InstaLauncher is a nice new way to launch apps on jailbroken iOS devices
With iOS 7 being the massive disappointment it is, it’s become clear to me that the only UI innovation on iOS in the foreseeable future will come from the jailbreak community. There are already a bunch of tweaks that I love for making my iPad a better device, and a new one just joined the club: InstaLauncher.
InstaLauncher is reminiscent of sidebar style launchers on Android, which I have both used commercial variants of and made my own version of. Instead of being a customizable favorites bar, however, InstaLauncher provides you with a sidebar menu that is populated with all apps on your iOS device. The apps are grouped by the first letter in their name, and you move through an alphabetical list of letters with groups of apps within that letter that pop out as you scroll.
On top of that, there is a way to have recent and favorite apps display to the right of the sidebar. These two features can be disabled in the tweak’s settings, which is also where you find a handful of other settings like the ability to hide apps from the launcher.
It’s activated using Activator actions, which means you have a lot of control over how it’s activated. I activate mine with a triple click on the home button for now, and it pops up on top of anything I’m doing when I do that. Coupled with the speed at which you can browse through all your apps this way, it really does make a difference over just going back to your home screen, especially for those like me who find a home screen full of every app you have cluttered to begin with (folders or no folders).
InstaLauncher is available for both iPads and iPhone/iPod touch, and will set you back $1.99 in Cydia. Assuming you can find the right Activator method to tie it to, it should be a no-brainer tweak to install, as it provides a nice way of accessing your apps without being in the way the rest of the time.
