Question about
Cydia tweak for installing newer apps on older iOS versions?
I recently dug my first generation iPhone out of a drawer and wanted to install some apps on it but most apps these days require at least iOS 4 to run. Is there a Cydia tweak that I can get to install these apps? I know not everything will work properly in the app via a hack like this but is it possible?
top answers
JasonTsay's pick
No. Its the other way around. It is not that iOS wont allow the app to run. Rather the app is compiled to expect the newer OS. And it is not a matter of parts of the app not working. The whole app will fail because it is compiled to expect specific Frameworks present in iOS 5. You would have to hack the app itself, not the OS, and even then it would just crash.
mark as good answer
3 people like this answer
Clicking the mark as good answer button helps us highlight the best answers.
JasonTsay's pick
It is actually not all that hard to do. If you are on an older firmware and you have iFile try finding the apps ipa and editing the plist file to install on your firmware.
Go to where iTunes stores your IPAs for your Apps. Find the app, rename it App.zip (App being the name of the application), then unzip it. Open Payload. Find the Info.plist. (if you can't edit it, try putting the files on the iphone and editing the plist using iFile)
Edit the plist minimum OS version to be as low as your current firmware. (you might also need to edit some other OS number in the info.plist, just check out the entire thing first.)
Now go back to the payload folder and zip it up. change the name back to app.ipa.
You can now install this ipa using iFunBox or whatever way you like.
I had this problem before I upgraded from 4.2.1 to 5.0.1
I wanted to use My Xbox Live app, but they only let you use it on 4.3.
So I changed the info.plist and then it worked.
*Note iFile can edit Plists by default.
*Also some apps will not work after doing this, for example an app on 5.0 may be coded differently than on 4.0, thus it will not run as expected. In my situation I was getting a 4.0 app to work on a 4.0 OS, so this worked perfectly.
Go to where iTunes stores your IPAs for your Apps. Find the app, rename it App.zip (App being the name of the application), then unzip it. Open Payload. Find the Info.plist. (if you can't edit it, try putting the files on the iphone and editing the plist using iFile)
Edit the plist minimum OS version to be as low as your current firmware. (you might also need to edit some other OS number in the info.plist, just check out the entire thing first.)
Now go back to the payload folder and zip it up. change the name back to app.ipa.
You can now install this ipa using iFunBox or whatever way you like.
I had this problem before I upgraded from 4.2.1 to 5.0.1
I wanted to use My Xbox Live app, but they only let you use it on 4.3.
So I changed the info.plist and then it worked.
*Note iFile can edit Plists by default.
*Also some apps will not work after doing this, for example an app on 5.0 may be coded differently than on 4.0, thus it will not run as expected. In my situation I was getting a 4.0 app to work on a 4.0 OS, so this worked perfectly.
mark as good answer
3 people like this answer
Another option might be installing the alternate iOS firmware called "Whited00r". It gives a lot of functions, like multi-tasking and folders, only available in the newer iOS versions (although I know this is not exactly what you're after). It also allows you to install the apps for that iOS version. In my experience most seem to work. It is definitely worth at least a look.
mark as good answer
1 person likes this answer
I think if you search Cydia you can find apps that will do the same thing as newer apps for later ios versions.
mark as good answer
0 people like this answer
follow this question
share:
Related questions
6 users following this question:
This question has been viewed 1676 times.
Last activity .
Tips for giving the best answers
Sometimes it's just little details that separates a great and not so great answer! Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind:
- 1
- Be complete and thorough. Don't skimp on the details!
- 2
- Try not to answer with a question. Because that's not really an answer, right?
- 3
- A little research goes a long way. Back up your claims and assumptions!
- 4
- Try to be patient, tech questions can be complicated.
- 5
- You are awesome for both reading this and answering questions.