Caption Crunch
December 31st, 2007 by glenFrom the Fun But Not Entirely Useful Department comes:
Instead of showing the time on the top of your iPhone or iPod Touch, why not put your own message?
This Mac app will work on any iPhone or iTouch (no hacking required).
Instructions:
- Have a Mac.
- Download: Caption Crunch.
- Run the app.
- Connect your iPhone or iTouch.
- Enter a message.
- Click “Set Message”.
- Your iPhone will say “Restore in Progress” and may or may not reboot. Wait for it.
If it doesn’t work, just try again. You can always go back to showing the time using the other button.
Download: v1.0: Caption Crunch (340K).
| Update: In response to a user request, we’ve built an alternate version that changes the carrier string (e.g. AT&T) instead of the time. Here’s the link: CaptionCrunchCarrierString.zip (344K). |
DISCLAIMER: This is just for fun and completely at your own risk. It’s unlikely to cause any problems, but if it does, we won’t be able to help.
January 8th, 2008 at 4:19 am
How about an Installer.app for this like MakeItMine? I tried doing this via the cmdline on a 1.1.1 unlocked phone, but didnt do the trick… might have missed a step…
January 10th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
@Nash D: It’s just a Mac OS .App file. If you have a mac, just run it off your desktop. if you’re a Windows user, you’re SOL.
January 10th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
This is just fabulous! Thanks for your work.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
great app — but what i really dig is that font from one of the greatest movies of all time: The Dark Crystal!
January 11th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Wow! Painless and effortless! I am astounded at how quickly I was able to resolve my issue. Ecamm saved my ass! Thanks Ecamm as well as Erica Sadun for everything… I really didn’t think my problem would generate this level of attention. Now, to the Genius Bar to solve my headphone issue. (Anyone have an iPhone headphone port problem where everything is jarbled?)
-Tommyeddyo
January 12th, 2008 at 1:59 am
thank you, sir.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:20 am
hmm… yeah, outta luck.. dont’ have a mac with me
i tried scp’ing the .app over to the iPhone and changing permissions to 0755, but the app shows up as a ? on the screen and when u run it, it shows a weird jpeg image of a paintbrush and doesnt do anything
are the permissions right?
January 16th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Nash D: It’s a Mac app. You’ll need a Mac. For a jailbroken phone you can use “Make It Mine” to change these settings.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Where are the iPod backup files stored? I’d like to manually change some settings.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Just found this, and thank you. very cool app. I wanted to change my carrier string from ATT, and now I can. (I hope?) I just updated my iPhone to v1.1.3 yesterday — Does the carrier string change app work with v1.1.3? (Please, I hope.)
January 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Location of backup files:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup
January 16th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
The carrier edition worked fine on my 1.1.3 iPhone. Great app! Thanks
January 16th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Please PLEASE PLEASE do not call it the iTouch. You loose all your credibility when you mess up a product name. You might as well call it the iNano or the iClassic.
It’s called the iPod Touch.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:54 am
glen: MakeItMine only changes the carrier logo, not the time string. I wanted to change the time string (FakeTime). but yeah, without a mac, it cant be done, so was just wondering if there was a similar app like makeitmine for this, but there isnt one yet.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Nash D: use the ‘extended preferences’ tool in Installer to change the time.
January 17th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
So would it also be possible to change other settings in the springboard.plist on a 1.1.3 phone? Like changing the dock (SBUseNewDock) etc. as Erica Sadun suggested over at TUAW (http://www.tuaw.com/2007/11/27/a-half-dozen-fun-undocumented-iphone-preferences/)?
January 18th, 2008 at 2:10 am
@twibe.com: That’s actually the font from Thunder Cats.
@Mark: Yes, we can change any pref using this same method. Haven’t tried 1.1.3 yet though; too busy at MacWorld.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:57 am
The carrierchanger works on my ipod touch 1.1.3, it change the “iPod” string in whatever you wount.
really cool
January 18th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Is it possible to add feature that change ipod touch docks, just before upgrade it to 1.1.3?
January 18th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Thanks ken!
No rush, would just be cool.
I’d be very interested in changing my iPhone’s dock BG to the iPod Touch’s clossy dock BG (if it’s still possbile in 1.1.3, since I saw that the iPod Touch now has the iPhone’s dock BG). I just really like the other dock
January 31st, 2008 at 7:46 pm
@nofi: I didnt find “extended preferences” in my Installer. You do mean Installer.app on the iPhone, right? Or do you mean there is some file on the iPhone that I need to manually edit with SSH?
February 2nd, 2008 at 4:31 am
This is one of the simpliest, yet most powerful apps I have ever had the pleasure of using!
