Apple does not allow iOS developers to change the look of their app’s icons to show information to the users. This is a serious limitation that prevents users from getting useful information right on the homescreen without opening the relevant application. This can be useful with the Weather app’s icon, which can show the current temperature so users don’t need to open the app just to check it. The only example of live icon on iOS is the Clock.app whose icon shows the current time with proper animations.
A new tweak called Articon changes this by replacing the icons of media apps with the artwork of currently playing content. This includes both audio and video applications. The best thing about Articon is that it is not limited to the stock applications and works on almost all apps that run media including Netflix and Pandaro as shown in the image above.
While Articon only brings a cosmetic change that is hardly useful to the users it does makes the homescreen look good and more user friendly. Also, the fact that it is not limited to the stock apps only and supports many third-party application as well is a big plus.
Articon tweak is available in Cydia for $0.99 under the ModMyi repository.
