iOS 5

iOS 5 Gets Its First Jailbreak Tweak, and You’re Going to Like It

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 15, 2011

It's been about 24 hours since the release of RedSn0w 0.9.8b1, a tethered jailbreak for iOS 5 beta 1, and we've already had confirmation that it's possible to add widgets to the Notification Center of Apple's latest mobile OS. Not only we have the confirmation, but we now have the proof as the jailbreak community has already come up with a tweak for it.

The tweak is called UISettings, and could be described as a SBSettings widget for the Notification Center.

Once installed, UISettings will appear in your Notification Center along with the Stocks and Weather widgets, or "tickers", as Apple likes to call them. Just like SBSettings, it gives you quick access to turn On and Off some important features of your device, such as wifi, Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, etc...

Third Party Widgets Coming to iOS 5, Thanks to Jailbreak

Alex Heath ∙ June 11, 2011

When the iOS 5 Notification Center was unveiled by Scott Forstall at WWDC, the possibility of third party widgets was also teased to developers. Although no public SDK for widgets was announced by Apple, the first, non-Apple widget has been successfully added to Notification Center, thanks to the RedSn0w tethered jailbreak that recently got updated for iOS 5.

Developer WillFour20 was able to dig into a jailbroken version of the iOS 5 SDK. He uncovered the ability to add his own widget, and he demonstrated it with the above: "Hello World." Thanks to this discovery, developers with jailbroken iDevices will be able to start developing and testing widgets for iOS 5...

Apple’s iCloud Music Service Not Likely Available Internationally Until 2012

Oliver Haslam ∙ June 11, 2011

One of Apple's big announcements at WWDC 2011's keynote was the iCloud music service. Offering cross-device syncing as well as iTunes Match for checking your non-iTunes bought music and adding it to the cloud, iTunes in the Cloud is just one aspect of the very exciting iCloud. While users in the United States can expect the service to go live in the Fall when iOS 5 ships, those living outside the US could be waiting until at least early 2012, according to business insiders.

A spokesman for the Performing Right Society, a group responsible for ensuring musicians and other creative types of the music world get paid, told The Telegraph that negotiations with Apple over the situation are at a very early stage on the international level...

New in iOS 5: Rename Your Device

IDB Staff ∙ June 10, 2011

You know in iTunes how you can rename your iPhone or iPad while it's plugged in? With iOS 5, you can now do that directly from your iPhone. This is definitely not a groundbreaking feature but I'm sure some of you will appreciate it.

In order to change your device name, you will have to navigate to Settings > General > About > Name...

New in iOS 5: Print Maps Directly from Your iPhone

IDB Staff ∙ June 10, 2011

A new feature in iOS 5 allows you to print maps direction directly from your iPhone, assuming your have a Wi-Fi-friendly printer of course. I didn't pay much attention to this feature until I actually tried it.

In order to print directions, tap the little icon at the bottom right of the Maps app. You will then be given several options, the "Print" one included...

Gevey SIM Will Unlock iPhone 4 on iOS 5

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Following the news that RedSn0w will jailbreak iOS 5, an unlock solution for the iPhone 4 on iOS 5 has also been uncovered. The Gevey SIM is a TurboSIM-like piggy back SIM card that will unlock iPhone 4 basebands.

On iOS 5, it appears that the Gevey SIM will still unlock the iPhone 4. Be warned: the Gevey SIM is technically illegal, so we do not recommend this method for unlocking the iPhone 4 on iOS 5.

New in iOS 5: Support for Social Media Services in Contacts

IDB Staff ∙ June 10, 2011

Here is a feature that had slipped under my radar but I just found out out about it on AllThingsD, even though I still had to dig around to figure out how to get it to work since the article didn't mention how to get there.

We already know from the WWDC keynote that iOS 5 is bringing deep Twitter integration. One of the many new features in iOS 5 is that you can add a Twitter handle to any contact. What Apple didn't mention is that you can also add Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, and Myspace info to any contact...

Wi-Fi Sync App Once Rejected by Apple is Now Part of iOS 5

Oliver Haslam ∙ June 10, 2011

When Apple announced its iOS software update at its WWDC keynote on Monday, one much-vaunted feature caught the eye of a university student in Birmingham, England. Greg Hughes apparently looked on in surprise as Apple announced iOS 5's PC-Free credentials including Wi-Fi iTunes syncing. Surprise came from the fact that Hughes had submitted an app to Apple's App Store that did the exact same thing, an app that was rejected by the Cupertino outfit.

Named 'Wi-Fi Sync', the app was originally rejected by Apple way back in May 2010 according to The Register, with Hughes even receiving a personal call from an Apple representative to commend him on his efforts.

Little did he know that Apple would later use the same name and even logo in iOS 5...

1080p Video Playback Finally Coming in iOS 5

Alex Heath ∙ June 10, 2011

An interesting tidbit has been uncovered in the iOS 5 beta relating to HD video playback. It appears that iDevices will finally be able to playback HD video at a full, 1080p resolution.

Specifically, the iPad 2 has been confirmed to have the ability to playback full, 1080p video in the Videos app. In the past, iTunes wouldn't even allow the syncing of 1080p video to an iDevice.

iOS 5 Beta 1 Tethered Jailbreak Now Available

Alex Heath ∙ June 10, 2011

RedSn0w, the popular jailbreak tool by the Dev Team, has been updated with support for a tethered jailbreak on the iOS 5 developer beta. It's been less than a week since Apple got iOS 5 Beta 1 into the hands of developers at WWDC and across the world, and a tethered jailbreak is already available.

The news was announced by Dev Team frontman, MuscleNerd, and version 0.9.8.b1 of RedSn0w is now available to download for those with access to the iOS 5 beta. To get the iOS 5 beta legally, you must have a registered developer account with Apple.

Apple Owes the Jailbreak Community an Apology

Alex Heath ∙ Updated November 26, 2016

The relationship between Apple and the jailbreak community has always been an interesting one. Ever since the first, public iPhone jailbreak was displayed in 2007, Apple and jailbreakers have been fighting in a secret, underground war. Fast forward to 2011, and you can do a lot more with a jailbroken iPhone than just add custom ringtones.

On Monday, Apple unveiled iOS 5. Version 5 was called Apple's most "revolutionary" iOS release to date. Oddly enough, many features that have been in the jailbreak community for years are now present in iOS 5. In fact, Apple has borrowed (some would say stolen) ideas from jailbreak developers for years, and iOS 5 is the most current, blatant example.

Apple, you owe the jailbreak community an apology.

New in iOS 5: Delete Songs from the Library

IDB Staff ∙ June 10, 2011

You'd think that by iOS 4.3.3, Apple would have figured out that deleting songs in your music library directly from the device was a much needed feature. Apparently it took Cupertino one more firmware version to reach that conlusion.

When in the Music app (previously know as the iPod app), simply swipe your finger across a song to have the option to delete. Hitting "Delete" will remove the song from the device. If your music is on iCloud, it will obviously still be in your download history for you to download again at any time for free...