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Xpandr: Shortcuts Made Easy on the iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ October 27, 2009

Do you have to enter the same text over and over again on your iPhone? Do you need a reply template for emails? If so, Xpandr is for you.

Xpandr is a shortcut expander for the iPhone / iPod touch. It allows you to define an unlimited number of shortcuts to save time and make your life easier. It works in every application, even on App Store applications.

Let me tell you how beneficial Xpandr is for me

Every day on Twitter people ask me where to get jailbreak information. So every day, several times a day, I have to manually type a tweet containing the following URL: https://www.idownloadblog.com/jailbreak/. Not too complicated, but when you have to do it 8-9 times/day, it gets very annoying.

That's where Xpandr comes in. Xpandr allows you to create macros, or shortcuts if you prefer. To create a shortcut, simply tell Xpandr what the shortcut is and what the value of this shortcut is.

In our example, my shortcut is !jb (as in jailbreak) and the value of this macro is https://www.idownloadblog.com/jailbreak/

Now if I go to any application on my iPhone and I type !jb, it will automatically insert https://www.idownloadblog.com/jailbreak/.

I also set other shortcuts for !unlock, !signature, and more... This is a real time saver.

Xpandr is available on Cydia for $1.99 and I believe it is worth every penny.

Have you already tried this application? If so, tell me us what you think about it.

Tutorial: Jailbreak Your iPhone With BlackRa1n RC2

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

GeoHot came up yesterday with an updated version of BlackRa1n called BlackRa1n RC2. This new release supposedly fixes a bunch of issues that some of you may have encountered, especially while trying to jailbreak an iPhone 3G.

This step-by-step guide and tutorial will show you how to use BlackRa1n RC2 to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch, either on a Mac or a PC. This works for all iDevices, except for the iPod Touch 3G. This tutorial was made using an iPhone 3GS but again, it should work on all devices except the iPT3G.

I already wrote a BlackRa1n tutorial and the steps are identical but a few people emailed me or tweeted me asking to write a tutorial for BlackRa1n RC2.

Before we start, you have to understand that BlackRa1n is a jailbreak and jailbreak only. BlackRa1n will not unlock your iPhone. As a matter of fact, if you want to unlock your iPhone, do not use BlackRa1n as it will update the baseband and make it impossible to unlock for the time being.

If you want to unlock your iPhone, I suggest you use PwnageTool. PwnageTool will help you create a custom IPSW that won't update your baseband, thus allow you to unlock using UltraSn0w.

How to jailbreak your iPhone with BlackRa1n RC2:

BlackRa1n RC2 is Out

Sébastien Page ∙ October 25, 2009

It seems that GeoHot was quicker at releasing BlackRa1n RC2 than he thought. Originally, BlackRa1n RC2 was supposed to be out tomorrow but GeoHot said on Twitter that it was already available for download.

According to GeoHot's blog post:

** Update -- RC2 is out ** Fixed 3G issues Tethered jailbreak for 3.1 OOTB ipt 8GB and new 3GSes Fixed Icy issues Both Windows and Mac If you used RC1, no need to rerun

Hopefully BlackRa1n 2 will fix all these issues...

BlackRa1n RC2 can be downloaded from our iPhone Downloads section. The tutorial to jailbreak your iPhone using BlackRa1n remains the same.

Weekly Wrapup: Here Is What You Missed

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 5, 2016

In case you missed some this week's articles...

iPhone in-app purchase scam - The buyer will ultimately be the big loser in this game.

Top 10 Halloween iPhone apps - I though it would be interesting to have a selection of iPhone apps to get you in the Halloween spirit.

Fix for BlackRa1n issues - To fix this annoying issue, simply install the afc2add patch from Cydia then reboot your iPhone.

Copy music from iPhone to computer - I didn’t want to have to buy another license for my netbook so I had to go the good old way about transferring my music to my computer.

Write for the iPhone Download Blog - I'm looking for writers!

Move multiple icons at the same time with MultiIconMover - MultiIconMover allows you to select multiple icons to move them to a different page on your springboard.

BlackRa1n RC2 coming - Ealier today, GeoHot tweeted that he will release a new version of BlackRa1n.

BlackRa1n 2 Coming Out

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Ealier today, GeoHot tweeted that he will release a new version of BlackRa1n.

coming tomorrow, #blackra1n RC2!!! fixed 3G support, tethered ipt2 MC and new 3GS support; icy is already fixed

Apparently, BlackRa1n RC2 will fix some of the most annoying issues that many of you (especially iPhone 3G users) have experienced.

I will let you know once BlackRa1n 2 becomes available for download. In the meanwhile, you can still refer to our BlackRa1n tutorial.

MultiIconMover: Move Several iPhone Icons at Once

Sébastien Page ∙ October 24, 2009

MultiIconMover is one of those applications that should not exist. Why? Simply because they are so good that Apple should have implemented them into the iPhone OS. Yes, that's how good I think MultiIconMover is.

This app is very simple yet very practical. It allows you to select multiple icons to move them to a different page on your springboard. So instead of moving your icons one at a time, you can select many of them and move them all at once wherever you want.

MultiIconMover is a mod, not really an application per say, so you won't find an icon for it after installing the application. Follow these steps to get MultiIconMover into action

Simply tap and hold your finger on an application until they all start wiggling. Then select all the icons you want to move and a little red checkmark will appear (see image above). Now move to a different page and hit the "home" button. Done! Your icons will be moved to the selected page. Hit the home button one more time and the icons will stop wiggling.

This is definitely a faster way to move your icons around the springboard.

MultiIconMover is available for free in the App Store. No, I'm kidding. It's on Cydia...

What do you think of this mod?

How to Transfer Music From iPhone to Computer

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 27, 2017

Lately, I have been working on getting my iPhone ready for our long trip beginning in about a week. I started a few weeks ago by moving my contacts and calendars to the cloud with Google Sync. The next step was to move some of my music from my computer to my netbook.

I could just sync my iPhone before leaving and load it up with music but if something wrong happened (ie if I had to restore), I would lose all my music, which is why I think it is wise to move the music I want to my netbook.

There are many iPhone to PC softwares out there. My favorite is Lenogo (for Mac and PC). I use it on my everyday computer to copy music from iPhone to computer. Tansee is another solution but I like the UI of Lenogo better.

All these softwares cost money though and I didn't want to have to buy another license for my netbook so I had to go the good old way about transferring my music to my computer.

How to Solve iFunBox, iPhoneBrowser, DiskAid, and WinterBoard Issues After Using BlackRa1n

Sébastien Page ∙ October 21, 2009

After jailbreaking using BlackRa1n, you may be facing an issue where you can't access the root folder of your iPhone using tools such as iFunBox, DiskAid, and iPhoneBrowser. Some users also report issues when using WinterBoard. I said it and I'll say it again, BlackRa1n is crappy. If you have the option, I recommend using PwnageTool instead. It is a much more reliable and stable jailbreak than BlackRa1n.

The problem comes from the fact that BlackRa1n doesn’t add the afc2 support to your iPhone that is necessary for iPhoneBrowser, iFunBox, and DiskAid to access the file system and allow the transfer of files such as Winterboard themes, NES ROMs, etc... to the iPhone. In other words, you can’t access the root partition of your drive.

To fix this annoying issue, simply install the afc2add patch from Cydia then reboot your iPhone. Done!

Have you had many issues with BlackRa1n? Let us know what you think about this jailbreak by leaving a comment below.

iPhone In-App Purchase: You Are the Big Loser

Sébastien Page ∙ October 19, 2009

Last week Apple started authorizing in-app purchase for free iPhone apps. This move was very well welcome by developers who see in this a better way to fight app piracy. I personally don't think in-app purchase will change much to app piracy, but I might be wrong.

I am sure of one thing though: you, the buyer will ultimately be the big loser in this game. Let's take the example of an iPhone game. Before in-app purchase, you would buy the game for let's say $2.99. You own the game and the 40 levels it includes. If there are new updates to the game (ie. new levels), you get them for free. It's all good.

Now with in-app purchase, most developers will give you the same game for free, except it only has 2 levels. If you want 10 more levels, it will cost you $0.99. Another 10 more levels is another $0.99. Another 10 more levels is another $0.99, etc...

So instead of paying $2.99 for the full game, you now have to pay $0.99 at a time to get the upgrades or newer levels. In the end, the full game will end up costing you more than you would have paid if you had purchased the game in one shot.

I understand not all developers will go that way but I'm pretty sure a lot of them will.

What do you think about in-app purchase? Do you think that ultimately, the buyer will benefit from this? I look forward to hearing your thoughts...

Weekly Wrapup: Jailbreak & Unlock Tutorials, and Much More…

Sébastien Page ∙ October 18, 2009

This is a recap of this week's articles...

BlackRa1n is NOT the greatest jailbreak ever - If you think BlackRa1n is the best, you probably were not around when iPhone OS 1.1.1 could be jailbroken directly from your iPhone.

