files, installing software packages, and even transforming the device into a flash drive.
Dreamboard
Though the simplicity of the iOS theme is designed to be intuitive and user friendly, occasionally our hearts do yearn for something more. With Dreamboard (or its earlier iteration, Winterboard), users can choose from a generous selection of themes in the Cydia store and install them onto their devices. Dreamboard makes it easy to switch between themes – with saved customizable preferences within each one – in a matter of seconds, all without having to reload the springboard. The app comes preloaded with Endroid, in case you ever wanted to make your iPhone look like an Android device. Fair warning: some Dreamboard themes can be a drain on the battery so it’s a bit of a trade-off between aesthetics and functionality.
Stride
This app adds a more creative level of security to jailbroken iOS device than Apple’s standard lock screen. Stride allows you to design your own gestural password and it can be as simple or as complex as you desire. Users can replace the stock slider completely or layer their security with a combination of a PIN entry, the lock screen slider, and the drawn Stride password. The level of recognition strictness can also be adjusted to allow for some wiggle room in your drawings if you have trouble consistently duplicating the exact gestures time after time.
Intelliscreen X
The updated version of Intelliscreen for iOS 6 lets users take control of their lock screens and notifications by adding a whole new level of customizability far beyond the scope of Apple’s no-frills design. With Intelliscreen X, the lock screen takes on a life of its own as messages, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Weather, and a variety of other applications can be viewed and, to a certain extent, accessed without unlocking the screen. Likewise, the notification system – a rather pithy element of iOS – is significantly beefed up with an array of added functions including Mail, Twitter and Facebook integration.
Activator is a simple, straightforward app that lets users customize their iPhone’s controls. You can play your iPhone like a well-designed fiddle with home button options like long hold and short hold as well as single, double, and triple press. Motion and voice controls can also be customized to perform a variety of tasks like opening or activating assigned apps.
CameraTweak
It’s no secret that the iOS camera app leaves something to be desired. CameraTweak addresses some concerns users have had with the cameras on their iDevices by adding several options to maximize their photography experience. The app comes with a timer function, white balance adjustment, exposure and focus settings, video frame rate and resolution options, and composition overlays.
PKG Backup
As any jailbroken iOS device owner knows, upgrading and/or restoring the device isn’t the easiest task in the world. Firmware updates from Apple can undo the jailbreak, forcing users to start from square one if they want to reinstall their tweaks. PKG Backup untangles that mess by backing up third party Cydia apps on the cloud or a computer and restoring them without the user having to break a sweat.
I readily admit to jailbreaking my device just to use this app. Few things have driven iOS users to such extreme levels of irrational annoyance as the ever present Newstand app. The icon, with its vengeful little empty shelves, has been an eyesore on many a device and for reasons that still perplex and disgruntle, Apple had designed it so that it was virtually impossible to hide it in a folder with all the preloaded apps no one uses. Newstand was simply there, taunting you with its stubborn refusal to disappear. But no longer. Installing NoNewsIsGoodNews in the Cydia store makes the Newstand app disappear in a metaphorical puff of smoke so that it haunts your screen no longer.
Dashboard X 2.0
Apple’s dislike for widgets is well known but Dashboard X 2.0 makes you the master of your universe by allowing incredibly easy installation of widgets right on the home screen. After purchasing the app through Cydia, users can pimp out their home screens with a number of free widgets, like a music player, live weather information, clocks, and calendars just to name a few. Widgets are, as always, a bit of a battery suck so it’s prudent to be mindful of how much juice your phone has left if you go widget-mad.
biteSMS
Apple’s own messaging app is fairly bare bones, but biteSMS adds a slew of options to amp up your messaging experience. Once the app is installed, users can choose from a variety of customizable options that includes which buttons appear on reply windows (read, mark for later, Skype, Facetime, etc.), listing favorite contacts, and selecting templates. Though it might not prove more economically friendly depending on your iDevice’s plan, biteSMS also offers the option of purchasing credits to use on their own network.
If you’re feeling adventurous, iFile grants access to your iPhone’s file system, allowing you delve into the nitty gritty details of your device’s software. Fiddling with the root directory isn’t recommended for the casual user, but for those with the technical know-how, access to the iPhone’s innards can open up a whole new world of possibilities for control and customization. Apple’s strict OS prohibits tampering with the file manager, but iFile puts the user in the driver’s seat as the app allows for copying, editing, and renaming files, installing software packages, and even transforming the device into a flash drive.