Cody Lee

Cody Lee, iDownloadBlog.com’s longest-serving Editor, joined the site in 2008. He specializes in uncovering the best deals on Apple products, apps, and accessories. With years of experience in technology journalism, Cody helps readers save money while staying informed about the latest trends and updates in the Apple ecosystem. Cody’s history with smartphones goes almost as far back as he does. As the son of a Nokia employee, he was exposed early on to handsets like the N91 and the Communicator. He has since been involved in nearly every aspect of the mobile phone industry. While going to college, he worked at a Nokia factory, building handsets, and later moved on to a sales position at a major wireless carrier.

New iPhone 6 concept has a 4.8-inch edge-to-edge display and 3D camera

Cody Lee ∙ May 28, 2013

With this year's iPhone release expected to look and act very similar to its predecessor, concept designers have already set their sights on the next version of the handset. Earlier this month we saw mockups for a waterproof iPhone 6 that could charge wirelessly.

And today we've got another one for you. This one comes from the folks over at ConceptiPhone, the same team behind yesterday's iOS 7 concept, and it features a sleek new contoured design, a 3-dimensional iSight camera, and an edge-to-edge display...

Make sure your iPhone keeps quiet with The Mutator

Cody Lee ∙ May 27, 2013

The behavior of the iPhone's Mute switch has long been a topic of debate. While switching it off will silence most of the handset's sounds, it won't keep alarms and other system functions quiet, which as you can imagine can make for some embarrassing moments.

And that's where the Mutator comes in. The tiny accessory fits in your iPhone's headphone jack, and promises to ease your mind when in meetings, movie theaters and other 'please silence your cell phone' situations by ensuring your handset won't make a sound...

Olloclip releases companion iPhone app for popular lens accessory

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

In the world of iPhone photography accessories, there's perhaps no better known name than Olloclip. The 3-in-1 clip-on lens started out as just a Kickstarter project, but it has since become a mainstay in Apple Stores and shutterbug bags alike.

Fans of the Olloclip will be happy to hear that the team released a new iPhone app this weekend, also named Olloclip, designed to work with the popular accessory. The app features a mesh editor, useful modes like Video and Macro, and more...

Another tethering app sneaks into the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Here's a nice little surprise to cap off your Memorial Day weekend. A new app has been discovered in the App Store that has a hidden tethering feature that will allow you to share your iPhone's internet connection with your computer.

The fact that an app like this has made its way into Apple's heavily guarded App Store isn't the least bit surprising, as it's happened several times now. And it also won't be surprising when Apple pulls it in the next few days, or sooner...

Take better low-light selfies with FrontFlash

Cody Lee ∙ May 27, 2013

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5 last fall, it touted the fact that it could take better low-light photos than its predecessor. The improvement came by way of a new "dynamic low-light mode" that was built into the handset.

Unfortunately, the feature only works with the iSight (rear) camera, meaning low-light pictures taken with the FaceTime camera still look terrible. But don't worry, you can fix that with the new jailbreak tweak FrontFlash...

New iOS 7 concept features panoramic wallpaper, quick reply and more

Cody Lee ∙ May 27, 2013

With WWDC now just a few weeks away, and more details about iOS 7 coming light, anticipation for Apple's next-gen mobile operating system is almost through the roof. Everyone wants to know what the company has planned for the future of its platform.

Well if these two designers get their way, iOS 7 will include a number of new features like support for panoramic wallpapers and quick reply for messages. Here's a new iOS 7 concept from Christian Lue of ChanluChannel and Ran Avni of ConceptsiPhone...

Initiate Activator functions using icon taps with App Activate

Cody Lee ∙ May 26, 2013

On its own, Activator is probably one of the most useful jailbreak tweaks available. It allows you to map practically any button or touch gesture to an iOS action. But what makes it really cool is that devs can create their own tweaks to extend its capabilities.

And that's the case with this next package, by developer rjharris. It's call App Activate, and it enables you to initiate any of Activator's actions by double tapping an app icon . So for instance, you could set it so that double tapping the Music icon starts playing music...

How to customize your app icons without jailbreaking

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 21, 2024

When your iOS device is jailbroken, customizing how it looks can be as easy as installing a WinterBoard theme. There's literally thousands of them in Cydia to choose from. The options get much more limited, however, if your device is hack-free.

But that doesn't mean it's impossible. We've covered a number of ways to modify a stock iOS device in the past, and we've got another one to show you today. Here's how to customize your iPhone or iPad app icons, no jailbreak required...

Pics show iPad mini prototype with 2 microphones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last fall, the rumors leading up to the iPad mini event suggested that the 8-inch tablet would have a microphone located in the top-middle of its rear shell. Just like on the iPhone 5, it was to be used for noise-canceling and to improve audio pickup.

Obviously, the rumors never materialized, as the production version of the first-gen mini does not have a hole in the top of its rear casing. But looking at some new pictures of a purported prototype for the slate, that may not have been Apple's plan...

Give your iPhone’s UI a reboot with Motif

Cody Lee ∙ May 26, 2013

I'm not usually a theme kind of guy. I know there are a lot of people out there that love customizing the look of their devices, and that's awesome, but I'm more about functionality and minimalism.

That doesn't mean, though, that I won't give new and interesting themes a shot. I used ayecon for a long time, and then I had iMIUI for a bit. And over the past few days, I've been testing out Motif...

Ensure your iPhone’s screen stays dim during phone calls with DimInCall

Cody Lee ∙ May 25, 2013

Have you ever been in the middle of a phone call on your iPhone and noticed your cheek was pressing buttons? Sure, there's a proximity sensor there that's supposed to keep this from happening. But any kind of jostling can thwart its efforts.

Luckily there's a jailbreak tweak that can help with this problem. DimInCall, by developer snakeninny, will automatically dim your screen when it detects your iPhone has established a call connection. And it'll keep it dim until the call is over...

EarSkinz for EarPods offer both comfort and style

Cody Lee ∙ May 24, 2013

Apple was really proud to unveil its new and improved earbuds, dubbed EarPods, last fall. The company says it spent more than three years designing the headset, and tested a total of 124 different prototypes on over six hundred people, to get the right fit.

But even with all of that research, it's inevitable that the EarPods are still not going to fit quite right for some people. And if you happen to be one of those people, you might want to check out these new EarSkinz covers, which promise to fix that for you...