How to Jailbreak Your iOS 7 Device the Easy Way

If you want to break the chains and shackles of Apple’s forced ecosystem you need to jailbreak your device. I previously covered how to jailbreak iOS 6 devices with Evasi0n, and the team is back with a utility for iOS 7. This is an untethered jailbreak – meaning you don’t need to plug in your device to boot it. This will install the Cydia app store and allow you to make changes to your device that Apple doesn’t allow natively.

Note: For this article I’m jailbreaking an iPad Mini with Retina running iOS 7.0.4 and a PC running Windows 8.1. But the process is nearly identical on Mac OS X with an iPhone or iPad running iOS 7.

Disclaimer: Jailbreaking your device might not work correctly and make your device unstable. By jailbreaking you take responsibility if something goes wrong. Personally I’ve jailbroken several iOS devices including Apple TV. I’ve also used other Jailbreak solutions like Greenp0ison and have never had any problems. But again, you do this at your own risk.

Before the Jailbreak

Before starting the process, make sure to back up your device. Back up your photos, settings, and important documents using iCloud backup or locally on your computer using iTunes.

To back up to iCloud go to Settings > iCloud > Back Up Now.

You can also use iTunes to back up your device. You can send it to either iCloud or your local computer. To make sure you’re backup is secure, you might want to use both methods. In fact, if you want to be ultra-secure, follow our guide on backing up an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to Dropbox.

Tip: If you encrypt the local backup, iTunes will store you passwords which will eliminate having to sign-in to every app again – in case you need to restore it.

One more thing you’ll want to do before starting the jailbreak process is disable your passcode. According to the Evasi0n site, it will prevent features from not working properly.

To disable it go to Settings > General > Passcode Lock and turn it off there.

Time to Jailbreak iOS 7

Now for the fun part, actually jailbreaking your device. Download Evasi0n7 for Windows or Mac to a convenient location on your computer.

It comes in a zip file and after you download it, just extract the contents. There are two files, the evasi0n7 executable and Read Me text file.

Make sure you device is plugged in to your computer and run the evasion executable.

Your device will be detected, then just hit the Jailbreak button.

Now it’s as simple as following the on screen instructions. The process will take several minutes and you device will reboot a few times. In my experience it took around 45 minutes total.

To make sure things go smoothly, don’t touch your iPad or iPhone while the jailbreak process is happening. In fact, you might just want to walk away and catch up on other work you’ve neglected because you’re always on the computer!

About halfway through the process you’ll be prompted to hit the Evasi0n 7 icon that will appear on your home screen.

Here’s a look at what it looks like. You might actually see the icon earlier in the jailbreak, but don’t hit it! Wait until you get the onscreen instruction above. After hitting the icon the process is almost finished. Your device will reboot a couple of more times and you’ll be done.

When everything is complete, you’ll see the Evasi0n 7 icon is no longer visible, but the Cydia app has been installed.

Now you’re ready to start tweaking your device with apps and features that only Cydia offers. Have fun!

Here’s a list of some jailbreak tweaks we’ve covered with iOS 6+ that you should be able to replicate on iOS 7. This will give you an idea of some of the cool things you can do with a jailbroken iOS 7 device.

Source http://goo.gl/6sL0kS

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How To Get iOS 7 Parallax Effect On iOS 6 [Cydia Tweak]

In iOS 7, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) introduced a brand new effect to the table, known as parallax effect, which makes the home screen appear in 3D. With this effect, the background slightly moves to the position of your device. However, some people like this parallax effect while some don’t, and that’s why there’s a way todisable this parallax effect on iOS 7.

Now let’s say you’re using iOS 6, and you want that parallax effect. How would you do that? That’s exactly where a Cydia tweak will help, provided you’ve jailbroken your iOS 6 device.

iOS tweak requires jailbreak

When it comes to iPhone or iOS device in general, Apple is known to restrict users from installing any apps outside of the App Store. And that’s where exactly the process of jailbreak helps such users to free their devices from the chains of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Once jailbroken, users can install any number of tweaks and apps outside the App Store.

This tweak is known by the name DeepEnd, which is for iOS 6 users who want the parallax effect on their homescreens. Note that you don’t need to install this tweak if you’re on iOS 7, as the effect already comes bundled with the OS.

You need to have an iPhone 4 or newer or an iPod Touch 4G or newer to install this tweak, as it requires a gyroscope to bring you the parallax effect. Of course, the iPhone 4 supports iOS 7, but there are still many people out there who’re running iOS 6 and don’t want to update (and they have their own reasons to do so).

