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.

How to delete old iPhone backups

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated December 24, 2018

Manually backing up your iPhone or iPad, or taking advantage of iCloud automatic backups, is the best way to guarantee that you will be able to get all your data back in the event something goes wrong.

Whether you choose to backup via iTunes or iCloud, you might want to delete this backup at some point. Maybe the backup file got corrupted, or maybe you're running out of storage space on your Mac or in iCloud. Or maybe you have an entirely different reason to delete your iPhone or iPad backup file.

Whatever the reason is, we've got you covered. In this post, we will learn how to delete an iPhone backup from a Mac and we'll also see how to delete a backup file from iCloud.

The perfect portable car mount gets bigger

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

In our recent Kenu Airframe review, we unanimously called the portable car mount the perfect dashboard companion for your iPhone. Small, convenient, practical, and fairly inexpensive, this lightweight accessory makes mounting your phone on a car dashboard a quick and easy thing, as it will secure virtually any device with a screen size of up to 5 inches.

But what happens if you have a bigger device?

With rumors of a larger 5.5" screen iPhone 6 looming above us, and with the proliferation of larger smartphones all around, the folks at Kenu have decided to address the demand, and recently released the Airframe+, a device exactly similar in form and function to its smaller version, but with more size to accommodate bigger screens.

Swatch says it doesn’t need Apple, will launch its smart watch next year

Sébastien Page ∙ July 27, 2014

Some silly rumor made the rounds last week claiming Swatch was in talk with Apple to produce a line of iWatch devices. This was quickly denied by Swatch, who's now saying it will bring its own smart watch/fitness tracker to market by next year.

Swatch CEO Nick Hayek recently told Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag (via Reuters) that the company will soon update its Swatch Touch line, which will be equipped with features appealing to athletes:

This week on iDB: iOS 8 beta 4 and Yosemite public beta

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Like every Sunday, we get to take a look at some of the most popular posts that were published on iDB during the week that just ended. Whether it is a news item, a new jailbreak tweak, a tutorial, or an app review, we sum it all up in one convenient place for you.

As always, if you like what you're reading, please feel free to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.

We're usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+.

Apple seeds iOS 8 beta 4 to developers: here is what’s new Apple seeds OS X Yosemite Preview 4 Here is the redesigned iTunes 12 Apple rolls out OS X 10.10 Yosemite public beta – are you in? 10 things you need to know before installing public OS X 10.10 Yosemite beta Can’t redeem Yosemite beta code? Here’s a fix. iOS 8 beta 4 comes with a new Tips app Former jailbreak hacker accuses Apple of building surveillance backdoors into iOS Easily theme your iPhone signal bars with ‘Meter’ The best jailbreak tweaks for the Music app on iOS 7 How to get HBO and HBO Go without paying a ridiculous $100+ cable bill Apple airs new ‘Stickers’ MacBook Air ad Upgrading to a 4K monitor: enjoy Retina quality graphics on an external display How to get your frayed Lightning cable replaced for free The best email apps for iPad Apps of the week: Modern Combat 5, Together, Poptile, and more Wallpapers of last week: alternative transportation

Don't forget to listen to the latest episode of our new podcast, Let's Talk iOS:

Subscribe on iTunes

And of course, make sure to catch up with the new episode of Let's Talk Jailbreak:

Find iDB on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, App.net, YouTube, and in your RSS reader. Also make sure to subscribe to our new podcast!

How to get your frayed Lightning cable replaced for free

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 14, 2017

Why is this 6 month old cable already falling apart? That's the question my wife asked one day, referring to the Lightning cable she has plugged by her side of the bed to charge her iPhone at night.

As much as I tried to find a good reason, there was nothing I could say that would actually explain why this fairly new cable was already fraying. The only explanation I could give her was that these cables are crap.

It's not like we're rough on these cables either. We actually take good care of them. My wife's charger, for example, has never been anywhere but her bedside, just being used at night. This is not the kind of usage you'd think would be so detrimental to a cable supposed to last several years.

Since I believed this cable was still covered by my iPhone warranty, I decided to take it to Apple and see if they would replace it.

Fantastical 2 gets a major update, goes on sale for up to 50% off

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

One of our favorite (and my personal favorite) calendar application, Fantastical 2, just received a pretty big update for both its iPhone and iPad versions. The new features added have long been some of the most requested ones, so they'll definitely be crowd pleasers.

