Enable Multitouch Gesture on iPhone 4, 3GS iOS 4.3.1

5 April 2011 by Vinay 21 Comments

Apple released iOS 4.3.1 with an hidden presence of multi-gesture touch, to do with 4 and 5 fingers to run their application without using the Start button. Multi-touch gestures provides the ability to exit an application and return to the home screen by pressing with four or five fingers. Also, if the slide to the left or right to switch between open applications and slide up to open multiple taskbar.

Note : iPad user can follow our guide to Enable Multitouch Gesture on iPad iOS 4.3.1

This article explains step by step how to enable multi-touch gestures on iPhone 4. First you must connect your phone to your PC / Mac using SSH, or use iFile to edit with in your iPhone

instructions :

For iPhone 4 : Navigate to System >> Library >> CoreServices >> SpringBoard.app >> N90AP.plist

For iPhone 3GS : Navigate to System >> Library >> CoreServices >> SpringBoard.app >> N88AP.plist

and add following string

<key>multitasking-gestures</key>

<true/>

Navigate to var >> mobile >> Library >> Preferences and open com.apple.springboard.plist and add following string

<key>SBUseSystemGestures</key>

<true/>

now respring or reboot your phone and that’s it

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21 Comments »

HarrowedAU said:

Works on 3GS also, but instead of N90AP.plist first file is N88AP.plist.

# 5 April 2011 at 6:36 pm

justin said:

Do i delete the each of them in the instrutions as its not made clear

# 5 April 2011 at 6:44 pm

FransUrbo said:

If you use ‘Property List Editor’, save the files as ‘XML Property List File’ and then convert them back to binary format with ‘plutil -convert binary1 FILE.plist’ before you send them back to the iPhone.

# 5 April 2011 at 7:05 pm

Dymont said:

Thank you! It works great!

# 5 April 2011 at 9:48 pm

Sayan said:

followed the steps above and now my iphone3gs is stuck on apple logo and the moving wheel…:(

help plz…..

# 5 April 2011 at 10:24 pm

Sayan said:

i copied the strings at the end of the file, after everything……..

# 5 April 2011 at 10:26 pm

Vinay (author) said:

@Sayan now you need to restore again, you need to add the strings in appropriate place. Check the images attached in the guide for your future reference.

# 5 April 2011 at 10:38 pm

Sayan said:

did it……

but how can we get the button that we get in iphone 4 in the settings app????

and does this tweak slow the first time opening of an app????

# 5 April 2011 at 11:01 pm

FransUrbo said:

On my iPhone 4, they where binary files. When i added the keys with the PLE, it created an XML file. Sending that up to the iPhone made my SpringBoard crash. Luckily, I had made a backup before modifying it so remodifying the files and convert them to binary files worked…

# 6 April 2011 at 12:14 am

Omar said:

Save yourself the headache and Jailbreak your phone and install Activator.

# 6 April 2011 at 5:53 am

Theo said:

Couldn’t update the com.apple.springboard via iFile; error Encountered unexpected character d on line 144 (or 143 or 145).

The N90AP.plist was successful….

# 6 April 2011 at 7:32 am

Markus said:

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! It worked, but i was wondering how do you enable the switch for it in the settings??

# 6 April 2011 at 7:33 am

Hemant said:

Vinay,

I am trying to edit the files on ifile but i cant save them.

# 6 April 2011 at 11:21 am

Iuli said:

How do i ssh into my iPhone 4 if is not jailbroken? It can be done? Tks

# 6 April 2011 at 12:35 pm

majod said:

work in iOS 4.2.1 or not

# 6 April 2011 at 7:38 pm

apo said:

iphone 4/4.3.1/redsnow
editet with ifile with txt editor, added the lines in shown plase, restarted and nothing new in settings. Actually I dont even know where to look for the settings.

# 6 April 2011 at 8:15 pm