Ok, I know this is not new news but I had someone email me asking how to change the name and icon of an app. I was pretty sure it would be easy so I just did a quick search and here’s how to do it.
You can either use SSH from your computer or the iFile app from Cydia to access your folders and files on your iPhone. For this guide I’ll be using iFile right on the iPhone.
First we will be changing an icon for an App Store application. I’ve chosen to change the Tweetie app to the name Twitter. Kind of kewl since Twitter bought Tweetie and will be changing the name in the future.
1. Open iFile and navigate to the var/mobile/Applications folder.
2. Here’s the annoying part. You have to find the app in the long list of folders. Unfortunately, the folders are not the name of the app so you have to open each one to find the right one. (If anyone has a faster way of doing this let me know.) You also have to watch for the name of the app, not what is currently showing under the icon on the home screen. In this example, the app is actually called Tweetie 2 but the text under the icon only says Tweetie.
3. Once you’ve found the app, tap on the folder that has the extension .app. (don’t tap the blue arrow) ex. Tweetie 2.app
4. Tap the file Info.plist
5. Tap edit in the top left corner
6. Find:
7. Change the word Tweetie to Twitter.
8. Tap Save.
9. Click the home button and then respring.
10. Finished! Your app should now have the new name.
The above instructions are for apps from the App Store. If you want to change the name of a stock app, let’s say Mail, you’ll have to change the following file: /System/Library/CoreServices/Springboard.app/English.lproj/LocalizedApplicationNames.strings
For Mail we just change this: “com.apple.mobilemail” = “Mail”
to this: “com.apple.mobilemail” = “Gmail”
Note: when changing the name of an app, this will effect icons changed by Winterboard. You will need to change the name of the new icon under the theme for it to work.
Loading...
Loading ...
or you could just download ‘rename’ from cydia (-_-)
Yeah, Rename ll via SOS iPhone… Doug likes to be old school… he thinks he’s a hacker! :)
http://www.appleiphoneschool.com/2009/10/14/rename-ii-rename-stock-jailbroke-and-app-store-applications/
Get AppLinks from Cydia to find apps quicker. It creates shorcuts to the apps using easy to follow names.
iFile has an option to display appnames.
Seconing this!
Seconding! ( hard to type on iPad when sleepy … )
How?
If you have SBSettings installed, you can click on “More” and choose “App Folders” at the bottom of the list to see a list of which folder is for each app.
There is a much faster, easier way. Click on the settings icon in the bottom left of iFile and turn on application names. You can do the same for song titles and it will show you the names of songs inside the iPod folder.
So if there is a update on a certain app,would it change back to it’s original name or stay the same?
Thanks for the information regardless if it was old or new.
I just had an update to an app and it did change it’s name back. I’ll watch for it again to confirm.
Go to the setting of ifile… It has a setting to display the appstore app names instead of these annoying nonsense! It’s AWESOME!
I would say about a easy way to find a app in the step one 1: You can use a app called WILDYES founded at Cydia, at /var/mobile/Applications ,you will see all app orderd by name followed by the big number of the folder…if you need copy the number at the specifique app and use another app like ifiles to change the name of the apps… wildyes ok ok
By Olavo
Where can i get that Gmail icon from in the screenshot? Is it a specific theme? Thanks
There is away to view the app folders as their actual name. In iFile, go to the settings and turn the tab that says “Application Names” to on. That should do it!
iFile 1.2.1
Process doesn’t work for Yahoo Messenger (Y! Messenger). It did work in Rename II though.
Thanks for this post. No more stupid abbreviations for my apps! PS Mobile is now Photoshop, TWC Max is now Weather and Perfect Browser (which is far from perfect) is now just Browser.