One of the best things about being jailbroken is that you can install jailbreak tweaks to augment your favorite apps’ functionalities, whether they were put there by Apple or installed by you via the App Store. Unfortunately, not everyone is or can be jailbroken, and this offers its own unique set of challenges for those using the latest firmware versions or newer devices that aren’t susceptible to current jailbreaks.
Given the aforementioned circumstances, we think that a newly released macOS app dubbed iPAPatcher by iOS developer Brandon Plank may be of particular interest to those who wish to tweak certain apps even when they don’t have a jailbreak at their disposal.
For those unaware, .ipa is the file extension used by iPhone and iPad apps, and just as the new app’s name implies, iPAPatcher permits users, jailbroken or not, to patch their favorite apps with their favorite tweaks. In other words, it effectively bakes jailbreak-centric add-ons right into iPhone or iPad app files before side loading them onto your jailbroken or non-jailbroken device.
For instance, let’s say you have a favorite jailbreak tweak that you like to use with Instagram or YouTube, but you lost your jailbreak. Even if you aren’t jailbroken, you can now use iPAPatcher to combine your favorite jailbreak tweak .deb file with the Instagram or YouTube .ipa file. You would then just use a side loading program like AltStore, Cydia Impactor, or Xcode to install the modified app on your iPhone or iPad, and viola.
Instagram and YouTube are merely examples, of course. You could theoretically use any app’s .ipa file along with any tweak’s .deb file to brew your own special magic concoction. The only important thing to remember is that the tweak must be compatible with the app you want to patch – this means both the app itself and the version of the app that the tweak was made for (if the app is too new, then the tweak may not work with it).
iPAPatcher can patch apps with jailbreak tweak .deb file or with a Dynamic Library (dylib). What you choose is up to you, but for most average users, a jailbreak tweak .deb will be the most popular method.
With an easy-to-navigate interface comprised of just a few buttons, users should have no problem jumping in and trying iPAPatcher for themselves for the first time. Simply download iPAPatcher, set aside the app .ipa file and the tweak .deb file you want to use, merge them together with iPAPatcher, and side load the app to your device – that’s it!
iPAPatcher is available on Brandon Plank’s GitHub page and supports any version of macOS newer than version 10.10. If you’re interested in learning more about the project or keeping up with the latest developments and updates, then you should consider following the developer on Twitter.
Will you be patching your apps with tweaks and third-party add-ons? Let us know in the comments section below.
