Tutorials

How to Enable OmniFocus Siri Reminders on iPhone 4

Guest Author ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

OmniFocus for iPhone is a great productivity tool. With Apple’s new iPhone OS came integration with Reminders and Siri. When enabled, OmniFocus will check the Reminders app for new tasks, add them to your Inbox, and remove them from your Reminders list. This holds true for Reminders created using Siri in addition to those entered manually.

However, for some reason, The Omni Group limited the powerful new iOS 5 integration to iPhone 4S users. The good news is if you’re an iPhone 4 user, you can enable Reminders and Siri integration with a little bit of preference file editing. This trick does not affect the OmniFocus app’s performance, stability or existing functionality. Here’s how to do it…

How to manage your iCloud backups and storage from your iOS device

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 14, 2017

iCloud launched in October 2011 to much confusion amongst consumers. Apple's cloud-based storage service doesn't work like your typical drag-and-drop cloud software (Dropbox), leaving some folks wondering how to use it.

But never fear, iDB is here to show you how to make the most of your iCloud account. Today we are going to show you how to manage and/or delete your iCloud backup files from your iOS device in just a few easy steps.

How to Manually Backup Your iDevice to iCloud

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 8, 2011

We love iCloud here at iDB, and we love backups, too. That said, it isn't really surprising that we're huge fans of the ability to backup our iDevices to iCloud.

It has been said before that the best backup strategy is the one you can set and forget. That's where iCloud comes into its own, with backups being done automatically each night, so long as the device is plugged in.

There are times when you might want to be absolutely sure that the backup in the cloud is up to date, and Apple has thought of that, too. Here is a quick guide that shows you just how to manually perform an iCloud backup...

How to Push Links from iOS to Your Desktop

Guest Author ∙ Updated March 5, 2018

How many times have you realized you needed to continue your iPhone browsing session on your laptop or desktop PC? What about when you come across an app for your Mac that you want to download to your PC, not your iPhone?

Sure, there are plenty of options for downloading something to your iPhone or iPad, or even to Dropbox , but there is an unparalleled advantage to seamlessly transferring a link or webpage to your Mac. Whether you want to send a DMG, an installer package, a torrent, or a website that only supports Flash, your options are limited when you try to view them from an iOS app.

Luckily, there are several solutions that have sprung up over the past year. Pushing from a browser to an iPhone has been relatively simple for quite some time, but one-tap solutions to go from iOS to Mac are finally available. Read on for our list of creative services that offer you just that…

An Exclusive Look Inside Apple’s Smart Sign

Guest Author ∙ July 26, 2011

Yesterday, I went to the Apple Store with a mission: to get an inside peek at what was behind Apple's own Smart Sign application. If you don't know what a Smart Sign is, it is an iPad with a special app that shows product specs.

This app can't be exited with the home button, it can only be closed with a secret gesture. I did some peeking around, and I found some interesting things.

How to Install Google+ on Your iPad or iPod Touch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

After several weeks of being forced to use the web app, early iOS Google+ adopters were finally given a native App Store app yesterday. The app included all kinds of enhancements over the web version, including the ability to manage profiles and upload photos.

However, a lot of folks were upset that Google didn't include support for iPad and iPod Touch users. The omission was rather odd, considering folks with either device weren't even able to download the app. Luckily, iDB has your back, and we've put together an easy guide to installing Google+ on your iPad or iPod Touch...

How to Unlock Your Mac With Your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 2, 2018

Imagine walking up to your Mac computer and watching it unlock on its own as you approached it. I'm not talking about retina or fingerprint scanners. I'm talking about Bluetooth proximity. If you have an iPhone on you at most times, and you also happen to own a Mac, you're going to love this trick.

RedmondPie passed on this interesting tip this morning, which allows you to unlock your Mac computer simply by having a Bluetooth-capable device on you. It's easy, completely free, and you aren't even required to be jailbroken. Here's how...

Tips to Help You Capture Fireworks With Your iPhone’s Camera

Cody Lee ∙ July 3, 2011

It's 4th of July weekend, and for everybody stateside, that probably means your camera will be working overtime. Friends, family, fireworks -- all are on the list of potential Facebook or Instagram posts.

If your iPhone happens to be your primary picture-taker, you're going to want to check this out. TUAW just posted some helpful tips on how to properly snap photos of fireworks with your iPhone camera...

Unlock iPhone 4 on iOS 5 Beta 2 Using Gevey SIM

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The Gevey SIM is an interposer tool that has been legally questionable by many. You might use a Gevey SIM to unlock your iPhone 4 and might have noticed that Apple has blocked the exploit in iOS 5 Beta 2.

Fortunately. the folks over at RedmondPie found a workaround to getting the Gevey SIM to work on iOS 5 Beta 2. In this method, we will show you how to unlock your iPhone 4 running iOS 5 beta 2 with a Gevey SIM...

How to Fix Recording Errors in Display Recorder

Guest Author ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

Display Recorder is a wonderful jailbreak app by Ryan Petrich for creating a video recording of your iPhone's screen. Some users, however, have been having problems creating new recordings and have seen Error Code 0 or 2. As far as I can tell, the issue is related to the way that Display Recorder stores files in the file system to circumvent ASLR obstacles and the permissions that iTunes applies to them during backup restores.

It seems that the only users affected by these errors are those who recently restored from an iTunes backup or upgraded/downgraded their firmware. Luckily, the fix is pretty simple and can be done in under ten minutes...

How to install .deb files

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2013

While Cydia is a decent hub for all of the available jailbreak apps and utilities, there's no arguing that dealing with the clunky package installer can be a bit cumbersome at times.

For folks that weren't aware, you can manually install jailbreak apps and tweaks without ever opening Cydia. All you need is the .deb file of the package you want to install, and an FTP client like iPhone Explorer or Cyberduck.

In this tutorial, we will show you how to manually install a .deb file on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

How to Enable Automatic Downloads in iTunes 10.3

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 2, 2018

Although the average consumer has to wait a month or more to get their paws on the new Mac operating system, and twice that long for iOS 5, there is one cool new feature Apple unveiled this week that users can take advantage of right away.

The iDevice community all let out a synchronous sigh of relief on Monday as Apple announced the new Automatic Download feature for iTunes and iDevices. While there are some limitations, the feature can help you cut the cord between your iPhone and your computer.

The built-in utility instantly recognizes when you download media on an iDevice or desktop, and automatically pushes that media out to your other devices. Once enabled, any app, song or iBook title you download on one device, will automatically push out to your other gadgets.

Essentially, any iDevice with iOS 4.3.3 or computer with the latest version of iTunes qualifies for the new feature, as long as they are all using a common iTunes account. It doesn't take much to turn on Automatic Downloads and it can be a real timesaver. Check out this quick tutorial: