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Tweetie’s “Secure Connection Failed” Is Driving Me Nuts

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I am a big Twitter user and I do most of my tweeting using Tweetie, which is my favorite Twitter app for iPhone. Recently I've been getting the same error more and more often and it's getting very annoying: Secure Connection Failed.

I dug a bit into the problem and found out that I am not the only one having this Secure Connection Failed issue. Tweetie's account on Twitter says that "it's a problem on Twitter's end, they're tracking it down now" and they suggest that anyone who gets this error sends their IP address to contact@atebits.com.

First, I don't believe the problem is on Twitter's end. If it was, other iPhone Twitter app would have the same issue. Second, how am I supposed to email them my IP address when the problem mostly appears over 3G, which means I have a different IP address every time I make a data connection?

This problem has been going on for the past few weeks and it seems it's getting worse. It's really disappointing that Ate Bits, the developers of Tweetie, are not taking a more proactive role in this matter. I don't expect much from a free app, but when I pay $3 for an application, I expect it to work flawlessly.

Have you guys encountered this issue as well? If you don't use Tweetie, what Twitter application do you use? Is your iPhone jailbroken?

Update: Looking a the reactions on Twitter, it is clear that this problem also appears on other Twitter apps. My apologies to Ate Bits for thinking they were not doing their best. The problems does seem to come from Twitter itself after all.

Weekly Wrapup: Apple, MMS, Cool Themes, and More…

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

If you missed any of the articles we posted this week, here is a quick wrapup for you.

Apple taking crap from everyone

It seems that I’m not the only one getting tired of Apple. I recommend you read the full article and watch the video.

New iPod coming up

Apple has finally confirmed the long-rumored event to be held on September 9, in San Francisco.

10 original and beautiful iPhone themes

Within the past few weeks, I have been selecting several beautiful and original iPhone themes that I’d like to share with you today.

How to rob and Apple Store in 31 seconds

23 MacBook Pro, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod Touch stolen in 31 seconds. You think you can do better?

It's official, MMS coming to the iPhone on September 25

According to a press release, we should get MMS on September 25.

Too much iPhone is hurting me (and others)

For the last few months, I’ve noticed a slight pain in my right hand (the hand I use to hold my iPhone).

https://www.idownloadblog.com/2009/08/31/apple-under-fire/

My iPhone is Crippling Me

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

I use my iPhone all day. From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, I probably have my iPhone in my hand for at least 3-4 hours. That includes reading the news several times throughout the day, replying to urgent emails, Twittering, etc... I guess it's worth noting that I rarely use my iPhone as a phone. I am not much of a phone guy.

For the last few months, I've noticed a slight pain in my right hand (the hand I use to hold my iPhone). It's getting to the point where I had to buy a wrist brace, which helps a lot but doesn't solve the problem.

This will sound a little intense to the casual iPhone user but I'm sure (I hope) some of you will have the same problem. If so, what are you doing about it?

MMS Finally Coming to the iPhone On September 25

Sébastien Page ∙ September 4, 2009

Ladies and gentleman, after months of waiting and bitching, AT&T is finally bringing MMS to the iPhone masses. According to a press release, we should get MMS on September 25.

We know many of our iPhone customers are eager for an update on our rollout schedule for Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches – and that launch date is: September 25 for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers. MMS will be enabled through a software update on that day.

Ok, so I was half right in my prediction. I said MMS would come via a firmware update around September 10. Well, close enough...

Now as you notice MMS will be only available for iPhone 3G and 3GS. If you have an iPhone 2G, then screw you! No seriously, if you have a first generation iPhone, you can still use this hack to enable MMS.

As for tethering... What tethering? AT&T didn't deem it necessary to make any announcement and I guess it still plans to make this feature available "at a later date" which may be anytime between now and the end of times...

How do you feel about that?

