How to Install Jailbreak Apps
Here are the basics on how to install one of the apps below.
As a side note, it’s always good to have your SHSHs saved for your phone for future use, and your firmware downloaded and saved. This can help a lot if an app installation really goes wrong. See the [cref downgrade-an-iphone-4-ios] article for more information.
- Back up your phone in iTunes (If you don’t know how, see my [cref make-multiple-backups-in-itunes] article.)
- If you have PkgBackup installed on your phone, back up your packages. Otherwise, install this app!
- Open the Cydia App on your phone and click on the search tool in the bottom right corner.
- As you begin typing, the search will begin narrowing based on the beginning of the text that you type. (Note, if you can’t find your app, you may need to add the required repository – the database where Cydia goes looking for the app. Check out this list for more info.) If you hit search, the search will broaden to include the word(s) you typed anywhere in the search. Make your selection and go to the details page.
- Depending on the type of application you are looking at, you will get different information on the details page including a more detailed description, perhaps whether it will work on your device, screenshots, links, changelogs, etc. Look over the information to be sure you have selected a good application for your uses and your device. This is not like picking any random application from Apple. You CAN get screwed.
- Some applications are free and some are paid. You will find that most are free, but when you decide you want to buy a particularly useful paid application, follow the link to pay the person with Paypal or Amazon through Cydia.
- Click on the Install Button at the top/right
- Look at the installation package. Sometimes an installation will include several packages necessary to run. Be familiar with what you are installing. Click the Confirm Button at the top/right.
- You will see a black screen with a list of the installation processes. There will be a button at the bottom that says “Return to Cydia”, “Reboot Device”, or “Respring Device”. If it says Return to Cydia, click the button, hit the Home button to return to the Springboard, then power down your phone for about 30 seconds. This is a good habit to get into to make sure the software packages initialize properly.
- Now given all 3 of the options above, you will have an Apple logo screen as the phone reloads, then be taken back to your lockscreen. Get into your phone and test your new application.
Uninstalling Apps
Uninstalling apps is simple if you have the CYDelete app and the app is one that appears on your home screen. Just uninstall it like you would any Apple Store app. Otherwise:
- Open Cydia and select the “Manage” tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Select “Packages”.
- Scroll down and find the package that you need to uninstall and select that package.
- In the Details page, select the Modify button at the top/right.
- You will then have the option to Reinstall, Remove, or Cancel. Select Remove.
- You will be taken to the Confirmation Page. Select the Confirm Button at the top/right.
- Once again, you will see a black screen with a list of the removal processes. There will be a button at the bottom that says “Return to Cydia”, “Reboot Device”, or “Respring Device”. If it says Return to Cydia, click the button, hit the Home button to return to the Springboard, then power down your phone for about 30 seconds. This is a good habit to get into to make sure the software packages are removed properly.
When Things Go Wrong
Sometimes when you install an application, there’s no indication of a problem until you go to test the application. Then your iPhone goes into safe mode and you can’t get it back out of safe mode. This is why I recommend that you install and test one application at a time. This makes it easy to figure out who the culprit is. Follow this process. (I also have an app called CrashReporter that helps with the debugging process.)
- Backup phone and packages
- Install new app
- Test New App
- If new App fails, remove new app, even in safe mode if necessary. (Next time I’m in safe mode, I’ll take pictures.)
- Make sure phone is stable
- Backup phone and packages before installing another app (It’s good to make a note or keep a log of what changes you make. If you have to go back to a certain point, this will make things easier.)
Sometimes things go HORRIBLY wrong. I installed an application that somehow crashed my phone so bad that it uninstalled Cydia. I was able to reinstall it, but it never reappeared in my Springboard. It told me I needed updates, but gave me a warning when I went to install them. It screwed up parts of my iPhone. Here is the process I used to recover my iPhone:
Light Fix:
- Determine the poor phone is screwed. (Next time it’s screwed, I’ll add pictures.)
- Connect the thing to your iTunes. When your iPhone is recognized, right-click on it and hit “restore to backup”. Select the backup you want to restore to. I sometimes have to go back a few to fix it.
- Open your PkgBackup app and hit the Restore button. (You may want to go through the packages and hand-pick what is getting restored. This is where the log can come in handy.)
- Update any stuff that you’ve done since that last Backup that didn’t mess up your phone – moving icons around, etc.
Sometimes you REALLY mess up your phone. The thing will get stuck in the Apple icon and there’s no fixing it. Well, almost no fixing it. Here’s what to do when the going gets REALLY bad:
Heavy Fix:
- Hold down the power and home keys until the iPhone powers off then turn loose immediately. That’s how you get it to power down.
- Turn on iTunes and get your connector cable ready. Press and HOLD the home button on the iPhone. While holding it, connect the iPhone onto the dock and CONTINUE to hold the home button until the “Connect to iTunes” display appears. You will now be in Recovery Mode.
- Make sure you have DOWNLOADED the .ispw file that you need and saved it somewhere you can find it now and again in the future. Make sure you have the right version for your iPhone and the firmware that you had installed before. In my case, that’s the iPhone 4 with 4.1 or the iPhone 3G with 4.0.
- Open my [cref downgrade-an-iphone-4-ios] article in another tab or window and follow steps 1 and 2 to make sure you have the edited the hosts file properly. You can skip step 3 since you are already in Recovery Mode. Then follow steps 4-7.
- You should then be able to select the backup you want to restore to. I sometimes have to go back a few to fix it.
- Open your PkgBackup app and hit the Restore button. (You may want to go through the packages and hand-pick what is getting restored. This is where the log can come in handy.)
- Update any stuff that you’ve done since that last Backup that didn’t mess up your phone – moving icons around, etc.
