Sébastien Page

Sebastien is the Founder and Editor in Chief of iDB. Once a BlackBerry user, Sebastien instantly fell in love with the iPhone when it was first announced in 2007. Shortly after, he decided to start sharing his knowledge of the iPhone and its nascent ecosystem, which led to the creation of this blog. Sebastien currently owns 14 iPhones, 4 iPads, a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, a MacBook Air, 2 Apple Watches, 3 Apple TVs, countless HomePods and AirTags as well as a few pairs of AirPods.

BlackSn0w is Out!

Sébastien Page ∙ November 3, 2009

BlackSn0w is now available for download from BlackRa1n.com! BlackSn0w comes as an addon to BlackRa1n.

Here is what’s important to note:

BlackSn0w will unlock baseband 05.11.07 BlackSn0w will enable tethering

I will write tutorials on how to use BlackSn0w, but here is a quick overview of how it works, depending on your situation:

If you previously jailbroke your iPhone using BlackRa1n and you kept the blackra1n.app on it, then run BlackRa1n. The Icy icon should be replaced by the “ra1n” option. Select “ra1n” to upgrade BlackRa1n to RC3. After upgrading, run BlackRa1n and you should see the “sn0w” option. Just select “sn0w” and it will unlock your iPhone. If you were waiting to update to 3.1.2 or if your iPhone was stuck locked, then download BlackSn0w, run it, reboot, and choose the “sn0w” option from the BlackRa1n.app. If your iPhone was previously jailbroken using PwnageTool or if you deleted the BlackRa1n.app from your iPhone, BlackSn0w will be added to Cydia later during the day.

UPDATE: BlackRa1n RC3 and BlackSn0w tutorials are up:

BlackRa1n RC3 tutorial BlackSn0w unlock tutorial

BlackSn0w Unlock Coming Out Today

Sébastien Page ∙ November 3, 2009

Yesterday GeoHot gave us a quick sneak peek at BlackSn0w and told us BlackSn0w would be bundled into BlackRa1n RC3, due to be released on November 4th.

Good news came earlier today from GeoHot when he wrote in a blog post that Sn0wDay was coming one day ahead of schedule.

At Noon EST, 5 PM GMT, I will be making it sn0w, and I'm looking to see "#blacksn0w" trending. blacksn0w is the unlock for the latest 05.11.07 baseband, and will also enable official tethering. blackra1n, a jailbreak for 3.1.2, has been updated to RC3, with hacktivation support, 15 second speed improvement, Tiger+PPC support, and installation of the latest blackra1n.app.

Here is what's important to note:

BlackSn0w will unlock baseband 05.11.07 BlackSn0w will enable tethering

UPDATE: BlackRa1n RC3 and BlackSn0w tutorials are up:

BlackRa1n RC3 tutorial BlackSn0w unlock tutorial

Sneak Peek at BlackSn0w iPhone Unlock

Sébastien Page ∙ November 2, 2009

GeoHot gave us a sneak peek at BlackSn0w earlier today, revealing the icon of his long awaited iPhone unlock as well as details on how it will work when it's released on November 4.

From what I understand, BlackSn0w will be bundled into BlackRa1n RC3. You will have to jailbreak your iPhone with BlackRa1n first, then run BlackSn0w.

As a reminder, BlackSn0w will be the first solution to unlock the iPhone 3.1.2 with baseband 05.11.07. So all of you who accidentally updated your iPhone in iTunes and are now locked out of their carrier can rejoice!

As you can see, Icy is not part of BlackRa1n anymore which is probably due to the fact that the developers of Icy decided to stop maintaining it.

As usual, I will be updating the site with a BlackSn0w tutorial when it comes out. However, I will be flying from Los Angeles to Brisbane Australia when BlackSn0w is released tomorrow, so I might be a little late on delivering the news. My top priority when I land in Australia will be to find some internet and update the blog, so stay tuned!

UPDATE: BlackRa1n RC3 and BlackSn0w tutorials are up:

BlackRa1n RC3 tutorial BlackSn0w unlock tutorial

Weekly Wrapup: BlackRa1n, BlackSn0w, and More…

Sébastien Page ∙ November 1, 2009

In case you missed the festivities, this is a summary of this week's articles.

BlackRa1n is available - It seems that GeoHot was quicker at releasing BlackRa1n RC2 than he thought. Originally, BlackRa1n RC2 was supposed to be out tomorrow but GeoHot said on Twitter that it was already available for download.

BlackRa1n RC2 guide & tutorial - This step-by-step guide and tutorial will show you how to use BlackRa1n RC2 to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch, either on a Mac or a PC.

Xpandr shortcuts for iPhone - Xpandr is a shortcut expander for the iPhone / iPod touch. It allows you to define an unlimited number of shortcuts to save time and make your life easier.

Geohot offered $10,000 to unlock 05.11.07 - GeoHot, the little genius behind BlackRa1n is back at work and is reportedly working on an unlock for baseband 05.11.07.

