How to hide multiple app icons, no jailbreak required

A while ago we told you about StifleStand — an app for

 Windows or Mac that allows you to hide Newsstand without the need for a jailbreak.

Now there’s another option for hiding Newsstand, along with a host of other default iOS apps. Again, like StifleStand, no jailbreak is needed for this method either.

In the following video walkthrough, we’ll provide you with a demonstration of Rag3Hack, a new website dedicated to hiding stock iOS apps on any device, regardless of whether or not the device is jailbroken.

Note: Proceed at your own risk. Although this caused no harm to my device, I had no personal data on the device at the time of me using it. The “hack” does connect to additional server(s), so there is a possibility that this could result in some sort of privacy/security issue. With that in mind, we can’t outright recommend that you use Rag3Hack, but we wanted to make you aware of its existence, and show you it working in action. Check below for more details.

How to hide stock iOS apps with the Rag3Hack website:

Step 1: To use Rag3Hack, navigate to the following site directly from your iOS device:http://rag3hack.no-ip.org/. This should work on any firmware, for any iOS device, and again, you don’t need to be jailbroken in order to do this. If this site isn’t loading for you then try again later. It looks like the traffic from iDB may have crashed his web server.

Step 2: Once there, tap the “Hide Apps without jailbreaking” link, and read the instructions on the following page. Be sure to read the instructions thoroughly so that you have a solid idea as to how this works.

Step 3: Tap on the link of the app that you want to hide. Ensure that the app actually exists on your device. For instance, there’s no dedicated FaceTime app to be found on an iPhone, but you will find one on the iPod touch or iPad.

Step 4: A prompt should pop up asking you to Install.

Step 5: Tap Install, and you will be taken to the Home screen.

Step 6: A new prompt should pop up stating that it’s unable to download the application. Tap Done.

Step 7: The app icon in question should be blank, with half a loading bar. Tap and hold on any app icon to place your device into wiggle mode.

Step 8: Tap the x icon on the blank app to delete the app in question.

Step 9: After hiding apps using Rag3Hack, you can get them back by simply rebooting your device.

The nice thing about RageHack is that it runs right on your device. There’s no need to hook your iOS device up to either a Mac or a PC, as it runs totally independent, and doesn’t require any separate app to initiate the hack.

The links on the Rag3Master site point to items similar to the following:

itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=http://maty1400.ma.funpic.de/beta/Messages.plist

If you navigate directly to: http://maty1400.ma.funpic.de/beta/Messages.plist, you’ll find a sparse plist file with a link to a delete.ipa file. It certainly doesn’t seem like the creator of the site, @ragemasta is up to anything malicious, but again, proceed at your own accord.

What do you think about being able to hide stock iOS apps like this?

Tweetbot For Mac Released, Get It While Supplies Last!

Tweetbot is a full-featured Twitter app for the Mac based
on the award-winning apps for iPhone and iPad. With retina support, sync via iCloud, and multiple column views, Tweetbot is the premier Twitter app for the Mac.

A Full-Featured Twitter App

• 

  Block and Report Users for Spam

  Tweetbot makes reporting spam and blocking users a breeze. Just right-click on the spammer’s avatar, “report for spam”, and watch their tweet disappear with a sense of satisfaction.
• 

  Manage Lists

  Manage your lists right from the app. Create, edit, delete lists, and add/remove users from them as well.
• 

  Enable/Disable Retweets from Users

  Following someone who retweets too much? Disable their retweets from within the app.
• 

  View Local and Worldwide Trends

  Tweetbot supports local trends as well as the global one. See what’s popular around the world.
• 

  Edit your Profile and Avatar

  Update your profile right from Tweetbot. You can even change your avatar.
• 

  Packed with Features

  Tweetbot is packed with the features you’d expect…so many that we can’t list them all.

Your Timeline, Your Way

• 

  Single Window View

  Tweetbot features a streamlined and focused window. You can even remove sidebar navigation elements you don't use for an even cleaner look.
• 

  Multiple Windows

  Open any view into its own window. Monitor multiple timelines, mentions, search results and more from various accounts.
• 

  Column View

  For the multi-taskers who prefer to be more organized, attach multiple windows together to create a column view.
  

