The first order of business I had after jailbreaking my new iPhone and installing lots of free, fun 3rd-party applications was to create a Florida Gators theme for Summerboard. Here’s what it looks like:

Wallpaper/login screen

Wallpaper/login screen

Main menu

Main menu

Download: Florida Gators iPhone theme

Update: this theme is now available via the BigBoss repository. If you have Installer on your iPhone, just find the Florida Gators theme package and enjoy! If you want to install manually, follow the steps below. Otherwise, just jailbreak and install Summerboard, then download the theme via Installer.

Instructions:

Step 1: You will need a jailbroken iPhone with Summerboard already installed.

If this sounds like gibberish to you, you’re running a stock iPhone which is needlessly limited in functionality. Jailbreaking is the process of “freeing” your iPhone from its cage so that you can install 3rd-party applications. Estimates are that 25% of all iPhones in circulation have been jailbroken, so you’ll be in good company. Jailbreaking is safe, easily reversible (just by clicking “Restore” in iTunes) and relatively easy. I recommend iLiberty+. Do NOT use ZiPhone.

To jailbreak, follow the instructions here: Guide to jailbreaking your iPhone using iLiberty+. Note: when you run iLiberty+ and are presented with an options screen, do not install Cydia, which will not allow you to install Summerboard. Choose Installer, which is what will be installed by default if you leave the Cydia checkbox unchecked.

Step 2: Install Summerboard

Once you’ve jailbroken your iPhone, you’ll need to install Summerboard. Whazzat, you ask? Summerboard is a play on words. “Springboard” is what Apple calls the main menu touchscreen interface on your iPhone. Summerboard, therefore, is the next logical step; this app allows you to install hundreds of 3rd-party themes, including your own. To install, follow the instructions here: How to Install Summerboard Themes Note that Summerboard will not be active until you physically reboot your iPhone (press and hold the sleep button + the home button for 6 seconds.) Once you’re sure that Summerboard is active and that you can load themes, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Use WinSCP or OpenSSH to connect to your iPhone via Wi-Fi

Unzip FloridaGators.zip to your desktop or anywhere else on your computer. You will need to use OpenSSH or WinSCP to access your jailbroken iPhone’s file directory. I recommend WinSCP for Windows users. Guides to do this are here. Note that you will need to change your iPhone’s auto-lock to “Never” (Settings -> General -> Auto-Lock) for the duration of your SSH or SCP session, or the phone will shut itself down and close your connection. Once you have successfully gained access to your iPhone’s file directory navigate to /var/mobile/Library/Summerboard/Themes. You should see other theme directories here (for example, Default, Leopard, etc.)

In the local computer panel (left side, your computer) find the FloridaGators directory and copy the entire directory over.

Step 4: Restart Springboard

On your iPhone, scroll to the bottom of the Summerboard (SMBPrefs) and click “Restart SpringBoard”. On reboot, you should see the Florida Gators wallpaper on login and then the springboard theme. I recommend in SMBPrefs that you “dim wallpaper” for the proper effect when the menu is loaded, or else the Gator head logo in the background makes things look a bit too busy.

Step 5: Have fun.

… so, what’s next? Hopefully this theme will be added to the BigBoss repository so that in the future, all you’ll have to do is use Installer to download and install the theme rather than going through the semi-complicated process of SCPing or SSHing into the iPhone. If you’re having problems installing, feel free to email me at . Also, I’d love to hear your feedback (using comments below, or email) about the theme.