iPhone Tweaks

Recently opened apps can pile up in the iOS App Switcher. Manually removing app cards from the App Switcher can be a time consuming process. What if there was a way to prevent apps from sticking around? WhitelistSwitcher is a jailbreak tweak that seeks to reduce clutter in the App Switcher automatically.

Once installed, the tweak can be configured under Settings -> WhitelistSwitcher -> Allowed Applications. Specific apps can be selected to appear on the whitelist, which means only they will be allowed to stick around in the App Switcher. Any apps not whitelisted will not display cards when the App Switcher is invoked with a double press of the home button. This keeps only the desired number of apps accessible after they are recently used.

Apps can accumulate significant amounts of data on an iOS device. Unfortunately, the only way to clear caches or reset apps with stock iOS is to delete and reinstall. Those with jailbroken devices can use the tweak CacheClearer to free up storage space and reset apps right from the Settings.

Once installed, new options will be added directly to Settings -> General -> Usage -> Manage Storage. Here installed apps are listed, along with the amount of space they are consuming on the iOS device. Tapping an app name shows the size of the app, as well as how much space is used by related documents and data. Right below are three options, Delete App, Reset App, and Clear App's Cache.

App badges do a great job of showing pending notifications. The only problem is that the iOS home screen can quickly fill up with many red circles. This clutter doesn't appeal to everyone, and there have been many app badge mods to come out of the jailbreak community as a result. Examples include BadgeClear, Badge Customizer, and MagicBadges. iOS 8 users with jailbroken devices can now hide and organize app badges in a completely new way thanks to Confero.

Once installed, Confero provides many options to customize its behavior. The core of the tweak revolves around a status bar icon. When invoked, this icon opens a window right over the home screen showing all of the apps with pending notifications in one place. The corresponding icons back on the home screen are always displayed badge-free, which declutters the home screen.

There's no shortage of options when it comes to customizing the iOS keyboard. Especially now that iOS 8 allows third-party keyboards, which can be downloaded in the App Store. iKeywi has been around for some time as a jailbreak tweak, and is now updated to iKeywi 3 for iOS 8 compatibility. The developer also launched an Apple-approved version of iKeywi on the App Store.

Both options, iKeywi (App Store, $0.99) and iKeywi 3 (Cydia, $1.99) provide similar features. The main difference is that jailbreakers don't have to fumble around with installing and using a third-party keyboard. iKeywi 3 simply becomes integrated into the stock keyboard when the tweak is enabled.

Good news for iPhone photography buffs who have jailbroken devices. The popular mod CameraTweak has been updated for iOS 8. Now in its third version, CameraTweak 3 continues to deliver, bringing useful enhancements directly to the stock iOS Camera app. While iOS 8 now includes many features that were once the province of jailbreak mods, CameraTweak still adds more.

Once installed, CameraTweak will immediately be visible when the Camera app is opened. The settings for CameraTweak 3 include a complete user manual, for those who would like more thorough documentation. Toggles make it possible to switch various features off, or add advanced operations to the Camera app. Information such as ISO setting and shutter speed is also displayed.