How To: Fix Teamviewer Pasting Loop on MacOS

As a mainly MacOS user I have ran into the issue of Teamviewer hanging due to two of my MacOS machines trying copying the contents of the clipboard between the two machines continually. Luckily the workaround for this, until Teamviewer release a fix, is quite simple.

Open Teamviewer on MacOS and head to the settings.
Click on Advanced.
Scroll down and untick Clipboard synchronization
Click Apply

Doing this workaround will mean that your clipboards won’t sync when using Teamviewer, but until an official fix is released this should help resolve the issue.

How To: Get Netflix Picture in Picture Mode on Pre-iOS 9.3.2 Devices

After Apple announced Picture in Picture mode for iOS in iOS 9, it has become a extremely useful feature for those who like to multitask as they work on their iOS device. Most entertainment apps finally caught up over the following months by adding PiP support to their apps, however Netflix still didn’t offer this feature, albeit more difficult as they weren’t using the stock iOS video player. This all changed today when Netflix announced their latest app update with the addition of PiP but only for devices running the latest 9.3.2 firmware. Knowing that the PiP APIs were introduced back in 9.0, I decided to take a look and see if this version restriction can be bypassed and it can for anyone running a jailbroken device.
Netflix iOS

If you are running a jailbroken device then following these instructions should enable the feature for you without any issues, however as always follow the instructions carefully and any damage caused is entirely your responsibility. This has only been tested on iOS 9.1, but should work on any 9.x firmware.

Install OpenSSH or MTerminal
Log in or SSH into your iOS device as root (default password is alpine)
If you are planning to keep OpenSSH installed on your device then please change your root password, instructions on how to do so can be found here.
Navigate to the following directory: /System/Library/CoreServices/
If you are using SSH then use your preferred editor to open SystemVersion.plist, I used nano to edit the file.
If you are using MTerminal then you will need to install your preferred editor on Cydia.
Open the file and navigate down to the ProductBuildVersion key and change the string value to 13F72.
Go down to the Product Version key and change the string value to 9.3.2, as shown below.
Now save and exit out of the editor, uninstall OpenSSH if you don’t plan on using it again. (Note: if you are using Pangu 9.0.x Untether then it will try to uninstall this when using Cydia as it thinks the system version is in fact 9.3.2 and therefore unsupported)
Reboot your device, it will appear as if you have upgraded your device and ask you to log into iCloud, however everything is still in tact and you are still running the original version of the OS.
Ensure you are on the latest version of the Netflix app and choose a title to watch, press the home button and now you should have a PiP view of the title.

PiP Mode on iOS 9.1

How To: Hack Blackboard to Show Your Grades

Although Blackboard the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) is known for it’s bugs here and there, one that is either down to user error or an issue with the platform is the My Grades tab disappearing from module shells, this simple hack has come in very useful in the past as it allows you to check your grades as long as they have been published without waiting for the My Grades tab to be enabled. There are valid reasons why this tab will sometimes be hidden, such as marks not being moderated and finalised at board level, depending on the level of education.

To access the My Grades tab for any module it is a simple task of URL manipulation, below is the usual format for the My Grades tab, however do note that it varies based on institution.

https://vle.xxx.ac.uk/webapps/bb-mygrades-bb_bb60/myGrades?course_id=000000_1&stream_name=mygrades&is_stream=false

The two parts that need changing are presented in bold, the first being the institution domain and the second is the course ID, this will be different to the course code but can be found by navigating to the shell for the module you want to get the grades of, you then enter the course ID into the URL and the My Grades page will be shown.

If you know the My Grades tab should be visible, then inform your lecturer of this as it is usually just down to user error that it is not shown at the right time.

How To: Recalibrate iOS Device Home Button

One of the most notable issues over time with iOS device users is that after months of use the home button becomes un-responsive, it affects all iOS devices over time and can affect some more than others, generally based upon the use of the device. One way to fix it would simply to return it to Apple and get a replacement, if your device is still in warranty and they allow you to exchange it. However as it’s a mechanical part they may not replace the device itself.

A simple way that fixes the issue for most people, is something you can do yourself and all you need is your device itself. Following these simple steps will in most cases fix the problem and makes your home button a lot more responsive.

Launch one of the stock iOS applications on your device, for example the settings app.
When the app is open, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button at the top of the device until the ‘Slide To Power Off’ slider appears.
Press and hold the iOS home button. Keep the button pressed until the slider disappears and the application quiet back to the Springboard.
The home button is now re-calibrated and should be a lot more responsive.

How To: Disable iPhone Balance Notifications

iPhone balance notifications are probably the only downside to having an iPhone on Pay As You Go, every time you send a message, make a phone call or use data without having a data package in place, you will have to dismiss your balance every time. It may be nice to sometimes see your balance, but if you send a lot of SMS messages like me then it soon gets frustrating.

