Apple’s iOS is notable for its lack of flexibility and customization because it locks down several features in order to offer users a unified experience and strong security, in contrast to Google’s Android operating system. Most of us are aware of this fact by now. Now, thanks to the work of a software developer, there is an application that lets iPhone users modify the font used by the iOS operating system without requiring them to jailbreak their device.
The app will only function on devices running iOS versions 16.1.2 or below that have not been jailbroken. At least for the time being, you will have the opportunity to play around with nine various types of fonts.
On December 26, 2022, software developer Zhuowei Zhang (@zhuowei) was the first person to tweet a link to his app. The CVE-2022-46689 security exploit is used by the proof-of-concept app to replace the San Francisco system font, which is the default font for iOS.
Zhang has recommended that users should create a backup of their smartphones before using the app. He has also stated that the change of the font is just temporary and that all changes would be reverted if the device is restarted.
Note that the vulnerability only applies to specific text in iOS and does not impact the operating system as a whole. The Apple Music app, the App Store, Messages, Contacts, and the Weather app are just some of the areas that have been impacted by this issue. The following are some of the fonts that are included in the app:
- DejaVu Sans Condensed
- DejaVu Serif
- DejaVu Sans Mono Go Regular Go Mono
- Fira Sans
- Segoe UI
- Comic Sans MS
Other software developers have been asked to utilize his code, which is hosted on GitHub, so that they may, if they so choose, add additional fonts to the application. On Thursday, the final release of WDBFontOverwrite was made available, which enables users to import custom fonts that have been ported to iOS. The release was also made public.
Please be aware that the app is not compatible with iOS 16.2 because the most recent version patched the security flaw that Zhang’s app takes advantage of.
Now, let me show you how to change the fonts on your iPhone.
- You can download the app from GitHub.
- Launch the Sideloadly application on your computer (Windows or Mac).
- Establish a connection between the device and the computer by using a USB cable.
- You can install the application by clicking on the IPA icon.
- Signing into the IPA file requires that you enter your Apple ID.
- You can begin the installation of the IPA file on your device by clicking the Start button.
- Input the password that is associated with your Apple ID.
- Navigate to the Settings menu using the home screen app on your phone.
- Head over to General for VPN & Device Management
- Click on the developer app
- Tap on Trust to let the application run
After starting the application, you will have access to a comprehensive library of built-in fonts to choose from. Comic Sans MS, Segoe UI, Choco Cooky from Samsung, and a few additional fonts fall within this category. Additionally, it is possible to port customized fonts. However, the custom fonts have to be iOS-friendly in order to be used.
