Backup

OpenBackup: One of the Most Promising Jailbreak Backup Solutions on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ December 22, 2011

Today I tried out OpenBackup, a new package backup solution for your jailbreak apps and tweaks. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical. I've had my fair share of experiences with backup tools for jailbreak apps tweaks in the past, and they either don't work, or are overly complicated.

Outside of PKGBackup, I can't really recommend any backup solutions, although I have yet to try iBye (I have heard good things about that).

But even an excellent app like PKGBackup can be borderline confusing when it comes to safely backing up and restoring your Cydia tweaks. With the advent of iCloud, I held out hope that a backup tool could harness its power for backups and restores, and that's just what happened.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing OpenBackup, the first tool of its kind that utilizes iCloud for seamless backups and restores...

How to Download Deb Files From Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 9, 2011

It's easy to venture into Cydia and download your favorite apps and tweaks, but what if you want to save the files that you download for backup or later use?

There are tools like PKGBackup that save the links to the apps and tweaks that you have on your device, but it's not as straightforward to backup and save the actual .deb files responsible for installing the packages that we use.

What to do? In the following video tutorial, I'll show you how to easily download deb files using OpenSSH and a handy FTP client...

How to Manually Backup Your iDevice to iCloud

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 8, 2011

We love iCloud here at iDB, and we love backups, too. That said, it isn't really surprising that we're huge fans of the ability to backup our iDevices to iCloud.

It has been said before that the best backup strategy is the one you can set and forget. That's where iCloud comes into its own, with backups being done automatically each night, so long as the device is plugged in.

There are times when you might want to be absolutely sure that the backup in the cloud is up to date, and Apple has thought of that, too. Here is a quick guide that shows you just how to manually perform an iCloud backup...

iOS 5 Takes ‘PC-Free’ One Step Further with Time Capsule and Airport Base Station Setup

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

In another step toward killing the PC, Apple's iOS 5 now allows users to set up the company's own Time Capsule and Airport hardware, according to an AppleInsider reader.

Until now, setting up either of Apple's networking solutions required a PC, but once iOS 5 is released later this year, users will be able to get online with nothing more than an iPod touch...

iSHSHit Updated for iOS 4.3.4

Sébastien Page ∙ July 22, 2011

iSHSHit, the tool that lets you save, upload and email your SHSH blobs directly from your iPhone, has been updated to bring support for iOS 4.3.4 and iOS 4.2.9.

The purpose of iSHSHit is the same as TinyUmbrella, except that it doesn't require to be connected to a computer in order to save your SHSH blobs. Simply launch the application, select what SHSH blobs you want to backup, and iSHSHit will do the job for you...

How to Backup and Restore SMS Messages Using PKGBackup [Video Tutorial]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated August 4, 2011

One of the most frustrating things that I've encountered with the iPhone, is doing backups and restores. Now admittedly, most people are okay with this, they just backup their iPhone with iTunes and restore with whenever necessary.

I like to take the backup and restore process a bit more seriously. For instance, I've actually created a starting point "stock" iTunes backup with all of my favorite apps, settings, mail accounts, etc.

Secondly, I have a separate backup for all of my jailbreak apps, tweaks, and settings. For this, I use PKGBackup.

I've found that the combination of the iTunes backup coupled with PKGBackup makes for a quick, and painless restore back to my favorite settings.

There's one problem with this methodology though; it doesn't backup all of my SMS messages...

TinyUmbrella Updated for iOS 5 Beta 1

Sébastien Page ∙ June 10, 2011

A quick note for jailbreakers out there, TinyUmbrella has been updated to bring support for the iOS 5 beta 1. TinyUmbrella's developer, Notcom, also added a new, nifty alert to remind users to "Request SHSH from Cydia" and "Set Hosts to Cydia on Exit" as soon as possible.

Make sure you don't use TinyUmbrella to update to iOS 5 while preserving your baseband as the "fixrecovery" feature hasn't been updated yet...

Photo Rescue Helps You Save Deleted Photos From iOS Backups

Cody Lee ∙ May 20, 2011

Although we've shown you multiple ways to avoid your iPhone photos getting deleted, what about if your device gets stolen? The Find my iPhone service will allow you to wipe the device of personal data, but can you ever get your pictures back?

If you've ever lost a device, or feel like you've lost photos that were taken with your iPhone, you might want to check out Photo Rescue. The new Mac app will dig through all of your iOS backup files for you, and retrieve the photos you thought were goners...

DataDeposit Let’s You Wirelessly Backup Your Saved iOS Data with DropBox

Cody Lee ∙ May 3, 2011

If you haven't discovered how awesome DropBox is just yet, I highly recommend checking it out. The ability to sync content from your iPhone to your computer without wires or multiple steps makes transferring photos and other media a snap.

Not only is the service free, but you constantly have folks in the jailbreak community developing neat extensions for it. FullDrop is a nice one that allows you to use DropBox to transfer files between your iDevice and your computer outside the scope of the App Store's app. Today, another app for the popular sync service has surfaced in Cydia...

PKGBackup Tutorial – How To Backup And Restore Your Jailbreak Apps, Settings, and Preferences

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 3, 2011

If there's one area of jailbreaking that continues to be a source of confusion, it's backing up all of your jailbreak apps and tweaks.

There are many different methods devised by just as many people, but there continues to be a lingering sense of misunderstanding among the throngs of jailbreakers.

Fortunately there is one surefire way to backup your iPhone, and all of your jailbreak settings each and every time by means of a handy little jailbreak app called PKGBackup...

xBackup Allows You to Completely Backup Cydia with One Tap

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2011

Apple has been dropping firmware updates like they were going out of style lately. Just 2 months after iOS 4.3 was released, a third update is on the horizon. Luckily, the jailbreaks are keeping up with the releases, but are you?

While most folks don't appreciate rebuilding their iPhone, I relish it. I love starting with a clean slate and making my iPhone look completely different than it did before. If you haven't upgraded to a recent firmware in fear of losing all of your stuff in Cydia, check this out...

TinyUmbrella Updated to Support iOS 4.3.2 and iOS 4.2.7

Guest Author ∙ April 19, 2011

It's that time again! With the release of iOS 4.3.2/4.2.7, TinyUmbrella developer @notcom has updated the popular utility once again.

The latest version (4.32.01) brings iOS 4.3.2 (GSM) and iOS 4.2.7 (CDMA) support. Additionally, the new version also comes with a new feature which will automatically take you to the TinyUmbrella website when you're running an outdated version (although, we'll always let you know when there's a new update).