Jeff Benjamin

Jeff has been with iDownloadBlog since 2010, acting as resident video specialist, and tutorial expert. He earned his degree in Computer Network Systems back in 2001, but decided Cisco routers and the like just weren’t for him. Since then, he’s been heavily involved with online writing. He’s written for numerous tech and video game sites since the late 1990′s, and has a knack for explaining things in a simple, clear, and concise manner. Jeff works primarily from the east coast on his Retina Macbook Pro, and shoots video with a Canon DSLR. During downtime he likes to travel the world, visiting the various Apple Stores across the globe. You can email him at jeff [at] idownloadblog.com and follow him on Twitter @JeffBenjam or on Google+.

How to toggle the iPhone’s flashlight using the mute switch [jailbreak]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 9, 2016

Using the iPhone as a flashlight is something we're all pretty much accustomed to by now. In fact, Apple makes it easy to toggle the LED flashlight via a handy Control Center shortcut.

But wouldn't it be nice if you could quickly toggle the flashlight without needing to use your iPhone's screen? Wouldn't it be cool if you could assign the LED flashlight to the physical mute switch on the side of your device?

FlashRing is a brand new jailbreak tweak that lets you do just that. With this tweak installed, you can easily toggle the iPhone's LED flash using a physical toggle.

App Admin updated with even more iOS app downgrading features

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

App Admin (formerly App Control) is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to easily downgrade App Store apps on iOS. The tweak, which is still in beta, was met with positive response after it was released several days ago.

After a few updates, App Admin is really starting to come into its own. Not only has it been blessed with new downgrade-centric features, but it also works on devices running older versions of iOS.

The results of the 2015 Jailbreak Awards are in…

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Today was the day that the results of the 2015 Jailbreak Awards were unveiled, and we're happy to say that iDB was the winner in both categories that we were nominated for. Not only did you help vote iDB as the best jailbreak-oriented blog, but you also selected us as having the best jailbreak-related YouTube Channel.

It's an honor to be so highly thought of in the community, and we'd like to take this time to thank you for reading, watching, and voting for us. Check the rest of this post for a list of all of this year's winners.

The uber–challenging Super Hexagon is Apple’s Free App of the Week

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 8, 2016

Super Hexagon is one of my favorite iOS games of all time. Its controls are perfect for touch screens, its learning curve is simple, and its challenge is legendary. Terry Cavanagh's creation is so good that I was actually inspired to make a video just to talk about Super Hexagon–something I wouldn't normally do.

Needless to say, Apple must feel like I do about the game, and it wants more people to get to know it and appreciate it. This is actually the second time that Super Hexagon, a game that normally sells for $2.99, has been made available for free as a part of an Apple promotion. Previously, the game had gone free inside of the Apple Store app, but as of yesterday, Super Hexagon is now featured as Apple's Free App of the Week.

iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case: One month later

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

It's been about a month since I purchased Apple's highly-polarizing Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6s. During this period of time, I've been using the case almost non-stop. I did remove the Smart Battery Case for a few days during the past month to see what life was like without the extra battery life, but I was happy to return to it not long after my experiment.

Most, if not all, of my initial impressions still hold up a month later. The Smart Battery Case might not be the best looking design to come out of Cupertino, but in real world usage, this thing is a winner.

Well-known hacker teases iOS 9.2.1 jailbreak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

iOS 9.2.1 isn't even out of beta yet, but a well-known iOS hacker is already flaunting a purported jailbreak for the unreleased software. Luca Todesco, better known as @qwertyoruiop, teased an iPhone 6 screenshot of Cydia running on iOS 9.2.1 beta.

Whether the jailbreak is legit is still up for debate, but he's no slouch when it comes to security research involving iOS. In fact, Todesco was recently credited by Apple in one of its iOS security fix acknowledgements for iOS 9.2.

Will this jailbreak ever see the light of day as a public release?

Vidyo: iOS screen recording, no jailbreak required [updated]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Vidyo is a new screen recorder app that recently appeared in the App Store. First discovered by MacStories, the $4.99 app is not cheap, but it works.

By simulating an AirPlay Mirroring connection to itself, Vidyo is able to capture any screen displayed on your iPhone. Once recording is completed, users have the option of doing additional post processing and saving the video to the Photos app.

If you want the ability to record your iPhone's screen natively without relying on jailbreaks or external hardware, then you better act fast and purchase and backup Vidyo. This app will likely be removed soon, as it features functionality that Apple's reviewers have previously rejected apps for once discovered.

Let’s Talk Jailbreak 141: Cruising down Memory Lane

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Episode 141: Jeff talks about the top tweaks of 2015, the BigBoss repo gets a great looking redesign, four brand new Safari-improving tweaks, a tweak that lends a respring status bar, and an upcoming tweak that lets you downgrade App Store apps.

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How to adjust the Home screen dock opacity on iOS [jailbreak]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

DockAlpha is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to adjust the dock alpha settings on iOS 9. The tweak, which is available free of charge on Cydia's BigBoss repo, lends a more transparent look to the dock for jailbroken iOS 9 users. If you're looking to subtly change the look of the iOS Home screen, you may want to give DockAlpha a try.

App Admin: downgrade App Store apps right from your jailbroken iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Late last year, we showed you how to downgrade App Store apps directly from Apple using iTunes. The method was anything but straightforward, but it did indeed work.

Today, I'd like to show you a brand new method for downgrading App Store apps. Not only is it much easier than the old method, but it runs right on your iPhone, so no computer is required. The only "downside" is that you must be jailbroken to use this method, as it relies on a jailbreak tweak that's now in beta. That said, it's way easier than the prior method that doesn't require a jailbreak.

Want to see how easy it is to downgrade virtually any App Store app using only a jailbroken iPhone? Watch our video and see UnlimApp's new jailbreak tweak, App Admin, in action.

Let’s Talk iOS 116: Sketchy rumors

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Episode 116: A discussion of all of the latest iPhone rumors, including rumblings of a 256GB iPhone 7 Plus. USB Type-C and CarPlay both go more mainstream, and Final Cut Pro X stages an impressive comeback.

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These three new tweaks improve the look of Safari

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Developer Chikuwa has released several new jailbreak tweaks all squarely aimed at modifying the Safari experience. The first tweak of Chikuwa's we covered was FirstEditBookmark. That's a tweak that allows you to edit bookmarks URLs in Safari as you're adding them.

The remaining three tweaks are more visually-oriented. As such, I thought that it would be appropriate to showcase all three in the post that follows.