Not that anyone asked but here's what I've managed to do with my JB'd iPhone 4S running the latest version of iOS 7 (7.0.4).
For anyone who doesn't know what Jailbreaking (JBing) is, it removes the control Apple has on what third party applications and operating system "tweaks" are able to run on the iDevices. Unlike on an iMac or MacBook, which can run any third party software, when Apple launched the iDevices they decided to retain near-complete control of the user experience by being the gatekeeper of all apps through their control of the App Store. Any app that any developer creates has to first be approved by Apple to become available on the App Store. Only apps from the App Store will run on a stock device.
There is a large community of developers who have written upgrades, tweaks, apps etc. which Apple refuses to approve. (Some of them, I'm sure, throw a wrench into Apple's planned obsolescence, but I'm sure they have other nefarious reasons as well).
Once your iDevice is JB'd, it has access to a "second app store" called Cydia (Cydia is that brown app next Facebook). Cydia is where almost all the unapproved apps/tweaks reside. Many are free; some cost up to a few dollars.
JB'ing is free, it takes just a few minutes (less than 10) and it's completely reversible, provided you have backed up your device on iTunes prior to JB'ing. The worst thing that can happen is that, should you decide to un-JB, you'll likely have to update to the most recent iOS if you haven't already.
You can get the evasi0n JB here (free)
Here are some of things I've done:
I can't stand the notification center. All the apps from which I like to receive notifications are on page one of my springboard, so I've disabled the notification center. I won't go into how I did that unless someone asks; it was a tad complicated. I also disabled the stock control center gesture. In stock form the control center is opened by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. The bottom of the screen is a big place, so I wanted to divide it in two and get two separate functions out of swiping up from it. Also, I find the home button is a bit awkward so I wanted to add another method of activating it.
Using the tweak "Activator" (free), I assigned some gestures that work at all times in any screen. Swiping from off screen down into the top right is akin to pushing the home button. I use this all the time to close apps, instead of the home button. Swiping from off screen up on the bottom left activates the control center, while swiping from off screen up on the bottom right activates the switcher.
Also using "Activator" I turned the status bar into music player controls. A double tap in the middle is "play/pause", a double tap on the left is "previous track" and a double tap on the right is "next track". This way I can control the music from within any app without having to switch to the music player. Very handy.
I switch between Tweetbot and Safari A LOT. So, I made two swiping gestures that work only within an app and not on the springboard. Swiping in from the left brings up Safari while swiping in from the right brings up Tweetbot. This way when I'm in either, I can switch to the other without having to return to the springboard. Very handy.
Using "CCToggles" (free) I customized the toggles at the top and the quick launches at the bottom of the control center. Why Apple didn't allow this is beyond me.
..and, using iFile ($4, I believe) I renamed the sound file that is the camera shutter sound so that it will never play again. I can't stand that fake sound. It makes no sense that it should be there at all.
iFile, is essentially a Finder for your iDevice. Amongst a billion other things, it allows you to control your phone from your computer, transfer files back and forth and allows you to use your phone as a wireless storage device for any file you want. You can add, edit, delete, create files directly into the file system of your phone. If you know your way around (I don't) there is no stopping what you can do with it.
Many other tweaks I used to use have yet to be updated for iOS 7, but this is a sampling of what I've been able to do with what's currently available. Oh, I purposefully have no labels under the app icons. I don't see a need for them and I find them cluttery. I did that with Bigify (free).
Once added through Cydia, every tweak I've mentioned here has a straightforward user interface and they are generally very easy to use. Some show up as apps while others show up as a new option in the stock Settings app. YMMV.
For anyone who doesn't know what Jailbreaking (JBing) is, it removes the control Apple has on what third party applications and operating system "tweaks" are able to run on the iDevices. Unlike on an iMac or MacBook, which can run any third party software, when Apple launched the iDevices they decided to retain near-complete control of the user experience by being the gatekeeper of all apps through their control of the App Store. Any app that any developer creates has to first be approved by Apple to become available on the App Store. Only apps from the App Store will run on a stock device.
There is a large community of developers who have written upgrades, tweaks, apps etc. which Apple refuses to approve. (Some of them, I'm sure, throw a wrench into Apple's planned obsolescence, but I'm sure they have other nefarious reasons as well).
Once your iDevice is JB'd, it has access to a "second app store" called Cydia (Cydia is that brown app next Facebook). Cydia is where almost all the unapproved apps/tweaks reside. Many are free; some cost up to a few dollars.
JB'ing is free, it takes just a few minutes (less than 10) and it's completely reversible, provided you have backed up your device on iTunes prior to JB'ing. The worst thing that can happen is that, should you decide to un-JB, you'll likely have to update to the most recent iOS if you haven't already.
You can get the evasi0n JB here (free)
Here are some of things I've done:
I can't stand the notification center. All the apps from which I like to receive notifications are on page one of my springboard, so I've disabled the notification center. I won't go into how I did that unless someone asks; it was a tad complicated. I also disabled the stock control center gesture. In stock form the control center is opened by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. The bottom of the screen is a big place, so I wanted to divide it in two and get two separate functions out of swiping up from it. Also, I find the home button is a bit awkward so I wanted to add another method of activating it.
Using the tweak "Activator" (free), I assigned some gestures that work at all times in any screen. Swiping from off screen down into the top right is akin to pushing the home button. I use this all the time to close apps, instead of the home button. Swiping from off screen up on the bottom left activates the control center, while swiping from off screen up on the bottom right activates the switcher.
Also using "Activator" I turned the status bar into music player controls. A double tap in the middle is "play/pause", a double tap on the left is "previous track" and a double tap on the right is "next track". This way I can control the music from within any app without having to switch to the music player. Very handy.
I switch between Tweetbot and Safari A LOT. So, I made two swiping gestures that work only within an app and not on the springboard. Swiping in from the left brings up Safari while swiping in from the right brings up Tweetbot. This way when I'm in either, I can switch to the other without having to return to the springboard. Very handy.
Using "CCToggles" (free) I customized the toggles at the top and the quick launches at the bottom of the control center. Why Apple didn't allow this is beyond me.
..and, using iFile ($4, I believe) I renamed the sound file that is the camera shutter sound so that it will never play again. I can't stand that fake sound. It makes no sense that it should be there at all.
iFile, is essentially a Finder for your iDevice. Amongst a billion other things, it allows you to control your phone from your computer, transfer files back and forth and allows you to use your phone as a wireless storage device for any file you want. You can add, edit, delete, create files directly into the file system of your phone. If you know your way around (I don't) there is no stopping what you can do with it.
Many other tweaks I used to use have yet to be updated for iOS 7, but this is a sampling of what I've been able to do with what's currently available. Oh, I purposefully have no labels under the app icons. I don't see a need for them and I find them cluttery. I did that with Bigify (free).
Once added through Cydia, every tweak I've mentioned here has a straightforward user interface and they are generally very easy to use. Some show up as apps while others show up as a new option in the stock Settings app. YMMV.
