iOS 16 Exploit Lets You Change Your iPhone's Font System-Wide

While Apple has increased the level of customization iPhone users have access to over the years, the ‌iPhone‌'s system-wide font has been one thing users have not been able to change. Thanks to a new tool created by a developer, however, users will now be able to change their ‌iPhone‌'s font if they're running an older version of iOS 16.

ios 16 font change 2
The developer, Zhuowei Zhang, made a tool that changes an ‌iPhone‌'s system-wide font by exploiting a security loophole present in past versions of iOS 16. The security loophole Zhang used to make the tool was patched in iOS 16.2, meaning an ‌iPhone‌ will have to be running iOS 16.1.2 or older to use the tool and change its system-wide font.

To check what version your ‌iPhone‌ is running, go to Settings -> General -> About and see what is listed as the iOS version. Apple last weekend stopped signing iOS 16.1.2, meaning if you're running iOS 16.2, you will not be able to downgrade.

The tool is available on GitHub as an IPA file and lets users change their ‌iPhone‌'s font to one of several choices, including Comic Sans MS, Fira Sans, DejaVu Sans Mono, and others. Using the tool will change the appearance of your ‌iPhone‌, as seen in the screenshots provided by Zhang below.

ios 16 font change 1
Users are heavily advised to update their device to iOS 16.2 as it includes important security fixes and a host of new features, including new options for the always-on display on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro, Apple Music Sing, the new Freeform app, and more. You can learn more about iOS 16.2 using our guide.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Two Breakthrough Features

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:26 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include two standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...

Top Rated Comments

Dr.Gonzo(LC 575) Avatar
38 months ago
Sweet comic sans here I come! :D
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MajorFubar Avatar
38 months ago
Being able to make simple customisations like this is partly why Android is so wholly dominant worldwide outside of USA, but I wouldn't endorse downloading something that exploits a security loophole in order to customize your iPhone. The whole idea seems sketchy as eff.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iBluetooth Avatar
38 months ago
Be careful about installing a 3rd party IPA file. The developer gets full access to your phone!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
38 months ago
iOS beautified by Comic Sans looks fantastic.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FloridaScrubJay Avatar
38 months ago
And after your font is changed, your bank account will be depleated.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
russell_314 Avatar
38 months ago

Oh please oh please let me install something that takes advantage of a security loophole. ?
It’s unfortunate that it’s being advertised by MacRumors without sufficient warning of how dangerous this is. Someone is going to do this and get burned really bad.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)