Is It Still an iPhone?

[LukinLedbetter]

I'm an Android fan stuck on iOS. I've been dancing through the many Android offerings over the past few years, but last fall my wife pleaded with me to switch to an iPhone so we could utilize the iOS services that she's such a fan of (iMessage, FaceTime, etc.). So, begrudgingly, I did.(Mind you, it's not that the iPhone isn't a great device; I just prefer Android.)

So I purchased an iPhone 6s Plus and immediately Jailbroke it. After a couple months of tweaking and scouring the Cydia store for the right tweaks, I've finally got myself an iPhone running iOSANDROID!

I've tweaked the icons using Anemone, changed the default map app to Google Maps, added the Google Search bar to the home screen, shunned the pages of apps in exchange for a proper App drawer, and sped up the slow default iOS animations. What I have now feels a lot like one of my Android phones in the body of an iPhone. So is it still an iPhone? I suppose so, but it sure feels better! Kinda the best of both worlds. The fantastic hardware and battery life of the 6s+ combined with the (almost) customization of Android.

Of course, now I just have to resist the urge to pounce on the new S7 or G5, or Moto X 2016, or new Nexuses and so on.

 

[Technarchy]

So you wasted a lot of time trying to make iOS look like android?

And you're stuck on iOS because your wife tells you what phone to use?

Not really sure where you are going with this. Wouldn't it be easier to just buy and android phone rather than being "stuck"?

 

[LukinLedbetter]

So you wasted a lot of time trying to make iOS look like android?

And you're stuck on iOS because your wife tells you what phone to use?

Not really sure where you are going with this. Wouldn't it be easier to just buy and android phone rather than being "stuck"?

Not sure why you took the prick route with your response. I had fun emulating android on my iPhone. Thought I'd share the experience. Apparently it upsets you.

 

[tbayrgs]

So you wasted a lot of time trying to make iOS look like android?

And you're stuck on iOS because your wife tells you what phone to use?

You must not be married Technarchy...

 

[apolloa]

You should be very grateful SWMBO let you spend so much on a tech toy! I bet if she didn't like iPhones and you bought one she would flip, how much!!!
Shame it's still iOS under the hood.

 

[LukinLedbetter]

To be fair to my wife, I can own whatever phone I'd like. I went along with the iphone idea interested in seeing what the Jailbreak community could serve up by way of customizing iOS. I'm actually quite happy with my Frankenstein device!

 

[jamezr]

To be fair to my wife, I can own whatever phone I'd like. I went along with the iphone idea interested in seeing what the Jailbreak community could serve up by way of customizing iOS. I'm actually quite happy with my Frankenstein device!

and that my friend is all that matters in the end!

 

[Fernandez21]

So you wasted a lot of time trying to make iOS look like android?

And you're stuck on iOS because your wife tells you what phone to use?

Not really sure where you are going with this. Wouldn't it be easier to just buy and android phone rather than being "stuck"?

if he just got an android phone then he wouldn't have access to apple services, such as FaceTime, iMessage, iTunes, and iCloud. He seems to be getting the best of both worlds here. I just wonder how stable it is.
[doublepost=1455672170][/doublepost]

I'm an Android fan stuck on iOS. I've been dancing through the many Android offerings over the past few years, but last fall my wife pleaded with me to switch to an iPhone so we could utilize the iOS services that she's such a fan of (iMessage, FaceTime, etc.). So, begrudgingly, I did.(Mind you, it's not that the iPhone isn't a great device; I just prefer Android.)

So I purchased an iPhone 6s Plus and immediately Jailbroke it. After a couple months of tweaking and scouring the Cydia store for the right tweaks, I've finally got myself an iPhone running iOSANDROID!

I've tweaked the icons using Anemone, changed the default map app to Google Maps, added the Google Search bar to the home screen, shunned the pages of apps in exchange for a proper App drawer, and sped up the slow default iOS animations. What I have now feels a lot like one of my Android phones in the body of an iPhone. So is it still an iPhone? I suppose so, but it sure feels better! Kinda the best of both worlds. The fantastic hardware and battery life of the 6s+ combined with the (almost) customization of Android.

Of course, now I just have to resist the urge to pounce on the new S7 or G5, or Moto X 2016, or new Nexuses and so on.

View attachment 616783 View attachment 616785

that looks awesome. been contemplating doing something like that, but i not sure i want to dedicate the time to it now. Plus, how stable is it? But you should a tutorial or video guide or something, would love to mix the 2.

 

[Technarchy]

You must not be married Technarchy...

I am. She is forced to use an iPhone.

 

[LukinLedbetter]

if he just got an android phone then he wouldn't have access to apple services, such as FaceTime, iMessage, iTunes, and iCloud. He seems to be getting the best of both worlds here. I just wonder how stable it is.

So far it's been good. I haven't had any hang ups or reboots. I've been pretty picky with the tweaks I've installed and stuck to pretty basic things.

It did take some time with tinkering and trying out different tweaks, but honestly not anymore time than I was already used to spending rooting and installing custom roms. It's all about the same time-wise.

