iPhone News

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...

xNotiLockColor: change the colors of Lock screen notifications

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

xNotiLockColor is a new tweak that allows you to change up the colors present on Lock screen notifications. It's a simple tweak that allows you to individually alter the primary color, secondary color, subtitle, time/slide, and separator colors for Lock screen notification messages.

Each section contains over a dozen different color selections to choose from and you can combine multiple colors to come up with some pretty wacky Lock screen looks. Have a glance at our video demo inside to see how easy it is.

This week on iDB: iOS 8 beta 3

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 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

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Apple iBeacon hardware revealed in FCC filings

Cody Lee ∙ July 13, 2014

Apple's iBeacon technology has seen a lot of success in its first year. The tech, which allows administrators to push data to smartphones based on their location, has already been adopted by a number of retailers and organizations.

But thus far, Apple's success with iBeacons has been limited to software, as it's left the hardware up to third-party firms. It looks like that's about to change, though, as FCC filings reveal that the company has built its own iBeacon...

Apple responds to Chinese media warning against iPhone location tracking

Cody Lee ∙ July 13, 2014

Last week, China's state-run China Central Television broadcasted a report that labeled the iPhone as a "national security concern." More specifically, the CCTV criticized the “frequent locations” function in iOS 7, which records time and location for the owner’s movements.

Yesterday, Apple issued an official response to the report on its Chinese website. The statement reaffirms the company's commitment to privacy, and states that the Location Services found in the iOS firmware are only used to help users for activities that require navigation...

FCC loosens labeling restrictions for iPhones and other devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

This is kind of interesting. The FCC's Office of Engineering & Technology issued new labeling guidance on Friday, saying that manufacturers can do away with the awful FCC ID etchings found on the backs of iPhones and other devices with integral screens.

Until now, the FCC has asked that any equipment requiring FCC certification sport a nameplate or etched label listing its FCC ID and other info. But with devices getting smaller and more complex, it wanted to update the requirement for the digital age...

PopSearch adds new search options to Action Menu

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Ryan Petrich's Action Menu is such a classic jailbreak tweak that many developers continue to make add-ons for it years after its release. Case in point, PopSearch, an add-on that brings new search options to the classic tweak.

PopSearch allows users to highlight specific text and quickly search that text using a pop-over menu. Search engines include Google, Wikipedia, Amazon, and Bing. Settings can be configured from Action Menu's settings. Take a look inside for a video demonstration of PopSearch in action.

Apple’s Maps team calling businesses to verify user address corrections

Cody Lee ∙ July 12, 2014

Continuing on with its efforts to refine its mapping software, Apple has apparently begun calling businesses looking to verify user-reported address corrections. In a recent Reddit post, a business owner said he had been contacted by someone with Apple Maps.

Reddit user swb1192 said he received an interesting phone call from a 408 number (a Cupertino, California area code) this week. The person said that they were with Apple's Maps team, and that a user had reported his business address as incorrect, which it was...

IGN names ‘OTTTD’ its Free Game of the Month

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

IGN has announced its Free Game of the Month for July to be OTTTD by SMG Studio, a tower defense game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch running iOS 6 or greater. The app, available for free with IGN's promo code, is currently priced at $2.99 (regularly $4.99) and holds a 4.5 star-rating in the App Store.

OTTTD — which stands for Over The Top Tower Defense — is a step above typical tower defense games, with features including dozens of enemy types, a 25-level storyline campaign, an endless mode, and much more...

Apple wins lawsuit against Emblaze over live video streaming patent

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

In a verdict handed down late yesterday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple defeated a lawsuit brought on by Emblaze Ltd. The company claimed that the iPhone-maker infringed on one of its patents.

More specifically, Emblaze accused Apple of infringing on its live video streaming patent, with its HTTP live-streaming service (HLS) that it asks 3rd-party apps like MLB at Bat and WatchESPN to use. But the trial's jury found otherwise...

Apple joins ‘SupplierPay’ initiative to speed up payments to small businesses

Cody Lee ∙ July 12, 2014

Apple has joined Coca-Cola, IBM and other major companies as an early adopter in the new White House 'SupplierPay' program. The initiative is aimed at accelerating payments from these larger firms to smaller businesses in their supply chain.

The program is a private-sector extension of QuickPay, another federal initiative designed to ensure small contractors are paid within 15 days of submitting an invoice. This helps them avoid borrowing money, increasing their chances to succeed...

HandsFree lets you answer calls with a wave of your hand

Timothy Reavis ∙ July 12, 2014

HandsFree is a recently released jailbreak tweak that works in conjunction with iOS 7's Phone and FaceTime apps and introduces the ability to answer incoming calls straight to speaker with a simple wave of your hand. The key phrase here is "straight to speaker," as this tweak eliminates the two-step process previously required to answer a call and enable speakerphone.

HandsFree works with FaceTime Video and Audio in addition to cellular calls, so answering an incoming call is seamless across the board...