Joe Rossignol

Joe Rossignol is a former iDB editor.

Theme Thursday: Enkelt Neue, Laguna 3, Zanilla and more

Joe Rossignol ∙ February 13, 2014

Welcome to the third edition of our Theme Thursday roundup, which highlights some of the best theme releases for Winterboard each week. While this column is primarily focused on iPhone and iPod touch themes, many of them are also compatible with the iPad. We also often mention some worthwhile alternatives to consider looking into. The themes featured this week are: Laguna, 3 4 All, Enkelt Neue, Zanilla 2.1 and iRa. I'm also using ClassicDock and Iconomatic throughout. Take a look…

How to enable Guest Mode on iPhone

Joe Rossignol ∙ February 9, 2014

While multiple user account support exists on OS X and certain Android devices, the same cannot be said for iPhone. Enter GuestMode, a new jailbreak tweak by computer science graduate student Ian Burns that offers a fully customizable guest experience like none other.

Allow your kids to play games on your smartphone without accidentally calling someone, or let your friends control your music without lurking through your Facebook or Photos app. Find out how it works…

Flappy Bird developer is pulling the game from App Store tomorrow

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

In a rather interesting turn of events, Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen has announced that the chart-topping game will be removed from the App Store in less than 22 hours. In a series of tweets made just minutes ago, Nguyen stated that this move is not due to legal issues, but rather because he "just cannot keep it anymore." Take a look for yourself…

How to password protect individual apps with iAppLock

Joe Rossignol ∙ February 8, 2014

While setting a passcode on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch can go a long way towards improving the security of your device, it is meaningless in situations where it is already unlocked and an invasive family member decides to read through your Messages history or tamper with your ongoing Candy Crush Saga game.

Fortunately, a myriad of jailbreak tweaks have been released over the years that password protect apps on iOS devices. iAppLock stands as one of the first candidates to be updated with support for iOS 7 or later, and it has some useful features. Read ahead for a complete rundown…

Theme Thursday: Anode, Clarity, i7Cons and more

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Welcome to the second edition of our Theme Thursday roundup, which highlights some of the best theme releases each week. While this column is primarily focused on iPhone and iPod touch themes, many of them are also compatible with the iPad. We also often mention some worthwhile alternatives to consider looking into. The themes featured this week are: Anode, Clarity, Colorize7, i7Cons and UltraFlat for iOS 7. Take a look…

Forecast brings the Weather app to the Lock screen

Joe Rossignol ∙ February 6, 2014

I awoke this morning to blizzard conditions and cancelled classes, giving me the fitting opportunity to take a look at an exciting recently updated jailbreak tweak called Forecast for iPhone and iPod touch. I recommend you take a look too, as this is definitely one of the better packages available on Cydia.

Forecast replaces Slide to Unlock on the Lock screen with a widget on the bottom left that displays the current temperature and conditions, in addition to anticipated highs and lows for the day. For example, in the screenshot above, the current temperature is 34 ºF with mostly clear skies on a crisp February night. And that's just the beginning of what this tweak has to offer…

How to open App Store links without leaving the app you’re currently in

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

When you tap on an app link on your iPhone or iPad using Safari or otherwise, you are automatically redirected to the App Store to make a download or learn more details. The transition is rather cumbersome, however, as it is essentially a two-step process that requires you to return to the app you were originally using via the Home screen or multitasking menu.

QuickStore 2 is a brand new jailbreak tweak that aims to solve this minor inconvenience by allowing users to launch the App Store directly from the app they are using at the time. This is achieved through a pop-up window that loads when you tap on an app link anywhere on iOS, including websites like iDownloadBlog. Details inside…

How to display free RAM and system information in Control Center

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

In his review of CCLoader, our jailbreak guru Jeff mentioned the fact that developers would be able to tap into the tweak and create their own sections in Control Center. That is the basis behind CCSystemStatus, a new iOS extension by vsnraindev that displays your available storage, IP address, free RAM and other system information about your iOS device in Control Center…

Assign various actions to app icons with App Activate

Joe Rossignol ∙ February 2, 2014

Activator is one of the most popular jailbreak tweaks available on Cydia, in addition to being part of the core functionality of several other iOS extensions. App Activate Pro is the perfect example, a new tweak that lets you assign an action to double tapping, triple tapping or long-hold tapping an icon on the Home screen. The actions are assigned using Activator and can be applied to all stock or third-party apps. Take a look…

Elite7 is an iPhone theme that goes far beyond custom icons

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

A few weeks ago, I spoke with a respected graphic artist about the new challenges that iOS 7 presents for theme makers. In concluding that article, I stated that while the all-new user interface would certainly prove more difficult to customize, it would still be possible with some new techniques. Right on queue, it appears that at least one person has volunteered for the task.

Philadelphia-based Rob Grohman (BarsOverBeats) has been working on an upcoming theme called Elite7 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and it is one beautiful package. I'm not just talking about a custom icon set, but rather one of the first themes designed to customize virtually the entire iOS user interface down to the tiniest details. We've got a sneak peek ahead…

StayClassy is a flat and gentle theme for iPhone

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

iOS themes appear to be at the front and center of the jailbreaking community as of late, many of which we have featured in our ten best Winterboard themes roundup and new Theme Thursday series. The avalanche of releases continues with the arrival of StayClassy for the iPhone, a custom icon set that is both flat and gentle in design…

MusicAppMods hides in-line album art and reveals hidden song info in Music app

Joe Rossignol ∙ January 31, 2014

I've covered a lot of impactful jailbreak tweaks over the last week, ranging from Convergance and FaceOff 7 to AppBox and Remote Messages. But, smaller tweaks that make minor modifications to iOS deserve some mention too.

MusicAppMods by Adam Spindler is a new extension that serves two purposes: it hides in-line album art and reveals hidden song information in the Music app. Keep reading for a quick rundown of the tweak…