For those who can’t find DeepEnd by searching on Cydia, they need to add a new repo to Cydia which is “http://rpetri.ch/repo.” To do this, launch Cydia and tap on Manage. Navigate to Sources > Edit > Add and then type the above repo web address. Once you’ve added the repo, you’ll then be able to find DeepEnd.

Once installed, you’ll be able to configure three settings: zoom, pinch and roll by moving the sliders. Now this is something that even the native parallax effect doesn’t offer.

So go ahead and try out this new tweak and give your old iOS 6 a new parallax effect (provided you don’t plan to update to iOS 7).

Source http://goo.gl/IE1SF5

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How to change iOS 7 App Store to UK on iPhone, iPad

Are you stuck on the US App Store, or is your iOS device convinced that you're in or from the wrong country? Are you getting app and music prices in dollars or euros, or are geographical restrictions preventing you from accessing content that should be available in the UK? In this simple tutorial for iOS 7 we show how to switch the App Store on your iPhone oriPad so that it knows you are in the UK, and you can buy UK apps, music, TV series and movies. (Updated for iOS 7, 21 Jan 2014)

Here's a problem that will be familiar to many Macworld readers: your iPhone or iPad thinks that you are in the US or another country. Nothing wrong with that, of course (hello to our US cousins). But because of this geographical kerfuffle you can't purchase UK-specific apps or media. More importantly, without a US-registered credit card you may not be able to buy anything. At all. And that means your iPhone or iPad is hobbled.

The problem is simple: Apple thinks your personal Apple ID is based somewhere other than the country in which you reside. Fortunately the solution is equally simple: just change the details of your Apple ID account.

In this feature we show you how to change the App Store on your iPhone or iPad to UK. We'll show you how to change the location of your Apple ID to see UK apps at UK prices. See also: iOS 7 tips.

Change App Store to UK: getting started

First hit the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad's home screen. It's the one that looks like the inside of a clock - a grey box with cogs inside it. Now select the entry for 'iTunes & App Store'.

The first thing you'll see at the top of the screen is your Apple ID. Tap that. Now a pop-up dialog box appears. Choose 'View Apple ID', and enter your password.

Change App Store to UK: Account Settings

After you've signed in successfully you'll see the account settings screen. Choose the 'Country/Region' option, and simply select the location with which you want your ID to be associated. You'll need to be able to pay for things in the country you have chosen.

But hey, you're in the UK and you want your iPhone (or iPad) to recognise that, so all is good.

An interesting side note: if you've got account credit, as in the above screenshot (as a result of not spending all of the balance from a gift card, for example), Apple won't let you switch country. But in that case, of course, you wouldn't need to switch country.

Visit our iPhone spotlight for more iPhone tips. See also: How to buy Apple Gift Card codes - and how to avoid scams

Change App Store to UK: iOS 6

We've switched to the UK App Store in iOS 7 above, but the process is virtually identical in iOS 6. Here's what it looks like in iOS 6:

Source http://goo.gl/FnxkR3

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How to use AirDrop for iOS: The ultimate guide

How to use AirDrop for iOS: The ultimate guide

AirDrop began as an OS X Lion feature that let Mac users easily beam files to each other over an ad-hoc Wi-Fi connection. After several attempts to bring it to iOS were rejected for not being accessible enough to mainstream customers, a new version was d

AirDrop began as an OS X Lion feature that let Mac users easily beam files to each other over an ad-hoc Wi-Fi connection. After several attempts to bring it to iOS were rejected for not being accessible enough to mainstream customers, a new version was developed specifically iOS 7 that's simpler and more obvious. Unfortunately, despite sharing the same name, the iOS version uses a different protocol from the Mac version, and that means — for now — it can only be used to send data between iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. If that's all you want to do, whether you're in the same office, school, home, park, plane, or anywhere within Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range, AirDrop is reasonably quick and incredibly convenient.

Source http://goo.gl/GFrHap

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Apple to refund £20m to parents: How to stop your kids buying apps & in-app purchases on your iPad, iPhone

Use restrictions, passcodes, new Apple IDs and iTunes Gift Cards to limit children's access to iOS devices.

by Ashleigh Allsopp 16 Jan 14

Kids love iPads and iPhones. They're a great way to keep children entertained during the summer holidays, with hundreds of apps available for them to enjoy, including games, books, educational apps. However, in light of a recent bout of incidences that saw parents faced with huge iTunes bills after their kids had unwittingly downloaded apps and in-app purchases, it's worth taking precautions to ensure that your children aren't able to do the same while using your iOS device.

