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+.

Let’s Talk iOS 017: WhatsAaaaaaap?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Episode 17: We discuss what Tesla's meeting with Apple could mean for the two tech companies, more on Facebook's strategy for its 16 billion dollar WhatsApp acquisition, Apple's iOS 7.0.6 security release and the conspiracy theories surrounding it, and a brief touch on Samsung's Galaxy S5 unveiling.

Subscribe on iTunes

Thanks to our sponsor:

CameraPlus by Global Delight is a slick camera app that enriches your iPhone clicking experience with a gorgeous interface and intuitive capture controls. Download Camera Plus in the App Store today.

p0sixspwn updated to jailbreak iOS 6.1.6

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 24, 2014

p0sixspwn—the jailbreak tool created by the tandem of iH8sn0w and new Apple employee Winocm—has been updated to support the just-released iOS 6.1.6 for an untethered jailbreak. iOS 6.1.6 was released solely for the iPhone 3GS and the iPod touch 4th generation. The firmware update was pushed out as a part of Apple's SSL security fix, which also ushered in iOS 7.0.6 for more recent devices.

If you're currently using an iPhone 3GS or a 4th generation iPod touch running iOS 6.1.x, it's highly recommended that you update to iOS 6.1.6, and benefit from Apple's SSL fix. The good news is that you can then use p0sixspwn to enjoy the same untethered jailbreak that was available for iOS 6.1.3 through iOS 6.1.5.

New upcoming tweak brings Mission Control concept to reality

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Vertex is an upcoming tweak currently in development that aims to bring Mission Control inspired functionality to iOS 7. The tweak, which is currently being talked about on /r/jailbreak, merges Control Center and the app switcher together, along with other iOS 7-centric touches splashed in.

There's still no timetable for Vertex's release, but we do have a video preview of the tweak created by developer Ian Burns. Check past the break for the video and more details concerning this awesome looking jailbreak release.

How to easily change the color of your iPhone keyboard

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Update: with the release of iOS 8, Apple now allows third-party keyboards in the App Store. If you're looking for a different keyboard for your iPhone or iPad, make sure to check out our list of iOS 8 keyboards.

I generally hate jailbreak releases that feature goofy names like ColorY0urBoard, but I decided to give the new jailbreak app a try despite my inclinations. To my surprise, ColorY0urBoard is actually not that bad of an app.

If you're searching for a way to easily customize the color of the stock keyboard within iOS, then ColorY0urBoard is a viable option. It's a standalone app release with an interface dedicated solely to changing the keyboard color. The app includes a color wheel, much like you'd find in image-editing applications, and it also features brightness and alpha sliders to perfect your customized look.

ColorY0urBoard isn't perfect, but it does a pretty good job of customizing the look of your keyboard. Have a glance at our video walkthrough inside for more details.

How to quickly launch apps using gestures

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 24, 2014

Gestr is a brand new jailbreak tweak that allows users to assign gestures to a specific app and launch the app using the assigned gesture. The tweak, which is available for $0.99 on Cydia's BigBoss repo, uses an Activator action to engage the screen used for inputing gestures.

In the end, Gestr probably isn't a tweak that will significantly speed up app launches on iOS, but it's undoubtedly a cool way to do so. Have a look inside for our video walkthrough, which showcases how it works.

SpotiSearch: search Spotify directly from Spotlight

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 24, 2014

I love Spotify and I don't think that's a secret. So can you imagine how happy I was when I stumbled upon this new jailbreak tweak in Cydia?

SpotiSearch is a brand new tweak that allows you to search the entire Spotify library using Spotlight search. That's right, you can search for your favorite artists, albums or songs directly from the same Spotlight search that you use to search your local iPhone.

I've taken SpotiSearch for a thorough test-drive on video. Join me inside, as I showcase how this awesome new jailbreak tweak works.

How to view animated GIFs in the stock Photos App

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 24, 2014

If you've ever saved an animated GIF to your iPhone's Photos app, you've probably realized that the animations don't play as normal. Instead, animated GIFs behave like static images within the Photos app, devoid of any of the animation that makes using GIFs so fun.

