Thanks to the iPhone's various sensors, a lot can be achieved with very little or no input from the user. When we put the device to our face, for example, the proximity sensor beside the receiver automatically switches the device's display off, and on other occasions, such as gaming, the accelerometer does a lot of the hard work for us. But while these are all very useful, it's fair to say that Apple isn't really maximizing the hardware within but thanks to the wonders of a jailbreak - specifically a new, feature-rich tweak called FaceOff 7 - we can begin to explore things in a little more depth. Discover more of this marvelous tweak after the break!
I'll make no bones about it: the iOS keyboard is, for me, an almighty pain in the rear. It seems to predate the rest of the operating system, and while iOS 7 is very advanced compared with the old days of iPhone OS, the keyboard is, by and large, unchanged. But thanks to the world of jailbreaking, those who like to type with some kind of fluidity can find some respite, and while there's not really anything like SwiftKey, there are a few tweaks, like a new entry over at the BigBoss repo called exKey, that promise to enhance the iOS keyboard feature.
An updated version of Controllers for All is now available over at Cydia, and allows avid gamers to now use their PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 as fully-functional controller for iOS 7 gaming. This is a very significant development indeed, and if you've a jailbroken iDevice, read on for further to discover how you can set your DualShock 4 controller up for compatibility with some of the App Store's hottest iOS 7 titles.
FolderEnhancer by Lance Fetters has been one of the longest running and widely supported packages available on Cydia. When Apple introduced the ability to create folders in iOS, it was generally accepted that the implementation was a long way off from being perfect. FolderEnhancer for iOS was thought to be the answer to that lack of perfection, introducing a number of powerful enhancements that made working with folders on iOS 4.0 and higher almost a pleasure. iOS has progressed significantly since those days, as have Apple's implementation of home screen folders. With that said, there is always room for improvement, which is where FolderEnhancer (iOS 7) steps into the limelight.
If you're quite fussy about how your iPhone looks, you'll no doubt have spent much of the past few weeks taking advantage of the Evasi0n jailbreak and all of the tweaks available as a result. But for some, the process of changing things around is ongoing, and even something as simple as altering the wallpaper can often take time as you scan through your collection seeking something that looks just right. Thanks to a new tweak called shufflr, though, your iOS lock screen's wallpaper is switched to a new image every time you lock your device, lessening the likelihood of you getting bored with the same look.
If you're a bit of a numbers droid, and like to keep track of statistics, then the tweak from Cydia developer Callum Ryan may be of interest to you. It provides relatively detailed information on the activity of your Messages app, including how many SMS and iMessages you've sent or received. Not only is this useful information in terms of ensuring you don't go over your allowance, but you can also narrow things right down to specific contacts. Check it out after the break.
Keeping abreast of your contacts can be a tedious and ongoing task, particularly when you've accumulated more than you care to maintain, but it doesn't have to be such a nightmare. A tweak by the name of QuickContacts, created by developer DarkMalloc, enables you to access your favorite contacts right from your home screen by making a simple swiping gesture, so if you just want to make a quick call to a close friend or relative, you needn't have to go through the tiresome rigmarole of scanning and searching your digital phone book.
The magic of the famed SwiftKey Keyboard could be about to make its way to Apple's iOS via a standalone note-taking app, if a leak via the Twitter handle Evleaks is to be believed. Renowned on Android for its speedy, intuitive nature and, in particular, its "Flow" feature, it's something that iOS users haven't been able to enjoy thanks to the Cupertino's stingy rules on accessing core features, but with a standalone app, at least those on iOS could get a taster of SwiftKey's advanced set of tools.
Depending on who you speak to, push notifications can either be a life-saver or work of pure evil. There is an extremely large mobile device user base that simply can’t live without notifications no matter how hard they try. Conversely, there is also a set of users who receive so many text messages, emails and social network alerts that it becomes a full-time job to keep up with the incoming notifications that are generated on a per app basis. The Notification Privacy tweak that has recently landed on Cydia offers jailbroken users the opportunity to take control of those push notifications by devising a setup that suits the individual.
Some tweaks are practical, meant to enhance the functionality of iOS in part or as a whole. Others, meanwhile, are designed for aesthetic flair, but while some try and fail at being both at the same time, a new, free-of-charge tweak manages to hit that cross-section between usefulness and eye-candy. It's called SimplePasscodeButtons, and, as the name concedes simplifies your passcode's keypad by removing the numbers from the keys.
