Hi Guys,

In an earlier post we discussed the Play Store for rooted Android devices known as Xposed Framework.

Today we are gonna discuss the App Store for jailbroken iOS Devices known as Cydia.

What is Cydia?

Cydia is like an App Store on which all the items (apps, modules, tweaks, emulators, etc.) which needs root access to work properly, or which got rejected by Apple Inc. to be included in the official App Store to protect its the limitations it imposes on its devices. The foremost thing is it also allows you to change the look of your iPhone, which is the main reason we envy our Android friends. You can select from a variety of themes that can change your icons, wallpaper, dock and status bar, etc. You can even use an application called WinterBoard to changes things like your dialer keypad, your Chat bubbles, the color of the WiFi and Signal bars…etc.

Why use Cydia instead of App Store?

It’s an independent, third-party installer application for all the iOS Devices. Developed by Jay Freeman (Saurik), it’s similar to the official App Store but has even better apps to feature. Many a times, apps featured in Cydia make their place in future versions of iOS.

How to get Cydia?

If you have jailbroken your iOS device via a popular or known jailbreak tool like Evasi0n, Pangu or Taig, you will automatically get the lastest version of Cydia installed in your device. Or else, let us know in the comments.

How to use Cydia?

Once you open it, you’ll find 5 sections. Here are the details:

Cydia - Here you’ll find link to Saurik's Facebook and Twitter page, some sponsored apps (which are mostly paid), account information (it isn't needed until you buy a paid tweak or app), user guides, FAQs, community help and some extras.

Sources - All the sources / repositories can be viewed here which were either pre-installed or installed by user. Repositories are an online hub where the developers release and store their tweaks for quick access and installation by anyone. You can add or remove sources by tapping on "Edit". User shouldn't install unknown repositories, as they may contain harmful app.

Changes - All new programs and updates can be found here. This particular section is updated every time Cydia is opened.

Installed - This section allows you seen all the things ( apps, tweaks, mods etc.) which are installed in your phone. User can remove anything by tapping it > Modify > Remove > Reboot Device / Respring Device (whichever option is visible). But users should refrain removing pre-installed things which are installed during the jailbreak process. To make sure that, one should only use the User tab from above tabs in this section.

Search - If you know the name of the tweak, you can go to this tab and start searching by entering the name. User can install anything by tapping it > Install > Confirm > Reboot Device / Respring Device (whichever option is visible).

Note - You can also use Continue Queuing option if you want to install or remove more than one thing during a restart.

What is the difference between Respring and Reboot?

Respring means Restart Springboard, it can be thought of as a soft restart, in it only the software restarts making it quicker than a reboot. On the other hand, in a reboot, both software and hardware as well restarts. The software of the iDevice is known as the Springboard.

What is the Safe Mode?

In case anything newly installed, gets faulty like any tweak or module, to prevent any harm to itself, the device will automatically restart in safe mode, in which one can go to Cydia and remove the newly installed package via the Installed Section.

How to buy apps from Cydia?

Cydia offers some awesome paid tweaks to spice up your iPhone or iPad. Cydia allows you to login with a Facebook or Twitter account and pay via Amazon gift cards or PayPal. Payments are easier than you would expect.

About the Developer

Jay Freeman (Saurik) first released Cydia in February 2008 as an open-source alternative to Installer.app on iPhone OS 1.1. On November 5, 2014, Cydia was updated to version 1.1.16. This version included some minor bug fixes.

You can see a demo in the Cydia Gallery. Ask your queries or feedback in the comments.

Cydia Gallery

That's all folks.

Image source - redmondpie.com (Featured image) and Swapnil's iPhone 4S (screenshots and video).

Author- Swapnil Jha

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