Jeff Benjamin

Jeff has been with iDownloadBlog since 2010, acting as resident video specialist, and tutorial expert. He earned his degree in Computer Network Systems back in 2001, but decided Cisco routers and the like just weren’t for him. Since then, he’s been heavily involved with online writing. He’s written for numerous tech and video game sites since the late 1990′s, and has a knack for explaining things in a simple, clear, and concise manner. Jeff works primarily from the east coast on his Retina Macbook Pro, and shoots video with a Canon DSLR. During downtime he likes to travel the world, visiting the various Apple Stores across the globe. You can email him at jeff [at] idownloadblog.com and follow him on Twitter @JeffBenjam or on Google+.

Watch how fast the iPhone 6s chews through the initial Cydia setup screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

When you first launch Cydia after a successful jailbreak, you're met with a message that says something like this: Preparing Filesystem. Cydia will exit when complete.

That's a very familiar screen to us jailbreakers, and it's something that we've grown accustomed to waiting on for extended periods of time...unless you own an iPhone 6s, that is.

Whereas older devices can take up to a couple of minutes to get through this part of the jailbreak journey, the iPhone 6s tears through it like a pack of ravenous wolves. Watch our video and see for yourself.

Forcy adds 3D Touch-inspired gestures to all iOS 9 devices

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Forcy is a brand new jailbreak tweak, one of the first newly created tweaks for the iOS 9 jailbreak, that allows you to enable 3D Touch-inspired gestures on any iOS 9 device. The gestures, which are impressively similar to what you'd find on 3D Touch-enabled devices like the iPhone 6s, allow you to take advantage of the Home screen app icon shortcuts made popular on Apple's most recently released iPhone hardware.

Forcy is available right now for free on Cydia's BigBoss repo. Have a look at our video walkthrough to see how it works.

How to jailbreak iOS 9 with Pangu on Mac using a virtual machine

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If you're running a Mac, you'll need a virtual machine running Windows in order to jailbreak using OS X. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to create a Windows virtual machine and how to jailbreak iOS 9 on your Mac. It's super easy, and takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Instead of waiting for a Mac tool, why not use a virtual machine and enjoy an iOS 9 jailbreak today?

Let’s Talk Jailbreak 129: The next best thing

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 14, 2015

Episode 129: Can sideloading replace jailbreaking? How to add a f.lux-like effect to your iOS 9 device. How to put folders within folders on iOS 9. Two new jailbreak tweak reviews.

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Cydia Substrate has been updated for iOS 9, but many jailbreak tweaks still won’t work yet

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

It looks like saurik must have been in the know about the iOS 9 jailbreak, because it comes updated to work with iOS 9 post-jailbreak. As saurik states in the Cydia Substrate change log, version 0.9.6000 brings about significant changes to the package to make it play nice with iOS 9.

The fact that Cydia has been updated immediately is great news for jailbreakers. It means that you don't have to jump through any hoops in order to get Cydia working on your device right after the jailbreak.

With that established, some of you may still deem it best to hold off for a while. That's because there simply aren't many tweaks available that work with iOS 9 yet...

How to jailbreak iOS 9 with Pangu

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

As we told you, the Pangu Jailbreak tool for iOS 9 was just released a few minutes ago. We've taken the liberty to test it out, and can vouch for its legitimacy as far as jailbreaking the iPhone goes. We tested it out with our iPhone 6s and were able to jailbreak and load Cydia successfully. In this post, we'll show you how to do the same.

iOS 9 jailbreak released by Pangu

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 13, 2015

Surprise! The iOS 9 jailbreak that we just talked about appears to be legit, and there is now a download link available. The tool is only available for Windows users at this time. The Pangu tool for iOS 9 works with iOS 9.0, iOS 9.0.1, and iOS 9.0.2. There's no word on whether it works with the beta releases at this time.

Pangu teases iOS 9 jailbreak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 13, 2015

Update: Pangu jailbreak for iOS 9 released!

Surprise. The iOS 9 jailbreak that we just talked about appears to be legit, and there is now a download link available. The tool is only available for Windows users at this time. The Pangu tool for iOS 9 works with iOS 9, iOS 9.0.1, and iOS 9.0.2. There's no word on whether it works with the beta releases at this time.

Magic Mouse 2 review: rechargeable and sturdier, but is it worth the upgrade?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

I've been a huge proponent of the Magic Mouse ever since it first debuted. I use this mouse almost daily, even though I have a MacBook with a trackpad.

When editing video in Final Cut Pro X, a mouse is pretty much a necessity due to the precision required. With this in mind, the Magic Mouse is one of my most cherished companions when it comes to my daily workflow.

As you know, Apple just updated its Magic Mouse with several new features. The headlining feature of the new Magic Mouse is its built-in rechargeable battery. The new mouse is also lighter with a sturdier build and features an optimized foot design for better movement. But for existing Magic Mouse users, is it worth the upgrade?

Let’s Talk iOS 104: This is the future

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 13, 2015

Episode 104: Jeff buys an Apple Watch, hands-on with the Hermes Cuff band, Samsung vs TSMC chips, kids using social media, force-qutting apps and battery life, iPad Pro thoughts, opinions on Surface Book and the future of operating systems.

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Why I switched to the smaller iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

As many of you readers know, I’ve been in the midst of a serious mental debate involving the new iPhones.

As an iPhone 6 Plus user for the last year, I'm intimately familiar with all of the things that make the larger-sized iPhones so desirable. This generation, however, I decided to forgo the added luxury brought on by the Plus model, and rolled with the "regular" sized iPhone instead.

This decision, as you can probably imagine, didn’t come easy to me. If you’ve followed any of my recent blog posts or tuned into our recent podcasts, then you know how much I’ve waffled on this subject.

Why did I end up going with the iPhone 6s, when I was initially set on re-upping with the iPhone 6s Plus? In the end, it all boiled down to one particular reason...

No, it’s not just you; the iTunes Store is experiencing issues [Updated]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If you're having problems downloading apps or installing updates from the App Store, you're not alone. I am not able to download apps or install updates, and another colleague has verified the same. Also, if you check Apple's system status page, you'll see where the iTunes Store is experiencing issues.

This issue appears to be affecting iTunes Store, App Store, and Mac App Store purchases and updates. Best advice? Just be patient until Apple gets things resolved.