Tutorials

How to Sync Your iPhone Notes with Your Gmail Account

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 27, 2018

You probably already know you can sync your Google emails, calendars and contacts with your iPhone using Google Sync. But do you know you can also sync your iPhone notes with your Gmail account?

The only requirement for being able to sync your notes with Gmail is that your iPhone be updated to iOS 4. When you set up your Gmail account on your iPhone, you will now have the option to sync your notes.

If you have several Gmail account set up on your iPhone, you will be able to sync your notes to specific accounts. In the top left corner of the Notes.app, a new button will appear letting you choose what account you want to sync with.

One downside to this is that it's a one-way sync, which means that you can only sync your notes from your iPhone to your Gmail account. You can't sync from Gmail notes to your iPhone.

How to Export iPhone 4 Videos in Full Resolution

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

The iPhone 4 video camera can shoot movies in full HD at a resolution of 720p, but the problem is these videos are scaled down to a maximum resolution of 568 x 320 anytime you try to export them to YouTube or via email or MMS.

So far, the only way to get your video exported in full res is to transfer them off to your computer. Not very convenient for a mobile device...

Fortunately, there's an app for that.

Pixelpipe, a free application in the App Store, will export your mobile videos in full HD 720p up to 200 MB to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, MobileMe, Viddler, Posterous and a bunch of other sites. You can also email or upload those videos via FTP.

Additionally, Pixelpipe has been updated for iOS 4 and allows full multitasking for background uploading, which might come in handy if you upload a 190 MB video over 3G.

[via TUAW]

How to Enable Emoji on iPhone iOS 4

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated December 15, 2017

Emoji icons disappeared for a while with the release of iOS 4. But they're back! This simple trick, compliments of Simon, will show you how to enable Emoji icons on your iPhone iOS 4.

Step 1: Download this free app from the App Store.

Step 2: Launch the app and tap "ok, let's do this".

Step 3: Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > International Keyboard > Add New Keyboard > Emoji.

Step 4: Reboot your iPhone.

You can now get emoji icons on your iPhone. To bring up the emoji keyboard, launch your Notes.app and tap the little "globe" icon next to the space key.

If you send an email containing emoji icons, the person you send the email to must have emoji enabled too. For some reason, I wasn't able to use emoji icons in the Email.app. It worked great for notes though.

How is it working for you?

How to Fix iOS 4 Exchange Sync Problems

Sébastien Page ∙ June 30, 2010

After updating to iOS 4, you might have encountered issues when syncing your Microsoft Exchange account. I know I did. Immediately after setting up Google Sync on my iPhone iOS 4, the sync took forever to complete. I ended up deleting and adding the account several times but it didn't really fix the issue as it would still take forever to sync new contacts or new events in the calendar.

According to this Apple Support ticket, I am not the only one. Here are the symptoms: immediately after updating to iOS 4, some users may notice that Exchange ActiveSync Mail, Contacts, or Calendars do not sync, or sync very slowly. In addition, some Exchange Server administrators may notice their servers running slowly.

Here is the fix offered by Apple:

To work around this issue, users should install a configuration profile from Apple that increases the amount of time the iOS 4 device will wait for the Exchange Server to respond to its sync requests. For best results, the profile should be installed on as many iOS 4 devices at your company as possible.

To install the profile:

Use Safari on your iOS 4 device to download the configuration profile. It may be easiest to read this article with your iPhone or iPod touch and tap the download link there, but you may also email the attachment to another email account on your iOS 4 device, and tap the attachment to open it. Tap Install to install the profile, and enter your passcode if prompted. A warning message will appear because the profile is not signed. Tap Install Now. Tap Done to complete the installation, then power off your device and power it back on. Wait for your Exchange data to finish syncing.

After installation, the profile will be listed under Settings > General > Profile.

Have you had this issue? If so, did this fix work for you?