I decided to research the subject a few months ago to see if there was any way of removing it, a few threads on some forums but no conclusive answer. I got in touch with O2 to get it removed but back then they told me that you couldn’t remove it. There was nothing in Cydia to get rid of it either. But yesterday I got in touch with O2 again, after reading that the carrier can turn it off at their end and I woke up this morning without having to see the balance notification screen. So to remove the balance screen just get in touch with your carrier, whether it be O2 or any other carrier worldwide and they should be able to disable it for you. I hope this has helped and leave your success stories in the comments.

How To: Enable HD Video Recording on The iPhone 3GS

Mike Pan has successfully modified system files on the iPhone 3GS to record HD video at 30fps.
The video is recorded at 1080×800 at up to 20Mbps, this is a big improvement from the default 640×480 at 3Mbps. The unusual size is used to keep the video at the right aspect ratio when recording. You can also change the resolution to 960×720 if you so prefer.

It does take a little longer for the 3GS to focus and the quality won’t be as good as that on the iPhone 4 but it’s a nice improvement especially if you’re not moving the phone a lot.

First of all make sure you have a jailbroken iPhone 3GS on iOS 4.1, then ensure you install OpenSSH and you know your iPhone’s IP Address. Next download the relevant patch files, depending on your resolution prefenrence.

1080×800 Patch
960×720 Patch

Once you have downloaded the relevant patch extract it. In the extracted folder you should have the following files:

Launch your favourite SSH client and connect to your iPhone. Once you’ve connected navigate to /System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app/
Now locate the file N88AP.plist, rename it and add .bak to the end of the filename, this will act as a backup file so that you can revert to the original setting.
Now drag the N88AP.plist that you downloaded and put it in the same folder as the original was in.

Now navigate to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Celestial.framework/N88/
Now locate the files:
– AVCapture.plist
– CameraRollValidator.plist
– MediaValidator.plist

Rename them all and add .bak to the end of the filenames.
Now drag the AVCapture.plist, CameraRollValidator.plist, and MediaValidator.plist files that you downloaded and put it in the same folder as you just navigated to.

Now just restart your iPhone 3GS and your HD video recording will be enabled.

How To: Change Your iPhone’s SSH Password

As many have been prompted by the recent icident, including Dutch iPhones on T-Mobile, the SSH on the iPhone has a default password which most people do not change, leaving themselfs unprotected. Here’s the quick guide to change your root password on your iPhone.

Please note that some guides will change the mobile password, however this will still leave you unprotected so ensure you follow these instructions carefully.

Download ‘MobileTerminal’ from Cydia.
Run MobileTerminal
Type ‘passwd’
Enter your new password
Enter it again
Type ‘su root’
Then Type: ‘alpine’ (iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS) ‘dottie’ (iPhone 2G)
Press Return
Type ‘passwd’
Enter your new password
Enter it again
Now your iPhone is secure from SSH hacking

How To: Disguise An App

So let’s say you have an App on your phone that you really need, but other people would keep going on it and you don’t really want them using it or seeing what it is. Well there is a simple way to disguise an app on your iPhone as anything you want.

Let’s say the app we want to hide is Cycorder.

Getting Started

First of all you have to SSH into your device and go to your Applications folder and open the relevant folder, in this case being Cycorder.app.

Once this is opened you will see the following files:
Cycorder
icon.png
info.plist
loading.png

Note: these will vary on application, but the files needed will remain the same.

Now copy the files icon.png and info.plist to your computer.

Before editing either it’s a good idea to backup the files just in case you go wrong.

Editing The Icon

People using the iPhone will most likely use icons to refer to an app, so changing the icon of the app you wish to hide is the first thing to do.

First you need to get the icon from another app or you could make one yourself. Simply pressing the Home button and Sleep/Wake button will capture a screen shot of your home screen and you edit the icon to the correct size etc.

Note: Always save the icon as a png image and make sure it’s transparent.

Downloading a free app off the App Store would maybe be a better idea for this as it gives you a quick and disposable way to disguise an app. However think about if people are likely to click on it, so find something boring.

Once you’ve edited and saved your new icon, save it as a png and copy it back to the app folder on the iPhone, replacing the original.

Changing The Name

The second way people will know which app is which, is via the name underneath the icon (which by now you will have changed).

To change the name simply open the plist either using a text editor or a dedicated plist editor such as iPodRobot’s plist editor.

Look at the plist and find the tag called
<key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>

and change the value below it what you wish the app to appear as on the home screen.

Once this is done, save the plist and copy it back to your device, overwriting the old one.

Now re-spring or re-boot your device and the application will now be disguised.

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