GriP (Growl for iPhone) - GriP (Growl for iPhone), a Project by KennyTM, author of other well known projects like QuickScroll, presents a great alternative to the stock notification system, even on its current beta stage.

iTunes 9.0.2 safe for jailbreakers - MuscleNerd confirmed that iTunes 9.0.2 won’t interfere with your jailbreak and/or unlock.

BlackSn0w - After being offered a bounty of $10,000, GeoHot started working on BlackSn0w, an unlock for the iPhone 3.1.2 baseband 05.11.07, and it seems he’s getting closer to finding a solution.

GeoHot unlocks iPhone 3.1.2 05.11.07 - GeoHot just published a video of the first unlocked iPhone running OS 3.1.2 and baseband 05.11.07 using BlackSn0w.

GeoHot declines $10,000 for BlackSn0w - GeoHot finally came back to reality and realized that working for Jody Sanders was not a good move.

GeoHot Declines $10,000 for BlackSn0w iPhone Unlock

Sébastien Page ∙ November 1, 2009

GeoHot finally came back to reality and realized that working for Jody Sanders was not a good move. For those of you who haven't followed the story, let me give you a quick summary.

A week ago, GeoHot said he wouldn't work on an iPhone unlock for baseband 05.11.07. Then Jody Sanders came in and offered him $10,000 for BlackSn0w, the iPhone unlock. Surprisingly, GeoHot accepted the offer, which created a lot of noise in the jailbreak/unlock community.

Most people didn't really understand the situation and thought it was a good thing for GeoHot to get paid $10,000. Truth is, Jody Sanders is a bad guy, a scammer who's been stealing and illegally reselling jailbreaks and unlocks for a couple years and being paid by him didn't really send the right message.

This morning, GeoHot wrote a blog post in which he explains why he declined the $10,000 and why it's important you should never have to pay for a jailbreak or an unlock:

First off, Jody Sanders, I am declining your $10,000. Why? Because you, and the rest of the iPhone unlock sites out there are scum. You make money selling freeware; that's not cool, and I am in no way going to legitimize it.

Seriously, the people who really lose here are the customers. These sites are full of blatant lies, claiming to have unlocks for 05.11.07 People buy them, and are told the unlock is in development, and the release date is unknown. Imagine you bought a cup of coffee and were told it's in development? Recently, many of these sites sent out e-mails saying they made major breakthroughs and the unlock will be ready 11/04/09. Coincidence that that's the release date of blacksn0w?

A little further down the post, he says:

I'll give you a whitelist, two people make unlocks, me and the dev team. Every iPhone unlock site you see out there is selling our stuff, repackaged in some form or another. Same goes for jailbreaks, although ih8sn0w and chronicdev are legit. Notice what all the legit ones have in common? They are free.

I suggest you read the full post at GeoHot's blog. It's worth it!

And remember, you should never ever have to pay for an unlock or jailbreak. If you can't figure it out by yourself, come to this blog as we're always up to date on the latest jailbreaks and unlocks news, with full detailed tutorials.

GeoHot Unlocks iPhone 3.1.2 Baseband 05.11.07 With BlackSn0w

Sébastien Page ∙ October 31, 2009

GeoHot just published a video of the first unlocked iPhone running OS 3.1.2 and baseband 05.11.07 using BlackSn0w. Earlier this week, GeoHot was offered $10,000 to work on the 05.11.07 unlock. Initially, he said it would take him 24 hours. It's been more than 24 hours but it's still darn impressive.

BlackSn0w hasn't been released to the public yet. My guess is that GeoHot is still testing it. BlackSn0w is supposed to work on both the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS and will unlock to any carrier.

We don't know when BlackSn0w will be released but I'll sure try to be on top of it and let you guys know.

Are you excited?

BlackSn0w is the New iPhone Unlock

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 5, 2016

There is good news for those of you who accidentally updated their iPhone to firmware 3.1.2 in iTunes and updated the baseband to 05.11.07. After being offered a bounty of $10,000, GeoHot started working on BlackSn0w, an unlock for the iPhone 3.1.2 baseband 05.11.07, and it seems he's getting closer to finding a solution.

In a blog post titled "A Heap of Trouble", GeoHot posted the following image:

If you zoom in the image, you can read this:

hello there, this is geohot this is the most complicated injection i have ever done, and it uses a public command … prepare for blacksn0w, although i gotta still figure out this zamboni

GeoHot said on Twitter that BlackSn0w is still ways away so don't expect it to be released tonight.

When I see how shaky BlackRa1n is, I will probably stay away from BlackSn0w and I will patiently wait for the Dev Team to release an update to UltraSn0w. That's just me though.