Most recently, it was revealed that Apple has agreed to refund at least $32.5 million (£20m) to parents whose kids racked up huge bills through in-app purchases in the US. The agreement is to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint. As part of the settlement, Apple will also be required to change its billing practices by 31 March 2014 to help prevent these occurances from happening in the future.

According to FTC, Apple has recieved tens of thousands of complaints about unauthorised in-app purchases downloaded by kids.

The easiest way to make sure that your kids don't end up downloading any apps or in-app purchases on your iOS device is to ensure that they never get hold of your password. 

Each time they want to download or purchase something, it will ask for your Apple ID password. Enter your password yourself every time.

How to turn on restrictions on iPhone, iPad

However, you should be aware that, when you enter your password, the default is that it will not need to be entered again for 15 minutes. Within that time, your children could accidentally download hundreds of pounds worth of in-app purchases.

For example, in 2013, five-year-old Danny Kitchen was playing Zombies vs Ninja when he asked his dad for the password to the family iTunes account so that he could download the free-to-play app. However, Danny then went on to download a £69.99 in-app purchase 19 times within the next ten minutes as the password did not need to be entered again.

To change this setting and prevent this from happening, go to Settings > General > Restrictions, and then change the 'Require Password' setting to 'Immediately'. Now, every time your child goes to buy something, whether it is an app or in-app purchase, they'll be asked to type in the password before they can progress further.

To stop your kids from having access to the Restrictions menu and changing the settings back (if your kids are a little older and more tech-savvy), you'll be asked to set up a PIN code.

How to restrict acces to apps on iPhone, iPad

You can ensure that your child doesn't download any apps at all by going to the Restrictions menu and changing the 'Installing Apps' slider to off (from green to white). Within this menu, you can also turn off Safari, Camera, FaceTime, iTunes, iBookstore, Deleting Apps, Siri and Explicit Language for further control over your child's access to your iPad or iPhone's features.

How to turn off in-app purchases on iPhone, iPad

You can also turn in-app purchases off completely from this menu if you want to. You'll find the on/off slider towards the bottom of the restriction options.

Within the Restrictions menu, you can also prevent kids from downloading content from the iTunes Store that may be inappropriate, by tapping each different type of content (music, movies etc.) and choosing your preferred age rating.

How to turn on device passcodes on iPhone, iPad

It's not just within apps or on the iTunes App Store that kids can end up spending their parents' money without realising. In July, a 14-month-old girl accidentally purchased a car using the eBay app when she was playing with her dad's iPhone. In this case, to prevent a child from being able to access your iPhone or iPad at all, you'll want to set up a device passcodes.

To set up a passcode, go to Settings > General > Passcode Lock and tap 'Turn Passcode On.'

You can then choose your passcode. If you slide the 'Simple Passcode' slider to off, you'll be able to type a word rather than the default four-digit number to use as your passcode.

Create a new Apple ID

Having read all this advice, you might be thinking: "What about when I want to use my iPad?"

Apple recommends that, for children over 13, you should create an individual Apple ID for them to use. While this removes the nuisance of having to turn restrictions on and off every time you want to use it, you will need to switch from your Apple ID to your child's and vice versa. However, the benefit is that you can ensure that your child's Apple ID has no credit card on file, meaning there's no money for them to spend in the first place.

In order to switch between Apple IDs, you'll need to go to Settings > iTunes & App Stores and then tap on Apple ID to log out.

Give kids iTunes Gift Cards or iTunes Monthly Gift allowances

If you want to give your child a limited amount of money to spend on their own Apple ID, you can buy an iTunes Gift Card or Certificate from the iTunes Store for them to use.

Further still, you can set up an iTunes Monthly Gift to give your child a set amount of money to spend in the iTunes Store each month. The iTunes Monthly Gift can range from £5.00 to £30.00 in value, and can be cancelled at any time.

Of course, the other option is to keep your iPad or iPhone out of their reach completely.

There have been some extreme cases in the UK that saw parents refunded by Apple after their kids downloaded expensive apps and in-app purchases, too. Last year, a parent was refunded£4,000 after his eight-year-old daughter spent the money playing Campus Life, My Horse, Hay Day and Smurfs' Village on an iPad.

There's no guarantee that you'll be so lucky, though, so the best bet is to try and prevent it from happening in the first place, by following this advice.

