Kurdish developer Karwan BK shot to fame with SnapFrogi Snapchat hack. Recently, he sat down with Team Yalu Jailbreak to share his thoughts on tweak development, Snapchat, piracy, and the future of jailbreaking.
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Q1. How and when did you get started with tweak development?
Karwan: Well, I started tweak development in 2013. But at first, all my tweak development efforts were limited to translating and supporting my native Kurdish language.
Since then, I have developed plenty of other tweaks that everyone could easily use on their Apple device.
Q2. How does your typical day look like?
Karwan: Let me start by saying something that you may not know – I am studying Medicine, not computer science.
I spend a lot of my time studying and I make tweaks whenever I get a chance to play around with my jailbroken device. I do that just for fun as I enjoy tweak development on iOS.
Q3. SnapFrogi was your first jailbreak tweak. Where did the motivation for that tweak come from and why did you decide to name it “SnapFrogi”?
Karwan: Some people might think otherwise, but SnapFrogi is not my first jailbreak tweak.
I also developed YouTubeMusic++ back in the day. However, the tweak didn’t become popular for some reason.
When I developed SnapFrogi, I was thinking about a name for it and decided to go with Frog because I use the Frog emoji a lot.
Q4. Despite Snapchat’s DRM, SnapFrogi is still going strong. How do you plan to take on Snapchat’s jailbreak detection attempts in the future?
Karwan: In the latest version of my tweak SnapFrogi, users haven’t reported a single ban thus far.
And to be very honest, I don’t think SnapChat can detect my tweak anyway. I always keep a tab on Snap’s latest updates and see what’s new and if it can detect SnapFrogi effectively.
I may also implement a full-blown DRM bypass mechanism should the need arise in the future.
Q5. Are you currently working on any new project (may or may not be iOS-related) or any Cydia tweak?
Karwan: Unfortunately, no. But I might pick up a new project if I come across a good idea.
Q6. Have you ever felt that developers deserve money for developing tweaks?
Karwan: Yeah, of course. Developers put in a lot of time and effort in developing something.
They have to fix a lot of errors and difficulties and users should be appreciative of that whenever they use a free or paid tweak. They should also donate to whatever they can to the developers, even if the amount is little.
Q7. How many Apple devices do you own and currently use?
Karwan: I currently own the following Apple devices –
- iPhone 4s
- iPhone 5
- iPad Air 2
- iPhone X
Q8. What are your favorite Cydia tweaks and App Store apps?
Karwan: I really like iCleaner Pro, AudioRecorder 2 because they are very useful. As far as AppStore apps go, I really like to play Chess.
Q9. What’s your stance on piracy in the jailbreak scene?
Karwan: Piracy has always been there and it never stops. Jailbreak enthusiasts can help put an end to it by purchasing tweaks and supporting the developers.
Though Karwan is not developing any tweaks right now, he plans to do so in the future. You can follow him on Twitter here for all the latest updates regarding his upcoming projects.
I haven’t used this yet a couple of questions:
1) Do you recommend this over Wraith? Been using that a couple of weeks without any issues.
2) Does Frogi allow you to save and upload from camera roll yet? I could’ve sworn it was said to be in the works. Only thing missing from Wraith is ability to upload videos from camera roll.
Hello, Justin.
1. Wraith obviously has better features so I would recommend using it.
2. No, Frogi doesn’t have that capability so far. Yes, the developer wanted to add it but so far hasn’t.
I haven’t used this yet a couple of questions:
1) Do you recommend this over Wraith? Been using that a couple of weeks without any issues.
2) Does Frogi allow you to save and upload from camera roll yet? I could’ve sworn it was said to be in the works. Only thing missing from Wraith is ability to upload videos from camera roll.