If your device is jailbroken the one thing backing up to iCloud or itunes does not cover you from is all your jailbroken apps, tweaks, settings, preferences, ect. from being restored if something happens. The last thing you want is to lose all of this if something happens to your device or if you decide to move to a non jailbroken version of iOS until the new jailbreak for it comes out.

So if you haven’t done so yet go purchase PkgBackup in cydia, yes it costs but its super simple to use and will save you tons of frustration. PkgBackup keeps it really simple and allows you to backup your iOS device and restore it from within the app.

Some of the storage options available to backup to and restore from are as follows.

Box

Dropbox

FTP

GDrive

OneDrive

SugarSync

Local Storage

Addressbook

PkgBackup lets you choose how many backups you want kept and even create an automatic backup schedule. You also have the choice of encrypting your backup files among many other settings and features to help customize PkgBackup. So prepare yourself for the inevitable, if you are not jailbroken yet click here to learn what it is and jailbreak your device today.

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iOS 8.1.3 has just been released by apple but if you are jailbroken DO NOT UPDATE for it will remove your jailbreak. While this update fixes a few glitches from 8.1.2 its major selling point to most is the reduced available storage needed for updates. If you are simply thinking about updating for storage reasons stop and just go to cydia and download iCleaner instead. iCleaner will delete downloaded update files and a barrage of other junk. To be clear however 8.1.3 just changes what it requires you to have available for updates, not actually giving you any storage back.

Secondly iOS 8.2 is set to come out in the next few months with the arrival of the iWatch as it will be needed to help sync your iPhone and iWatch together. You can bet that quickly following there will be a jailbreak for 8.2 which will have far more features and improvements then the small update to iOS 8.1.3 you are seeing now.

If you are not jailbroken yet go in and do it now before updating to open yourself to a whole new world of available apps and tweaks.

Click here for the Jailbreak Updates page to see the status on a jailbreak for iOS 8.1.3

Not sure what jailbreaking is, find out here. Already familiar with jailbreaking but haven’t done it yet? Jailbreak it now here.

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I have to admit before I downloaded and installed iAppLock I was not completely sure what it could do for me and if I would have any use for it. I can say after using it for 3 weeks that iAppLock is a great tool to add to your iPhone or iPad, and one I will be keeping on all my iOS devices. So without further ado lets jump right into what iAppLock can do.

What is iAppLock: iAppLock from Think Yeah allows you to lock down any app on your iOS device using a passcode, pattern or touch ID. It allows you to lock anything from your messages, photo gallery and Facebook app to all others.

User Interface: The user interface and graphics were designed to be very user friendly, clean and beautiful. I must admit after using it from first use it was a very clean and beautiful design that made navigating and using the app very simple. iAppLocks interface allows it to be easily managed, it even features a section for upcoming updates and functions to the app.

Functionality: It does exactly what it says it will do and more. It worked flawlessly with any app I added the lock to. Above that there are added features that really help iAppLock stand out, and one is the ability to add trusted wifi networks.

When you have specified a trusted wifi network and you’re connected it disables all locking you have added to the specified apps. This becomes very helpful when your iPhone or iPad is used on a work related wifi network. For me I need the ability to get into various apps very quickly while at work and do not have time to mess about with a lock constantly on certain apps. However when I am at home there are many apps I don’t want being launched or used unless by me. The trusted wifi feature solves that issue completely.

There is also a delayed timeout option so that you can exit an app you have the lock on and not have it ask for touch id or a password if accessed again within a certain time period. One other added feature I found useful was requiring the passcode when trying to uninstall an app, I mean apple requires you to put in a passcode when you instal the app so why not for uninstalling it. This could save you some grief if your little one gets ahold of your iPhone.

In addition iAppLock has a custom lock screen option which is clean and well made. There are more features not mentioned and they are constantly updating and improving so you wont be dissatisfied with this app.

Primary Features:

iAppLock supports Passcode Lock, Pattern Lock and Touch ID.