Source http://goo.gl/nZS0MP

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How to jailbreak any iPhone or iPad in iOS 7 and iOS 6: Tips for jailbreaking Apple devices

Want to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad and install unauthorised apps? It's risky, but if you're sure, here's how to jailbreak an iPhone in iOS 7 or iOS 6.

by David Price 17 Jan 14

Jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad is a risky process that we can't wholeheartedly recommend, but it remains popular among those who wish to install unofficial apps (such as those on the Cydia marketplace) on their smartphone or tablet. Here's how to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad in iOS 7 - and iOS 6 and earlier. Updated 17 January 2014, to add the new iOS 7 jailbreak tool.

(What is jailbreaking? In essence it means bypassing the locks put in place by Apple on its iPhones and iPads, and thus gaining access to a large number of apps that Apple hasn't authorised. For explanations of more Apple-related terms, see our Apple jargon-buster encyclopedia.)

How to jailbreak an iPhone: A warning

But first... Some of the unofficial apps that you'll get access to after jailbreaking are pretty tempting, and may offer features you'd never otherwise be able to access; blocking a phone number on an iPhone, for instance, wasn't possible officially until iOS 7 launched, but an app on Cydia (where you can download apps for jailbroken iPhones and iPads) let you do it easily.

How to jailbreak an iPhone: Cydia is the app that lets you browse and download further unofficial apps

So why doesn't everyone jailbreak? Well, for one thing it's by no means straightforward, as we'll see shortly. Jailbreaking is also legally ambiguous, risky, and prone to void any warranties you have with Apple. We advise you to think long and hard before going ahead with the jailbreaking process.

Apple itself offers advice on the subject of jailbreaking (although you may feel that the company is biased in this respect, since it wants to continue getting its cut of the revenue from official app sales). In this tech note Apple suggests that jailbreaking your iOS device may lead to security vulnerabilities, instability, shortened battery life, unreliability, disruption of services and inability to apply future software updates. It may result in Apple denying service for your device.

Nonetheless, many Apple fans have been jailbreaking iOS devices for years without encountering these issues. But once they've jailbroken such a device, they understand that they should expect no help from Apple if it causes them trouble in the future. With choice comes responsibility.

How to jailbreak iOS 7 (and iOS 6 and earlier)

We had to wait for a bit, but the jailbreak tool for iOS 7 has been launched by the Evasi0nteam. (The Evasio0n team offer one word of warning, however: "Over The Air updates of iOS 7 are known to create an issue and make the jailbreak fail. Some devices are then stuck on the Apple Boot Logo. Until we fix that, please restore your device to 7.0.4. with iTunes first.")

Before you start, back up your iPhone or iPad, and switch off the passcode (at least for the duration of the jailbreak process).

Before jailbreaking, be sure to back up your data

You’ll need to download the Evasi0n7 tool, which is available for Mac OS X and Windows, and is compatible, the makers claim, with all models of iPhone and iPad running iOS 7.0 to iOS 7.0.4. The tool is available from mirrors on evasi0n.com. Double-click the .dmg file to decompress it and an evasi0n window will appear on your desktop. Drag the evasi0n application out of the window to the desktop and launch it.

Connect your iOS device and click the Jailbreak button. evasi0n will retrieve some information from your device. The device will then reboot and prepare itself for the jailbreak. Don't do anything with your device during this stage.

evasi0n begins its work

evasi0n will now install Cydia - the application that provides access to third-party apps - on your device. When instructed to by evasi0n, unlock your device by pressing the Home button and swiping the Slide to Unlock switch to the right. You should see a new Jailbreak icon on your Home screen. Tap it and evasi0n will carry on with the final stage of the jailbreak. You can now quit evasi0n by clicking the Exit button.

Don't touch your device until evasi0n tells you to

Your device will reboot, briefly display the evasi0n screen, show the Apple logo, and then show the evasi0n screen again, which details the progress of the jailbreak installation. Finally, your device is ready for you to use in the normal way.

The one difference you'll see is a Cydia icon on the home screen. Tap it and Cydia launches, prepares its file system, and then quits. To then use Cydia as intended, tap its icon once again, choose your user type (User, Hacker, or Developer), tap Done, and the Cydia interface loads.

The version of Cydia you're using may need updating; older versions of Cydia may not support Cydia's newer third-party apps. To do that, tap the Changes icon at the bottom of the screen and then tap Refresh in the top left corner. If any updates are available (as evidenced by green check marks) tap the Update button in the top-right corner of the display. Cydia will download the latest updates and reboot the device.