Part of what I love about android is the ability to make tinker and customize, so I don't view it as a waste of time. I'd imagine there a re quite a few around this board who do the same.

 

[gotluck]

Personally I think jailbroken ios is the best mobile os

I'm not a themer but it's about freedom - nice work!

 

[that be me]

Curious. Do you happen to have a list of the tweaks you used?

 

[HiDEF]

I'm on iOS 9.2.1; is there any way to revert back to an older version of iOS so I can try jailbreak?

 

[Tig Bitties]

Once official 9.3 is released, a new Jailbreak will come out.

 

[LukinLedbetter]

Anemone (for icon theming)
F.Lux
iWidgets (Nexus clock)
Search Bar Widget 2
HideMeX (for various iOS mods)
Springtomize
Anchor (to place icons anywhere I choose)

All the themes I use in Anemone can be found from Frenchitouch's developments. He can be found on Twitter and via a quick Google search.

I'm also using Eclipse 3 for universal dark theming and a few other tweaks not pictured not necessary for the screenshots I posted.

So....to kind of bring this thread back on topic; I pose the following question:

Are the potentials of customization on iOS and Android evidence of them being closer cousins than they may appear at first glance?

 

[Tig Bitties]

Big difference is, for the tweaks to be done on the iPhone, the phone needs to be Jailbreaked, which really isn't that common, and typically leaves you stuck on older firmware / older iOS versions.

Android phones can be tweaked right of the box, really with no Root or custom ROM's needed to do a lot of things that take a JB iPhone to do. And then add on Root + custom ROM, and the skies the limit on Android.

I would say a JB iPhone is like a stock Android phone.

 

[Truefan31]

In his case though he's getting the best of both worlds. The customization of android with the seamless services of iMessage FaceTime iCloud etc. very nice. Also he still gets the support of Apple even jail broken.

 

[Tsepz]

Looks good a shame you have to jump through so many hoops to get it be as customisable as a stock Android device. Great job though! You made the best of your situation, lol.

Big difference is, for the tweaks to be done on the iPhone, the phone needs to be Jailbreaked, which really isn't that common, and typically leaves you stuck on older firmware / older iOS versions.

Android phones can be tweaked right of the box, really with no Root or custom ROM's needed to do a lot of things that take a JB iPhone to do. And then add on Root + custom ROM, and the skies the limit on Android.

I would say a JB iPhone is like a stock Android phone.

Indeed. A Rooted Android is a whole other beast I simply don't have the time or patience anymore to Root my Android or JB my iPad, thankfully Android is customisable out the box and I have setup to my exact preferences.

 

[Tig Bitties]

To the OP that is really cool. IMO a Jailbreak iPhone is the only way to use an iPhone. I could never use a plain Jane stock iPhone.

Question on the Google search widget. Does it really work ? Can you tao the little microphone to activate Google Now ?

 

[Simche]

Huh, never knew someone liked android so much that that they were willing to re-make the whole interface... It looks very distinct (and unique), it's good that you're happy about it. Hopefully you won't experience troubles in the length. I used to remake my iPhone many times and heavily with jailbreak before, now I kind of like the ordinary stock look and just feature enhancments are enough

 

[The Game 161]

Why not just have an iPhone and an android? Best of both worlds.

 

[max2]

This is really cool. Your lucky you got a iPhone 6s Plus with iOS 9.0.2 still on it.

 

[apolloa]

Anemone (for icon theming)
F.Lux
iWidgets (Nexus clock)
Search Bar Widget 2
HideMeX (for various iOS mods)
Springtomize
Anchor (to place icons anywhere I choose)

All the themes I use in Anemone can be found from Frenchitouch's developments. He can be found on Twitter and via a quick Google search.

I'm also using Eclipse 3 for universal dark theming and a few other tweaks not pictured not necessary for the screenshots I posted.

So....to kind of bring this thread back on topic; I pose the following question:

Are the potentials of customization on iOS and Android evidence of them being closer cousins than they may appear at first glance?

I would say no your question, because to get iOS to the state you have required a fair bit of research and some hacking, it wasn't like it out the box, where as an Android phone is like it out the box.

But they are both smart phone OS's running in essentially computers. And they have come a very long way over the years.

 

[Surf Donkey]

Cool, but still just a theme and nothing like Android. Personally, I don't get why you couldn't have pushed the other way. Have your wife install Hangouts or Skype on her iPhone? Its not like Facetime and iMessage are the only video and messaging services out there. Many apps work on mobile and desktop as well.

I won't ever make the mistake of paying big money for an iOS device again. Playing around with Jailbreak is OK, but in the end, you are still stuck with iOS.

 

[LukinLedbetter]

To the OP that is really cool. IMO a Jailbreak iPhone is the only way to use an iPhone. I could never use a plain Jane stock iPhone.

Question on the Google search widget. Does it really work ? Can you tao the little microphone to activate Google Now ?

If you have the Google Search app installed from the App store then the Google search widget will work as expected. It will conduct a google search and reveal the search results in Safari. As for the microphone, no, that part doesn't really work as it does on an Android phone. I never use the "Hey Siri" or "Hey Google" voice stuff much anyway. I've never gotten comfortable talking to my phone.