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+.

‘Volume Mixer’ brings granular control to iOS’ audio categories

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Volume Mixer is a jailbreak tweak that resides in Notification Center. It allows you to independently control the different audio categories in iOS at any time.

If you've ever used an Android device, then you may be familiar with the concept of controlling different volume entities like Bluetooth, Ringtones, AV, Headsets, Phone, etc. You can control those entities individually without actually being within a respective active audio session.

Have a look at our full video walkthrough after the break to see Volume Mixer in action.

‘AlbumSnapper’ is now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

AlbumSnapper—the awesome new jailbreak tweak that allows you to create and assign photos to albums on the fly—is now available for download on Cydia. The tweak, which is available for $0.99, was reviewed a few weeks ago and was met with a positive response.

To use AlbumSnapper, just tap the Album button that appears next to the front facing camera button inside of the stock Camera app. Doing so will invoke a sheet that allows you to select a designated album for the photos that you snap. Have a look at our full video walkthrough of the tweak after the jump.

Let’s Talk Jailbreak 58: Time zones

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Episode 58: Jeff, Cody, and Sebastien return to talk about all things jailbreak. Topics of discussion include the iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak, AltKeyboard 2, ActiveBoard, Apex 2, LockInfo7, TypeRead, and LockScreen Informer.

Let’s Talk iOS 030: Big things brewing

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated March 20, 2018

Episode 30: With WWDC 2014 less than a week away, Cody and Sebastien break down the latest Apple rumblings, discuss their most anticipated products, and drop knowledge on everything from Bitcoin to knock-knock jokes.

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‘AltKeyboard 2’ is a great sequel to the original keyboard enhancing tweak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

AltKeyboard 2 is a follow-up to the uber-popular A3tweaks release, AltKeyboard. It is perhaps only surpassed in expectation by the brand’s Auxo 2, which released earlier this year to much anticipation.

The rumblings about an iOS 7 compatible version of AltKeyboard have seemingly been around since iOS 7 was first jailbroken, or maybe even before that. Needless to say, AltKeyboard is one of the most popular jailbreak tweaks in the community.

It’s understandable why the tweak proves to be so popular. iOS’ stock keyboard is extremely small on the iPhone, and lacks any features like "swyping," or a 5th row of keys. Because the iPhone has pretty-much maintained its diminutive form factor throughout its lifespan, there’s just not a lot of room for keyboard expansion when it comes to literally increasing the size of the keys or the number of available keys available on screen at once.

With that in mind, AltKeyboard 2 builds on the same formula that made the original release such a success. It adds functionality to the stock keyboard without increasing its size. Have a look at our full walkthrough of AltKeyboard 2 after the jump.

iOS 7: the ultimate Spotlight search guide

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated March 28, 2023

Spotlight is the search tool that allows you to search for local files on your iOS device quickly and efficiently. Along with local file searches, Spotlight can search web contents via your device's default search engine or via Wikipedia.

The great thing about Spotlight is that it is built right into the stock iOS 7 Home screen, and it's accessible from any Home screen page.While the Spotlight search tool isn't as robust as Spotlight on the Mac, or as robust as what you'll find on competing platforms (there is no delimiting for local content), its ease of use makes it a fairly efficient tool for locating content quickly on the iPhone. Have a look at our full Spotlight how-to post after the break.

‘ActiveBoard’ helps you easily identify running applications

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 23, 2014

The just released ActiveBoard is the successor to iOS 6’s ActiveDock jailbreak tweak. It allows you to quickly identify active applications without opening the App Switcher.

The tweak, which is again designed by Surenix and developed by Filippo Bigarella, is a bit more ambitious than its predecessor. Whereas ActiveDock only applied to the applications running in the iOS 6 dock, ActiveBoard, as its name so implies, can influence all app icons on the entire iOS 7 SpringBoard.

Not only does ActiveBoard identify running applications, but it can help you to quickly identify apps with awaiting notifications. Have a look at our video walkthrough after the break to see ActiveBoard in motion.

Apex 2 brings iOS 7 compatibility to the popular app-grouping tweak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apex 2 is the sequel to the original jailbreak tweak, which allowed users to group app icons in folder-like structures. The update, which is compatible with iOS 7, was just released today.

Like its predecessor, Apex 2 allows users to group up to four additional sub-apps to a primary app icon. Each sub-app can be revealed by performing a swipe up, swipe down, or double-tap gesture on the primary icon.

We got our hands on the final build of Apex 2, and like always, we've created a video walkthrough for your enjoyment. Have a look inside to see what makes Apex 2 tick.

Let’s Talk iOS 029: Dynamic duo

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Episode 29: Sebastien and Cody discuss the latest ongoings in the world of Apple, including the recent agreement to settle with Google over patent litigation, rumors of NFC in the iPhone 6, and the future of iPad.

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Bulb: add a status bar indicator for the iPhone’s LED flashlight

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 18, 2014

The flashlight toggle in Control Center was a great addition to iOS 7, but it always baffled me why Apple didn't place some sort of indicator in the status bar to tell you when the flash was active. Obviously, most people can see when the flash is on, but there are certain circumstances that one can encounter, which would make such an indicator useful.

What about when you sit your phone down on a table with the LED flash covered? It's possible that the iPhone's battery could die due to the flash being on for a long period of time. I know that may seem far-fetched, but it has happened to the developer of this tweak, and it has happened to me on a few occasions.

Bulb is a jailbreak tweak that will help make users more aware of the status of the LED flash. It places a lightbulb indicator in the status bar whenever the flash is active. Have a look at our video walkthrough for more info.

How to easily search the contents of the stock Settings app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 18, 2014

As a recent Galaxy S5 adopter, one of the features that I immediately appreciated was the ability to perform a search within the phone's Settings. Granted, Samsung is notorious for packing its phones with so many settings that a search is almost a requirement, but it's still a nice feature to have.

Needless to say, ever since I laid my hands on the GS5, I've been wanting for a similar feature on iOS. Well, that feature arrived just a few minutes ago, and it's, unsurprisingly, brought to us by the prolific developer Ryan Petrich.

SearchSettings is a new jailbreak tweak available on Ryan's beta repo, and like on the GS5, you can perform searches within the settings app. Have a look at our video demo of the tweak in action after the fold.

WallCycler: get fresh wallpaper every time you unlock your device

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 18, 2014

WallCycler is a new jailbreak tweak that recently appeared on Ryan Petrich's beta repo. It's a tweak that allows you to cycle wallpaper each time you unlock your device, or cycle manually using an Activator gesture.

There is no preference panel for WallCycler, but the tweak can be enabled by visiting Settings > Wallpaper & Brightness > Choose Wallpaper, and selecting an album. After doing so, you'll receive a pop-up box asking you if you'd like to cycle the photos in the chosen album.

We've take WallCycler for a spin on video. Have a look at our demonstration after the jump.