Completely pain free! Thank you… Looking forward to more stuff coming from your website!!
February 4th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I just noticed – Erica posted an app called “Banner” in the installer that does this. However, its a 1.1.3 beta. I’m still on 1.1.2. Will there be a 1.1.2 version of it?
Thanks!
February 20th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Any PC Version of this out there yet? I need to take my IPhone back to the apple store because of the volume control switch not working. I restore to 1.1.3, but now I have the issue with the carrier name not changing back to its original setting. Anyone?? Help??
February 20th, 2008 at 9:22 am
This is cool.
You’re great Guys, hope you continue your good contributions for free to the world.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
this is a great creation.
thanks and hope you continue making more for all of us.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Does this work on 1.1.4?
March 31st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I understand the way you are manipulating the backup plists and restoring the phone, but I was wondering if I could do this for a different purpose, specifically: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/03/18/ripdev-discovers-how-to-activate-iphone-screen-shots/
Could I edit /var/mobile/Library/Preferences/com.apple.springboard.plist in the backup file and restore?
July 9th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
yo will the source code for this ever be available?
August 18th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Hi,
I have tried this app and it seems very cool, BUT something came up!
Is there a possibility to enlarge a bit the space in the carrier logo?
I typed “Vodafone”, but in the end i see only “Voda…” in my iPhone which is annoying.
The default is “VF P” which means Vodafone Portugal.
Can you do something about it?
Best regards,
Nuno Vasques.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Thanks a lot!
I can confirm the carrier logo version works on firmware 2.1.
Needed to mess about a bit before the iphone was recognized properly (reboot iPhone, make sure it wasn’t on the lock screen) but it worked, so you made me a happy man.
September 12th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Just wanted to report that this still works on iPhone 2.1 software. Cheers, and thanks!
September 13th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Thank you!
Dutch iPhone users have the obligatory T-Mobile carrier logo that constantly scrolls from left to rigth. This is fixed now thanks to you!
September 15th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Brilliant! You just got rid of my highly irritating scrolling T-Mobile logo (NL). Thanks!
October 1st, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Hello,
Does somebody know where i can find the operator logo in WinSCP?
i would like to make a backup of it before i change it..
ty
October 7th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Will this work with a pc, I don’t have a mac and I’d like to change my logo.
November 21st, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Doesn’t seem to be working for me on 2.2.
I forever get the “Please wait” message. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
November 21st, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Hi Adam! Not sure, we’ll have to try it out
November 22nd, 2008 at 5:25 am
Just wait, mine said also Please wait, but after couple of minutes worked OK. FW 2.2
November 24th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
I would really like to be able to put what i want in the time slot and put the time in the carrier slot. Can i put code into the carrier one and make it do that or what?
December 19th, 2008 at 3:05 am
I would also like to comment that after a few minutes, the “Please Wait” goes away. I have 2.2 firmware as well.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Further reinforcement – it does, indeed, work with iphone software 2.2 if you’re patient and wait for the “please wait” message to go away. Also, the application doesn’t like to quit normally for me – I have to force-quit each time. But it DOES work.
Thanks for this!
February 11th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
and the Windows version is coming soon?
February 16th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
This is AWESOME!! My PC owning friends are jealous!!
March 6th, 2009 at 3:18 am
How do I change the font on the carrier string edition? Or is that not an option? I go to CaptionCrunch-> Services_> Font Book but the options there cannot be selected. Thanks for any info.
March 8th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
excelente app TGI
March 13th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
+1 on the source code being released. I’m using my iPhone for developer purposes, so it’s paramount that I know what’s going on; I can’t trust a black box of code not to mess with plists with which should not be messed.
June 10th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Doesn’t seem to work with iPhone 3.0 GM. Any chance of an update?
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Please make it work with the new OS 3.0 or is there another way to change this with code or terminal? with out jail breaking it. I’m going to the store to get it checked on and they probably wont take it if the name is changed..
Thanks
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Doesn’t seem to work with iPhone 3.0. Any chance of an update? [2]
July 8th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Doesn’t seem to work with iPhone 3.0. Any chance of an update?
July 16th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Please update for 3.0. This was the first thing I went to check when I got 3GS.
July 20th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
3.0 update please?
July 31st, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I tried this. Didn’t work at all, no reboot…nothing
August 9th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
PC OWNERS!!! No need to be jealous about this for not owning a Mac. You can do the same thing using Cydia straight from your iPhone and download “MAKEitMINE”
November 28th, 2009 at 3:08 am
Can you do this with Windows without jailbreaking your ipod touch/iphone?
June 13th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Hello is there a Caption crunch for iPad???
Thanks
August 31st, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Hahaha and for the iPhone 4???
Thanks!