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The dark side of customization is that it allows users to download apps outside of the App Store. These apps haven’t been screened for security. There have been a few incidents of malware spread to jailbroken devices. The other issue is that jailbreaking your device voids the warranty. I don’t recommend jailbreaking at all, but of you do it, don’t do it on your brand new iPhone.
Given that jailbreaking comes with its risks, it’s worth investigating how to customize a stock iOS iPhone. Although the options are limited, you may be surprised with what you can do.
Customize iPhone with Accessibility Options
Apple has always garnered accolades from disability advocacy groups. Unlike other tech corporations, Apple takes accessibility very seriously. It costs money to make technology accessible, but it’s the right thing to do. These accessibility tweaks aren’t just for people with disabilities. I actually use some of these options to customize my device.
If you’re tired of the way apps launch, there’s an accessibility option to change it. Instead of having apps zoom when they launch, the Reduce Motion setting
fades them in. This option was added as the motion of apps launching actually made some people dizzy and nauseous. You can change this setting by tapping on Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion.
Accessibility options offer some customization of iOS color schemes. If you like a dark UI theme, simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations, then switch on Invert Colors. This actually looks pretty cool. You can also turn on Color Filters, which offer a wide array of customization options. I find the Color Tint option to offer the most use for those interested in customization. Make sure to adjust the Color Tint and Hue sliders for fine tuning iOS colors. Reduce White Point is another useful display accommodation option. This setting reduces the intensity of bright colors.
Magnification options can provide easily invoked tools that are helpful in everyday life. iOS includes an excellent Magnifier app that turns the camera into a virtual magnifying glass. This is great for anyone who needs to examine minute details of an object or read small print. You can enable the Magnifier by tapping on Settings > General > Accessibility, then turn Magnifier on. The Magnifier app can be turned on by clicking the Home button three times. It really comes in handy.
If you need to see fine details of anything on the iOS screen, the Zoom option is quite useful. When enabled, double-tapping three fingers on the screen displays an on-screen virtual magnifying glass. This is great for apps that don’t support zoom. It’s also useful for graphic designers who wish to inspect the details of an image. This feature can be configured by tapping on Settings > Accessibility > Zoom. The Zoom feature is highly configurable and offers many options.
iOS Accessibility provides options for adjusting text size. The Larger Text option only applies to apps that support Dynamic Type. In addition to making text larger, it can also reduce text size. This comes in handy for those who want to get the most out of a small screen. next page →