Trusted wifi networks where passcodes are not required for locked apps

Delayed Locking

App uninstall that requires passcode to uninstall an app

Hide App Snapshots in App Switcher

Status bar icon to show whether lock is turned on or off

Custom lock screen

Random Passcode

Free version allows for 5 apps to be locked and 1 trusted wifi (Do yourself a favor and get the full version, its worth the money)

New features always coming

Summary: All things considered after using iAppLock for 3 weeks I have no plans on ever removing it from my lineup. It was easy to use, worked as it should and has a lot of handy features. Not to mention all the upcoming updates and new features in the works to make it that much better. I have since added it to my iPads and other iPhones in the house and office, its just to useful not too. It is one of those features you don’t truly realize you needed until you have it. If for no other reason then the fact that it can deter and stop a major headache from happening go get it, you will use it.

How to get iAppLock: To get iAppLock click here for the main app page and link to it in cydia. You can also go directly to cydia to download and install iAppLock, you will need your device jailbroken to do so(Need to jailbreak your device click here to start with what it is). To follow iAppLocks creaters ThinkYeah click here for their Twitter page(@ThinkYeahApp).

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For those of you, including myself that very much dislike the collections in the photo gallery there is a fix. Available in cydia is NoPhotosCollections a very handy and simple to instal tweak that completely removes the collections from the photo gallery and puts it back to how it was before iOS 8.

To uninstall simply download the tweak from cydia and respring. To disable or reenable at any time go into settings. If your device is not jailbroken, jailbreak it today, find out what jailbreaking is here

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Your iPhone is a very complex and powerful device with thousands of features and tweaks to help make life easier. Today I am going to go over just 10 iPhone tricks you probably forgot where there. I know some of these I forget about as well, but when I remember them it reminds me of why I love them so. So without further interruption here are the 10 iPhone Tricks You Probably Forgot.

1. Location Based Reminders: This can be taken care of through Siri, simply tell Siri something like “Remind me to give Josh his sunglasses back when I am at his house” Then when you show up to Josh’s house later that evening you get reminded.

2. Double Tap for a New Sentence: When you come to the end of a sentence simply double tap the space bar and a period and space will automatically be added for you.

3. Faster Charge: Place your iPhone in airplane mode to greatly speed up charging.

4. Shake to Undo: Dont like what you just typed? Shake the iPhone to bring up the option to undo it.

5. Use Your iPhone as a Level: Go to compass and swipe left, now you have a Level to use and a saved trip to home depot.

6. Use Volume Keys to Take a Photo: When the camera is on you can use the volume buttons to snap photos.

7. View Time Stamps on all Texts: Just slide the message bubbles to the left and all the timestamps appear.

8. Rapid Photo Burst: Hold down the capture button in camera mode to take rapid bursts of photos.

9. Light Flashes for Alerts: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > LED Flash For Alerts and now you will be notified of a new alert or message via LED flash.

10. Have Siri Generate Random Passwords: Just tell Siri something like you need a random 10 or 12 character password and she will do it.

There you have it, the 10 iPhone tricks you probably forgot. The great part is all these work regardless of if your device is jailbroken or not. As I come across new tricks and tips I will post them on the blog.

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One of the cool new features of iOS 8 is the update to Siri called “Hey Siri”. Hey Siri allows you to to say the words “Hey Siri” at anytime regardless if your iPhone is locked or not to begin using siri. It is a very useful hands free way to use Siri, the problem however is the need for your device to be plugged in to use it.

Having a tool that you can only use some of the time ensures that one will use it none of the time. The UnTetheredHeySiri App/Tweak available in the cydia store solves this issue. The UnTetheredHeySiri App allows for “Hey Siri” to be used regardless of if your iPhone is plugged in or not. The setup is also extremely simple, once you have downloaded and installed from cydia simply go to the Settings>General>Siri and enable the settings to use Hey Siri even when you are not charging.

With this you need to be aware that your battery won’t last as long when having Hey Siri enabled. You will also need to have your iPhone jailbroken with iOS 8 for UnTethered Hey Siri to work, if you do not want to have your device jailbroken below is a work around for the time being that works.

