With iOS 10 out and being updated regularly to fix bugs, we are left wondering when we will see another jailbreak. Apple hinted that jailbreaking would be much harder from now on with the addition of their new technology, Rootless, that stops access to certain files in the iOS system, even if you have admin privileges. While we wait for news from Taig or Pangu as to their progress, we have been looking around for an alternative to Cydia and we have found it in an app installer called Extensify.
What is Extensify?
Extensify is an app installer that works without a jailbreak. Developed by Kevin Kho and Majd Alfhaily, Extensify is a kind of store for tweaks that let you modify some of the stock apps and those that you can download from the iOS app store. It doesn’t go as far as jailbreaking but it does give us something to play with while we wait for the next version of Cydia to be released.
How Does Extensify Work?
Just to be clear, Extensify is not a replacement for Cydia it is just an alternative while we wait for a new jailbreak to be released and will also be good for those who have no interest in jailbreaking but would still want to be able to modify their iOS apps in some small way.
- The user interface for Extensify is very nice and works really well in all aspects
- There is no need to hook your iPhone or iPad up to a computer; Extensify can easily be downloaded onto your device as an app
- To use Extensify, simply download it, log in and start searching for the modification you want to apple. Add as many as you want to a queue and, then when you are done you can build them and then install them
- Tweaks are called Exos in Extensify; you don’t actually apply them to the stock app, instead you build a modified version of the app that will run side by side with the stock version. These are denoted by a + sign, for example, a modified YouTube app would show up as YouTube+
- There are plenty of Exos to choose from in Extensify and plenty of modifications to apply
- Other features include a full description of the tweak, the size of it, the number of downloads, etc. There is also a feature that allows you to leave feedback or comments on a tweak
How Useful is Extensify?
Extensify is incredibly useful as a stand-in for Cydia Download and for those who don’t want to jailbreak. And, because it doesn’t actually modify any of the stock apps, you get to use both versions – the stock and the modified version. Although there isn’t so much in Extensify as there is in Cydia, it will serve a purpose. Just be aware that you will not be able to make any modifications to the actual iOS or to the springboard as you can with Cydia.