PwnageTool updated for iPhone 3.1.2 - This updated version of PwnageTool now supports the iPhone and iPod Touch OS 3.1.2.

iPhone 3G and 3GS PwnageTool tutorial - This step-by-step guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 3G or 3GS OS 3.1.2 using PwnageTool 3.1.4 for Mac OS X.

Jailbreak /unlock iPhone 2G PwnageTool tutorial - A a step-by-step guide and tutorial that shows you how to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone 2G 3.1.2 using PwnageTool for Mac OS X.

BlackRa1n for Mac - GeoHot announced the release of BlackRa1n for Mac.

Jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 - This article is a summary of the options you have to jailbreak your iPhone 3.1.2 depending on your model.

Unlock iPhone 3.1.2 - This article is a summary of the different options you have to unlock your iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPhone 3GS running 3.1.2.

Future iPhones will be jailbreak-proof? - Apple decided to give some hard time to jailbreakers by fixing the 24Kpwn exploit on the iPhone 3GS bootrom, which is the exploit that allows you to jailbreak your iPhone.

10 iPhone apps to save the planet - A selection of green iPhone apps.

In-app purchase and piracy - To me, in-app purchase will not kill iPhone apps piracy.

Orbit for iPhone - Orbit brings you an instant way to switch between pages on your home screen.

Orbit (Previously Expose) is Now Available on Jailbroken iPhones

Sébastien Page ∙ October 17, 2009

There has been a lot of noise recently about a concept called Expose (see video below). Today, Expose is more than a concept and it has officially become an application renamed Orbit for the occasion.

Orbit brings you an instant way to switch between pages on your home screen. Based on the "iPhone Expose" concept, this modification gives you an icon that, when tapped, animates your home page into Orbit.

The app was created by Steven Troughton-Smith, the developer of Stack. If you have a Mac, you might even be familiar with the concept as Orbit is pretty much like Spaces on the Mac.

Orbit is available from Cydia for $1.99. I haven't downloaded the application has I wouldn't make any use of it (I don't have many apps installed) but I know there are a lot of people out there who were patiently waiting for the release of this app.

Will In-App Purchase Kill iPhone Apps Piracy?

Sébastien Page ∙ October 16, 2009

Yesterday the news fell that Apple was finally allowing free iPhone apps to include in-app purchases. Until then, developers who wanted to offer a free trial of their applications had to create 2 versions: a full-featured paid version, and a "lite" stripped-down version with very basic features.

The news was very well welcome, especially by developers who see in this new system a chance to reduce application piracy. Two articles got my attention yesterday as they were insinuating that in-app purchase for free apps was the end of piracy.

From MobileCrunch:

Here’s the trick: while you can crack an iPhone application and throw it up for all to download in a matter of seconds, you can’t fake an In-App purchase receipt. A pretty notable chunk of the In-App purchase process is actually handled on the developer’s server, in addition to Apple’s – so unlike the initial purchase (which devs actually get to know very, very little about), developers know pretty damn well exactly which iPhones should be running which In-App Purchase. Developers have a specific receipt for each in-app purchase, which resides on their server. Faking this would be like tricking Amazon into shipping you a TV that you didn’t pay for.

From TUAW:

"Will this help in anti-piracy measures?" Definitely. StoreKit allows developers to validate receipts, ensuring that unlock codes are only sent to paying customers. Add a hash-check algorithm for the current device and developers have better control over who gets to use their applications.

I am not much of a technical person ("StoreKit" and "hash-check algorithm" sound like Chinese to me) but I really doubt that in-app purchase is the end of piracy. If anything, it's going to start a new era of iPhone app piracy.

To crack an application, you first have to download it. So let's say I'm a cracker, I download the app, I pay for the in-app purchase that "unlocks" the full-featured app. Now that I have everything, I just need to crack the application and make it available to the general public.

Nothing changes. Maybe the way I crack the application changes. Maybe I have to bypass a few new protections like the StoreKit thing, but in the end, if I have the full application to work on, there will always be a way to trick the app into thinking it is legit.

So to me, in-app purchase will not kill iPhone apps piracy. At best, it will slow it down and instead of getting the cracked version of XYZgame in 2 hours after the release, I'll get it in 3 hours. At the end of the day, you still get your cracked app.

As I said above, I'm not technical at all and I might be missing something here. I'm interested in hearing what you have to say about it. Do you think in-app purchase will put an end to iPhone app piracy? Why? How? Leave a comment to share your views.