Review

The best voice recording apps for Apple Watch

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated June 16, 2020

The potential of voice recording from your wrist is huge, as it certainly has been for years on iPhone and iPad. For that reason, Apple itself has equipped their iPhones with a stock memo app years ago, and here at iDB we have showcased the most compelling alternatives for iOS back in 2016. Alas, the Apple gods haven’t graced us with a similar stock app for Apple Watch yet and that’s in spite of the fact that for the longest time quality third party apps to fill the gap were few and far between.

ScreenshotXI, Vespera (iOS 10), and more jailbreak tweaks to check out this weekend

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 27, 2017

Despite what has been a bit of a slump in the jailbreak community these last few weeks, tweak developers are still launching their fair share of upgrades for iOS in Cydia.

In this roundup, we'll talk about all of the jailbreak tweaks that were released throughout the last week, starting with our favorites and working our way down to the rest afterward.

Review: CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station

Andrew O'Hara ∙ August 25, 2017

CalDigit TS3 is a solid options for pros looking to expand the functionality of their MacBook Pro or Thunderbolt 3 equipped iMac.

This tweak lets you customize your iPhone’s locking animation

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 25, 2017

One of the things that always keeps jailbreaking interesting, at least for me, is being able to modify the stock system animations with something more exciting. Tweaks of this nature have been harder to come by as of late, but that doesn't mean development has ceased entirely.

A new jailbreak tweak dubbed Vespera (iOS 10) by iOS developer muris keeps this part of the jailbreak experience alive by letting you customize your iPhone or iPad's locking animation.

ScreenshotXI brings iOS 11-like screenshot functions to jailbroken devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 25, 2017

If you've forgotten about all the new features that come bundled with the iOS 11 update launching this Fall, then let this serve as a small reminder that it includes significant upgrades to screenshot handling on your iPhone or iPad. Waiting another month isn’t a big deal for stock device users, but upgrading isn't an accessible option for jailbreakers.

If you’re jailbroken and want the same supercharged screenshot features that come with iOS 11 without upgrading this Fall, you can use a new jailbreak tweak dubbed ScreenshotXI by iOS developer DGh0st to get them right away.

Review: DockCase combines a sleeve and a USB-C hub in an attempt to be the ultimate MacBook Pro accessory

Andrew O'Hara ∙ Updated January 5, 2024

DockCase is an unusual prospect. It takes two useful accessories and makes an attempt to combine them together into a single, indispensable MacBook Pro companion.

Edgify: another tweak that brings Galaxy S8-inspired notification animations to iOS

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 24, 2017

If you’re a fan of the way the notification system looks on Galaxy S8 devices, then you might want to pay attention to a new jailbreak tweak called Edgify by iOS developer NOPTeam.

If the concept sounds familiar, that’s because a free tweak called 3Edgy5Me was just released last week that did the same thing. On the other hand, we'll show you what sets them apart in this piece.

NoLSPowerDown keeps the power down slider from appearing on the Lock screen

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 24, 2017

You can invoke the power down menu from anywhere in iOS, whether you’re on the Lock screen or actively using your device. If for any reason you ever wanted to limit this function so you couldn’t access it from the Lock screen, then today is your lucky day.

A new free jailbreak tweak called NoLSPowerDown by iOS developer NoisyFlake prevents your power down slider from being accessed unless your device is unlocked.

SMSNoLinkOpen prevents you from opening Messages app links with just a tap

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 24, 2017

Sometimes people send you links to websites in the Messages app, and while most are legitimate, you might also end up with spammers sending you malicious links.

You can never be too careful with a jailbroken iPhone, and a new free jailbreak tweak called SMSNoLinkOpen by iOS developer CydiaGeek prevents you from launching links via the Messages app with just a tap.

Review: Aukey 30,000mAh USB-C MacBook battery pack

Andrew O'Hara ∙ August 23, 2017

MacBook battery packs are a thing now. Since the adoption of USB-C, it has allowed third-party manufacturers to create portable batteries for MacBook and MacBook Pro. There are a few big players on the market, most recently Mophie. Aukey has also released an upgraded version of their massive 30,000mAh battery, so we went hands on to test it out.

ByeThirdParty hides third-party VoIP app data from the Phone app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 22, 2017

One of the features that shipped with iOS 10 that doesn’t get as much attention as it should is CallKit, an SDK that app developers can utilize to make their third-party VoIP apps integrate with the stock Phone app on an iPhone.

Some love this level of integration because it puts everything in one place, but others feel like it clutters the calling experience, making it harder to discern between phone calls from first-party and third-party apps.

Make your Status Bar’s Breadcrumb links look better with Croutons

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

One of the more useful features Apple integrated into iOS is the Breadcrumb link function, which is accessible from the Status Bar. With it, you can go back to previously-used apps more quickly after you’re redirected to another on your device.

Despite how handy it is, people aren't so fond of their Status Bar getting cluttered up with extra text. Fortunately, iOS developer Sticktron found an aesthetically-pleasing way to improve your Breadcrumb link trail in his new free jailbreak tweak dubbed Croutons (iOS 9/10).