Non Jailbroken iPhones work around for using Hey Siri UnTethered

Turn on “Hey Siri” in Settings>General>Siri

Activate Siri as usual by holding the home button for a second and then releasing.

Say Nothing! and let Siri time out

You can now say “Hey Siri” to launch Siri as long as your iphone does not lock or idle off it will work. As you can see this way is not as good and likely will get patched with an iOS update. I recommend just jailbreaking your iPhone and installing UnTetheredHeySiri. If you don’t know what Jailbreaking is click here to find out.

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A brand new iPhone app has just hit the app store, and it’s called “Be My Eyes”. This is really unlike any other app, you don’t fling birds or check in on your friends. Be My Eyes is a unique and free app developed to help the blind. It takes a function of the iPhone we have taken for granted(the camera/live streaming) and provides a helpful tool to those in need.

Be My Eyes allows a blind person to request assistance for a daily task or challenge. The requester simply sends out a request via the app, then one of the thousands of volunteers and counting that have installed and singed up for the app help guide the person in need. It creates a live video stream with the blind person needing assistance so that you may help them with their task. This could be anything from helping them navigate a cross walk to helping someone find the AA batteries in electronics. The blind person hears the instructions via the iPhone feature Voiceover. Currently this is only an options for iPhones 4s or newer and only for iOS 7x or newer, currently not available for android.

To me this is an excellent way to not only do a good deed but help make someone else’s life a little easier. My request for those who do plan on using the service or volunteering is simple, please don’t let this turn into a chat roulette situation, this is a noble purpose and cause that can make a real positive difference for tens of thousands of people . With that said there have been systems put inplace to help limit misuse.

So if you are like me and want to help someone out even just a few times a month get the app by clicking her to go directly to the app store page.

Images from Be My Eyes app page.

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So if you are anything like me your iphone is starting to get stacked up with extra junk that is taking up a lot of space. I feel this usually happens every few months, it can be a pain to have to go through and clear caches, cookies, log files and all the other junk manually. So for this task I recommend the iCleaner tweak that is available in the cydia app store.

Currently it is compatible with iOS versions 4x-8x so you should be covered. The main purpose of this app is to clean that pesky other section that gets filled up with junk you don’t need. iCleaner provides a lot of ways to strip down the fat on multiple parts of your device.

Main functions of the app:

Remove Message Attachments

Clear Safari Browsing data, cache, cookies ect.

Delete App Caches and unneeded files

Clean up log, cache and temporary files

Remove unneeded keywords and voice control languages

Remove unused dependencies

Remove downloaded ios update files

These are just the primary functions of iCleaner, the app itself has even more options and abilities. In order to download this app you will need your device jailbroken with the cydia app store installed.

Not sure what jailbreaking is, find out here. Already familiar with jailbreaking but haven’t done it yet? Jailbreak it now here.

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What is WiFi: While this question is not specifically related to iOS devices like iPhones it is an important concept to understand, especially if you have any iOS device. WiFi is simply a technology that allows computers, phones, and just about any device to communicate wirelessly. Wifi uses a device called a router to transmit the signal.

In relation to iOS most all apple devices give you the ability to connect to a WiFi connection, so whether you are at home or a coffee shop you can avoid using your data plan and use the wifi instead.

There are quite a few apps in the Cydia store if your iPhone or iPad is Jailbroken that allow you to turn your device into a personal WiFi hotspot using your data plan giving access to other devices in the area. This type of hotspot makes life much easier when trying to work off a laptop or iPad when there is no standard WiFi connection available. This allows you to make use of your cell carriers data plan to get your tasks completed.

Did the term jailbreaking confuse you? Find out what jailbreaking is here.

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What is iCloud?: If you are new to apple and iOS devices this is a very important piece of the iOS and apple universe. SImply put iCloud is a cloud storage service provided by apple. Now in the iOS device universe iCloud is used for backing up and storing your most prized photos, videos, downloads, music, mail, documents ect. It is available from any device and also helps aid in sharing your content and media amongst all of your apple devices.