How to Use FaceTime on 3G

Sébastien Page ∙ June 28, 2010

FaceTime was recently introduced by Apple on the new iPhone 4. This new feature is only supposed to work on wifi, which can be quite inconvenient if you feel like having a FaceTime conversation while on the road.

In order to get the following trick to work and allow you to use FaceTime over 3G, you need to have the tethering option activated. If you're in the US, the official tethering plan with AT&T costs an extra $20/month. As soon as the iPhone 4 is jailbroken, I'm sure apps such as MyWi will do the trick.

I haven't tried this myself but Justin, the iDB reader who tipped me on this, assures me it works. Justin tipped me several times before and I trust him about this. These instructions to get FaceTime to work on 3G are for Mac. I'm sure you can do the same with a PC. If you know how, feel free to comment on it.

Step 1: On your iPhone 4, go to Settings > General > Network > Internet Tethering > Connect via USB. In System Preferences on your Mac, go to your Network preferences. A new "iPhone USB" connection should appear in the left pane.

Step 2: Still on your Mac, go to the Sharing preference pane and check the Internet Sharing box to share your USB connection over AirPort.

Step 3: On your iPhone 4, connect to the network you just started sharing. Done!

This basically lets you use your own 3G connection as if it was a "normal" wifi connection.

After that, you can use FaceTime on 3G all you want. Justin says it can be a little slow but it worked pretty well overall.

Try it on and tell us what you think.

How to Downgrade Your iPhone From iOS 4 to 3.1.3

Sébastien Page ∙ June 28, 2010

Every time Apple releases a new firmware, they stop signing the older one, which means you technically can't downgrade to a previous firmware by restoring. Fortunately, if you have your ECID SHSH on file on Saurik's servers, then you might be able to downgrade your iPhone from iOS 4 to 3.1.3 or earlier.

The trick is to make iTunes believe it is requesting a signature from Apple's servers while it will actually be talking to Saurik's servers.

Downgrading from iOS 4 to 3.1.3 does require you saved your SHSH on Saurik's servers. If you haven't, then you can't downgrade.

Downgrade from iPhone iOS 4 to firmware 3.1.3

Step 1 for Windows: Make sure you are logged in with administrator privileges. Launch Notepad and navigate to C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc. Add the following at the very bottom of the file: 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com

Now save the file back where you found it.

Step 1 for Mac: In Finder, select Go To Folder, and enter /etc. Search the hosts file and right click on it to open with TextEdit. Add the following at the very bottom of the file: 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com

Click Save As to save the edited file on your desktop. Name the file hosts, and make sure to uncheck the box that says "if no extension is provide, use .txt".

Now drag and drop this edited file to /etc.

Step 2: Download the firmware you want to downgrade to from here.

Step 3: Put your iPhone in DFU mode. Launch iTunes and plug your iPhone in. Press and hold the home and and sleep button together for 10 seconds. After exactly 10 seconds, release the sleep button while still holding the home button. Keep holding the home button until iTunes tells you it has found an iPhone in recovery mode.

Step 4: Now hold the Option key (Mac only) or Shift key (Windows only) while clicking the Restore button in iTunes. A dialog box will pop up and you’ll be able to choose the firmware you downloaded in step 2.

Step 5: At this point, some of you will be fine. The iPhone will restore without any problem. However, some of you might end up in recovery mode again. It's ok. We just need to kick the iPhone out of recovery mode. To do so, download and launch iReb for Windows or iRecovery (both Mac and Windows).

Welcome back to 3.1.3!

[image Life Hacker]

How to Check Your iPhone Bootrom Version

Sébastien Page ∙ June 28, 2010

The latest version of PwnageTool to jailbreak the iPhone 3GS has a few requirements that depend on your bootrom version. Many people have been asking me how to know what's the bootROM of your iPhone so here are some simple instuctions for both Mac and Windows.

The old bootrom refers to those produced before September 2009, version number 359.3. The new bootrom is version 359.3.2 or later.

