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?