iPhone Tweaks

Passcode unlock modifications for iOS are nothing new. Examples such as PatternUnlock and Stride provide entirely new ways to unlock the iPhone. Now with Control Unlocker a virtual NES-looking video game controller brings the passcode unlock back in time.

Even though there are no Select or Start buttons, combinations using the A and B buttons along with the D-pad can be used to lock and unlock. In its current iteration, Control Unlocker is mostly for fun. If a stock passcode is enabled, unlocking will involve entering the game pad combo followed immediately by the actual passcode.

There are many options when it comes to customizing the iPhone lock screen. Many of these jailbreak tweaks add app launchers and toggles directly to the iOS lock screen, speeding up access. Now BuddyLock joins the fray, with highly customizable theme settings, side view widgets and a built-in launcher for apps. In fact, the tweak even makes it possible to put a folder for additional app icons in the launcher.

Besides a switch to enable or disable BuddyLock, the Settings area includes sections for Theming, Lockscreen Apps, Folder and Extras. Five apps can be added to the lock screen launcher, or four apps and a folder. If the folder option is set up, four additional apps can be accessed using the folder, making a total of eight apps accessible directly from the launcher.

The stock iOS Clock app has several useful features, including alarms, a timer, world clock and stopwatch. The stopwatch function is great for clocking lap times, but there aren't any options to save these numbers once collected. Now thanks to the jailbreak tweak Stopwatch Pro, the iOS clock can be even more useful.

There are no settings to configure once Stopwatch Pro is downloaded and installed via Cydia. The tweak simply adds a Save button to the stopwatch, making it possible to save a time or a series of laps before resetting and losing the information. All of the saved times can be labeled in different sections to keep track of events and group related measurements.

There are many ways to simulate the look of the iOS 7 lock screen and allow access to the Notification Center without unlocking. Ayra provides iOS 7-like cosmetic changes and several new features all in one tweak, with a built-in switch to disable the tweak and a respring button right in the settings. The wide variety of toggles provided by Ayra are also configurable from the settings, and are added to Notification Center after installation.

Jailbreakers familiar with IntelliScreenX will note that Ayra does not include as many features, but it also costs less. Besides an updated look for the lock screen slider and camera slider, Ayra makes it possible to swipe down from the status bar to immediately access Notification Center.

Many iOS keyboard enhancements are available, such as PredictiveKeyboard and SwipeSelection. Besides making certain tasks simpler with the virtual keyboard, the right tweak can save time. The same developers who created The Quick Brown Fox have launched a paid version of their jailbreak tweak named Keyboard Control Pro.

So what additional features does one get for $1.99? Keyboard Control Pro includes a whole new set of features under Quick Input that can be configured in the settings. One of these features, the Login Pilot, automatically inserts one of three preset email addresses in a login field to speed up the process on secure websites.