LockInfo vs IntelliscreenX for iOS 5 jailbreak: which should you use?

By Allyson Kazmucha
last updated

Super social and incredibly integrated IntelliscreenX takes on quick content and plug-in powerhouse LockInfo in a battle of the jailbreak notification apps

Jailbroken on iOS 5 and wondering whether you should get LockInfo or IntelliscreenX? While both are utilities that aim to give you more control over your iPhone notifications and lockscreen, they do have key differences. Which is better for you?

LockInfo for iOS 5

LockInfo by David Ashman has been a long time favorite of mine when it comes to enhancing lockscreen functionality and gaining more control over native notifications. It still lives up to its reputation under iOS 5. LockInfo is really aimed at folks who'd like to have more control of how notifications behave and how they're presented. If you don't want certain information in notification center, you can disable it but still view it on your lockscreen, and vice versa. You can completely customize what appears where and how.

LockInfo also has built-in support for several different messaging applications including BiteSMS, Quickreply for SMS, iRealSMS, and more. Regardless what messaging replacement app you choose, LockInfo probably has you covered.

When it comes to content, LockInfo adds a few nice features that aren't given to you stock. One of my favorites is access to your favorite contacts directly from notification center and your lockscreen. Tapping a contact allows you to call, FaceTime, or message them. It's a nice little feature that you wouldn't think you needed but quickly realize you don't want to go without.

LockInfo also works in conjunction with many plug-ins. Some are distributed by David Ashman himself while others were created by other 3rd party developers. Given the amount of time LockInfo has been around, there are tons of plug-ins and add-ons for it. Some of the most popular ones include ToDo by Appigo, Twitter, Weather, and RSS.

You'll find a few built-in themes that you can switch between such as a classic iOS version, the classic LockInfo version, and a few more. Since LockInfo has been around for quite a while many developers have made themes for it as well. Some complete themes will even have a LockInfo theme attached. Yes, it's that widely accepted in the jailbreak community.

IntelliscreenX for iOS 5

Intelliborn has been around for a long time and has created many apps within the jailbreak community, including the original version of Intelliscreen. While I always preferred LockInfo over the original version, IntelliscreenX has come a long way in terms of functionality. Anyone who is heavy into social media and has to have quick access to Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds will want to look no further than IntelliscreenX.

You can add all these widgets as separate pages and reply or post status updates directly from your notification center or lockscreen. The only down side I've seen to this is the accelerated battery drain.

Messages+ also comes built-in to IntelliscreenX as well. While I've been a huge fan of BiteSMS for a long time, Messages+ will definitely give Bite a run for its money. I love the tight integration with the default messaging app. There's nothing to install and very little to configure. It just works how it's supposed to and adds quick reply support.

Considering Messages+ is typically $7.99 on its own, you get a pretty good deal considering IntelliscreenX is $2 more. So if you're not keen on paying for LockInfo and Bite or Messages+, IntelliscreenX may be a better value for many people.

LockInfo vs IntelliscreenX -- which is better?

Both LockInfo and IntelliscreenX are highly competitive jailbreak apps and which is better can change every time one of them is updated. For now I think IntelliscreenX has an an edge over LockInfo. LockInfo is an amazing utility, but users who are heavily into social networking and Facebook will benefit more from IntelliscreenX and its tight integration with iOS 5.

If you are more concerned with having control over plug-ins and where content is presented, go with LockInfo. But for now, I'm giving my vote to IntelliscreenX.

While I may personally prefer IntelliscreenX, I know there are tons of you out there who probably disagree. Let us know what you use and why! Make sure you also check out all our jailbreak resources below for more reviews, guides, and tips!

Allyson Kazmucha
Allyson Kazmucha

iMore senior editor from 2011 to 2015.

