Jailbreak Only: How To Enable iOS 7 Hidden Springboard Settings On iPhone 5s
by Dom Esposito
December 26, 2013
Recently, a new jailbreak tweak was released that allows users to enable iOS 7's hidden Springboard settings. Unfortunately, this method is not compatible with any A7 devices until Mobile Substrate is updated in the near future. The good news is, there's another method available now that doesn't require Mobile Substrate.
The tutorial was originally posted on Reddit by Michael Carroll and the full instructions can be found here, but I wouldn't recommend attempting this unless you absolutely know what you're doing. The process involves manually editing files on an iPhone 5s, and for the average user, this isn't going to be easy.
Below you'll find a video overview of the entire process. While we were successful in completing the tutorial, you should definitely backup your device before getting started. In the event that the device gets stuck in a boot loop or anything, you always have the ability to put it into DFU mode and restore it via iTunes.
Check out the video tutorial below:
If you can't see the above video, please click this link.
If you'd like to try this out for yourself, make sure that your iPhone 5s is jailbroken. You'll also need a set of files which can be found on the tutorial's Reddit thread. It's also important to note that jailbreaking your device will void your warranty with Apple, but a restore via iTunes will revert it back to stock iOS without a trace of any previous activity. If you'd like to enable these settings on an iPhone 5/5c or lower, check out this tutorial. You'll still need to be jailbroken, but the original method works with Mobile Substrate which is compatible with older devices. Overall, this is a very interesting way to customize the iPhone 5s while Mobile Substrate is unavailable, but as I mentioned above, we may see that update in the very near future. Now that you know what it takes to enable the hidden Springboard settings on iPhone 5s, is it really worth the hassle? Happy hacking. Update: We've confirmed that this method works on all A7 devices (iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina Display).