On top of that, all versions of Fantastical have temporarily been discounted by up to 50%. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, now is your time.

iOS 8 beta 4 comes with a new Tips app

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Released earlier today, iOS 8 beta 4 came with a new stock application called Tips, which as its name suggests, is here to share tips about new features to iOS users. So far, the app offers 6 different tips but it does invite users to check back later as apparently it will be updated every week.

As iOS is becoming a more complex operating system, the addition of this app will definitely be welcome by users that are not necessarily tech savvy. While the average iDB reader probably already knows about these tips, most users don't. This is a good way to ensure that all users are aware of what they can do with their device, brought in a very simple and elegant manner.

Below are the tips shared in this first edition:

Ultratext is a fun app that will spice up your iMessages

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

I'm not big on messaging. I don't do Snapchat. I don't do Whatsapp. I barely use Twitter DMs. However, I'm a pretty big iMessage user, the messaging platform introduced by Apple along iOS 5 in 2011.

iMessage is great because it allows you to communicate with any iOS user in a very simple way. There is no app to download, no account to create, and no password to remember. Oh, and yes, it works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac too.

While trawling the App Store earlier today, I found Ultratext, a fun app that lets you send GIF messages to your contacts, giving iMessage a little more spice and colors...

BigBoss repo allegedly hacked [updated]

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

BigBoss, one of the default repositories for jailbreak tweaks in Cydia, has allegedly been hacked by an individual or a group of individuals whose identity is still unknown.

The attackers were apparently able to gain access to all packages (paid and free) that are available in the BigBoss repo, and made the deb index and database available for download. The assailants went as far as creating a new repo which can be added to Cydia to download all BigBoss-hosted tweaks.

As is always the case when this type of security breach happens, jailbreak users should be cautious and stay away from this.

This is the coolest iPhone photography you’ll see this week

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

We're big fans of iPhone photography here at iDB. Whether we're sharing simple tips or powerful apps, at the end of the day, we just want you to have the tools to become a better photographer, or at least learn a couple things along the way.

Those of you who are in search of a creative boost might find inspiration in these photos by French photographer François Dourlen, who has been mixing movie characters with real life situation, resulting in what might very well be the most original photos you'll see this week...

Saurik on competition and community

Sébastien Page ∙ July 13, 2014

Every once in a while, a group of individuals surfaces to offer a new "Cydia alternative." Full of good intentions, these individuals usually realize quickly enough that building a replacement or even a complement to Cydia isn't an easy task.

The latest Cydia alternative to generate interest within the community is iMods, an elegant installer that doesn't necessarily aim to take on Cydia, but rather target a different user base, as one of its developer explains. The concept, both in terms of design and engineering sounds promising, but is it viable?

Does it even make sense to try to bring a new installer to market? What does it take to do so, and what hurdles should the developers of such a tool be ready to face? These are some questions that Saurik tries to answer in a 5,600 word essay...

This week on iDB: iOS 8 beta 3

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

As always, if you like what you're reading, please feel free to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.

We're usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+.

Apple seeds iOS 8 beta 3 to developers: here is what’s new Apple releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 3 New Apple TV, Find My iPhone and Find My Friends betas also available Apple’s second secret eBay store goes live with pre-owned iPhones HandsFree lets you answer calls with a wave of your hand Acute: a new voice control tweak for jailbreakers How to add weather to the status bar in iOS 7.1.x Auki updated with new features and new developer API Ultimate torture test reveals what it takes to shatter iPhone 6′s sapphire glass New photos and video show alleged rear shell of 4.7-inch iPhone 6 Minecraft – Pocket Edition 0.9.0 update brings infinite world size and more Gap between Roku and Apple TV is widening The best dictionary apps Download the new iOS 8 beta 3 wallpaper Apple spotlights Amazing Puzzle Games on sale for a limited time Apps of the week: Sonic Jump Fever, Macrocosm, Magic 2015, and more Wallpapers of last week: Puerta del Sol

Don't forget to listen to the latest episode of our new podcast, Let's Talk iOS:

Subscribe on iTunes

And of course, make sure to catch up with the new episode of Let's Talk Jailbreak:

Find iDB on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, App.net, YouTube, and in your RSS reader. Also make sure to subscribe to our new podcast!