Tips

DirectionBar is a neat little tweak that makes the iOS status bar more informative. If you ever wanted to know which direction you were headed without having to open the Compass app, then this tweak is for you. Once installed, a live compass appears on the status bar right next to the Wi-Fi or cellular data icon. Moving your iPhone will result in the compass arrow moving accordingly, always pointing north.

Under the settings for DirectionBar, there's a selection of different compass arrows to choose from. Nine different icons will point you in the right direction, but if this isn't enough you can download additional icons from Cydia. A custom icon can even be created in .png format and installed into the directory /Library/Application/Support/StatusCompass/ if you're feeling creative.

Some tweaks are incredibly simple. So simple you might question whether or not they’re even useful enough to install. One such jailbreak tweak is highlightGeneral. The basic theory behind the tweak goes like this, some of the most important iPhone settings are found under Settings -> General.

The more apps and jailbreak tweaks you have installed, the more cluttered the Settings area becomes. One could argue that highlighting the General section in a different color makes it easier to find. That’s just what highlightGeneral makes possible once installed.

Rotation lock is a useful feature, until it gets in the way. For example, reading on the iPhone can be easier with the lock enabled, to prevent everything from spinning around when you lie down. The problem happens when rotation is locked, and you’re trying to watch a widescreen video.

Your iPhone is forced to display this video in the vertical orientation, making the picture incredibly small with large black letterboxing at the top and bottom of the display. Fixing this involves switching off rotation lock then rotating the iPhone and restarting the video. The LandscapeVideo tweak makes this process easier on jailbroken devices.

Badges in iOS are great. They let you know when something important needs your attention, keep a count of unread emails, and can even tell you the temperature outside. But do you have too many badges floating around? All those red circles on every app icon can start to look like noise.

Now jailbroken iPhone users can quickly clean up extra badges with the tweak Clear Badges. This free tweak makes it simple to temporarily clear an annoying red badge number. Just hold down an app icon to enter wiggle mode on the home screen. Double tapping the offending icon while its wiggling will clear the badge immediately.

The strength of your cellular signal can make or break a data connection or phone call. The iPhone is no different, and as iOS users already know the signal strength is displayed on the status bar in the upper left. You can use an app like Signal 2 to get more details about your signal and where it’s coming from.

Sound like too much information? Bars will give you more information about your signal while keeping things simple. All this tweak does is take the signal bars you’re already familiar with and make them better.