iPad

From the latest news to the most comprehensive tutorials, learn how to get the most out of your iPad with our step-by-step guides and expert tips.

iFixit: 9.7-inch iPad Pro uses ‘gobs of adhesive’, making repair ‘miserable’

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 4, 2016

Repair wizards over at iFixit have torn apart Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro (model A1673) only to discover that the device is extremely difficult to repair due to “gobs of adhesive” used to keep the components secured in place.

In addition to copious adhesive, the device's smaller form factor, the addition of four speakers and some “weird cabling choices” have earned the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro a sad 2 out of 10 repairability score, same as the original iPad Air and a point less than the first iPad Pro. “We think this is the most glue we’ve seen in an iPad to date, making repair miserable,” concluded iFixit.

Fixing common problems with charging your iPhone or iPad

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 20, 2020

Not only did Apple spend a ton of money and time in the research leading up to its proprietary reversible Lightning cable for charging, but they've also made the software that handles charging your iOS device intelligent too.

Nevertheless, charging your device can sometimes be followed by some frustrating problems, and they're all too common. In this piece, we'll go over some of those problems charging iPhone and iPad, and what you can do to troubleshoot them.

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

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated April 7, 2016

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!

Top 3D Touch shortcuts in Apple’s Podcasts app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 14, 2019

Podcasts, previously an optional download from the App Store and now a stock application in iOS 9, may not be the most elegant software to enjoy your favorite podcasts, such as iDownloadBlog's Let's Talk iOS series.

That being said, the app is adequate enough for basic use: with it, you can easily browse, subscribe to and play your favorite audio or video shows on your iOS devices.

And if you own an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, you can take advantage of 3D Touch to start listening to the next unplayed episode of your favorite show right from the Home screen, use Peek and Pop gestures in the app to preview shows, see unplayed station episodes and more.

Upshot, Roger, Patternator and other apps to check out this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Whether you're looking to load up your new iPhone SE or 9.7-inch iPad Pro with some apps and games, or you're just looking for some new titles to try out this weekend, you're going to want to check out our latest Apps of the Week roundup. The list includes a new way to share photos, a pattern-creator and of course Nintendo's long-awaited mobile release.

6 great jailbreak tweaks for the Messages app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 1, 2016

If you have an iOS device, then you already know one of the main features is the Messages app. On iPhone, it serves as an iMessage and SMS platform; on iPod touch and iPad, it serves as an iMessage platform only. Nevertheless, you can even use your iCloud account to sync your SMS messages with all your devices across the board.

Despite how useful it is to be able to message anyone on demand from any of these devices, jailbreaking has opened many doors for incredible functionality for the Messages app that Apple has yet to implement in iOS in its stock form.

In this roundup, we'll be showing you some of our favorite jailbreak tweaks for iOS 9 that enhance the messaging experience in Apple's mobile operating system.

How to reorganize the position of your favorite Instagram filters

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 15, 2023

In this brief tutorial, we'll show you how to rearrange photo filters within the Instagram app on your iPhone. This process allows you to place your preferred filters at the beginning, and relegate less frequently used ones to the end of the list.

Creative video app CHOMP goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ March 31, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with CHOMP, by Christoph Niemann. This means that from now through next Thursday, you can pick up the popular interactive storybook app for free for both iPhone and iPad—a solid $3 savings.

CHOMP combines playful, humorous, hand-drawn animations with live video, enabling children and adults alike to slip into a variety of comical roles. From a virtuous pianist, to a spaghetti-slurping dog, or a living cuckoo-clock, almost anything is possible!

How to block photo sharing on your or kid’s iPhone or iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 13, 2025

Restrict photo access for apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, etc., so you or especially your kids are blocked from sending photos and videos to anyone on these platforms.

Facebook Messenger gains its first airline bot

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2016

Facebook on Thursday announced it is launching its first airline information bot within the Messenger app.

The social network has been enhancing Messenger's functionality on a regular basis with new features beyond chatting and has recently added a Transportation tab that lets users in the United States request a ride from Uber.

Messenger's airline bot lets KLM Royal Dutch Airlines customers manage their flights and browse their flight information within the app, without ever leaving their chats.

Mittomo, Nintendo’s first app designed for iOS devices, hits US App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

As promised, Japanese gaming giant Nintendo today released its first app designed for iOS devices, Miitomo, in the App Store in the United States and elsewhere following a recent soft-launch in the Japanese App Store.

The free-to-play title lets you customize your Mii avatars by mixing and matching from various costumes and styles. You can share your Miis with friends on social media and discover things that you share in common by engaging in conversations.

Palert brings tvOS-inspired notification alerts to iOS

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated April 7, 2016

The Apple TV 4 has a completely new operating system called tvOS, which sits right alongside OS X, iOS, and watchOS in Apple's operating systems.

One of the nice parts about tvOS is the design of the alerts and notifications. In fact, iOS developer Robin Vekety (@Integeritis) thought it would be a cool idea to port the new alert style over to the iOS experience for those with jailbroken devices.