GIFViewer is a brand new jailbreak tweak that solves this problem. It, upon installation, allows you to view animated GIFs that are saved to the stock Photos app. Have a look at our video walkthrough inside for a demonstration of how it works.

How to patch the iOS SSL bug without updating to iOS 7.0.6

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 23, 2014

Renowned iOS developer Ryan Petrich has released a patch on his personal beta repo to fix the SSL issue present in iOS firmware below iOS 7.0.6. On Friday, Apple unexpectedly dropped the new iOS 7.0.6 firmware to fix the egregious security hole, which is detailed in this post.

Such a serious security flaw is bad for jailbreakers, because it means needing to update your device, and having to perform the jailbreak process all over again. Evasi0n7 1.0.6 was released to jailbreak iOS 7.0.6, but it's still hassle to have to back everything up, restore to iOS 7.0.6, and re-jailbreak. Due to the serious nature of the security hole, we've been encouraging folks to update, which is understandably a huge hassle for many.

But Ryan Petrich has come through to save the day, releasing a fix for the SSL issue that allows users to remain on current firmware. Ryan's SSLPatch release makes it so that you don't have to immediately update to iOS 7.0.6 in order to protect yourself from the serious flaw. Check inside for more details.

BattSaver for iOS 7: manage your iPhone’s radios to increase battery life

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 23, 2014

BattSaver, a battery saving jailbreak app that we reviewed in-depth a couple of years ago, has been updated for iOS 7 compatibility. It's basically the same jailbreak release that we reviewed before, except this time around it works for iOS 7 and arm64 devices like the iPhone 5s.

As we explained in our initial review, BattSaver isn't necessarily performing any magic, it just manages the radios on your device in such a way so that you can save battery life. Many of the same strategies are incorporated in this updated version of BattSaver, including Normal and Aggressive battery saving strategies. Have a look inside for more details.

How to jailbreak iOS 7.0.6 using Evasi0n

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 21, 2014

iOS 7.0.6 was just released earlier today, and it contains a fairly serious SSL bug fix that everyone should upgrade to. Unfortunately, the latest build of Evasion7, build 1.0.5, is not yet compatible with iOS 7.0.6. But don't worry, we have you covered. We've uploaded a custom Hex-edited version of Evasi0n7 1.0.5 with the proper build numbers so that you can easily jailbreak iOS 7.0.6 after updating. Check out our full video tutorial after the jump for the proof.

Update: the evad3rs have released evasi0n7 1.0.6 with support for iOS 7.0.6, so the hex-edited file is no longer needed, you can download the proper Evasi0n 7 1.0.6 file from our downloads page. Note that the steps described in this post still work. Just make sure to download the latest official version of evasi0n7.

Twitterrific gets a Flappy Bird inspired Easter egg: this is how to play it

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

The Flappy Bird drama has slowly begun to dwindle down, but there are still artifacts left over from the game's immense popularity. For example, The IconFactory—creators of the highly regarded Twitter client Twitterrific 5—have planted a Flappy Bird inspired Easter egg inside its iPhone Twitter client called Ollie Soars.

Inside, we'll show you how to access Ollie Soars by means of an easy to use gesture. The app even lends the ability to tweet your high score after you die. And die you will; I've found Ollie Soars to be significantly more difficult than Flappy Bird ever was. Check inside for the video.

iOS jailbreak hacker Winocm joining Apple later this year

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 21, 2014

Another famous hacker is joining the ranks at Apple. Following in the footsteps of jailbreak community members Comex, and Peter Hajas, jailbreak developer Winocm announced this afternoon on Twitter that he would be joining Apple.

It's still unclear as to what capacity he'll be joining Apple, but if the past is any indication, it's probably for an internship—Just like Hajas, and Comex a.k.a. Nicholas Allegra. I've reached out to Winocm for a comment, but he declined to elaborate. It looks like he's already getting used to the Apple culture...