Apple
7 iOS 7 Cydia Tweaks Worth Paying For
There are a lot of great iOS 7 Cydia tweaks that you can install on your iPhone and iPad. Many of them are free, but the really good tweaks will often cost you a couple of dollars — sometimes even more.
However, there a few tweaks that are well worth paying for, and even the free tweaks will sometimes ask for donations to the developer, in which case I often donate a couple of dollars if I really like the tweak. For those jailbreak apps and tweaks that cost a bit of cash up front, we wanted to highlight some of those tweaks and discuss why they’re worth paying for.
Of course, there are a literally hundreds of jailbreak tweaks that are worth paying for, but we’ll be highlighting some of our favorites. Some of them we’ve already covered and others are new tweaks that have just recently been launched.
Nitrous ($0.99)
Web browsing in Safari on an iOS device is really fast compared to using a third-party option like Chrome, simply because Apple blocks third-party apps from using its Nitro Javascript Engine. However, it doesn’t have to be like that.
Nitrous is a really nice jailbreak tweak that gives third-party apps access to the Nitro Javascript Engine. Any app that accesses the internet and uses a webkit browser (Chrome, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can take advantage of Nitrous, and in some cases, this can result in over three-times the performance boost than without Nitrous.
BioLockdown ($1.99)
Previously, we mentioned a new jailbreak tweak called BioProtect, which allows you to fingerprint-protect certain apps, so that you can only access them by scanning your finger using the Touch ID home button, but a new jailbreak tweak called BioLockdown is cheaper and offers more features and settings to play around with than BioProtect.
Not only can you lock apps with a fingerprint, but you can also restrict certain settings and only enable them with the scan of your finger. For instance, if you don’t want others disabling WiFi when they get a hold of your phone, you can set a fingerprint lock on that toggle to prevent others from disabling the WiFi.
BioLockDown is cheaper than BioProtect at $1.99, whereas BioProtect is priced at $2.99, so you get more for your money with BioLockdown.
Controllers for All ($1.99)
It’s no secret that that current crop of official MFi iOS 7 gaming controllers aren’t all that great, and they’re overpriced for what you get, especially when Xbox and PlayStation controllers are much cheaper. However, Controllers for All allows you to use a PlayStation 3 DualShock 3 or a PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 controller with your iOS device and have it be recognized as a MFi controller, so that you’ll be able to play all of the MFi-compatible games with it.
You’ll first need to pair your DualShock 3 controller to your computer before you can pair it to your iOS device, but it’s relatively a painless process that’s worth it in the end, especially when you can use physical, tactile buttons instead of less-than-stellar touch controls.
iKeywi ($1.99)
iKeywi has been around for a few years, but it was recently updated with iOS 7 support. This tweak adds a customizable fifth row to the iOS keyboard. Personally, I like to use that added row for numbers, that way I’m not going back and forth between the different layouts when typing.
However, you can use that added fifth row for any keys that you use most often, including emoji and different symbols. The tweak does shrink the overall size of the rest of keys, so you may find it even harder to type if you have larger fingers, but it’s worth a download for those that need it.
Icon Tool ($0.99)
Icon Tool is the mother of jailbreak tweaks when it comes to the options you have when managing apps and their data. Triple-tapping an icon when it’s in jiggle mode will bring up a menu with a bevy of options to choose from, including opening the app in iFile, clearing the app’s cache, clearing any notification badges, backing up the app’s data, restoring the app’s data and even renaming the icon.
CleverPin ($1.99)
A good passcode on your iOS device is crucial for keeping it secure when your iPhone or iPad ever becomes lost or stolen. However, it can be a nuisance at times, especially when you’re at home when the chances of your device getting lost or stolen are very slim.
This is where CleverPin comes in. This tweak intelligently recognizes when you’re on your home WiFi network and disables the passcode lock to reflect that. Then, once you leave the house, CleverPin enables your device’s passcode lock, since the chances of you losing your device are greater when you’re out and about.
Ironically, the iPhone 5s’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor gets completely deactivated when using CleverPin, so this tweak is really only meant for those with older iOS devices. However, it still works on the iPhone 5s — you’ll just have to Swipe to Unlock whenever CleverPin is enabled.
Springtomize 3 ($2.99)
Springtomize is one of the most popular jailbreak tweaks around, and the developers behind the app have released Springtomize 3, which works exclusively with iOS 7. There are a whole heap of customizations that you can make to you iOS device with this app, including hiding unused apps, resizing icons, creating nested folders, changing fonts and much more.
Springtomize essentially gets rid of the need for multiple single-purpose jailbreak tweaks and puts them all into one app that you can buy for just a couple of dollars.
inknzvl (@inknzvl)
02/01/2014 at 7:35 pm
Springtomize 3 is awesome as always. I did upgrade from Springtomize 2 and I can’t be more happy with it.
ikeywi looks tempting for my ipad, I cannot shrink any more the iPhone keyboard.
Andressa
02/12/2014 at 3:03 am
Springtomize eu não precisei pagar nada! tem a opção dele grátis :)