If you’re more anxious than most, then you probably wouldn’t mind adding an extra layer of security to the plethora of apps you have installed on your iOS devices. Fortunately, that’s completely possible on a jailbroken handset.

Blanka is a new jailbreak tweak by iOS developer maximehip that lets you lock specific apps on your Home screen with Touch ID or Face ID (depending on what your handset comes equipped with). It’s particularly useful for when you want to hand your unlocked device over to a friend or family member, because they can then use the phone without going through your personals.

To lock an app with Blanka, you’ll need to enter ‘jiggle’ mode on your iPhone or iPad’s Home screen and then tap on one of the icons. This locks the app you’ve tapped, and it’s designated by a small lock glyph that appears at the bottom-left of the app icon, as shown above.

Once installed, you’ll find a preference pane in the Settings app where you can configure several options to your individual needs:

Here, you can:

  • Customize the alert title that appears when authentication fails
  • Customize the alert text that appears when authentication fails
  • Prevent apps from being killed in the App Switcher
  • Prevent apps from being opened from the App Switcher
  • Prevent apps from being deleted from the Home screen
  • Unlock all apps with the touch of a button

The developer includes a Respring button at the bottom of the preference pane, and you’ll want to use it whenever you make changes to the tweak’s settings to ensure they take effect.

Pro Tip: Make sure you have Touch ID or Face ID set up before locking any of your apps or you will be unable to open those apps indefinitely unless you uninstall the tweak. The developer is aware of this problem and will add a feature to unlock with a passcode soon.

Apart from a minor setback regarding the issue above, we found the Blanka user experience to be somewhat enjoyable since it lets us safeguard specific apps from prying eyes, which can be especially useful on a shared device.

If you’re interested in trying Blanka, then you can download it from Cydia’s Packix repository for $0.99. The tweak is compatible with all jailbroken iPhones and iPads running iOS 11 or iOS 12.

Will you be adding an extra layer of security to your handset with Blanka? Discuss why or why not in the comments section below.