The best jailbreak apps in Cydia

The jailbreak community has been churning out iPhone apps since before the App Store existed. Some of those apps even served as – ahem – "inspiration" for Apple-made iOS features (Wi-Fi Sync and MobileNotifier come to mind). But as much as iOS has evolved, Cydia is still a hotbed of innovation. Which of its apps stand out? Let's take a look at the all-time best jailbreak apps.

Before you can install any of these apps and tweaks, you’ll need to jailbreak your iDevice. If you haven't done so yet, check out our guide for jailbreaking any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch on iOS 7.

Without further ado, here are our picks for the all-time best jailbreak apps in Cydia.

Auxo

Many jailbreak developers have tried to reinvent iOS multitasking, but Auxo stands out as the one Apple is most likely to copy.

Auxo's killer feature is its multitasking cards, which show live previews of open apps. But it's the tiny details (settings toggles, multitouch swipe-to-dismiss, expanded music controls) that make it an all-time great.

Zephyr

Tired of always pressing and double-tapping your iPhone’s home button? Zephyr will replace it with a series of intuitive gestures.

After installing Zephyr, a short swipe up from the bottom of the screen will bring up the multitasking switcher. A longer swipe up will close your current app. Swipe from the left to return to your most recent app.

TetherMe

Fed up with your wireless carrier's tethering policy? TetherMe lets you activate your iPhone's personal hotspot without adding a separate plan.

TetherMe claims to be undetectable by carriers, but use at your own risk. No tethering app is guaranteed to be 100 percent stealthy, and using it likely violates your wireless agreement.

BiteSMS, Messages+

Two apps, with one goal: to enhance iOS messaging. Both BiteSMS and Messages+ let you quick-reply to a text without leaving the app you're in, or assign a gesture to compose a new message from anywhere in iOS.

BiteSMS has been around longer, and offers theming and tons of customization. Messages+ is more streamlined, and integrated into the stock Messages app. It's worth checking out both to find your favorite.

SwipeSelection

Typing on an iPad isn't ideal, but it's tolerable. Editing text, though, is a pain. SwipeSelection improves it dramatically: slide across the keyboard to move the cursor, and slide from either shift key to select text.

Merge

Tired of having multiple iMessage threads for the same person? Merge combines all of your conversations for each contact into a single thread.

It's another Cydia app that Apple would be wise to emulate.