Tips

Locking your iOS device with a passcode can offer some protection for personal data. What if you could password protect photos, or prevent access to any individual app? Now on a jailbroken device with the tweak Password Protect you can add this functionality to iOS for free. Once installed from the Cydia app store, Password Protect adds several photo and application protection options to the Settings.

Not only can you prevent someone from viewing your photos, you can prevent photo access from software besides the Photos and Camera apps. Beyond photos, navigating to Application Protection makes it possible to select one or more apps from a list of those installed. Any apps with protection ON will require a password to launch.

Using the built-in LED flash while recording video on iOS can help illuminate a dark scene or highlight your subject. Unfortunately, it's impossible to switch the flash on or off while recording is in progress. The Camera app hides the flash toggle option as soon as the record button is pressed. This means that the choice of whether to turn the flash on or off must be made before recording begins.

The free jailbreak tweak Record 'n' Torch seeks to improve the situation by adding a moveable flash toggle button to the video recording screen. The button can be dragged to different places on the screen, and when tapped it will turn the flash on or off while the video is being recorded. To remind you the flash is switched on, the button even turns yellow.

Stock iOS alerts always look the same, but with the jailbreak tweak Alertmate installed, you can take control. Besides providing a long list of animation options to change the way alerts appear on your device, this free tweak from Daniel Taub offers different fonts as well. Once you've set the alert behavior and text, you can even have iOS to read the alert out loud.

Settings are configured under Settings -> Alertmate after the tweak is installed from the Cydia jailbreak app store. Speak toggles are provided along with a choice of more than 50 fonts. Can't decide which animation to use for alerts? A random effect can be chosen automatically to keep things interesting every time you receive an alert.

Some iOS tweaks are so straightforward it's incredible that Apple didn't already incorporate them into the iPhone. Swiping is one of the most commonly used gestures in iOS. So why is it that every time you want to switch threads in Messages you have to go back to the main messages list?

Now with a jailbroken device and the free tweak MessageSwiper there's an easier way. While reading messages from one of your contacts, simply swipe left or right to switch conversations. The tweak will cycle through your threads with different people and groups in the same order they appear on the main messages list.

Did you know that iOS stops checking for faces while video recording is in progress? The default camera app checks for faces before recording video then simply starts recording. No adjustments are made for face detection while this recording is in progress.

Unlike a still photo, lighting or focus conditions on multiple faces in a scene could change over time in a video. Jailbreak fans will be happy to know that face detection can be enabled during a video with a simple tweak. FaceDetectionDuringVideo is a free tweak that can be installed from Cydia that continues to monitor faces during a video shoot.