With the launch of the evasi0n jailbreak for iOS 6.1, iOS 6.0.2, iOS 6.0.1, iOS 6, we take a look at best jailbreak tweaks and apps that are available in Cydia.

We’ve picked jailbreak apps and tweaks that will allow you to not only customize your iPhone in your own unique way, but also add functionality to your iPhone that is currently not available in iOS.  

This article was posted few days back, but I’ve moved it back on top as it is more relevant now and added compatibility status with iOS 6.1 and iPhone 5 (wherever compatibility matters).

They’ve been listed not in any particular order.

Activator (Free):

Activator allows you to invoke actions using shortcuts from anywhere in the iOS. You would be surprised by the number of shortcuts you can use such as double tap on the status bar, triple tap the Home button, double press the sleep button to trigger stock actions or launch an app or go to the Settings toggle. It offers almost limitless shortcuts to make it easier to use your iPhone.

Activator is a must-have jailbreak tweak for power users.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

SBSettings (Free):

SBSettings offers a faster way to access iPhone Settings from any app without going through the hassle of exiting the app and launching the Settings app. Jailbreak app developers can also create custom toggles for SBSettings that can be installed from Cydia, which can then be quickly accessed by users via SBSettings. You can access SBSettings either by swiping on the Status bar or via the Notification Center.

Compatible Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

WinterBoard (Free):

WinterBoard is one of the most popular jailbreak apps that allows you to download custom themes from Cydia, that can be applied to change the look and feel of your iOS device.

WinterBoard allows you change the icons, modify`the look and feel of status bar, dock, lock screen, change the font and lots more. You can also customize all kinds of system sound with Winterboard. Another great feature of WinterBoard is that there is no limit on the themes you can install and you can also mix & match several themes together.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: Yes, but individual themes may also have to be compatible.

biteSMS (Ad free version $8.99):

biteSMS is one of the best alternatives for the Messages app. It includes number of features like Quick Reply, Quick Compose from Notification Center, scheduled messages, delivery reports, signatures, displays Contact photos etc. that are not available in the native app.

Alternative: Messages+ ($7.99) is another good alternative, which enhances the native Messages app. As we mentioned earlier, it comes built into IntelliScreenX so you  don’t have to buy it or biteSMS if you’ve already purchased IntelliScreenX.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: Yes

Auxo ($1.99):

iOS jailbreak developers have released a number of tweaks to replace iOS app switcher, but Auxo, which replaces the app icons in the app switcher with a card-like screenshot of the current state of the app, is easily the best app switcher replacement and our favorite jailbreak tweak of 2012.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: Yes

Springtomize 2 ($2.99):

Springtomize allows you to customize every aspect of the iOS but it uses a different approach compared to Winterboard, which is why the two jailbreak tweaks compliment each other quite well (with some overlap).

With Springtomize you can do things such as increase the number of apps in the dock to 10, give the dock a cool coverflow effect, change the duration of the system-wide animations, remove the page limits, customize the default animations, the lock screen, enable app switcher in landscape mode, hide icons of stock apps, resize icons and lots more.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: Yes

IntelliScreenX 6 ($9.99):

Notification Center was one of the best features of iOS 5, but IntelliScreenX makes it even better by adding tons of features such as the ability to access it from the Lock screen, access to the full text of the email and Calendar items directly within Notification Center, access Facebook news feed, Twitter timeline, RSS feeds from anywhere in the iOS via the Notification Center. It also adds useful badges for missed email, SMS, phone calls, and silent status in the status bar. Messages+ which enhances the Messages app also comes bundled with IntelliScreenX.

Alternative: You can also check out LockInfo ($7.99), which also adds tons of features to your Lock screen.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: Yes

iFile ($7.99):

One of the things badly missing in iOS is a file manager. iFile fills that gap by offering a complete file manager and viewer for the iPhone. It even gives access to device files like Finder on the Mac. It also allows you to edit text files and property lists, which can be quite useful occasionally.

My3G ($3.99):

My3G is a jailbreak tweak that will make “Wi-Fi only” iPhone apps “believe” that they are running over a Wi-Fi network even though your iPhone is connect to the 3G network thus allowing you to use such “Wi-Fi only” apps over a 3G network.

