iOS

Mountie: a simple way to mount your iOS device side-by-side with your MacBook

Whether you're looking to make multitasking easier by having your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad right next to your computer, or you're using some kind of screen-extension software like Duet Display, the Mountie by Ten 1 Design is a great way to use your iOS device side-by-side with your Mac or PC.

The Mountie, which can be had in either Blue or Green flavors on Amazon for just under $25, is an affordable way to keep your iOS device right where you want it – in front of your face – without needing to shell out big bucks on fancy desk stands.

In this review, we'll show you how the Mountie works and give you our general opinion on why you should or shouldn't consider it for your Apple accessory wish list.

Lautus is a tweak that lets you clear app caches using 3D Touch

Over time, apps accumulate cache files that will take up valuable space on your device. Since iOS devices don't have upgradeable storage, users of devices with smaller storage capacities have to be careful and closely monitor the amount of storage space their apps are using.

Lautus is a new free jailbreak tweak that empowers users with clearing app caches as they grow over time and it utilizes 3D Touch for use. In this review, we'll walk you through how the tweak works and talk about what it does.

Apple may soon permit users to hide unwanted stock apps on iOS, iTunes metadata suggests

Strings discovered in iTunes metadata suggest that the ability to remove Apple's stock iPhone and iPad apps such as Compass, Voice Memos, Find My Friends, Tips and Stocks is coming very soon.

For those wondering, iTunes metadata provides information about iPhone, iPod touch and iPad apps that can be found on the App Store, such as the date an app was released, its size, the store category it’s in and so forth.

As explained by AppAdvice, a pair of new keys—labeled “isFirstParty” and “isFirstPartyHideableApp”—started showing up in iTunes metadata a few weeks ago on every app in the App Store.

Siri trick that let you activate Night Shift while Low Power Mode is enabled no longer works

The iOS 9.3 software update includes Night Shift mode that helps users get a good night's sleep by reducing the amount of blue light emitted from a backlight of their iOS device.

Night Shift is unavailable when an iPhone is in Low Power Mode and a workaround that let you ask Siri to activate Night Shift in this mode no longer works.

As first reported on by 9to5Mac's Jeff Benjamin, asking Siri to enable Night Shift while the device is in Low Power Mode now yields a warning message.

Server-side patch fixes vulnerability that allowed access to Contacts and Photos on iPhone 6s

An iOS vulnerability that permitted nefarious people to gain access to Contacts and Photos data has been fixed swiftly without the need for a software update. A server-side fix has patched a security hole in Siri which allowed the personal digital assistant to use email links in tweets to gain access to contacts and photos on a locked iPhone 6s running iOS 9.3.1. Apple has confirmed to The Washington Post that it's fixed the flaw on its servers.

‘Edge’ brings a Galaxy S7-inspired feature to jailbroken devices

For those lurking the Changes tab in Cydia, you may have noticed an interesting new jailbreak tweak called Edge, which claims to bring a feature to iPhones that is typically found on a competing handset – the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Available in Cydia for $1.99, Edge lets you access a useful new menu from anywhere in iOS with a special slide gesture. The menu provides access to apps, tasks, contacts, and more, and in this review, we'll be showing you all about how the tweak works!

‘SlideMe’ gives your iPhone a rotary-style passcode unlock screen

Those interested in a different kind of passcode entry method from their Lock screens may be interested in a new jailbreak tweak called SlideMe, which just hit Cydia this week for $1.49.

Instead of the typical boring number pad, this tweak gives your Lock screen a rotary-style passcode input interface, as shown above. In this review, we'll walk you through SlideMe and show you what it's capable of.

Easy to fix iOS bug bypasses Lock screen on iPhone 6s, giving access to Contacts and Photos

First spotted by Jose Rodriguez, who last September found a similar flaw in iOS, and highlighted by The Daily Dot, Apple's mobile operating system contains a vulnerability that lets others access your Contacts and Photos using Siri on the Lock screen of your iPhone 6s, bypassing your passcode.

Fortunately, there's an easy fix for this which involves revoking Siri access to Twitter and Photos and disabling Lock screen access to the personal digital assistant. Apple has not commented on the bug, which will likely be squashed in an upcoming software update.

Jailbreak tweaks of the week: Palert, Exsto, & more…

Despite Cydia's dry spell, which is due to the lack of a jailbreak on the latest iOS firmware, jailbreakers are remaining diligent and Cydia continues to kick with new releases.

In a recent poll, about one quarter of our readers said they would not upgrade to iOS 9.3 until there was a jailbreak. For those that are continuing to go on with their jailbreak, we'll continue to have coverage of the best releases.

In this roundup, we'll go over the best jailbreak tweak releases to hit Cydia this week!