10 Beautiful and Original iPhone Themes

Sébastien Page ∙ September 2, 2009

One of the main reasons to jailbreak your iPhone is that it allows you to add custom themes and make it stand out from the crowd of blend and boring iPhones out there. Using WinterBoard you can customize the look of your iPhone, including icons, wallpaper, dock, etc… You can literally spend hours creating and tweaking themes to make them unique, and original.

Within the past few weeks, I have been selecting several beautiful and original iPhone themes that I'd like to share with you today. More after the break...

New iPod to be Unveiled Next Week?

Sébastien Page ∙ September 1, 2009

Apple has finally confirmed the long-rumored event to be held on September 9, in San Francisco. The image above is the "official" image used on the invitations sent out by Apple. For some reason, I haven't received my invite yet. I assume it was lost in the mail ;)

Last week, I predicted that a new iPod will be unveiled at this event and that Apple will make firmware 3.1 available. I also predicted that MMS will be available around that time.

I'd like to hear what YOU would like Apple to announce at this event? A new iPhone? A tablet? A spaceship?

Apple Under Fire

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

If you're a regular reader of this blog, by now you may have figured out that I'm not a big fan of Apple. I love my iPhone and I honestly couldn't live without it anymore but I strongly dislike Apple. Ok, I hate Apple!

I hate the way they do business. I hate the way they treat their suppliers. I hate the way they treat their employees. I hate Steve Jobs for being such an egomaniac. I hate the way fan boys would die for a sneak peek at a beta version of a new Mac OS. I hate how Apple is controlling what apps I can install on my iPhone. Worst of all, I hate Apple for being such a close ecosystem and forcing its users to stick to Apple, and Apple only.

It seems that I'm not the only one getting tired of Apple. Last week, Jon Fortt of Brainstorm Tech wrote an interesting article comparing Apple to Microsoft's earlier behavior. Jon Fortt actually goes as far as apologizing to Microsoft:

I'm sorry, Microsoft. On behalf of Silicon Valley, I’m sorry.

We cursed you, mocked you, labeled you the Evil Empire. Your crime: trying to control the technology world. Sure, we had reason to be upset. During the dawning of the PC era, the Windows operating system made you the most powerful company in tech, and it went to your head.

Your detractors say you intimidated PC makers, crushed Netscape, and tried to turn the web into an extension of the Windows platform. As it turns out, local darling Apple (AAPL) probably would have done the same thing.

Just look at how Apple is behaving today with a fraction of the power you had.

Better and more insightful is Jason Calacanis' message to Apple Fanboys and girls. While the video might sound a little too much and insulting at some points, I think the general idea is true. It's interesting to note that Jason Calacanis was a long time Apple lover and recently decided to go back to PC.

Weekly Wrapup: Gpush, PrivaCy, MMS, Tethering, and More…

Sébastien Page ∙ August 30, 2009

Sunday is my lazy day where I tend to be not creative at all, hence the wrapup most. If you missed anything on the blog this, here is a quick summary of everything we talked about.

Gpush brings Gmail push notifications to Gmail

All in all, Gpush is a good and cheap application that does exactly what it’s supposed to. However, it can become very annoying if like me, you receive a couple hundred emails a day.

Stop apps from spying on you

Thanks to the collaboration of Saurik, BigBoss, and the major companies tracking your apps stats, it is now possible to opt out of being spied on via an application appropriately named PricaCy.

I predict MMS will be coming to the iPhone in the next few days

I predict that a soon to be announced 3.1 firmware will come with some type of carrier update that will allow AT&T users to finally be able to send and receive MMS through their iPhones.

On iPhone 3GS tethering

It was the first time I actually tethered my iPhone 3GS and I have to admit that I am incredibly impressed with the speed.

iPhone goes into safe mode

I had heard about the iPhone safe mode before but I had never experienced it until a few days ago.

Fix for the "couldn't activate cellular data network" error

This error often appears after jailbreaking and/or unlocking and it is mostly characterized by the fact that your iPhone can’t connect to the internet using the cellular data network, and you can’t send text messages anymore. Here is a quick fix.