Alternative: 3G Unrestrictor 5 ($3.99) – Compatible Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

MyWi 6 ($19.99):

MyWi turns your iPhone into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Share your WiFi signal via your own WiFi Hotspot or via USB. This allows your iPhone to be connected to a WiFi hotspot, and share that connection to other devices via it’s own Wi-Fi Hotspot.

However, please be careful as jailbreak apps such as MyWi can get you in trouble with your carrier.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: Yes

Alternative: PdaNet ($15.95)

iCaughtU Pro ($2.50):

iCaughtU is a nifty little jailbreak app that takes a picture with the front-facing camera when someone enters the wrong passcode or tries to turn off your iPhone. It emails the photo along with information such as location by email. The jailbreak app also prevents someone from turning off your iPhone when it is locked. You can also configure it to perform actions based on SMS commands such as playing an alarm etc.

Alternative: iGotYa (€3.99)

PkgBackup ($9.99):

If you want to save the trouble of reinstalling jailbreak apps and tweaks after upgrading to the latest iOS software update, then PkgBackup is a must-have. The jailbreak app takes a backup of all the packages in addition to preferences and SpringBoard files on the device or on Dropbox. You can also schedule the backups.

Alternative: xBackup ($1.5)

CallBar ($3.99):

The jailbreak tweak prevents calls from interrupting you while you’re playing an iPhone game or writing an important email by displaying a banner notification when you get an incoming call. It also gives you an option to answer, decline or dismiss the call from the banner notification.

F.lux (Free):

We’ve all been there – a notification arrives on your iPhone late at night, and the screen brightness nearly blinds you for the first few seconds after unlocking. F.lux aims to solve exactly this problem by adjusting the color of your iPhone’s display to better adapt to the time of the day.

You’d be amazed to realize how relaxed your eyes feel after installing this tweak, especially if you`tend to use your iPhone just before sleeping. In addition to this, it also helps you get rid of that eerie glow on your face when using a phone at night.

Compatible Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

InfiniFolders ($0.99):

As the name suggests the jailbreak tweak removes the limitation of 12 iPhone apps in a folder so you don’t have to end up creating multiple folders for games and utilities, which defeats the purpose of creating a folder to quickly find an iPhone app.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

Alternative: Folder Enhancer ($1.99)

InfiniDock ($0.99):

With InfiniFolders and Infinidock (another jailbreak tweak by the same developer), you can place all your apps in just one Home screen and scroll through them horizontally.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

iBlacklist ($12):

It allows you to block`calls, FaceTime, SMS and MMS on your iPhone. You can also configure it to redirect calls to your voicemail and lots more.

Action Menu Plus Pack ($2.99):

It enhances the copy/paste menu. It allows you to quickly tweet highlighted text or lookup highlighted text on Google Search, Wikipedia, Dictionary and Google Translate. It also maintains the history of items added to the clipboard.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

Icon Passcode (Free):

The jailbreak tweak allows you to passcode protect any app, so that someone cannot open the app while using your iPhone.

Folder Passcode (Free):

The jailbreak tweak allows you to passcode protect any iOS folder, so that someone cannot open the apps within that folder while using your iPhone.

Zephyr ($2.99):

Zephyr brings cool multitasking gestures to the iPhone. It allows you to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to close apps, switch between apps simply by swiping left or right from the edge, smoothly swipe up to see the app switcher and swipe down on the status bar to take a peak at the Notifications and widgets.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

CleverPin ($1.99):

It makes passcode protection smarter. CleverPin automatically disables the passcode when you’re connected to your Home Wi-Fi network.

Compatible Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

OpenSSH (Free):

After installing OpenSSH, you can access your iPhone’s filesystem remotely and lets you use the full power of your device.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

PasswordPilot Pro ($1.99):

It auto-fills your password while downloading apps from the App Store.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

NCSettings (Free):

This jailbreak tweak adds popular Settings toggles to Notification Center. While it is no SBSettings killer, we really like the sleek look.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

Barrel ($2.99): 

It brings cool 3D-effect while swiping between your iPhone’s Home screen. (Warning: SpringBoard crashed once after installing it in iOS 5.1.1)

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

BrowseInApp ($0.99):

Currently, when you tap on a link in an email in the Mail app, it opens the link in mobile Safari. It is not the best user experience as you end up exiting the Mail app.

