Oliver Haslam·

iOS 11 Features Apple Copied From Jailbreak Tweaks On Cydia

Here are thirteen iOS 11 features that Apple copied from various jailbreak tweaks available on the Cydia store.

All the talk right now is about Apple’s unveiling of iOS 11 during its WWDC 2017 opening keynote, but for all the new features that have been added as part of this upcoming release, so many of them feel eerily familiar. That is probably because, just as with other releases of iOS in the past, it seems that a lot of Apple’s inspiration has come from jailbreak tweaks that have been around for some time.

This is a pattern that has repeated itself for years now, going all the way back to before iOS was even called iOS. Those who jailbreak have been able to use some truly impressive tweaks, adding functionality and features to a stock iOS experience that just couldn’t cut the mustard for years. With iOS 11, yet more jailbreak tweaks, or the functionality they bring, have found their way into Apple’s version of what the iPhone and iPad should be capable of. Below, we are going to outline some of the tweaks that we think Apple may have taken some ideas from, and while we don’t think for a minute anyone inside Apple is looking to Cydia for inspiration, it is interesting to see that Apple continues to add more features that jailbreaking power-users have been demanding or using for years.

Let’s jump in, shall we?

MultiIconMover, MultiIconMover+ (for moving multiple icons on Home screen at once – BigBoss)

Being able to move multiple icons on the Home screen at once is something we should always have been able to do!

Display Recorder (for Screen Recording feature – rpetri.ch/repo)

Recording an iOS device’s screen is useful for so many reasons, and not just showing off your elite Pokemon GO skills.

controlMyCenter, FlipControlCenter, Polus (for customizable Control Center – BigBoss)

Customizing how Control Center looks and operates is a feature that we have longed for, and iOS 11 now offers it as standard. These jailbreak tweaks did it first!

CCDataMore (for Cellular Data toggle in Control Center – BigBoss)

A super-simple tweak, this one lets you control whether mobile data is active via Control Center, just like iOS 11.

CCLowPower (for Low Power Mode toggle in Control Center – BigBoss)

Similar to the tweak above, this one adds a Control Center toggle that enables or disables Low Power Mode. Why wasn’t this always been there?!

Eclipse, Noctis (for Smart Invert dark mode – BigBoss)

With iOS 11, Apple added a Smart Invert mode or “dark mode” similar to that offered by these two tweaks already.

Harbor (for unlimited app icons in iPad dock – BigBoss)

Being able to have more icons on your iPad’s dock is one great addition in iOS 11, except it already exists on jailbroken devices thanks to Harbor.

iWhiteboard, Scriblit (for Markup feature on screenshots – BigBoss)

Being able to add markup to screenshots has been a request for years, and apps have filled the void. Oh, and so have jailbreak tweaks.

OneHanded (for one handed keyboard – BigBoss)

As phones keep getting larger, typing one-handed gets harder. iOS 11 includes a one-handed keyboard, similar to the OneHanded jailbreak tweak.

SwipeExpander (for number row on iPad keyboard, accessed using swipe gesture – BigBoss)

Recreate iOS 11’s iPad number row on its keyboard, accessible by swiping up on the top row.

Keep On Airplane Mode (for keeping WiFi and Bluetooth on while AirPlane Mode is on – BigBoss)

Keeps Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth on after enabling Airplane Mode, just like in iOS 11.

Fileza, iFile (for Files app – BigBoss)

The new Files app in iOS 11 is as close an offering to the Finder as we have had yet, except the jailbreak tweaks that came before it.

iCleaner Pro (for new storage management – BigBoss)

Reclaim valuable storage space with this tweak, or indeed with iOS 11’s new storage management.

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