Are you eager to get your hands on BlackSn0w? Will you use BlackSn0w, or like me, will you wait for the Dev Team to release their own iPhone unlock?

iTunes 9.0.2 is Out! Safe for Jailbreakers & Unlockers

Sébastien Page ∙ October 29, 2009

iTunes 9.0.2 was released this morning and includes the following features:

An improved look and feel, including a new Column Browser for easily browsing your artists or albums, movies, TV shows, and more. iTunes Store has a brand new look, with improved navigation for quick and easy exploration. iTunes LP and iTunes Extras create unique experiences that feature exclusive interviews, videos, photos, and more — available with select album and movie purchases on the iTunes Store. Home Sharing helps you manage your family’s iTunes collection between computers in your home. iTunes can automatically transfer new purchases, or you can choose just the items you want. Genius Mixes are created for you by iTunes and play songs from your library that go great together. iPod and iPhone syncing now allows you to organize your iPhone and iPod touch home screens directly in iTunes. Syncing is now also more flexible, allowing you to sync individual artists, genres, or TV show and Podcast episodes. iTunes U items are now organized into their own section in your iTunes library. Sync with iPod nano (5th generation), iPod classic (Fall 2009), and iPod touch (Fall 2009).

MuscleNerd confirmed that iTunes 9.0.2 won't interfere with your jailbreak and/or unlock.

GeoHot Working on Unlocking iPhone Baseband 05.11.07 for a $10,000 Bounty

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

GeoHot, the little genius behind BlackRa1n is back at work and is reportedly working on an unlock for baseband 05.11.07. Baseband 05.11.07 is the latest baseband version of the iPhone OS 3.1.2 which is not unlockable for the time being.

The Dev Team has been working on unlocking 05.11.07 for a while without much success so let's hope GeoHot will be a bit more lucky...

There is something that ticks me though. At first GeoHot said he would not work on an unlock for 05.11.07. Fastforward 24 hours later and GeoHot changed his mind when he was offered $10,000 by Jody Sanders to develop an unlock for the latest iPhone OS.

Xpandr: Shortcuts Made Easy on the iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ October 27, 2009

Do you have to enter the same text over and over again on your iPhone? Do you need a reply template for emails? If so, Xpandr is for you.

Xpandr is a shortcut expander for the iPhone / iPod touch. It allows you to define an unlimited number of shortcuts to save time and make your life easier. It works in every application, even on App Store applications.

Let me tell you how beneficial Xpandr is for me

Every day on Twitter people ask me where to get jailbreak information. So every day, several times a day, I have to manually type a tweet containing the following URL: https://www.idownloadblog.com/jailbreak/. Not too complicated, but when you have to do it 8-9 times/day, it gets very annoying.

That's where Xpandr comes in. Xpandr allows you to create macros, or shortcuts if you prefer. To create a shortcut, simply tell Xpandr what the shortcut is and what the value of this shortcut is.

In our example, my shortcut is !jb (as in jailbreak) and the value of this macro is https://www.idownloadblog.com/jailbreak/

Now if I go to any application on my iPhone and I type !jb, it will automatically insert https://www.idownloadblog.com/jailbreak/.

I also set other shortcuts for !unlock, !signature, and more... This is a real time saver.

Xpandr is available on Cydia for $1.99 and I believe it is worth every penny.

Have you already tried this application? If so, tell me us what you think about it.

Tutorial: Jailbreak Your iPhone With BlackRa1n RC2

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

GeoHot came up yesterday with an updated version of BlackRa1n called BlackRa1n RC2. This new release supposedly fixes a bunch of issues that some of you may have encountered, especially while trying to jailbreak an iPhone 3G.

This step-by-step guide and tutorial will show you how to use BlackRa1n RC2 to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch, either on a Mac or a PC. This works for all iDevices, except for the iPod Touch 3G. This tutorial was made using an iPhone 3GS but again, it should work on all devices except the iPT3G.

I already wrote a BlackRa1n tutorial and the steps are identical but a few people emailed me or tweeted me asking to write a tutorial for BlackRa1n RC2.

Before we start, you have to understand that BlackRa1n is a jailbreak and jailbreak only. BlackRa1n will not unlock your iPhone. As a matter of fact, if you want to unlock your iPhone, do not use BlackRa1n as it will update the baseband and make it impossible to unlock for the time being.

If you want to unlock your iPhone, I suggest you use PwnageTool. PwnageTool will help you create a custom IPSW that won't update your baseband, thus allow you to unlock using UltraSn0w.

How to jailbreak your iPhone with BlackRa1n RC2:

BlackRa1n RC2 is Out

Sébastien Page ∙ October 25, 2009

It seems that GeoHot was quicker at releasing BlackRa1n RC2 than he thought. Originally, BlackRa1n RC2 was supposed to be out tomorrow but GeoHot said on Twitter that it was already available for download.

According to GeoHot's blog post:

** Update -- RC2 is out ** Fixed 3G issues Tethered jailbreak for 3.1 OOTB ipt 8GB and new 3GSes Fixed Icy issues Both Windows and Mac If you used RC1, no need to rerun

Hopefully BlackRa1n 2 will fix all these issues...

BlackRa1n RC2 can be downloaded from our iPhone Downloads section. The tutorial to jailbreak your iPhone using BlackRa1n remains the same.