BrowseInApp allows you to open the links within the app, which means that you don’t have to exit the Mail app. It loads the link in WebKit based browser window.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: No

BrowserChooser (Free):

BrowserChooser, as the name suggests, allows you to change the default browser to popular third-party iOS browsers such as Google Chrome, Opera Mini, iCab Mobile, Dolphin Browser and Atomic Browser.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

CameraTweak ($0.99):

CameraTweak adds additional functionality to the native Camera app such as separate Focus and exposure views, frame rate settings while video recording, timer mode etc.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

Curiosa (Free):

Curiosa gives you a notification whenever there is an update available for the jailbreak tweaks and apps installed on your iOS device. It can be found in Ryan Petrich’s beta repository (http://rpetri.ch/repo/).

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

Deck ($1.99):

Deck allows you to quickly access Settings toggles and apps via a hot bar from your jailbroken iPhone’s SpringBoard.

FastBlurredNotificationCenter (Free):

The jailbreak tweak allows you to blur the Notification Center background, which looks quite cool. FastBlurredNotificationCenter is a more efficient version of BlurriedNCBackground, which reduces or get rids of the delay.

Compatible Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes, iPhone 5: Yes

Hands-Free Control ($2.99):

The jailbreak tweak allows you to use Siri hands-free, so you don’t have to short press on the Home button to activate it.

Ipsum (Free):

Ipsum allows you to quickly dismiss the notification from the lock screen, so you don’t have to open it or unlock your iOS device just to dismiss it.

MapsOpener (Free):

The jailbreak tweak allows you to make Google Maps as the default Maps app instead of Apple’s Maps app.

NowNow (Free):

The jailbreak tweak allows you to replace Siri with Google Voice Search.

Octopus Keyboard ($4.99):

Octopus Keyboard brings BlackBerry 10 inspired keyboard to the iPhone.

Just like the BlackBerry 10 keyboard, Octopus Keyboard displays the suggested words on top of the keys as you type on the keyboard, thus allowing you to auto complete the word simply by swiping up on the appropriate key.

Powerguard ($2.5):

One of the drawbacks of Apple’s Find My Phone service is that, if your iPhone is stolen, the thief can turn off your iOS device to prevent it from being tracked.

Not if you’ve PowerGuard installed. The jailbreak tweak prevents someone from turning off your iOS device.

Swipe Back (Free):

After installing SwipeBack, all you need to do is swipe on the screen from the left to right (from the left edge) to navigate back within the app. It’s a lot more intuitive than tapping on the Back button.

Compatible Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

Swipe Safari ($1.5):

Swipe Safari adds tons of new gestures to mobile Safari to enhance the user experience while browsing.

SwipeSelection (Free)

While iOS’s virtual keyboard has been one of the revolutionary features of the iPhone (and iPad), Apple hasn’t added any new features other than split keyboard feature for the iPad in iOS 5.

SwipeSelection makes editing text on an iOS device a lot more easier by allowing you to drag the cursor over the keyboard with a one-finger gesture, move the cursor faster with two-finger gesture and allow you to select text while dragging by holding down the shift key.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

Unfold (Free):

Unfold replaces the slide to unlock feature with a cool fold to unlock animation to reveal the Home screen.

Zeppelin (Free):

If you like the idea of changing the boring carrier logo with a Batman or Superman logo then check out Zeppelin – a jailbreak tweak that lets you change the carrier logo on your jailbroken iPhone.

Compatibility Status:  iOS 6.1: Yes

5-Row Qwerty Keyboard (Free):

As the name suggests, the jailbreak tweak adds a fifth-row of keys to the keyboard, giving quick access to the number keys and the symbol keys.

Reveal ($1.99):

The jailbreak tweak allows you to scroll through text in the banner notification or the notification on the Lock screen, so you don’t have to waste time launching the app to check the notification.

We expect Cydia developers to release updated version of their jailbreak apps and tweaks with iOS 6.x support soon.

Let me know if I have missed any of your must-have jailbreak app or tweak.