How to find your bootrom version on Windows

Step 1: Put your iPhone in DFU mode: Launch iTunes and plug your iPhone in. Press and hold the home and and sleep button together for 10 seconds. After exactly 10 seconds, release the sleep button while still holding the home button. Keep holding the home button until iTunes tells you it has found an iPhone in recovery mode.

Step 2: Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager.

Step 3: Double click Universal Serial Bus Controllers, then click the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver item and click the Properties button.

Step 4: Select the Details tab, then select Device Instance Path from the Property dropdown menu. Scroll all the way to the right to locate your bootrom version.

How to find your bootrom version on Mac

Step 2: In the Apple menu at the top left of your screen, select About This Mac, then click More Info on the window that appears.

Step 3: Select USB from the Hardware list on the left, then click to select Apple Mobile Device (DFU Mode) from the USB Device Tree on the main panel.

Step 4: In the detail panel right below the main panel, you should find the Serial Number. Your iBoot version is at the very end of it.

How to Opt Out of iPhone Targeted iAds

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 22, 2017

One of the big features of iOS 4 is iAd, a new advertising platform created by Apple, supposedly so developers can make more money and keep their app prices on the cheap.

Like anyone who enters the ad business, Apple had to update their privacy policy, which you agreed to by installing iOS 4.

Gizmodo were the first this morning to bring light on this part of Apple's privacy policy:

To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services.

Unfortunately there is no way to opt out of this tracking. No matter what, Apple will still track what you do and where you. Yes, that sucks!

However, you can opt out of Apple's targeted ads by navigating to https://oo.apple.com/ from your iOS device and voila. I guess Apple could have made this more obvious.

Tutorial: How to Jailbreak iPhone iOS 4 With PwnageTool

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated August 31, 2010

The Dev Team just released the latest version of PwnageTool to jailbreak iOS 4. There are many requirements that your iPhone must fulfill in order to be jailbreakable with PwnageTool and you should make sure to read this before going ahead with the jailbreak process.

Let me make this clear, READ THIS before going any further in the jailbreak process. Your iPhone might not be eligible for a jailbreak.

Now that we have the "warning" out of the way, jailbreaking your iPhone iOS 4 with PwnageTool is fairly easy and straightforward. PwnageTool is a Mac only tool that is used to jailbreak while preserving the baseband to make sure you can unlock if necessary at a further date.

This step by step guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone iOS 4 using PwnageTool.

Step 1: Download the latest version of PwnageTool from our iPhone downloads section. You will need a torrent downloader (ie. uTorrent) to download the file.

Step 2: Make sure iTunes is up to date (currently version 9.2). If not, update iTunes and reboot your computer.

Step 3: Sync and backup your iPhone in iTunes.

Step 4: Download the latest iOS 4 firmware from here for your specific device.

Step 5: Launch PwnageTool and select your iPhone.

Step 6: PwnageTool will automatically detect your firmware. Click on the blue arrow to continue.

Step 7: PwnageTool will now ask if you have an iPhone contract that you would normally activate with iTunes. Choose YES if you have a contract with an official carrier (ie. AT&T in the US) and you don't care about unlocking your device. Click NO if you don't have a contract with an official carrier and want to unlock your iPhone.

Step 8: PwnageTool will now create the custom IPSW.

Step 9: When done, you will see the "iHaz success" message.

Step 10: Now that you have your custom cooked firmware, you need to install this firmware on your iPhone. To do so, plug your iPhone in iTunes. Once iTunes has recognized your iPhone, hold the “Alt/Option” key and click “Restore” at the same time. DO NOT click “Restore” without holding the “Alt/Option” key! A dialog box will pop up and you’ll be able to choose the custom IPSW file you created.

Step 11: PwnageTool will now install your cooked iOS 4 firmware on your iPhone. This process might take a few minutes so be patient. When done, your iPhone will reboot.

You're done!

Additionally, make sure to check out these instructions if you need to unlock your iPhone.

UPDATE: This post is slightly outdated. Check out this page for the latest jailbreak information.

