Anthony Bouchard

Anthony Bouchard joined the iDownloadBlog.com team in 2016 after originally covering Apple and iPhone jailbreak news at ModMyi.com. As an experienced editor, he brings more than 15 years’ worth of jailbreaking knowledge to our in-depth guides, opinion pieces, and news articles. His passion for device customization and user choice sparks his strong push to empower readers with the tools they need to explore and enjoy the freedom that comes with jailbreaking. Anthony blogs about not only jailbreaking, but also Apple software & accessories, drones & photography, and Nintendo gaming systems. Anthony honed his advanced technical knowledge over the years with hands-on projects ranging from gaming PC builds to engine repair mechanics. His never-ending hunger for knowledge is why you’ll always find him tinkering – tearing things apart and putting them back together to understand what makes them tick.

AltStore and AltServer updated to v1.4.4 with iOS 14-centric bug fixes

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 5, 2021

Jailbreak apps such as Chimera, Odyssey, and unc0ver can be installed a bevy of different ways. Perhaps one of the most popular methods involves a software utility combination for macOS and Windows-based computers known as AltStore and AltServer. The latter runs as a process on the computer, facilitating the installation of the former alongside side-loadable apps on an iPhone or iPad running iOS or iPadOS 12.2 or later.

Both AltStore and AltServer occasionally receive updates with improvements and/or new features for users, and just this evening, the software duo were updated to version 1.4.4.

Pwn20wnd updates unc0ver jailbreak to v6.1.0, fixing all known issues on iOS 14

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 4, 2021

The unc0ver jailbreak has received a number of updates since initially picking up support for iOS & iPadOS 14.0-14.3 at the end of last month, with each update squashing more and more bugs to make the jailbreak more stable and performant.

As it would seem, today is no different. The unc0ver jailbreak was updated to version 6.1.0 this Thursday evening with further improvements targeting newfangled users running iOS & iPadOS 14.

Enchant upgrades notification aesthetics on jailbroken iPhones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 4, 2021

One of my favorite things to do with a jailbroken iPhone or iPad is customize the native user interface — something that Apple doesn’t generally let you do out of the box because they feel that their team of designers know best, and shame on you for even thinking that you might be able to make something look better. But I digress…

Enchant is a newly released jailbreak tweak by iOS developer P2KDev that lets you customize the appearance of your pwned handset’s incoming notifications. With it, you can achieve a wide variety of aesthetics ranging from nearly stock to polarizingly different; whichever floats your boat.

Activator doesn’t yet support iOS 14, but this tweak offers temporary refuge

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 4, 2021

Now that the unc0ver jailbreak supports up to and including iOS & iPadOS 14.3, we’re seeing a huge influx of new jailbreakers who are wanting to take better advantage of their owned handset(s).

Unfortunately, Ryan Petrich’s venerable Activator tweak, which allows users to map various actions to custom gestures, isn’t yet compatible with iOS or iPadOS 14, and many jailbreakers are looking for alternatives for the time being.

Jailbreakers can customize the Now Playing widget with aquarius

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 4, 2021

If you’re jailbroken and listen to lots of music, then chances are you interface with the Lock Screen’s Now Playing widget rather often and might take an interest in customizing it.

iOS developer Nico Carbone has just released a new and free jailbreak tweak called aquarius that permits jailbreakers to personalize the Now Playing widget with minimal effort.

Unc0ver jailbreak updated to v6.0.2 with more bug fixes for iOS 14 users

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 3, 2021

The unc0ver jailbreak only just picked up support for iOS & iPadOS 14.0-14.3 this past weekend, and while it was met with unprecedented hype from those who’ve been waiting for a public iOS & iPadOS 14-centric jailbreak for all devices, anyone could have guessed that the tool would soon receive subsequent updates with bug and stability fixes.

Unc0ver received its first update after adding support for iOS & iPadOS 14.0-14.3 Monday evening with a number of improvements, but as many veteran unc0ver jailbreakers would come to expect, it wouldn’t be the final update. The unc0ver jailbreak tool received an update once again on Wednesday, this time to version 6.0.2 with additional changes.

Xenon makes it easy to browse your jailbroken iPhone’s file system from your computer

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 28, 2022

One of the things you can do with a jailbroken iPhone or iPad is access the handset’s root file system. With that in mind, having an easy means of doing so can be an incredibly valuable capability, especially if you have any interest in changing or modifying system files with custom ones to change the device’s functionality or software-esque appearance.

This tweak makes it easier to permanently delete photos and videos from your iPhone

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 3, 2021

Oh wow, I just love the Photos app’s Recently Deleted album — said no one, ever.

Apple incorporated the Recently Deleted album into the Photos app to help prevent users from accidentally deleting important photos or videos with a single tap. In essence, the two-step process allows you to go back and restore something you’ve deleted. But if you’re not clumsy, then this two step process can be more cumbersome than it is useful.

MsgSwap makes it easier to share Photo Library media in Apple’s Messages app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 3, 2021

One of my biggest pet peeves when using Apple’s Messages app to send Photos to contacts via iMessage or MMS is that you have to jump through hoops just to open the Photo Library picker.

Users will either tap on the Camera shortcut and then launch their Photo Library from the ensuing Camera viewfinder interface, or they’ll tap on the App Store button to view installed iMessage extensions and visit the Photo Library via the dedicated Photos button.

StripeCount displays the number of installed packages in Zebra

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 3, 2021

Although Cydia is the default package manager for the checkra1n and unc0ver jailbreaks, Sileo is the default package manager for the Chimera, Odyssey, and Odysseyra1n jailbreaks, it’s not uncommon for jailbreakers to install an alternative package manager such as Zebra.

Zebra is a great option for anyone looking to try a lightweight and third party package manager, but one thing I wish it did out of the box was display how many installed packages I had.

iOS 13-based Odyssey jailbreak updated to v1.3.0 with userspace reboot & miscellaneous fixes

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 2, 2021

While much of the jailbreak-centric hubbub recently has been related to the unc0ver jailbreak picking up support for iOS & iPadOS 14.0-14.3, that’s not to say developments aren’t happening elsewhere.

One example would be the iOS & iPadOS 13-centric Odyssey jailbreak tool, which received an update to version 1.3.0 this Tuesday evening.

Vinyl shrinks iOS’ oversized Now Playing widget and makes it more customizable

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 2, 2021

I’ve got nothing against the iPhone’s Now Playing widget; after all, it’s a convenient tool for controlling media playback from the Lock Screen without going through the process of unlocking your device and launching the Now Playing app every time you want to make a small adjustment.

Praise aside, I also agree with anyone who says that the Lock Screen’s Now Playing widget is larger than it needs to be, and that’s one reason why I’m excited about a new and free jailbreak tweak release dubbed Vinyl by iOS developer Lightmann.