Jailbreak Only: Locktopus - Password Protect Your Apps With Ease
by Joe White
August 14, 2010
We all know the situation well. You're out of the house, at a party, with friends. Your phone buzzes, and you whip out your phone to answer whoever's just texted you. Then, like the cry of some terrible banshee, a guy or girl exclaims: you've got an iPhone, and instantly begs for a closer inspection, feigning interest in your iDevice, so that your personal information might be examined in-depth.
You've got SMS messages on there, emails, photos, videos, calendar entries - and a whole load of other private information you rather not have examined.
However, thanks to the magic of jailbreaking, there is now a solution. And, that solution is aptly called Locktopus: a piece of software that password protects your apps.
Available now in Cydia for $2, Locktopus is compatible with iOS 3.x right up to 4.0.1. Once you've got the software installed on your jailbroken iPhone, locking up your apps couldn't be simpler. All users have to do is enter edit ("wiggly") mode on their iPhone, and tap the bottom-left corner of the application while it's jiggling around. A red lock will appear, meaning that the app is now password protected.
You can change the default password in Settings. Once protected, users will have to enter a password to open Locktopus-protected applications. If you forget your password, simply reinstall the extension through Cydia - and if you've locked Cydia, disable the extension with SBSettings and then reinstall.
If you've got any questions, you can contact the authors John Heaton (@gojohnnyboi) and Coleman Stavish (@c_axis) via Twitter. And, be sure to let us know how Locktopus works for you in the comments box below!
