How to force your iPhone to landscape mode while watching videos

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Have you ever tried to watch a video with the rotation lock enabled? If you want to watch that video in landscape, it can make for a frustrating experience.

It means having to open Control Center, disabling rotation lock, and then rotating your device so that the video goes into landscape mode. And then, when you're finished with the video, you have to re-enable the rotation lock if you want it back on.

Instead of going through all of that rigamarole, wouldn't it be better if iOS took care of all of that for you on the fly? It will, if you have AutoRotateVideos installed—a new jailbreak tweak that can make watching videos on your iPhone a more pleasant experience.

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Upcoming ‘iOS Blocks’ tweak aims to change the way you interact with apps on iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Last year, we posted information on a research paper and iOS concept called iOS Blocks. Jay Machalani (@technofou), the brains behind the concept, suggests that an interface that combines Windows Phone's live tiles and Android's widgets, would be a best-of-both-worlds-scenario for iOS users.

iOS Blocks would essentially allow users to have proper widgets on the iOS Home screen, but the concept is put together in a way that make it totally seamless and transparent to users who prefer to use iOS like they always have. The widgets would mix the uniformity and standardization enjoyed by Windows live tiles with the interaction of Android's widget system. It's a smart idea with hours of research and presentation. I highly recommend that you read the original post on Machalani's blog.

Obviously, Apple didn't bring any sort of Home screen widget system to iOS 8, but it did give us Notification Center widgets. As if it needs to be said, Notification Center widgets are a far cry from iOS Blocks—a feature that would add significant depth to the iOS Home screen experience.

So after a year, what's been made of this project and its corresponding research? Well, I have some good news: It's being developed into a real working tweak, according to this post on reddit by someone closely associated with the project.

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Tim Cook: there is no reason why you would have to choose between privacy and security

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 28, 2015

Apple CEO Tim Cook is on the final leg of his tour of Isreal and Europe and has been speaking to UK publication The Telegraph about a range of things including Apple customers' privacy and of all things, terrorism.

Known for his unusual stance on privacy - one which doesn't jive with other high profile tech executives who are happy to share everything about you - Cook told the publication during an interview that he feels people's information is being "trafficked around" in ways that they just don't yet understand.

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Apple reportedly planning Force Touch for 2015 ‘iPhone 6s’ lineup

Jake Smith ∙ February 28, 2015

The 2015 line of iPhones that are expected to launch this fall will feature the Force Touch input that is found on the Apple Watch, according to AppleInsider.

The Apple rumor publication, citing its own sources, says the next-generation handsets are internally codenamed "N71" for the 4.7-inch model and "N66" for the 5.5-inch version. They're said to keep the "iPhone 6s" naming convention like the iPhone 5s, and like with every "S" model release, will retain the same design as the previous version.

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Sopio, Icetris, FontLab, and more apps to check out this weekend

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

With Apple’s big announcement for a March 9 special event, it is difficult to stay focused on apps and games. However, we still need to keep you guys up-to-date with new content coming out each week.

Soon, these lists will include updates to your favorites titles with Apple Watch compatibility. But until then, we will continue to bring you information on new apps and games to check out this weekend.

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iOS 8.2 beta 2 is no longer being signed

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 27, 2015

Bad news for would-be jailbreakers of iOS 8.2 beta 1 or beta 2—both firmwares are no longer being signed. There seems to be conflicting reports going around about whether or not Apple has killed access to beta 1, beta 2, or both beta firmwares, but I can personally confirm that Apple has shut down access to both.

Why is this significant? It's significant because iOS 8.2 beta 1 and beta 2 were the only firmwares available that allowed users to jailbreak using PP Jailbreak on Mac or TaiG on Windows.

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TagExplorer: edit metdadata tags for media directly on your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

If you've ever had the desire to edit the metadata tags for the media content on your iPhone, then TagExplorer is a brand new $2.99 jailbreak app that you'll want to, ahem...explore. It brings metadata editing capability to the iPhone, and allows users to edit the tags for music, podcasts, videos, and more. It even lets users locally edit tags for music downloaded from iTunes match.

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How to quickly toggle dark mode using a keyboard shortcut on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Dark mode is one of the more popular features of OS X Yosemite, because it allows you to add a dark tint to both the dock and the menu bar on Mac. The standard way to enable dark mode involves venturing to System Preferences, opening the General section, and clicking on the enable dark mode option. But wouldn't it be cool if you could toggle dark mode using a simple keyboard shortcut?

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Apple highlighting indie game sales in featured App Store section

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Apple is currently highlighting several indie game sales in a new featured App Store section called 'Amazing Indie Games.' Users can find the section by visiting the 'Featured' section of the App Store and tapping on the banner image you see above.

All of the games listed in the section are made by independent developers (an individual or small team), and are being discounted by at least 50% for a limited time. Titles include Space Age: A Cosmic Adventure, Battleheart Legacy, Rules! and more.

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