Could Not Activate Cellular Data Network: You Are Not Subscribed to a Cellular Data Service

Sébastien Page ∙ August 29, 2009

If you recently updated your iPhone firmware, or jailbroke/unlocked your iPhone to use it with a different carrier, you may have encountered the following error: Could Not Activate Cellular Data Network: You Are Not Subscribed to a Cellular Data Service

This error often appears after jailbreaking and/or unlocking and it is mostly characterized by the fact that your iPhone can't connect to the internet using the cellular data network, and you can't send text messages anymore.

The first thing to do in that case is to reset the network settings and reboot your iPhone. If it still doesn't work, then there is a more radical fix that will put everything back on track.

First, get on wifi and visit this website http://www.unlockit.co.nz/#_Custom from your iPhone. You should see this page, which will allow you to create a custom APN.

Under "Carrier", tap the drop down menu and choose your carrier. Note that there are many carriers listed there and that it might take you a bit of scrolling down to get you where you want. So choose the right carrier and tap "Done". This should populate the custom APN info.

Once the custom APN fields are populated, tap "Create Profile" and wait a bit. It will exit Safari, and take you to the settings application. Finally, just tap “Install” and this will set up your custom APN on your iPhone. Reboot your iPhone and you should now have Edge and 3G connectivity.

iPhone Safe Mode – Have You Seen This Before?

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Yesterday night, I was quietly watching some bad reality TV when a push notification showed up on my iPhone. I grabbed the phone, looked at the notification and I slid to unlock the phone in order to launch the mail.app.

To my surprise, the following screen appeared.

What's strange is that I wasn't doing anything with the phone. That day, I did nothing but installing a new app (TomTom), and I am 100% positive I didn't mess with any of the settings.

I had heard about the iPhone safe mode before but I had never experienced it until today. I know the iPhone can only get into safe mode on jailbroken iPhones and that it has something to do with the fast respring. That's about all I know about this issue.

I simply tapped "OK" and turned off the phone. For a minute, I was scared that the problem would persist after rebooting the iPhone but it didn't.

Has your iPhone been into safe mode before? If so, why do you think that happened?

iPhone 3GS Tethering Makes My Wifi Jealous

Sébastien Page ∙ August 27, 2009

I've been in the Midwest for the last 3 weeks, traveling around Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan with very few opportunities to get on wifi. Worse, most of the places I went to didn't even have 3G coverage, forcing me to rely on the slow Edge, when available. I am currently in Chicago (for one last day before finally going back home to San Diego) where there is some very fast 3G coverage.

The first thing I did when arriving in Chicago was to enable tethering with this simple hack. It took about a minute to get it to work and to get my laptop going. It was the first time I actually tethered my iPhone 3GS and I have to admit that I am incredibly impressed with the speed.

I didn't make any scientific test to see how fast it really is, but it seems to me that my wifi at home is not faster than that. Every once in a while there is a little downtime but nothing really annoying.

If you want to use your iPhone to get internet on your laptop (also known as tethering), I suggest you have a look at this hack.

Prediction: MMS Coming to the iPhone Within Two Weeks

Sébastien Page ∙ August 26, 2009

I am no psychic but if you read this blog on a daily basis, you should know that I am usually right when it comes to making predictions on future events or features coming to the iPhone.

My latest prediction is that within 2 weeks, Apple will release firmware 3.1. This is actually pretty obvious as they are about to unveil a new line of iPod Touch at an Apple even on September 7.

I also predict that this new 3.1 firmware will come with some type of carrier update that will allow AT&T users to finally be able to send and receive MMS through their iPhones.

As usual, as a measure of precaution, I want to say that I might be completely wrong and that Apple won't unveil a new iPod Touch, and that there won't be any 3.1 firmware or MMS for a while, but someone something tells me otherwise ;)