What you choose to install is entirely up to you. Some people choose to install OpenSSH so that they can remotely access the device's file system via a standard FTP client. However, if you enable this feature, be sure to change your device's root password from the default "alpine," which is used by all iOS devices. Fail to do so and others around you could hack into your device. To learn how to change the password, tap the Root Password How-To link on Cydia's About screen.

Cydia is now in the house

How to jailbreak an iPhone: Future updates of jailbreaking tools

There was a decent wait between Apple releasing iOS 7 and a jailbreaking tool being released for the system - most likely because iOS 7 represented a more substantial update than most new versions iOS. As Apple releases minor and major updates to iOS, new jailbreaking tools (and updates to tools) will be released too, but there may again be a wait.

If you want to keep track of when jailbreak tools are launched in the future, two useful options are following @evad3rs on Twitter (that's the account used by evasi0n), and checking out the jailbreaking section on Reddit.

In the mean time, look out for scammers. Lots of unscrupulous companies and individuals claimed to have cracked iOS 7 before a reliable tool was released by the Evasi0n team, and offered to give you the jailbreak for a sum of money - often $50.

How to jailbreak an iPhone: tethered and untethered jailbreaking

Finally, some words on jailbreaking terminology.

Jailbreaking has been in a largely dormant state since the release of iOS 6. In that version of the mobile operating system, Apple closed many of the avenues that had once been used to crack iOS open.

Tethered jailbreaks require you to attach your iOS device to your computer and run an application to jailbreak it. If you later power off the device and then restart it, the jailbreak is wiped out, and you have to repeat the entire process.

These kinds of jailbreak were the first to be developed. But what prospective jailbreakers wanted was an untethered method, where the hack would remain in effect even after the device was switched off and on again.

That untethered jailbreak arrived in the form of evasi0n. Like jailbreaks before it, evasi0n doesn'tunlock an iPhone (which would allow you to use the device with multiple carriers). Rather, it simply allows you to install third-party apps not approved by Apple via the Cydia store we mentioned earlier.

Source http://goo.gl/exY0hq

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iOS 7 Basics – How To Use Spotlight To Search Your iPhone [iOS Tips]

Read our full iOS Tips archive

You can hit Command-F to find anything on your Mac, or you can hit Command-Space to invoke Spotlight, which took over for Sherlock as the built-in searching system many moons ago. In Windows 8, you can use the Search “charm.”

On the iPhone and iPad, however, some might be a little confused. There’s no keyboard commands in iOS, and Apple has even moved the Search functionality in iOS 7 from the furthermost left icon page.

What’s an iPhone owner to do when she wants to search for that specific app that she’s buried in a folder somewhere on her device, or needs the phone number of her best friend, because she’s always just used Siri to call her and has no idea what her number actually is?

While this tip may seem a bit basic, I still see the question in various iPhone user forums and such: How do I find Search on my iPhone or iPad?

In iOS 7, Apple moved the Spotlight function, but not to confuse anyone. The reason they moved it is ostensibly to offer Spotlight searching from any of the Home pages. Perviously, you’d have to swipe all the way to the left to find Spotlight, on it’s own separate page.

Now, all you need to do is to swipe downward from any page on your iOS device (but not when you’re in a folder), and the Spotlight search field will drop down from the top.

Apple even brings up the keyboard and sets the cursor into the search field, making it a cinch to start typing the first few letters of whatever you’re searching for. If you want to filter your results to only Applications and Contacts, for example, you can also customize what Spotlight looks for, and in what order.

Source http://goo.gl/dHPXci

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How to save space — and money! — by controlling which iOS 7 apps can store their data in iCloud

How to save space — and money! — by controlling which iOS 7 apps can store their data in iCloud

iCloud storage space can be a precious commodity, especially if you don't want to pay anything beyond the initial 5GB Apple offers for free. One way to make sure you're maximizing space and saving it for important things, like backups, is to ma

iCloud storage space can be a precious commodity, especially if you don't want to pay anything beyond the initial 5GB Apple offers for free. One way to make sure you're maximizing space and saving it for important things, like backups, is to make sure apps you don't care about aren't storing stuff you don't care about. Fortunately, there's an easy way to control just exactly which apps get to store what data in iCloud, and you can do it right from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad?

How to customize which iPhone and iPad apps can store data in iCloud

1. Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and tap on iCloud.
3. Now scroll down once again and tap onDocuments & Data.
4. Here you can see what apps are using iCloud to store data. Tick off ones you don't need, or turn off the feature altogether if you'd like.

That's it! Be sure to check your apps and let me know if you find any major space-eating offenders!

Source : http://goo.gl/JPe4Kf

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