How to use Cydia Impactor – iOS App Signer on Windows?

Cydia Impactor is a fairly old tool that is built by the creator of Cydia store, Jay Freeman aka Saurik. Cydia Impactor did get much attention when it was built initially. Until recently, Cydia Impactor got a lot of attention as more and more people are looking for methods to sideload Cydia apps without jailbreak using windows. Today I will tell you how to use Cydia impactor and is it an App Signer alternative for Windows?

How to use Cydia Impactor?

A lot of people ask in the comments, how to use Cydia Impactor? What apps can I install using Cydia Impactor? and Is it safe to enter my Apple ID in Cydia Impactor? Today, I am gonna try to answer almost all the questions that you have regarding the program.

Is it safe to sideload apps using Cydia Impactor?

First of all, I am going to answer if using Cydia Impactor is safe or not. Because a lot of people seems to be skeptical about the authenticity of it. Essentially Cydia Impactor is a tool which you are going to use to sideload the app on your iOS 9/10 device. Before you ask is Cydia Impactor is safe, you have to make sure that the IPA file you are using is safe.

Yes, Cydia Impactor does ask for your Apple ID during the signing process but it uses that information for nothing but App Signing . That is because Apple requires your Apple ID to sign the app. Cydia Impactor just takes your Apple ID from you and hands it over to Apple servers.

Now if you are 100% sure that the IPA file is safe and doesn’t contain any exploits, you are golden. That is because Cydia Impactor comes from one of the most authentic sources in Jailbreak community. The maker of Cydia.

How to use Cydia Impactor?

Even thou Cydia impactor is a very simple to use the program, a lot of people get confused because the program also has some functionality built for Android phones. Below I have “tried to” make the sideloading process of Cydia Impactor as simplified as it gets.

1. First of all, make sure that you have iTunes installed on your Computer. It is not required to be running, just need to be installed.
2. Next, you will need to download IPA file of the app that you want to sideload to your iPhone. Make sure that the IPA file is coming from an authentic source. That is because a lot of people complain that they get ipa.cpp errors in Cydia Impactor. If you are sure that the IPA file is good and healthy, Here is how to fix ipa.cpp and zip.cpp errors in Cydia Impactor.
3. Now download the latest version of Cydia Impactor from the official site.
4. If you are on Windows PC, make sure that you keep the impactor.exe file in the same folder where you have other files of the zip file. In other words, Cydia Impactor will give dll missing errors if you will try to run impactor.exe file without other files being in the same folder.
5. Once you have impactor up and running, connect your iPhone using lightning cable. Now make sure that your iPhone is showing up inside the Impactor. If it doesn’t detect your iPhone, you have to re-install iTunes.
6. Here is the step where a lot of people have confusion. Because there is a “Start” button on Cydia Impactor window, a lot of users feel like they have to click on the “Start” button. You don’t do that. Simply drag and drop the IPA file on that Cydia impactor window and it will ask for your Apple ID and Pass.
7. Once entered, it will sign the IPA file and install the app on your iPhone and you don’t need to do anything. If you are getting “error ipa.cpp:99 cannot find .app/info.plist” error, you will need to move the IPA file in the same directory where you have “impactor.exe” file. This will fix the issue.

So, Now you know How to use Cydia impactor and it is safe to use, let’s talk about what apps you can sideload using Cydia Impactor.

What Apps can you sideload using Cydia Impactor?

One thing you need to keep in mind is that Cydia Impactor is not a program that will let you install Cydia tweaks and themes on your iPhone without jailbreak. It can’t do that. Simply because jailbreak opens up root access to the file system of your iOS device which tweaks and themes need to operate.

Cydia Apps that don’t need root access are the only one that you can install/sideload using Cydia Impactor. Below is a quick list of famous apps that you can sideload using Cydia Impactor. Just in case if your favorite app is not listed below, you can try to sideload it and if it works, you can comment below so that we can update the list. Don’t worry, if you try to sideload an app that doesn’t work, it will not cause any damage to your iOS device or your Apple ID.

• MovieBox, CinemaBox, PlayBox HD
• Kodi
• Modded version of Snapchat, Hacked version of Pokemon Go
• You can also install apps like iFile and Filza but you will not be able to use some of the functions because they require root access.

That’s it for this quick tutorial. If you were able to fix your problems regarding Cydia Impactor, make sure to share it with your friends on facebook and tweet about it. Also make sure that you follow us on Twitter for future updates. Keep visiting revkid.com for all things iOS.