How to

Use Siri to Dictate Text on Your Desktop With this Workaround

Cody Lee ∙ November 20, 2011

Even though Siri has received mixed reviews, a majority of the public seems to like the digital assistant. Folks are chomping at the bit for the feature to be ported to the iPhone 4 and other non-approved devices. And some are even hoping it finds its way to the Mac.

While we wait for Siri to arrive on the desktop by way of either Apple or hackers, this workaround might help fill the void. It allows users to dictate text on their desktop computers (Mac or PC) using Siri. It doesn't cost any money, and it's actually really easy to do...

How to Unlock Your GSM iPhone 4S, No Jailbreak Required [Updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

Early GSM iPhone 4S adopters may be happy to hear that Twitter user xoicos has found a way to unlock the new handset using a bug in iOS 5. Of course, we know that Apple sells unlocked phones outright, but they are considerably more expensive.

Unlocking a device means that you are be able to activate it on other wireless carriers outside of the one you purchased the phone on. Initially, unlocking the iPhone required complexed baseband tweaking, but now it could be as easy as following these steps...

How to Enable Native FaceTime Over 3G Feature in iOS 5

Cody Lee ∙ November 16, 2011

In the onslaught of rumors that we saw leading up to Apple's Fall iPhone announcement, there was talk that iOS 5 would finally allow users to make FaceTime calls over 3G. As most of you know, FaceTime has been limited to Wi-Fi since its introduction.

As it turns out, the option actually exists in iOS 5, it's just hidden. Apple obviously isn't ready to release it to the public. But as usual, hackers have figured out how to enable the secret feature...

How to Use iTunes Match: The Complete Walkthrough

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 14, 2011

After a little bit of a delay, iTunes Match was released to the public today. iTunes Match is a service that's built into the latest version of iTunes. It lets you match, upload, and play music on a variety of different devices.

This is an extremely cool service that allows you to take your entire iTunes library with you on the go, even if you have a measly 8GB iPhone.

Unfortunately, we don't think that Apple has done a very good job explaining the full benefits of iTunes Match. For that reason, we've created this ultimate iTunes Match tutorial, FAQ, and video walkthrough...

How to Enable iTunes Match On Your iPhone or iPad

Alex Heath ∙ November 14, 2011

Apple released iTunes Match today, and users can now access their entire music library in iCloud on any authenticated iDevice running iOS 5. On the iPhone and iPad, iTunes Match can be easily enabled in the device's Settings.

Once enabled, iTunes Match will allow you to download and start playing any uploaded track at any given time on multiple iDevices.

How to Jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 Final With RedSn0w

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 10, 2011

Apple released iOS 5.0.1 to the public today, and with it comes the need to jailbreak. Fortunately, we've got that need covered using the latest version of RedSn0w 0.9.9b8.

Keep in mind that many are warning those wishing to jailbreak to stay away from iOS 5.0.1 — especially iPhone 4S owners and those who have no way to downgrade firmware back to a prior version.

This is a tethered jailbreak, so those wanting untethered only need not apply. But if you're happy to use tethered to hold you over until then and if you've read all of the warning labels, check out our video tutorial that shows your how to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 inside...

How to Download Deb Files From Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 10, 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 Install OpenSSH on Your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 13, 2022

If you're a jailbreaker, then you realize how important OpenSSH is to the jailbreak community and you likely use it often.

But if you're new to the world of jailbreaking, you might not see the benefit right off hand.

This video tutorial not only shows you how to install OpenSSH onto your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, but why it's beneficial as well...

How to Enable the Hidden Autocorrect Bar in iOS 5

Alex Heath ∙ November 10, 2011

Another hidden feature has been uncovered in iOS 5. After we told you about the panorama mode in the Camera app, 9to5Mac uncovered an Android-like autocorrect keyboard bar that can be enabled without a jailbreak.

Instead of the classic method of offering corrections in iOS, this secret feature offers suggestions in a bar above the keyboard, much like the Android OS. This autocorrect bar is relatively easy to enable.

How to Use Evernote with Siri on the iPhone 4S

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Few will argue that Siri is mind-bogglingly great when it works. Speaking right into your iPhone and having it do your bidding is about as awesome as it gets, but it does have some limitations.

Not being able to tell Siri to interact with third-party apps is one such limitation, and it is the reason that many have sought ways to get around the restriction. You can use SMS to update Twitter and Facebook, and it has also led to Evernote blogging about an easy way to use Siri with the popular service.

If you're an Evernote user, you'll want to give this a try...

How to Enable iOS 5’s Hidden Panorama Feature Without Jailbreaking

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2011

Yesterday, a hidden feature was revealed in iOS 5. It turns out that the panorama camera mode that Apple was rumored to be working on is actually baked into iOS. Shortly after the feature was exposed, jailbreakers were able to download a tweak to enable it.

But what if you're not jailbroken? With no iPhone 4S jailbreak available, and no word on an iOS 5 untether, not everyone's iPhone is hacked at the moment. Luckily, the folks over at FSM just posted a method to enable the Panorama feature — no jailbreak required...

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...