  Makes Twitter Better

  • 

    Inline Media Preview Thumbnails

    Thumbnail previews show up next to tweets that link to images and other various media so you can see before you click.
  • 

    Use Lists as Timelines

    Make good use of your lists. Curate your lists and use them as multiple timelines. Want a timeline consisting of your co-workers, friends, and/or family? Create a list for them!
  • 

    Mute Users, Hashtags, Clients, & Keywords

    Are you too nice to unfollow someone who tweets too much? Just mute them. You can also mute hashtags for that conference you didn’t attend, clients, and even keywords.
  • 

    Save Tweet Drafts

    Some tweets need time to be crafted to perfection. Save drafts for future publishing.
  

  Made for Mac

  • 

    Retina Mac Support

    Have one of them fancy new Retina Macbook Pros? Don’t worry, Tweetbot for Mac will look gorgeous on it.
  • 

    Notification Center

    Tweetbot loves Mountain Lion. Mentions, Direct Messages, and more can show up in Notification Center.
  • 

    Syncs with iCloud

    Magically sync your timeline read location, direct message read status, and mute filters with Tweetbot for iPhone and iPad via iCloud. (10.8 Mountain Lion Required) 

    
    

    
    

    
    

    19.99$

    
    
    
    
    

Watch the iOS Panel Discussion From HITB2012 [Video]

HITBSecConf has posted the iOS Panel Discussion from HITB2012
featuring MuscleNerd, pod2g, mdowd, and planetbeing.

The conference took place October 8-11, 2012 at the InterContinental in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

If you missed the livestream and what to get a look behind the scenes of jailbreak development, check out the 
Video streaming by Ustreamvia[iClariefied]

CameraTweak adds tons of useful options to the stock camera app

From a quality standpoint, the iPhone’s built in camera

has always been near the top of its respective class. But, admittedly, there are a few chinks in the armor when it comes to advanced camera features.

For instance, there’s no countdown timer to be found inside the camera app. Also, more advanced features like independent reticles for exposure and focus are no where to be found. And what about a built in time lapse feature? That seems like only a mere dream at this point.

That is, of course, unless you are jailbroken.

Jailbreakers have the luxury of adding additional features to stock apps, and the Camera app is no exception. CameraTweak is a new jailbreak tweak that affords the ability to add all of the previously mentioned features into the stock Camera app, and then some. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for the full details.

Once you install CameraTweak, you won’t notice any new settings panel inside the Settings app, but you will notice a host of new options within the stock Camera app.

To the left of the camera shutter button resides a new button that resembles the volume control slider knob found in the app switcher. Tapping this button engages a brand new panel, which flanks the stock set of buttons. The functions inside this new panel change depending on the current mode (photo or video) that you have enabled.

If you’re in photo mode, you’re presented with four buttons that perform the following:

• Advanced mode
• Time Lapse mode
• Timer
• Composition overlays

Video mode features a set of different options:

• Advanced mode
• Custom Frame Rate
• Resolution
• Aspect Ratio

Let’s break down each of these options, shall we?

Advanced mode
This mode is present on both photo and video. This mode allows you to swap out the combined exposure and focus reticle for two separate reticles geared towards handling exposure and focus. Each reticle can be positioned separately, and locked independently of one another using a tap and long hold.

In my opinion, this is where the stock iOS camera lacks most, though, I can see why Apple omitted the option, because it can make composing photos slightly more complicated than the current combined system. Still, I wish Apple would give advanced shooters the option to separate the two essential entities.

Time lapse mode
Photos only. Time lapse mode, as its name states, allow to to create a series of shots over a specific preset interval of time. This can be very handy if you have your iPhone setup on a tripod system, and want to catch the sun rising, traffic flow, etc. You can configure time lapse photography between 1 and 60 seconds or 1 and 60 minutes.

Timer mode
Photos only. To this day, I still find it hard to believe that iOS contains no built in timer function for the stock Camera app. Instead, you’ll need to rely on 3rd party apps like Camera+ for this function. Courtesy of CameraTweak, a timer can be configured to fire between 1 and 60 seconds.

