SMS

WebMessage lets jailbreakers send SMS and iMessages via almost any computer

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated February 28, 2022

If, like so many others, your primary methods of communication comprise of iMessage and SMS via your iPhone, then you might take a particular liking to a newly released jailbreak tweak and computer application combination dubbed WebMessage by iOS developer sgtaziz.

WebMessage effectively turns your iPhone into a messaging server on demand, and by installing a special client on your computer, you can read and respond to both iMessage and SMS conversations via your computer even if it’s not a Mac.

Some iPhone owners report missing texts and group SMS issues after upgrading to iOS 14

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2020

According to numerous posts on Apple's discussion forums, some of the people who have upgraded to the latest iPhones or iOS 14 are plagued with various issues with text messaging.

Sunset makes it easier for jailbreakers to get in touch with friends & family

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 23, 2020

When you’re in the mood to get in touch with a friend or family member, you’d generally just launch the Contacts app, find that person, and then tap only our preferred method of contact to reach them — be it text, phone, or email. But it’s 2020, and by now, someone’s got to be saying that it’s ludicrous that one would need to close the app they’re in and launch the Contacts app just to get in touch with someone else.

Those who feel the way we’ve just described are likely to enjoy a newly released jailbreak tweak called Sunset by iOS developer SouthernGirlWhoCode, as it replaces the idea of a Contacts app with a Contacts card that can be summoned from just about anywhere in iOS with one of several different gestures.

LeftyMessages makes iOS’ Messages app easier for left-handed people to use

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 25, 2021

The iPhone’s Messages app is a particularly well-planned application with a simple user interface that most people have no trouble using, but if you’re of the sinistral variety (left-handed), then you might have a tendency to disagree with that sentiment. Fortunately, the jailbreak community is here to help.

LeftyMessages is a newly released and free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer Paperman369 that tries to make the Messages app easier for left-handed people to use with one hand by moving certain frequently used controls over to the left side of the display.

iAutoReply lets you configure automatic responses for text messages & iMessages

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 25, 2021

If can be tough, if not nearly impossible, to respond to every text message or iMessage throughout the day. This is especially true if you’ve got a lot of friends and a busy schedule. Fortunately, a newly released jailbreak tweak called iAutoReply by iOS developer MeBlackHat is here to help our friends know that their messages aren’t falling on deaf ears.

Just as the tweak’s name implies, iAutoReply offers many flexible features for users who might want to configure automatic replies for text messages or iMessages that they can’t reply to right away. Not only can iAutoReply be configured for global message responses, but it can also be configured to reply to certain contacts in a different way.

This tweak prevents photos taken in the Messages app from saving to the Camera Roll

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 2, 2021

It’s easy to send someone a freshly-captured photograph via the iPhone’s Messages app all thanks to a dedicated button located just to the left of the text input field. Upon capturing a photograph this way and sending it, iOS automatically saves a copy of that photograph to the Camera Roll so that the user can reference it later on.

Apple had good intentions here no doubt, but in many cases, we find ourselves navigating to the Photos app after capturing and sending a photograph in the Messages app to delete it from our Camera Roll afterward. I can personally relate to this particular dilemma, and that’s one reason why I’m excited to share the likes of a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed Don’tSaveMessagePhotos by iOS developer lint.

This tweak brings iOS 14’s conversation pinning to pwned iOS 13 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 2, 2020

One of my favorite new features that will ship with the upcoming iOS 14 update is the ability to pin favorite conversations to the top of the Messages app for quicker reference. But if you’re jailbroken on iOS 13, then you might feel reluctant to upgrade for this new feature alone.

Fortunately, jailbreakers won’t be left in the dust when iOS 14 launches because a newly released jailbreak tweak called PinHeads (iOS 13) by iOS developer Ahmad brings iOS 14-style conversation pinning to the Messages app on pwned iOS 13 devices.

Safari in Messages lets you view webpages in the Messages app itself

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 13, 2020

I send and receive a lot of internet links via my iPhone’s Messages app, and one thing I can’t stand about the user experience in this respect is that tapping on a link jolts me out of the Messages app and into the Safari app. Why couldn’t Apple just build a simple webpage UI into the Messages app like several well-respected third-party app developers do in their own apps?

If you agree that the latter experience would make a lot more sense, then you’re likely to enjoy a newly released and free jailbreak tweak called Safari in Messages by iOS developer Andrew Abosh. Just as the name implies, this tweak makes it so that internet links load natively inside the Messages app via a dedicated webpage UI without actually moving you to the Safari app.

This tweak brings colorful gradients and more to iOS’ Messages app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated December 12, 2021

After jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad, one of the more exciting things you can do is add custom colors to the Messages app, namely the sent and received chat bubbles that distinguish your words from your recipient’s. But as cool as that might be, who wants to be limited to only a single color choice for each person?

Enter Gradient Bubble Color, a newly released jailbreak tweak by iOS developer Naneramanu that outfits your Messages app’s chat bubbles with a juicy gradient of colors and provides a plethora of options for colorizing other aspects of the Messages app.

Iris unlocks powerful new features in Apple’s Messages app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 10, 2020

Apple meticulously designed its Messages app to be one of the most straightforward standard text messaging platforms on any modern handset, and the company’s built-in iMessage service only augments your messaging capabilities, as long as your recipient is an iOS or macOS user too.

But despite the bevy of creature comforts that Apple implemented into Messages to make iMessage as great as it is today, there’s no question that a number of high-demand features are still missing, and iOS developer JacobCXDev has done a wonderful job of bringing those to the Messages app without Apple’s seal of approval in the form of a newly released jailbreak tweak called Iris.

MessageUnread lets users mark read messages as unread in iOS

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 13, 2020

Raise your hand if you’ve preemptively tapped on an unread conversation in your Messages app by accident before, only to find yourself too busy to read or respond to the message and later forget to look back at it because the notification indicator had disappeared as a result. *Raises hand slowly*

If you joined me in the hand raise of shame, then don’t fret because we’ve all been there before. Fortunately, a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed MessageUnread by iOS developer Greg0109 can remedy this unfortunate experience by letting users mark read conversation threads in the Messages app as unread instead.

How to customize your Twitter (X) notifications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated July 28, 2023

Receive too many Twitter (now called X) notifications? This tutorial shows you how to customize Twitter notifications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web to cut down unnecessary alerts and reduce distractions.