Jailbreaking

Notes are a convenient way to keep track of lists and other items on the iPhone. Even better is the ability to sync notes to a computer using iCloud. Developer JGTweaks has improved stock iOS notes even further, by making it possible to create a note from anywhere on the device.

No more pausing to stop what you're doing, and having to navigate to the Notes app. Jailbreakers can install the NoteCreator tweak from Cydia and choose any Activator action to create a new note. When the action is performed a dialog box appears, prompting the user to enter text for the note. Tap Done and the note is saved to the default account.

Dealing with multiple group messages in iOS 7 can be frustrating, especially if several of the messages include some of the same contacts. The stock Messages app simply identifies group messages by listing the names of the participants. Now thanks to the jailbreak tweak MessageRenamer7, there is a better way.

Once installed, MessageRenamer7 provides the option to rename a group message, directly in the Messages app. Hold down on any group message and select Rename from the pop-up menu. A text field will be provided to enter a new name for the conversation. Tapping Set will make the change.

Customizing the iOS 7 status bar is only a tweak away with StatusModifier. Those with jailbroken iPhones can install this free tweak for more control over exactly what information is displayed. Hiding items or displaying the amount of free system RAM can be accomplished using Settings -> StatusModifier.

Custom formatting can be created using the DateFormat Builder, which provides options such as displaying seconds with the current time, or the date. This is also where iOS available RAM can be selected by entering the letters FM (free memory). By default, the amount of free memory is updated in real time every second, with a slider making longer intervals possible.

When iOS 7 first came out, a lot of folks were upset with the new flat appearance of the icons. Now you can unflatten the appearance and add depth through a number of settings with the new jailbreak tweak IconOmatic. This tweak is free to download from Cydia's ModMyi repository.

Once you have IconOmatic installed, head to Settings -> IconOmatic. Inside, you will

Pull down on the iOS 7 home screen and Spotlight reveals an empty text field titled "Search iPhone". While this can be a helpful feature to find something in a hurry, developer DarkMalloc had another idea. Why not make the Spotlight screen even more useful by adding favorite contacts into the mix?

Jailbreakers can grab the tweak QuickContacts for $1.99 and do just that. Once installed, there are no options to configure. The tweak simply adds four contact shortcuts directly to the Spotlight search screen. Pull down on the home screen and the contacts are revealed, then swipe from left to right if you need to use the Search iPhone field.