In case you’re new to the iOS Jailbreaking buildup prepare, it’s just normal to get perplexed by the complex Jailbreaking language being tossed around consistently. One such term you’ll go over frequently is Cydia. In this way, We at wikitechy chosen to clarify the in and outs of Cydia to help beginner clients to get along well in their Jailbreaking journey.

So, What is Cydia Exactly?

Cydia has gone about as a metonym for Jailbreak, however at its center, Cydia is only an App Store for downloading and overseeing new Jailbreak applications/changes. Apple (obviously) doesn’t permit such third-party changes in its App Store, so Jailbroken clients need to depend on Cydia as an option App Store. The best way to introduce Cydia on your iPhone/iPad is to Jailbreak your iOS device.

As a fun fact, the term “Cydia” is a scientific name for a worm that infects Apple (the fruit). Jay Freeman AKA Saurik, the mastermind behind Cydia, did choose the name very aptly.

What is a Repository/Source?

Repos, short for repositories, is a place for facilitating the Jailbreak changes/applications. This facilitating is done on a web server on the Internet. Once in a while, it is utilized reciprocally with the expression “Sources“. The current version of Cydia accompanies a few sources included as a matter of course, in particular — BigBoss and ModMyi. These vaults are home to many Jailbreak changes.

How Do I Add a Repository/Source in Cydia?

Different Jailbreak changes are hosted on different sources. You need to add the relevant Source where the tweak is hosted. To add a new Source —

  • Open “Cydia”and navigate to the “Sources” Tap “Edit” > “Add”.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

  • Enter the Source URL in the dialogue box that appears and click on “Add Source“.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

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You may need to scan the web for the Source URL of the change you’re searching for. One simple method for doing this is hunting Google down “Change name Source” where you supplant the change name by the genuine change name you’re searching for.

  • Cydia will now add the Source and after a while, display a“Complete” message similar to below. Tap on “Return to Cydia“.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

How Do I Remove a Repository/Source in Cydia?

If you no longer use the tweaks from a particular Source, you may want to remove the Source from Cydia altogether. To remove a Source

  • Open “Cydia”,navigate to the “Sources” tab and tap “Edit”.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

  • Tap on the red circular remove icon on the left-hand side to remove the Source.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

The Source is currently effectively removed from your Cydia. The change will no longer show up in the pursuit in the event that you erase its related Source. On the off chance that need be, you can re-add the Source from a similar tab.

How Do I Install/Update New Jailbreak Tweaks?

  • To search for a new Jailbreak tweak, Open “Cydia”> “Search” and enter the name of the tweak you’re looking for.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

As BigBoss and ModMyi Sources are added by default, only the changes hosted on these Sources will show up in searches. If the tweak you’re looking for doesn’t appear in the search results, verify that you’ve added the Source it is hosted in.

  • When updates are available for an installed tweak, a red badge will appear on the “Changes” tab. You should keep a tab on this tab (no pun intended) as developers frequently update the tweaks to support the latest version of iOS.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

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How Do I Remove Installed Jailbreak Tweaks?

Once in a while, two comparable changes may bring about clashes with each other. Different circumstances, some change are not good with your form of iOS. Regardless of what the reason is, If you no longer require a change, removing it is super simple.

  • Open “Cydia”> “Installed” and open the tweak you wish to remove.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

  • Tap on “Modify” > “Remove” > “Confirm“.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

The twist should now be removed from Cydia. You can reinstall any tweak if you need it in the future.

How Do I Fix a Bootloop Caused by a Jailbreak Tweak?

Sometimes, installing incompatible Jailbreak twists can cause your iPhone to be stuck in a boot loop. You can recall numerous instances where people restored their iPhone/iPad via iTunes because a problematic tweak had rendered their iOS devices useless. Before taking such extreme measure, it is worth noting that Cydia provides a “No substrate mode” which disables all the tweaks temporarily. To enter “No substrate mode”

  • If you’re using iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, hold down both the Home and Volume Down button for about 10 seconds to restart. For earlier versions of iPhone/iPad, restart your iPhone by holding down both the Home and Power button for about 10 seconds.
  • As soon as you see the Apple logo, hold the volume up button until you see the lock screen.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

Your device is now running in “No substrate mode” with all the Jailbreak tweaks disabled. Now, you can open Cydia and remove the twist causing the boot loop. If you’ve a lot of twists installed, it could take a bit of trial-and-error to see which twist is causing the boot loop. Now that you’ve fixed the issue, just restart your iPhone normally and to exit this mode.

Bonus Tip: Queue Tweaks to Save Time

While spree of installing a lot of Jailbreak tweaks, my only gripe is that most of the Jailbreak tweaks require you to respring the Springboard. In simple terms, installing/upgrading/removing each tweak requires the Springboard (iOS home screen) to be restarted which could take a few seconds.

Luckily, Cydia allows you to queue multiple tweaks and perform installing/upgrading/removing of tweaks all in one go (and hence just one respring.) This comes in really handy and saves a lot of time. To queue an operation on a tweak —

  • Open the tweak in Cydia and tap on“Modify”.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

  • Select the operation (Install/Upgrade/Remove) you want to perform. Next, tap on “Continue Queuing“.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

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  • Now a red “Q’d” badge should appear on the Installed tab.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

 

  • When you’re done making enough changes and want to respring, navigate to the Installed tab and click on “Queue” > “Confirm“.

How To Use Cydia – A Beginner’s Guide

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