63 Comments
  • The biggest advantage to ISX over lockinfo, is that any of the MANY addons for NC that exist are automatically compatible, and available from anywhere.
    I have favourites, multi-tasking, calendar, and music controls added, lockinfo doesn't (to my knowledge) support these added functionalities.
  • Actually all third party Notification center addons and plugins are automatically compatible with Lockinfo too. It always has been the case, ever since David Ashman started developing it in its very beta stages for iOS5. If ISX has an advantage over Lockinfo it lies elsewhere, cuz as far as third party NC plugins are concerned, both the Intelliborn team and David Ashman have made sure to cover that in their respective products.
  • Thanks for that info Corlynn! I'm new to the jailbreak scene, finding out more and more everyday. When I saw this video I was afraid I made the wrong decision as having favorites included is a game changer for me. After reading your reply I immediately found that NC tweak and love intelliscreenx even more now.
  • Lockinfo is superior to ISX (for now) due to the level of customization the user has (including, but not limited to, font size & banner/row spacing) and the MAIL PREVIEWS (and other previews- such as calendar), which are simply beautiful and absolutely kill ISX content previews.
    ISX's biggest plus for me is the "top shelf" that allows you to hide toggles and other widgets/addons so you can get to them only when you need them. My biggest peeves with ISX are the fact that you can't hardly customize it at all, forcing the user to just "deal with" the unnaturally large spacing with data rows. For example, one week of my calendar previews nearly takes up half the screen in ISX, while in Lockinfo I can choose the spacing, font size, and the maximum number of entries shown in the next X days. ISX is like "Hurrrr here's your next X days to look at. I don't care if you have 200 things in the next X days, I'm showing you all of them!" Talk about annoying. Another thing that drives me up a wall is the half-assed, text-based email "previews" Intelliborn offers. Seriously?
    Lockinfo is cheaper and packs more content for the user, while IntelliscreenX has power-hungry "pages" for twitter, rss, email, and facebook feeds and a nifty top-shelf.
    ***** Fortunately, I'm able to use IntelliscreenX for my notification center and Lockinfo for my lockscreen, which weighs out nicely. The BIGGEST PLUS is that I can, in a sense, combine the two in the notification center. If I set Lockinfo's notification center setting to "customized center", it incorporates almost seamlessly with IntelliscreenX and replaces their ugly-ass previews with Lockinfo's nearly perfect previews (email/calendar/etc).
  • Wow. That is $97 info-product maaeritl right there.Kudos for giving that away for free.(Of course, to make an info-product out of it, you'd have to fluff it up a little. )
  • Sucessfully itasnlled, Cydia works blah blah blah but I am unable to get to the root directory.IPhone Explorer and IPhonebrowser do not register that my IPhone is jailbroken.Any ideas
  • Thanks, I use LockInfo and like the Favorites option. I have wondered how ISX would compare. This video was great! Thanks!
  • I have been using LockInfo for the past 3 jailbreaks but I decided to give IntelliScreenX a shot and I prefer it more. It is more organized, over 4 screens whereas I think LockInfo was just one big page.
    Also, like you said.. I like Messenger+
  • NoLockScreen
  • I didn't time it, but Blackra1n weorkd and weorkd fast! THANK YOU! 3GS running 3.1.2 that's now JB, only thing left on the wish list is tethering. (PDAnet redownload for now)
  • TheIthomasscully on September 11, 2011 I kinda wanna bnahkcad you square across the face. You just give off that kinda vibe
  • Wow, great post! Very informative, I like your video style!
  • Am interested in what lockinfo themes there are. Anyone suggest some good ones? :)
  • Ally, regarding ISX; what is your reasoning behind leaving 'Hide ISX For Alerts'>ON? i have found this to be kind of annoying since my opinion is if i am going to use ISX then i am going to use it completely..
  • I actually don't. I was switching between LI and ISX pretty rapidly to get screens and video - i just didn't re-configure my settings all the way ;)
  • I've been using IntelliscreenX since the first day the jailbreak came out for my 4s. I'm a previous Lockinfo user who, like Ally, enjoyed the favorites bar it incorporated. There is, however, a tweak called "Favorite Contacts for Notification Center" available in Cydia. I got that and put it directly under the weather widget (I disabled the clock...didn't like it) and now have the superiority of ISX with the Favorites bar I so missed!
    Great Eval by the way!