Composition overlays
Photos only. iOS does feature a built in 9 block grid that you can enable in the Camera options, but CameraTweak goes a few steps further. Here, you’ll find an additional three layouts that can be easily enabled via the tweak’s menu.

Custom frame rate
Video only. The video frame rate can be adjusted between 1 and 60 frames per second. Clock down to the former end of the scale for some very interesting effects.

Resolution
Video only. There are several resolution settings contained within CameraTweak, and they are as follows: Low (3g transfer), Medium (wifi transfer), 352×288, 648×480 (VGA), 960×540, 1280×720 (720p HD), and 1920×1080 (full HD). Since the current jailbreakable iPhones only support 720p, that option was unavailable in my test.

Aspect ratio
Video only. You can select from three different aspect ratios, and they are 4:3, 16:9, and 2:35:1. Letterboxes will be applied to your fram depending on which aspect ratio enable.

The bottom line
This tweak is excellent, especially for jailbroken iPhone 4S users. Not only do you already have a quite capable camera, but you have the necessary speed to go along with the added features. Testing CameraTweak out on the iPhone 4 worked well enough, but you will notice a reduction in speed when using the Camera app.

If you’re serious about iPhone photography, and you have a jailbroken device, then don’t hesitate to try out CameraTweak — it’s just as good as it looks. CameraTweak can be downloaded from Cydia’s BigBoss repo for $0.99, which is crazy cheap considering how many options it contains.

Let me know what you think about CameraTweak in the comments below.

Comex no longer working at Apple

Nicholas Allegra, a.k.a.Comex — the iOS hacker

responsible for the popular jailbreak tool JailbreakMe — has parted ways with Apple after interning there for a little over a year.

Last August, Comex broke the news that sent shockwaves through the jailbreak community, announcing that he would be joining the very company whose security he’d successfully undermined more than once.

Is it possible that Comex might pick up where he left off in the jailbreak community?

comex@comex

So… no point in delaying. As of last week, after about a year, I’m no longer associated with Apple.

18 Oct 12

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There’s still no word from Comex on the matter, but the one major thing holding him back — the obvious conflict of interest involving a fruit company from California — is no more.

As for why Comex and Apple parted ways? Comex unenthusiastically lends the reason via Twitter:

comex@comex

(As for why? Because I forgot to reply to an email.)

18 Oct 12

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The explanation is a bit vague, but he doesn’t sound too happy about the way things went down with Apple. Perhaps this could be a motivating factor for getting involved with jailbreaking again?

If anything, it seems the famed hacker wants to clear the air about anyone accusing him of “selling out”.

comex@comex

Also, to clear the record a bit: anyone who thinks I “sold out” for money doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

18 Oct 12

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We certainly don’t think he sold out. To be able to work for a company that you’ve admired for years isn’t something that comes around often. He had the opportunity to do just that, and he took it. We certainly can’t fault him for that.

And regards whether or not he decides to make a comeback in the community, that’s his call. He’s already done enough to seal his status, and besides, other talented hackers are making good progress as it is. Case in point:

planetbeing@planetbeing

Upgraded the #failbreak with a kernel exploit so tweaks actually work on iPhone 5. :D Almost a full tethered JB, though need dev account.

19 Oct 12

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What do you think? Do you hope Comex gets involved with jailbreaking again?

Update from Forbes’ Andy Greenberg:

When I asked Allegra what he plans to work on now, he said he’ll focus on his work at Brown, and doesn’t foresee working on new jailbreaking tools for iOS any time soon.

Apparently the separation was due to him not responding to an email offer to continue his employment, and the offer was then rescinded. Although the details involve more than he’d go on the record to say, it seems that Apple runs a pretty tight ship as far as personel goes.

Either way, it doesn’t look like he’s going to re-involve himself with jailbreaking any time soon, if ever, especially because Apple’s legal terms may forbid it. But as I stated, there are a few good folks chopping away at the iOS 6 and iPhone jailbreaks as you read this.