Ryan Petrich

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Ryan Petrich:

Jailbreaking Gets Back In The Game With iOS 7

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In the final months leading up to the next major iOS release, there’s barely enough activity on the jailbreak front to fill a couple of conference rooms. But with the public release of iOS 7 just around the corner, it’s like the calm before the storm as hackers gear up for what may be the toughest system to crack yet.

Developers, hackers, and hardcore fans gathered in late August at JailbreakCon in New York City, an annual summit for the meeting of the minds within the jailbreak community. And while the conference’s founder, Craig Fox, wasn’t “overly pleased” with attendance for the third edition, he still considers the event a success. Why? It fulfilled its mission.

For the past few years, JailbreakCon has played a crucial role in providing face time to code jockeys from different continents who would otherwise only know each other by Twitter handles. Friendships are formed and ideas are shared. This year was no different. And as the release of iOS 7 draws near, jailbreaking’s closely-knit group of hackers and developers is getting back in the game.

iOS 7 Has Already Been Jailbroken, And Here’s Proof [Image]

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Can it be jailbroken? That’s the first question a large number of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users ask when Apple releases a new iOS update — particularly when it’s a release as big as iOS 7. Apple attempts to block all the vulnerabilities that make jailbreaking possible with iOS updates, so there’s always a concern that the next will kill jailbreaking once and for all.

Thankfully, it doesn’t look like that will be the case with iOS 7, which has already been jailbroken.

FullForce Stretches iPhone 4S Apps To Fill Your iPhone 5 Screen [Jailbreak]

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The iPhone 5’s been on sale for almost five months now, but there are still plenty of apps that have yet been updated to take advantage of its larger 4-inch display. They don’t get blown up automatically, either, so they sit in the middle of the screen and look silly.

As is often the case, a tweak is now available for jailbroken iPhones that solves that. Developed by Ryan Petrich, the creator of many popular jailbreak tweaks, FullForce automatically takes apps designed for the iPhone 4/4S and makes them longer for the iPhone 5.

New Tweak Unlocks The Hidden Topography Mode In Google Maps For iPhone [Jailbreak]

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Google Maps hidden topography

Open the Apple Maps app in iOS 6, tap the bottom right page curl, and enable Satellite view. All of a sudden whatever you’re looking at will be filled in with realistic details like grass, pavement, and buildings. The Google Maps for iPhone app is capable of displaying satellite imagery as well, but Google has also baked a hidden topography mode into the app.

Thanks to jailbreak tweak developer Ryan Petrich, there’s a new package in Cydia that unlocks the Google Maps for iPhone Topography mode.

Give Your A4-Powered iOS Device iOS 6’s 3D Flyover And Turn-By-Turn [Jailbreak]

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It could be some time before you can rely on Apple's new Maps app.
Want this on your iPhone 4? Now you can.

While Apple’s new Maps app has received a lot of criticism since its debut last month, it does offer a number of nifty features that weren’t available in iOS 5, including 3D Flyover and voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation. However, these are features that are only available on the latest devices, including the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5, the new iPad, and the fifth-generation iPod touch.

At least that’s the case if you handset isn’t jailbroken. If it is, you can now get these features on A4-powered devices like the iPhone 4, and the fourth-generation iPod touch thanks to a new tweak called ‘Unlock iOS 6 Maps’.

Don’t Like iOS 6’s Colorful Status Bars? Install The AntiTint Tweak To Kill Them [Jailbreak]

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AntiTint ensures your status bar goes unnoticed at all times.
AntiTint ensures your status bar goes unnoticed at all times.

Apple added a nifty new feature to iOS 6 that adds a splash of color to the status bar. Rather than being just black or silver, the status bar now changes to match the color scheme of the app you’re running. In Skype, for example, it goes bright blue, while in the eBay app it goes grey.

I’m a big fan of this feature, but I know a lot of users don’t. With that said, if you’d like to kill it, you’ll be delighted to hear there’s a new tweak for jailbroken devices that does just that.

Developer Gets Google Maps Working Under iOS 6 With ‘A Little Trickery’ [Video]

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Google Maps is gone in iOS 6, but some users are desperate to get it back.
Google Maps is gone in iOS 6, but some users are desperate to get it back.

iOS jailbreak developer Ryan Petrich has successfully gotten the old iOS Maps app, which was powered by Google and boasted features like Street View and walking directions, running under iOS 6. The port is said to be unstable at the moment, but it’s working, and with a little more work, it could be available in all its glory to users with jailbroken iOS devices.