  • AWESOME tip! thanks!
  • Salut, alors pour task megnaar tu vas dans le gestionaire de tache (Ctrl+alt+suppr), processus, Taskmgr.exe, click droit dessus, definir l'affinite, cocher UC 1, et voila.
  • my gripe with Favorite Contacts for NC is when while in LS mode you tap on a contact and the Name and Call are on top of eachother. this has been an issue since beta 1 of ISX
  • I was wondering how to set up almost clear Notification Center on ISX? I like the way it's on the video...
  • http://planet-iphones.com/cydia/id/org.thebigboss.blurriedncbackground
  • I used Lockinfo on my iPhone 4 and loved it. Now with the 4S and iOS 5, I've switched to ISX. It just seems more tightly integrated and iOS-like. I actually still use Lockinfo (since I'd purchased it previously anyway) to get a blank first page without using a blank icon. I also use the clock plugin on that page to have quick access to a drop down calendar. I disabled Lockinfo for everything else and use ISX. It's pretty great.
  • Well, this is exactly the kind of thing I was wondering about having just done my first jailbreak. Of course, you made both apps look great, so I still can't make up my mind! Haha! You definitely showed me a lot of features of both I was unaware of though, so now I can try them out and...hopefully!...make a decision soon.
  • Actually you can block the quick reply window from bite on lockinfo. Go into the bite settings and set "Auto Show Quick Reply" to Off. Takes care of everything :)
  • Yeahhhh, i figured that out about 10 minutes after uploading the video a few days ago and felt dumb :P
  • Sorry to go off-topic but have you got something installed to make your homescreen icons smaller?
  • Shrink - it's $1.49 i believe :)
  • Thank you.
  • how do you get the frosted glass look in lockinfo??
  • i know this is a little off topic, but is there anything that messages+ is missing that bite has? i use bite (and love the crap out of it), but i really like how ISX handles EVERYTHING; it's so consolidated. so if i get the same BASIC things i can get from bite, then i'm definitely switching! I like for my jailbreak tweaks to maintain a STRONG iOS look (and functionality), and it looks like ISX has that. does messages+ handle a "quick reply" in the same way bite does?
  • Maybe if you, Ally, would be so kind as to write an article on the differences between biteSMS and Messages+ (or all of the messages tweaks in Cydia)? I know I'm grasping at straws, here... just thought I'd throw that in there. ;)
  • Sounds like an awesome comparison. Will look into it! Thanks for the idea!
  • SWEET! Thanks, Ally! I'm actually excited that you're even THINKING about it. Haha.
    Yeah, I know there are several messaging tweaks that offer different things, so it would be nice to know what the pros and cons are of each of them, and which comes out on top (prolly biteSMS lol).
  • i can tell you personally after using both that biteSMS does indeed have a lot more options
    Messages+ is simple and works with the native SMS app. you get QR, QC (both with the ability to send MMS) plus Manual Banner Dismiss, which i love
    there is a 3 day trial for Messages+ (standalone) maybe give that a try and see what you think?
  • Thanks for the info, but if it's like the intelliscreenx "trial", it's not really a trial, at all. It's more like a money-back guarantee. But I'll definitely look into it.
  • oh... what is "manual banner dismiss"? and do you have to pull the NC down to QR or is it kinda done the same way as bite?
  • 'Manual Banner Dismiss' is an option that allows you to keep the SMS banners that appear at the top of your screen when the device is at the Home Screen or in App. to the right of the banner will be a small (x) that you tap to dismiss.
    you use an Activator gesture for QC just like bite. by default you swipe up from the bottom of the screen but i change mine to double tap statusbar and double tap clock while in LS
  • I may give LockInfo a try.
    I installed ISX the other day on an iPhone 4 that was running fine.
    A few hours later, when I tried to close(?) ISX, my screen went blank, and wouldn't come back. Subsequent power down/restart attempts later, and I found myself putting the phone into recovery mode so that I could restore and rejailbreak my device.
    This is only the second or third time that I've tried an Intelliborn product, and every time has resulted in myavingtoreload my phone.
    Perhaps I'm an isolated case, perhaps not. Either way, I'm afraid that I'm not horribly impressed.
  • I have no need for the social media widgets so I'll stick with Lockinfo, but some people have gone ahead and installed both. Lockinfo for the lockscreen were it shines and ISX as the notification center replacement.
  • I really like that your Notification center is transparent just as IntelliscreenX does once the phone is locked.
    What are you using to get your normal Notification screen transparent??
  • search Cydia for: BlurriedNCBackground
    http://planet-iphones.com/cydia/id/org.thebigboss.blurriedncbackground
  • anyone else hate how, while charging your device, that the Battery image shows and it makes viewing ISX kind of a hassle? this is why i like SpringClean, you can hide the battery image on the lockscreen while your device is charging.
    this especially works great with IntelliScreenX as you can see below (the lightning bolt on the right side of my statusbar is the charging indicator)
    (view images in link below)
    http://forums.imore.com/jailbreak-apps-hacks-themes-forum/224509-intelli...
  • I personnaly prefer li because it has a far better calendar plugin. But I recently tested isx and found it more sexy than li.
    Also, since IOS5, I have a Pb with li. When I power on my iPhone 4 with the power button, it does turn on, but immediately goes back to sleep, If I quickly press again the power button, it then stays on. Anyone else experiences this?
  • Well, right now IntelliscreenX isn't working right, so I can't vote for it in light of that. If you're going on customer support, my vote is for Lockinfo. Intelliborn can't seem to tell me what's wrong.
  • You should take a look at these toggles
    K2IntelliscreenX toggles just make intelliscreenX and SBSettings look awesome!
  • Ally,
    Can you comment on the Calendar functionality of the two programs? I'm frustrated that NC only shows the default calendar events -- can both Lock Info and IntelliscreenX handle other calendar programs, like Informant? From the video, it looked to me like IntelliscreenX could, but I wasn't certain about LockInfo.
    Thanks.
  • Great video and article. I was wondering what the differences were and you addressed them perfectly. I'm currently using the IntelliscreenX trial and plan on taking LockInfo for a spin to see which one I like better.
  • Just switched from LockInfo to IntelliscreenX.
    The only thing really bugging me about Intelliscreen right now is the lack of favorite phone contacts on the Intelliscreen.
    Don't see any setting to add phone contact favorites to Intelliscreen. Is there a setting or a plugin to do this?
    And, speaking of plugins, is there a place to get cool plugins for Intelliscreen?
  • I've used intelliscreen from the beginning, but intelliscreenX is such a memory hog its been causing a lot of instability on my iPhone 4.
    Is LockInfo any better about this?
  • I thought the same at first. I am new to iOS as my primary device (iPhone 4S) and to the jailbreak scene. I am on day 3 of my trial with ISX and I like it so far. I am playing around with SBSettings and am wondering which I can do without - SBS or ISX? Because there is an overlap in shortcut functions. Anyway, I noticed when I added "processes" function, I can clear up memory and that keeps my phone quite stable.
  • so messages+ is not integrated in lockinfo!! do you know if the developer plans to integrate it?
  • I like this whole idea, but I just saw her go into her messages, reply, and do all sorts without actually having to unlock her phone..... surely thats a massive security issue?
  • How did you get your folders to pop open like that?
    Thanks,
    Ian
  • FolderEnhancer.
  • In IntelliscreenX, does anybody know how to get the Calendar to NOT show events in the past?
  • Hi! Does anybody have Quick Compose icon on LockInfo lockscreen with BiteSMS installed?
  • merci l'equipe,j'ai galere au debut mais au bout de la 3ie tieattnve sa marche juste l'icone blanche pour cydia mais une fois redemarre je n'est plus eut de souci
  • If i had a pascode on my phone and I enable the lock screen viewer on IntelliscreenX and my phone gets stolen, could the person who stole it get into my phone through it and send my friends stuff and post on facebook?
  • For me it's very simple. First and foremost my phone is a phone, so having the ability to quickly place a call to one of my favorites easily tips the scale in the direction of lockinfo.
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  • Allyson..and anyone else, do you know how I can get Palm pre notifications? 1) individual ability to swype them away from notification bar. 2) pop-up bars/alarms that appear briefly across bottom of screen and rating takes toapp, swyping candles them out, ignoring them with screen on makes them minimize to a small icon similar to Android.
  • I do believe all of the ideas you have presented on your post. They're really convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are too brief for starters. May you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.
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