Last Updated on April 12, 2017 by Mathew Diekhake
Apple’s latest efforts with iOS 7 went down as the greatest change to the software in IOS history and one feature that stands out straight away as being very different is the keyboard. Up until last weekend my brother was using iOS 6 and the board around the keys was very dark and to be honest I didn’t mind it, and part of me wished that I could have it back. There are several ways to do this, but all of them need a jailbreak because that is how we unchain the OS and begin to customize.
What is the difference between the two? iOS’s keyboard has a much lighter gray for the background and the font for the letters and numbers is thinner. It still has a white background like iOS 6. However, iOS 6 has a much darker gray background around the keys and the font is thicker which results in thicker are looking letters and numbers.
Before starting the backup the device to iTunes or iCloud. It is nor expected that we lose any data or settings but if you are somebody who likes to do things by the book then it is always a good idea. If something goes wrong now you can restore from a backup. That way you can have access to pictures, music, calendar sync, contacts and any other data you need.
You will need an iPhone 4S, 5 or 5S for this to work because iOS 7 did not work on the iPhone 3G or 3GS, and certain features such as filters in the camera app and air drop did not work on the iPhone 4. Other devices that are compatible include the iPad mini fourth generation iPad, third generation iPad and the iPad 2. However, it is only the fourth generation and the Mini that has all of the features working.
You cannot start this guide unless you have jailbreak on your device first.
It does not need WinterBoard to work like many of the other tweaks do that relate to themes.
Ryan Petrich is the developer of this Cydia tweak called VintageKeys and it is also from his own personal repo that we will go into more detail on during the guide.
Cydia has lots of repositories that act just like a web browser or search engine would for the internet. There are all different kinds of repositories and each one has different tweaks signed up to them. Without a repo, we can’t find any tweaks and sometimes we need to use different repos to find what we are looking for here.
How To Get The iOS 6 Keyboard On iOS 7 With Cydia
1. Install Cydia if yo udo not have it already. For most of you, it will come with the jailbreak.
2. Click on the app and tap on the part that says manage sources.
3. Tap your finger where it says edit located on the next screen.
4. Type in this: http://rpetri.ch/reposetup
5. Add it as a source.
6. Do not touch any settings while it is adding.
7. Go back out and enter Cydia.
8. tap on the search area.
9. Type Vintage keys in the search field.
10. It should reveal itself now so that it is there. if it did not appear here then re-install starting from the beginning.
12. When found, install it.
13. Wait until it has finished.
14. Re-spring the Springboard for it to start working.
Once the iPad or iPhone has re-sprung navigate your way to the Settings app. In here will be a new icon for this tweak. tap on it to pick and choose which places you want a new keyboard to show up. Select them all if you want it everywhere.
After you have selected the iMessage application choose the legacy light.