Stuck With a First-Gen?
A Guide to Get iOS 4 Features on Your Unsupported iDevice



You're an owner of an iPhone 1G or iPod touch 1G. It works fine and you don't want to shell out a few more bucks for a new one. But Apple has left you high and dry with their new iOS4 and you want some of the cool latest stuff all the new iPhones and iPods have.Check out the guide below.

  Note:You can't get the actual iOS 4, or apps that require it, onto your old iDevice. .


iOS 4 Feature #1: Multitasking

Solution: Backgrounder + Kirikae or ProSwitcher or Circuitous
This was one of the most anticipated features in iOS 4. Finally, apps like Last.fm and Pandora could stream music in the background! You'd be able to pick up your game where you left off, instead of starting all over!

Thing is, if you were jailbroken, you could do this for over a year before iOS 4 was even announced. Backgrounder is actually more versatile than the iOS 4 multitasking system, allowing you to run an app as though it was in the foreground; iOS 4 only allows apps to run a set number of services in the background. And there are multiple choices for "background managers;" Kirikae lets you both launch and close apps, ProSwitcher has an excellent Palm-Pre-like aesthetic, and Circuitous can actually be themed to look just like the iOS 4 multitasking "tray."

iOS 4 Feature #2: Custom Wallpapers

Solution: WinterBoard

Apple seems to be lagging a bit behind the jailbreak scene in this regard. By the time they're finally permitting static homescreen wallpapers, jailbreakers can have rotating wallpapers and HTML widgets. Plus WinterBoard lets you theme your icons and UI in addition to putting a pretty picture on your homescreen.

iOS 4 Feature #3: Folders

Solution: CategoriesSB or Stack

CategoriesSB and Stack are both essentially clones of Folders. Both let you create an icon (or icons) that, when pressed, present you a list of apps you can launch from. Both allow scrolling, which means that there's no limit on how many apps you can put in one Category or Stack (Folders have a max of 12). Word of warning: Stack 3 is currently in beta, so expect some bugs.

iOS 4 Feature #4: iBooks

Solution: Stanza or Classics or Any other eBook reader app

Fairly simple. iBooks lets you read books. Stanza, Classics, et. al. let you read books. Done. Only caveat is that you don't have access to the iBookstore, but that's most definitely not the only game in town for obtaining eBooks.

iOS 4 Feature #5: Game Center

Solution: OpenFeint or Crystal or Similar networks

Many games for the 3.x firmwares include some sort of social network with high scores and online play (OpenFeint being the most common). While some games may not use the same network as others, and some games may not have one at all, the games that do are usually pretty enjoyable, and you don't have to be jailbroken to enjoy them.

iOS 4 Feature #6: Alphanumeric Passcodes

Solution: iPhone Configuration Utility

Long before iOS 4 was released, Apple offered a free tool for iPhone-using businesses that allowed them to lock their iPhones with an alphanumeric passcode.

iOS 4 Feature #7: Bluetooth Keyboard Support

Solution: BTstack Keyboard (iPhone only)

Not much to say here. It lets you use a Bluetooth keyboard with your iPhone. You can also use its companion app, BTstack Mouse, to control your iPhone with a Bluetooth mouse.

iOS 4 Feature #8: Internet Tethering

Solution: MyWi Or TetherMe (iPhone only)

Yet another scenario in which the unofficial tool beats the living crap out of the official one. Especially since the official one can't even be used on AT&T yet. Not only does MyWi let you tether your iPhone to your computer, it lets you turn your iPhone into a wifi hotspot accessible by other devices.

iOS 4 Feature #9: More Visible Apps

Solution: Infiniboard or Infinidock

Apple brags that with the introduction of Folders, iOS 4 users can now store up to 2160 apps on their device, up from the previous maximum of 180. What they don't mention is that jailbroken users can have infinite apps, up a bit from the normal maximum of 2160. Infiniboard lets you scroll your SpringBoard vertically, doing away with "pages" completely. Infinidock lets you create "pages" for your dock, with up to 10 icons per page and no page limit.

iOS 4 Feature #10: Orientation Lock

Solution: iNoRotate or NoRotation or Rotation Inhibitor

All three of these tweaks will keep your device from going into landscape mode, and they can all be disabled at will, just like Apple's official rotation lock.

iOS 4 Feature #11: Google/Wikipedia Search From Spotlight

Solution: Universal Search

Universal Search will give you Google/Wikipedia search from Spotlight. It will also give you IMDb, Amazon, and any other search engine you damn well please.