Jailbreak iPhone 3G on iOS 4 With RedSn0w

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 29, 2010

You can now jailbreak your iPhone 3G running iOS 4 using RedSn0w. This version of RedSn0w will only jailbreak the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G.

At the time being the only way to jailbreak the iPhone 3GS on iOS 4 is to use PwnageTool. RedSn0w should be updated soon to jailbreak both the iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 4, so be patient.

According to the Dev Team, "For now, the redsn0w beta release supports only the iPhone3G and iPod Touch 2G at today’s 4.0. It’s still a beta, so you’ll need to let Cydia reorganize, reload, and update after using redsn0w."

This being said jailbreaking the iPhone 3G iOS 4 with RedSn0w is fairly simple.These instructions are to jailbreak the iPhone 3G iOS 4 using RedSn0w. Instructions are the same to jailbreak the iPod Touch 2G.

How to Jailbreak iPhone 3G iOS 4

Step 1: Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed (iTunes 9.2).

Step 2: Download iOS 4 for iPhone 3G to your desktop from our iPhone downloads section.

Step 3: Update your iPhone to iOS 4 via iTunes.

Step 4: Download the latest version of RedSn0w from here.

Step 5: Point RedSn0w to the iOS 4 you downloaded in step 2.

Step 6: Select "Install Cydia".

Step 7: Follow the onscreen instructions.

Step 8: Let RedSn0w do the hard work for you. Once jailbroken, your iPhone will reboot.

That's it!

Now as mentioned above, this is just a beta release of RedSn0w, which means you might have a few issues. One of the most common issues is that the Cydia icon appears all white. In order to fix this, simply add the following repo to Cydia and reboot your iPhone: http://apt.saurik.com/cydia-3.7.

If needed, you may now unlock your iPhone 3G running iOS 4 by following these simple instructions.

How to Password Protect Specific iPhone Apps

Sébastien Page ∙ June 10, 2010

LockDown is a new application available in Cydia that lets you protect individual applications with a password. If like me your iPhone gets into many hands, there might be some applications you'd like to use LockDown with.

If you have an iPhone and your kids are used to play with it, installing LockDown on a few of your apps might be helpful to prevent them from accidentally delete some of your stuff.

LockDown gives another layer of protection to your sensitive data, even though we saw that anyone willing to can easily steal your iPhone data.

You can download LockDown from Cydia for free. One advice though, don't do the mistake I just did... Don't install this on your iPad (at least not as of today) because it is not compatible and will get you into trouble...

How to Check Your AT&T Data Usage

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

Yesterday I told you about AT&T's new data plans. While these plans will benefit a large majority of iPhone owners, there is still a few of us who'll have to closely monitor our data usage to make sure we don't go over board.

Checking your data usage on the AT&T network is pretty easy and straightforward and will prevent you from having bad surprises when the bill comes.

Checking Your AT&T Data Usage

How to check your data usage on AT&T's website

I think the best and most comprehensive way to check your data usage for your iPhone is to do so directly from AT&T's website. This will give you a nice graph showing the last 6 months of data activity, making it clear for you to see what you used through your 3G or EDGE data connection.

This graph excludes all data transferred over wifi network connections because this is not part of your AT&T data plan. That means you can download/upload as much as you want from your iPhone over wifi, you will never be charged for that.

How to check your data usage with AT&T's myWireless app

AT&T has a free application in the App Store called myWireless. On top of giving you important information such as how many voice minutes or SMS you've used, the app will also show you how much data you've used for the current billing period. That's a great way to monitor your data usage on the go directly from your iPhone.

I really like the myWireless app. It is clean and simple and it also allows you to pay your bill from your iPhone. I consider it a must-have.

That's it, now you should be able to manage and monitor your data usage efficiently. For those of you who decide to stay on the unlimited plan, that shouldn't be an issue at all.

If you have more tips and tips like this, please feel free to share them in the comment. [Credit images: TiPB - MacObserver]