Debugging the UI of Third-Party iOS Apps
Article Summary
Ever wonder how Twitter built their custom tab bar or how Reeder optimized their scroll performance? There's a way to peek under the hood.
The Doist team shares a practical guide to debugging UI in any iOS app—not just your own. Using a jailbroken device and FLEXing, you can inspect the view hierarchy and implementation details of third-party apps to learn from the best.
Key Takeaways
- Jailbreak + FLEXing package lets you debug ANY iOS app's UI
- Reeder built custom CoreTableView on UIScrollView, not UITableView
- Twitter uses TFNCustomTabBar for icon-only tabs and animations
- Activate FLEX by holding the status bar on any screen
Critical Insight
With a jailbroken device and FLEXing installed, you can inspect the complete view hierarchy and custom components of any iOS app to understand how top teams build their UIs.
