Send and Receive Files with Your iPhone Via Bluetooth [Jailbreak Superguide]

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From the earliest iPhone and iPod Touch models, Apple opted to disable OBEX — aka Bluetooth file transfers on its devices for security reasons.  Now, thanks to iBlueNova, a Cydia app well worth the $5.99 price tag, you can transfer files — music, pics, etc., — to and from your iDevices. Here’s Cult of Mac’s how-to guide to get you started.

What you’ll need:

  • A jailbroken iPhone/iPod Touch with Cydia installed.
  • Wi-Fi and Internet access on the device.
  • iBlueNova Cydia application worth $5.99

1. To start, you’ll need a jailbroken device with Cydia installed. If you need to jailbreak your device, please check out our jailbreak guides. Press the Cydia icon to open it.

2. After Cydia is done refreshing, choose the ‘Sections’ tab on the bottom and then select ‘System.’

3. Open iBlueNova and press ‘Purchase package’ to buy the app. After purchasing, download and install the app.

4. Open iBlueNova on your iPhone, then select the info option at bottom of the list. Enter your Cydia Store ID to register the application.

5. To enable file sharing, flip the ‘Enable’ switch to turn it on. Then choose the ‘Visible’ option to make your device visible to other Bluetooth devices.

6. To search for nearby devices, go to ‘Device discovery’ option. It will show you Bluetooth-enabled devices nearby. You can also favorite devices by tapping the star icon after the device name.

7. To send pictures, go to the ‘Pictures’ option and choose the pic you want to transfer. Then press the send button on the lower right hand of the screen and select a device from the discovery screen or use the refresh button to search for more devices. The transfer should begin immediately.

To transfer music from your iPhone playlist, use the ‘Music’ option and then select the way you want to sort the music – by individual tracks, by artists, by albums or  ringtone. Then simply tap on a track you want to send or search for it by using the spotlight bar located on the top. Press the send button on the top right to send or play it.

To send a video file from your device, tap the video option and then select the category. Press the file name to transfer or the gray arrow to view.

To send a file on the iPhone filesystem, tap the ‘Other files’ option and select a file to transfer.

NOTE: The last step to transfer selecting the file is the same as for sending pictures. All other media can be sent in the same manner.

8. To manage transfers, just tap open the ‘Transfers’ option. From this menu you’ll  see the transfer status. You can also cancel transfers  and clear the list to remove any completed or failed transfers.

9. To receive a files via Bluetooth on your iPhone, just use the ‘Send’ option from another Bluetooth-enabled device while running the iBlueNova app. When it prompts you to allow the transfer, hit ‘Yes.’ When the transfer is complete, it will show up in the ‘Other’ option on your device. From here, you can delete, cut/copy and paste single or multiple files using the ‘edit’ button on the top right and then tapping the button near the bottom-right. When prompted, tap ‘Yes’ to confirm. You can also browse the file system using the arrow button on the bottom left.

10. You can also customize the application by enabling auto-search, vibrate mode, re-enabling on closure and a few security and image-related options. You can also set the save path for each media type (/private/var/mobile/Media/Downloads by default) by tapping on them and then navigating to another directory using the arrow button and then hitting ‘Done’ on the top right button.

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