If you have a jailbroken iOS device that you share with guests or other family members, thenGuest Mode 2by iOS developerIan Burnsis ajailbreak tweakthat might be worth installing.
This tweak lets guests use your device without knowing your passcode, but securely and with limited privileges, similarly to that of the guest user onmacOS.
With Guest Mode 2, all the information stored in your own user account remains private from guest users. If the tweak sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a re-release of the original Guest Mode tweakwe showed you a few years ago, which was actually quite popular back in the day, but it has now been updated with fulliOS 10compatibility.
It’s perfect for letting your child play games on your device without having to worry about them going through your financial apps ormessagingconversations; the same can be said for snoopy friends who might otherwise access more than you’d welcome them to.
The tweak is designed so well that it blends in seamlessly with theLock screen. Shown above, you can see how the tweak adds a “guest” button to the passcode number pad, and tapping on it reveals the user account choices where the guest can sign in without a passcode.
Guest Mode 2 puts a preferences pane in theSettingsapp where you can configure the tweak to your liking:
Here, you can toggle the tweak on or off on demand, and access different setting categories. Those include Entering Guest Mode, OS X Style Login, and Guest Privileges.
Starting with the Entering Guest Mode pane, you get the following options:
Among these options, being able to configure a specific passcode for guests is perfect for family members, as it lets your family access the device, but not unwelcome visitors who might attempt to access the device.
The left/right positioning options are also great for anyone who has a hard time reaching the opposing side of the screen on devices with larger displays with one hand, so it makes accessibility easier in some cases.
In the OS X Style Login pane, you get the following options to configure:
And finally, in the Guest Privileges pane, you can choose what guests can and can’t do, including accessing the following:
you’re able to also configure these options from the Guest Privileges pane:
You can see how the apps we’ve disabled for the guest user appear “dimmer” than the rest of the icons in our screenshot below:
You’ll probably want to disable access to personal apps likeContacts, Wallet, etc., but also to potentially harmful apps that could be misused. Fortunately, it’s easy to lock users out of apps like Cydia, iFile, Settings, Yalu, and more so guest users can’t mess your device up beyond repair.
Guest Mode 2 is a wonderful jailbreak tweak for those of you that have interest in keeping your information safe andsecurewhile still making your device accessible to others, making it perfect for families and even for those that let friends use their device(s) on a regular basis.
If you’re interested in trying Guest Mode 2, you can download it for $0.99 from Cydia’s BigBoss repository, but it’s a free upgrade if you own the original Guest Mode jailbreak tweak. The tweak is intended only forjailbrokeniOS 10 devices, so those with iOS 7, 8, or 9, will want to use the original Guest Mode tweak instead.
What are your thoughts about having a Guest Mode on your jailbroken iOS device? Share in the comments section below!
