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+.

New version of Phantom released to sidestep potential jailbreak lockouts

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

Snapchat has apparently abated from its cat and mouse game with jailbreak tweak developers. Less than a few days after Snapchat begun locking out users who had Snapchat-specific jailbreak tweaks installed on their devices, Snapchat stopped locking out users.

How long will Snapchat stop its lockouts? Is this just a temporary thing until it's able to adequately update and clarify its terms of service? It's still relatively unclear at this point.

What is clear is that Phantom, a Snapchat-centric tweak created by jailbreak developer CokePokes, has been updated to workaround the Snapchat crackdown. So even if Snapchat were to change its course again, and reengage jailbreak users, Phantom's latest version should work regardless.

28 new jailbreak tweaks showcased on video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

The pace of jailbreak tweak releases is still fairly high, even a month after the iOS 8.3/8.4 jailbreak. In this latest video, I showcase 28 new jailbreak tweaks.

The tweaks range from app backgrounding tweaks, to Apple Music tweaks, to volume HUD tweaks. There's a large variety shown off in this latest video. Take a look, and see what you may have missed.

LyricForMusic: display song lyrics for Apple Music tracks

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 22, 2015

Apple Music is great, but with all of the new music discovery it brings, you're bound to run into situations where you wish you had quick access to song lyrics. That's where a brand new jailbreak tweak called LyricForMusic comes into play.

LyricForMusic lends you nearly instant access to a song's lyrics simply by tapping on its album artwork. And this works, not only for the music that you own or for the music that you have saved locally to your device; it also works for music streamed directly from Apple Music's 30+ million song catalog.

New Snapchat tweak sidesteps crackdown on jailbreakers [updated]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 22, 2015

A new jailbreak tweak for Snapchat just launched, and it works on the latest version of Snapchat—version 9.12.0.0—without causing a lockout.

As you'll recall, Snapchat started cracking down on Snapchat-oriented jailbreak tweaks after an update to one of the more popular tweaks (Phantom) allowed users to spoof locations and snag coveted filters from places across the world.

Though an update to Phantom is said to be on the way, a new update to another Snapchat-centric tweak—Snapchat+— is the first release that actually lets users bypass the Snapchat ban hammer.

Let’s Talk Jailbreak 117: Handy with the hex codes

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 7, 2024

Episode 117: Jeff and Cody help you prepare for the upcoming iOS 8.4.1 release. Cydia Impactor is released to let users restore their jailbroken iOS devices to stock without upgrading their firmware, the iPod touch 6th-gen is jailbroken, TaiG releases a new update, and lots of new tweaks are discussed.

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How to update the iOS 9 public beta to iOS 9 beta 4

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 22, 2015

It's possible to update to the latest developer version of the iOS 9 beta directly from the iOS 9 public beta. If you want the latest and greatest updates offered by iOS 9 beta 4, but you're currently running the public beta, listen up—it's super-easy to upgrade to the latest developer version of the iOS 9 beta.

Apple stops users from leaving app reviews from iOS betas

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 21, 2015

I think this can definitely warrant a finally. Apple has disabled the ability for users to leave app reviews in the App Store while running iOS betas.

The change seems to be retroactive, as I tested it from both the just-released iOS 9 beta 4 and the previous beta 3, and both throw up errors that the review feature isn't available while running a prerelease version of iOS.

CirDock: a jailbreak tweak that puts a spin on the iOS dock

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

CirDock is a recently released tweak that provides the iOS dock with new carousel animations, a larger capacity, and three user-toggle-able modes.

Like similar dock-oriented jailbreak tweaks, CirDock provides users with different animation styles such as Linear, Rotary, Time Machine, Cover Flow, etc. In all, there are nearly a dozen carousel animations to be found.

Although having a customizable dock with more than 4 app icons and custom animations may sound run of the mill in 2015, it's really CirDock's filter feature that makes the tweak stand out among the rest. Check out the details in this post for the full scoop.

How to replace the Do Not Disturb icon with today’s moon phase

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Interested in having a waxing crescent in your status bar instead of the standard Do Not Disturb moon icon? A new jailbreak package will allow you to theme the DND icon with the current moon phase.

The package, entitled Do Not Phase, piggybacks on the popular Protean jailbreak tweak in order to accomplish its goal. The result is a slick-looking Do Not Disturb moon icon that clues you in on the day's current moon phase.

Snapchat puts more pressure on jailbreakers by forcing upgrades

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 21, 2015

It looks like Snapchat isn't resting on its laurels when it comes to protecting its product. After it surfaced that Snapchat was beginning to lock out any one who used Snapchat-centric jailbreak tweaks, users wised up and started downgrading to an earlier version of Snapchat without such protections in place.

Today, it appears that the Venice, CA company has caught on to the downgrading trend, and is now forcing users to upgrade to the latest version of Snapchat in order to use its product.

Hands-on with iOS 9 beta 4

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 22, 2018

I've been playing with iOS 9 beta 4 on my iPod touch, iPhone and iPad for the last few hours, and I'd like to share my thoughts on the beta release.

First and foremost, this is the first beta firmware to work on the iPod touch 6th generation, and as expected, it runs like a champ. The iOS 9 beta on the old iPod touch 5th generation was barely usable due to the device's lack of power, but this new iPod touch handles things with no issues.

Another big feature is the return of Home Sharing. As promised by Apple executive Eddy Cue, Home Sharing is now back where it belongs in the Music section of the Settings app.

I've created a video walkthrough to showcase many of the new features found in iOS 9 beta 4. Have a look and let me know what you think about this latest beta release.

5 things I like about the LG G4

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

I've had the privilege of testing out an LG G4 for the last 3 weeks, and I've finally found the time to write down my impressions about the highly esteemed flagship phone. If you've been keeping up with all of the rumblings regarding the G4, then it probably won't be the first time you've heard some of the things I have to say in this overview.

At iDB, we strive to stay in the know about competing devices, and freely acknowledge that some of them do things better than the Apple devices that we're most intimately familiar with. In this post, I'll share five features about the LG G4 that particularly stood out to me.

First and foremost, the camera is bonkers! Not only is the general quality of the camera really good, but it excels in low light situations, features a great 4K video camera, and has tons of manual controls to fool around with. Check out our video overview of the camera inside.