Add Home Screen Settings Shortcuts Like Airplane Mode, Brightness Setting on iOS 5.1

Settings like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Airplane Mode, and Brightness Settings are buried deep inside your iPhone which you often change but want access to via a home screen app icon. Until the release iOS 5.1 beta, “Icon Project tool” allowed you to create custom shortcuts on Home Screen. But now you have a free alternative to it.

iOS developer Jeff Broderick has just launched iPhone Settings Shortcuts which supports iOS 5.0, iOS 5.0.1, iOS 5.1 beta. It easily allows you to add app icons for quick access to deeply-nested settings on iOS. The best part is that these SB-Settings like settings toggles can be created on Homescreen without having to jailbreak the iPhone.

The hack utilizes “URL scheming,” which allows developers to create web apps to gain access to certain parts of the iPhone’s operating system. iWebKit is once such popular free framework package for creating applications that are compatible with iPod Touch, iPhone & iPad. Since details are scant, we aren’t sure, which tool or method did Jeff used for packaging the hack.

Here’s how to create your own iPhone Settings Shortcuts:

Step 1: Open brdrck.me/settings in Safari browser from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

Step 2: Tap the appropriate settings toggle icon you want on you homescreen.

Step 3: Tap “Install Shortcut”. You will be prompted to install a profile. Click the “Install Now” button to continue.

Step 4: You’re done. The Settings shortcut should now be installed.

Its advantage over “Icon Project tool” (available for $0.99) is that it comes absolutely free but you can always donate to Jeff on his website, if you want to pay for his excellent work. The biggest advantage is that it doesn’t occupy any storage space because it is just a “Web App” and not a normal app that we often download via app store.

You must try this settings toggle on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch by adding useful iPhone Home Screen widgets like Airplane Mode, HotSpot, and Brightness Settings. Let us know if it works for you in the comments below.