Jailbreaking

There are many ways to customize the process of unlocking the iPhone. While each may have its advantages, nothing is quite like Stride 2 from Adam Bell. Jailbreakers can create a unique, custom gesture that must be copied to unlock. The tweak is fully compatible with normal passcodes and the Touch ID sensor, so these can still be used to unlock if desired.

Stride originally made a splash on iOS 5, and now the iOS 7 version brings a complete redesign to jailbroken devices. Once installed, Stride 2 can be enabled or disabled with a toggle under Settings -> Stride -> Enabled. To start, enable the tweak and tap Change Password in the settings.

Customizing the Control Center has become a favorite pastime for iOS jailbreak fans. There's already a plethora of ways to change the appearance of the Control Center, however none quite like the jailbreak tweak CCBackground. What CCBackground brings to iOS 7 is the ability to place any image as wallpaper behind the Control Center toggles and sliders.

Once installed, navigating to Settings -> CCBackground -> Enable will switch on the tweak. Tap Select Image to choose a photo from the Camera Roll. Tapping the Done button in the upper right will respring the device immediately. Simply bring up the Control Center to see how your wallpaper selection rates.

Expanding the capabilities of AirDrop is not on everyone's priority list. After all, the default list of items that can be shared between iOS devices with AirDrop is pretty extensive. Photos, videos, voice memos, Safari links, Map locations, Passbook passes and Contacts are all supported. In fact, anything that appears on a share sheet can be delivered wirelessly via AirDrop, provided both devices support the feature.

Developer Majd Alfhaily decided to expand this list further with the jailbreak tweak AnyDrop. Once installed, native AirDrop capability can be used to transfer any file stored on the iOS filesystem. One caveat though, both devices must have AnyDrop installed for this to work. The AnyDrop app installs on the iOS home screen, requiring no configuration to start sharing.

Worried about privacy or battery life issues due to built-in GPS on the iPhone? Checking to see which apps are using Location Services in the background is normally a multi-step process. Opening Settings and navigating to the correct section of the Privacy menu gets the job done, but now there's an easier way. The free tweak Location Sentry brings this information to jailbroken devices without any hassle.

Once installed, Location Sentry lets you know which apps are using Location Services directly in the app switcher. Each app card that is tapping into the device's current location is marked with a location icon in the lower right corner. Scrolling through app cards will paint a complete picture of which apps are potentially tracking your position and contributing to battery drain.

Anyone with a jailbroken iPhone running iOS 7.0.x is missing out on the refinements Apple delivered with iOS 7.1. The latest version of iOS not only patches the vulnerabilities exploited by the evasi0n jailbreak, it also adds circular buttons and sliders to certain iOS screens. While jailbreak fans might be stuck at 7.0.x they can now install the iOS 7.1 power off slider with the tweak BetterPowerDown.

BetterPowerDown updates the slider that appears when powering off the iPhone to match iOS 7.1. But this feature is only the beginning. Reverting the look backwards to iOS 6 is also possible, matching a variety of classic tweaks that are now available on Cydia. Although the tweak costs $0.99, it also includes the functionality of another tweak known as RePower.