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.

iNoSleep maintains a Wi-Fi connection when your handset is locked for long periods

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 2, 2018

Right out of the box, Apple’s lineup of mobile devices will do anything they can to conserve battery power when specific hardware functions aren’t necessary. For example, they may disconnect from Wi-Fi when locked for prolonged periods; think of it as a hibernation mode.

It’s a brilliant power savings feature, in theory, but it sometimes hinders workflows by imposing internet connection delays in which you’re forced to wait for connection reestablishment after unlocking. Fortunately, a free jailbreak tweak called iNoSleep by iOS developer Tony Kraft solves this problem.

PremiumPlay enables AirPlay streaming in apps that normally don’t support it

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 1, 2018

If you own an Apple TV, then you might be familiar with Apple’s convenient AirPlay streaming feature. With it, you can wirelessly stream content from your iOS device(s) to your Apple TV for enjoyment on the big screen; unfortunately, some apps prevent you from doing this.

Enter PremiumPlay, a new jailbreak tweak created by iOS developer Tony Kraft that enables AirPlay streaming in apps that typically wouldn’t support it.

Bounce It!, Ermete, and other jailbreak tweaks to try this weekend

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 30, 2018

It's been a bit slow this week regarding jailbreak tweak releases, but that's been balanced out with a treasure trove of excellent news from security researchers showcasing how it's possible to jailbreak iOS 12 and even Apple's latest A12 Bionic-equipped handsets. That said, security researchers are shifting their focus to iOS 12, and it's entirely possible we may see another season of jailbreaking on iOS 12.

In the meantime, we'll be using this opportunity to discuss all the tweaks released in Cydia for iOS 11 and earlier from September 24th until September 30th. As usual, we’ll kick things off by discussing our favorite releases and then outline the rest afterward.

Tweak iOS’ animation speeds with Ermete

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 29, 2018

The silky-smooth animations Apple bakes into iOS are among one of the most enjoyable experiences involved with using an iPhone or iPad.

Apple times these animations just right for the most part, but with a new free jailbreak tweak dubbed Ermete by iOS developer CydiaGeek, you can now fine-tune and customize these durations.

Manually set your Mac’s cooling fan speeds with Macs Fan Control

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 28, 2018

If you own an Apple computer, especially a modern one, then you’ve probably come to notice how particularly thin these machines have become. Despite that, most Macs still sport internal cooling fans to keep the CPU and GPU temperatures in check.

By default, Apple’s internal cooling fans run as silently as possible for a quiet user experience, but this isn’t without its caveats. Thinner machines like the MacBook Pro are more susceptible to heat soak because the cooling capabilities of such a compact chassis are limited; this is something you’ve undoubtedly felt while the machine sits on your lap during intensive tasks.

Pangu team successfully jailbreaks Apple’s brand-new iPhone XS

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 19, 2018

If you’ve had the luxury of enjoying a jailbreak in the last couple of years, then it likely came in flavors of Yalu or Electra. But rewind back to the days of iOS 9.3.3, and the name Pangu might sound familiar.

Although it’s been quite a while since we’ve heard of anything new from the Pangu jailbreak team, it certainly seems as if they’re still tinkering with iOS to this day.

Make iOS 11’s system animations bouncier with Bounce It!

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 19, 2018

If you’re in the mood to give your iPhone or iPad’s stock animations a bit more oomph, then you should consider checking out a new free jailbreak tweak called Bounce It! By iOS developer Jake James.

Upon installing Bounce It!, your handset’s animations become significantly bouncier. Impacted animations include but aren’t limited to:

Deluminator, LendMyPhone, Nebula, and other jailbreak tweaks to try this weekend

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 23, 2018

Despite Apple’s recent iPhone announcement event, the jailbreak community is still kicking with hot new releases in Cydia.

In this roundup, we’ll discuss all the new jailbreak tweaks released from September 17th to September 23rd. As always, we’ll start by reviewing our favorites and then outline the rest afterward.

Take control of iOS’s atrocious stock volume HUD with SmartVolumeControl2

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple publicly released iOS 12 this week, and despite all the new features baked into it, one thing that still hasn’t changed after all these years is that dreadful volume HUD that pops up any time you press either of the volume buttons.

Apple made some remarkable improvements to the video player-centric volume HUD with iOS 11, but for whatever reason, the global volume HUD lagged behind. Fortunately, a new jailbreak tweak dubbed SmartVolumeControl2 by iOS developer midkin fixes this.

Send Separately streamlines bulk messaging without the headache of group conversations

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 22, 2018

Upon refreshing your Cydia sources, you may happen upon a new free jailbreak tweak called Send Separately by iOS developer NeinZedd9.

Although it seems like a subtle tweak at first glance, don’t be fooled. Send Separately can potentially save you a ton of time and frustration when sending bulk messages to friends and family, such as during holidays or special events.

Security researcher Brandon Azad releases iOS 11.2.6-11.4-centric exploit

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 21, 2018

Earlier this week, renowned security researcher Ian Beer announced plans to drop an iOS 11.4.1-compatible exploit to the public. But as it would seem, he’s not the only person packing exploits for Apple's mobile operating system.

Joining the recent exploit-centric commotion is a security researcher by the name of Brandon Azad, who just recently released an iOS 11.2.6-11.4-compatible exploit on GitHub along with some handy mitigation bypasses.

This tweak automatically dismisses Siri when she sits idle for too long

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 20, 2018

Depending on how you use Siri throughout your workflow, you might find a new free jailbreak tweak called AutoDismissSiri by iOS developer Andreas Henriksson to be an advantageous supplement to your jailbroken handset.

Just as the tweak’s name implies, AutoDismissSiri adds a timeout period to the Siri interface. That said, if Siri would idle on your device for a specific amount of time, then the interface closes automatically.