Use DietBulletin To Make Notification Banners Super Slim On Your Jailbroken iOS Device [Jailbreak]

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With DietBulletin, notification banners are as slim as the status bar.
With DietBulletin, notification banners are as slim as the status bar.

Using banners for your notifications — rather than full-blown alerts we had to suffer prior to iOS 5 — is a great way to ensure incoming alerts stay out of your way while you’re busy sending tweets, chopping fruit, or writing emails. However, it would be nice if those banners could be even slimmer — maybe the same size of the status bar.

Thanks to DietBulletin, they can be.

iOS 5 Finally Gets An Animated Clock Icon Thanks To LiveClock Update [Jailbreak]

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LiveClock is worth installing again!

LiveClock, a tweak from Ryan Petrich that animates the Clock app’s icon to show the time, was once one of the first tweaks I would install after jailbreaking my iPhone. But after installing iOS 5, I had to live without it — because it just wasn’t compatible. Now, nine months after iOS 5 made its debut, it is!

Make Google Chrome Your Default Web Browser On iOS With The BrowserChooser Tweak [Jailbreak]

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BrowserChoose is a free tweak that makes Chrome your default browser.
BrowserChoose is a free tweak that makes Chrome your default browser.

Google finally released its hugely popular Chrome web browser for iOS yesterday, and just as we had expected, it’s the best third-party browser so far. In fact, in many ways, it’s also better than Apple’s built-in mobile Safari browser. And you can now use Chrome as your default browser on your jailbroken iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches, thanks to the BrowserChooser tweak.

Jailbreak App Display Recorder Ripped Off And Released In The App Store

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Display Recorder in the App Store is a near clone of its jailbreak counterpart.
Display Recorder in the App Store is a near clone of its jailbreak counterpart.

Fans of jailbreaking will most likely know about Display Recorder, the jailbreak app by Ryan Petrich, that, as its name implies, lets you record your iPhone’s screen. Display Recorder is one of the reasons I initially began jailbreaking my devices. It’s a handy tool if you need to show someone how to do something on your iPhone. That in mind, I was excited today when I saw that Display Recorder had been released into the App Store. That is, until I saw it had been developed by someone else.

How To Check For Cydia Updates In The iOS 5 Notification Center [Jailbreak]

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Never miss a Cydia update again with Curiosa

A new jailbreak tweak called Curiosa lets you see incoming Cydia updates in the iOS 5 Notification Center. Instead of having to open the Cydia app and refresh for changes, new updates will be pushed as notifications for you to quickly view and open.

Developed by prominent jailbreak dev Ryan Petrich, Curiosa is available for free in Cydia now. It comes with some nice features to enhance its functionality.

SwipeBack Lets You Navigate Back Through iOS Menus With A Swipe [Jailbreak]

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SwipeBack is a great way to navigate back through iOS menus with a swipe.
SwipeBack is a great way to navigate back through iOS menus with a swipe.

SwipeBack is a new tweak for jailbroken iPhones that allows you to elegantly navigate back through your menus by swiping your finger across your screen, rather than tapping on the buttons at the top of the display. It’s currently still in beta, but it works well and you can get your hands on it now.

How To Keep Apps Like Path From Accessing Your Contacts Data [Jailbreak]

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We told you yesterday that Path was secretly uploading your iPhone’s entire address book to its servers. Users of the inclusive social network voiced concern, and many decided to remove the app entirely until Path addresses the issue in an upcoming update.

It’s common practice for third-party apps to access and even store your contacts elsewhere. The problem with Path is that there was no indication that this activity was taking place. Path’s CEO stated that the app would make the activity opt-in when the next update is pushed out.

Thanks to a brand new jailbreak tweak, you’ll never have to worry about an app silently stealing your personal contacts data again.

Install Apple’s Stock iPhone Apps On Your Jailbroken iPad With Belfry

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Some of Apple’s stock iPhone apps would work wonderfully on the iPad, such as Clock, Stocks, Weather, and Calculator. But the Cupertino company seems to have no plans to port these apps over to the larger device. After all, I’m sure if it did we’d already have them by now.

But thanks to a new utility for jailbroken iPads called Belfry, you can port them over yourself.

Watch Siri Running On The iPhone 3GS [Video]

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgFKdyh68jo

Famed jailbreak developer Ryan Petrich has released a video of Siri running on the iPhone 3GS. Petrich is most known in the jailbreak community for his Activator extension that brings customized gestures for specific apps and tweaks in iOS.

In the above video, Petrich is demonstrating Siri on an iPhone 3GS. He has also mentioned that he is working on Activator integration with Siri.