Among all of iClouds uses the two biggest standouts is first the ability to restore all content back to your iOS device or computer. This is especially helpful in cases of damaged phones, lost phones or you simply moving up to a new device. The second biggest standout is the find my iphone feature, which is supported across all apple devices. Personally I have my macbook, ipad and iphones connected to the find my iphone feature, this is helpful if you simply leave a device somewhere or if one is stolen acheter viagra.

So as you can see whatever your use of said device iCloud is a great tool for securing and sharing your most important info. So whether you are just getting an apple device or thinking about it, iCloud should be considered a big selling point for ios and the apple universe.

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I know this has been something asked about for some time, especially for those moving over from android to iphone. That is Swype for iPhone, previously only available to those of us with jailbroken phones using a third party app available in cydia.

For those unfamiliar with Swype it’s a gesture and predictive based keyboard. It works from you sliding your finger across the keyboard from the first letter to the last letter of a word as you only lift your finger between words.

With the release of iOS 8 you finally get what’s been asked for and that is Swype for iphone, and it is available in the app store. Now granted you must pay .99 for it and pay for any additional themes but at least customization is possible.

Currently it has a 3 star rating so I suggest double checking the reviews for the current version. I downloaded it and I think it works how it should on my iPhone 5s and 6 standard. It didn’t have quite a few of the words I needed but to be fair I never used it before and prefer the standard way so I primarily looked for bugginess. None the less if you are an android transfer who is missing your Swype feature you have it back so go get it and enjoy your iPhone that much more.

Get Swype for iPhone now through the app store click here

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Incase you missed it, Firewall ip7 has been updated for iOS 8 by Yllier. For those who don’t know what Firewall ip7 does it allows you to block outgoing connections and specific port blocking. It notifies you of apps trying to establish a connection to a host and gives you the ability to allow or deny it.

Why is this helpful?

Privacy: Stop developers from collecting stats or data about you.

Block ads

Block data/process hungry update features like seen with the facebook app

See the hostname and whois information of the connections

I have been using it for years and have found it to be a very handy tool. It has far more features than listed above and is very in depth. Infact this is my must have app for my kids ipad as it blocks them from things like clicking on ads, to shopping on itunes with dads wallet.

To see more in depth of what Firewall ip7 for ios can do click here for the developers page.

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This very handy app, Safari Downloader+ available in cydia has been updated for iOS 8 and other 64 bit A7 chip devices. If you are not familiar with Safari Downloader the + provides 3 apps in one package.

Includes

File Download Manager

Video Downloader- Youtube, Vevo, DailyMotion & Vimeo

Media Importer

This is a very extensive app that allows you to download just about any media or file off safari browser. The author has labeled it the “all in one solution for your downloading needs and media related activities” . Having used it and found it handy in the past I was happy to add this to my lineup. So far, (granted very little use as of yet) it has been very helpful.

Safari Downloader+ makes viewing media offline possible for whatever your reason. As I continue to use this new version of safari downloader I will update the post of any issues or fixes. You can read more about the specs and app details from the developers info page here.

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To help bring in the final week of the year I have gone into the repository and brought out an app that still holds value today and that is RecordMyScreen. RecordMyScreen was the first free open source app to allow you to record your ios devices screen. This app can be installed on both jailbroken and non jailbroken devices. There are quite a few uses for this regardless of using it for business or pleasure.

Click here to read more from the developer and get RecordMyScreen on your device.

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What is iOS you ask? Simply put it is the operating system that the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV(as of 2nd Gen) and iPod run off of. This is Apples mobile operating system and has been actively part of the mobile universe since it came packaged on the 1st generation iPhone back in 2007.
iOS runs off of Objective-C programming and utilizes Cocoa and Cocoa Touch. Recently Apple has released SWIFT a new programing language to work with Cocoa and Cocoa Touch. If you are interested in developing your own apps take a look at SWIFT on Apples dev site here Click Me for more info on SWIFT.

Curious about expanding what IOS can do on your device look into jailbreaking. Not sure what Jailbreaking is? find out here “What is Jailbreaking”.

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