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It’s surprising just how much we don’t grasp what our iPhone can do. Apple packs a lot of iPhone tricks inside the iPhone that many users simply don’t know exist or don’t know how to use.
In less than five minutes, we’ll show you 25 things you didn’t know
your iPhone could do. All but one of these will work on every iPhone
model from the iPhone 4s newer.
You don’t need to buy any iPhone accessories or iPhone apps to use
these iPhone tricks. For more on how to use your new iPhone, check out 37 iPhone tips and hidden features.
Learn new iPhone tricks by checking out these cool things you didn’t know the iPhone could do.
All of these iPhone tricks work on iOS 8, and most of them will work
on iOS 7 as well. If you have not upgraded, you can follow these instructions.
Remind Yourself at Specific Places
Once you train the iPhone where you live, work and other important
locations you can use Siri to set reminders for when you arrive or
leave. Open Siri and say, remind me to take out the trash when I get
home. Or if you are at someone’s house and don’t want to forget
something, say,” Remind me to take my coat when I leave.”
Use the iPhone Flashlight
You don’t need to download an iPhone flashlight app to use the camera
flash to light your way. With the screen on, slide up from the bottom
of the iPhone screen. Tap on the flashlight icon on the left. To turn
the flashlight off, just repeat this process. It is a handy way to light
your path. It will not damage your iPhone, but the battery will drain
faster.
Carry Loyalty Cards
You can replace almost all of the plastic cards on your keys and in
your wallet with Apple’s Passbook. This free app connects to many iPhone
apps to let you place a digital version of your loyalty card in an easy
to reach place. Pull down on any home screen and search Passbook to
find the app and when you are in some stores you will see a notification
on the bottom of the screen with the pass. If you have apps, that let
you show your loyalty card look for an option to send to Passbook.
Pay with Your iPhone
If you own the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus you can use your iPhone as a
wallet to make a payment. Mobile payments work at stores that show an
Apple Pay logo or that show a small wave icon on the cash register.
Learn how to set up Apple Pay
and then you’ll always have your debit and credit cards. You need a
participating bank and participating stores for this to work, but the
number of banks and stores grows every day.
Read Text Messages on iPad or Computer
You can link your iPhone to your Mac and your iPad so that when you get a text message on your iPhone it will show up on your computer. Use this guide to connect the iPhone and iPad or Mac so that you can see your text messages, not just iMessages, on your iPad or computer.Control Your iTunes Library or Apple TV
Download the free remote app for your iPhone and then sing in with iCloud. With this app, you can control music or movies in iTunes, and you can control your Apple TV without hunting for the remote. The remote control feature is all done without wires or other accessories. You will need to link the iPhone remote app to iTunes once to make this work. To do this open iTunes, click on the remote icon and then enter a six digit code.
Charge the iPhone Faster
If you only have a few minutes to charge your iPhone, you need to use this iPhone trick to get more power in the time you have an outlet. Quick charging works in a car or at an outlet.
Swipe the Control Center up and tap on the Airplane icon. The tap turns on Airplane mode. Leave your iPhone sit without touching it and it will charge faster when in Airplane mode. This stops incoming calls, texts, and other notifications, but if you only have 5-20 minutes to charge it is worth using this trick. When charging is complete, turn airplane mode off.
Shake to Undo
In the words of Taylor Swift, “Shake it off.” You can shake the iPhone to undo what you just typed. Shaking is a handy way to erase a long message without holding backspace for 30 seconds. When you are in the text area, shake the phone back and forth and you’ll see an alert asking if you want to undo your text.
Teach Siri How to Say Names
If Siri cannot say your name or a contact’s name correctly, you can teach the digital assistant the right way to say a name. Hold your home button to turn Siri on and get Siri to say the name you want to correct. Then tap the button again and tell Siri, “That’s not how you pronounce the name.”
Now when prompted, say the name correctly three times and then pick the best pronunciation.
iPhone Sleep Timer
The iPhone includes a timer in the clock app that is useful for more than just remembering to do something. Instead of making a noise you can use the iPhone timer as a sleep timer to stop almost any app from playing music. In the timer section, tap on the When Timer Ends and scroll to the bottom of the list to choose Stop Playing.
Use Your iPhone as a Level
There is a compass app on the iPhone, but if you swipe to the right and lay the iPhone flat or on the side it turns into a level. You can use this to see if a painting is hung level or lay it flat to see if a table or another surface is level.
Type Faster with Keyboard Shortcuts
You can teach the iPhone keyboard shortcuts so that you can type three or four letters and turn it into your email, address or other common phrases. You can even teach the iPhone keyboard your coffee order or lunch order so that you can send it quickly to a friend who is picking up coffee or lunch.
Go to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts and enter the Phrase and the Shortcut.
Set Custom Vibrations for Each Caller
Apple lets you create custom vibrations so that each caller sends a different vibration to your iPhone when they call or text. If you keep your iPhone on silent and want to know who sent a text or a call, this is the option for you.
Go to Contacts, find the contact you want and then tap on Edit. Next, you need to scroll to Text Tone and Vibration. Tap on Vibration and then on Create New Vibration
iPhone as a Remote Control
The iPhone doesn’t include an IR port like most Android phones, but
you can still use it to control your TV if you pay for cable or
satellite service.
Search for the app from your cable company and then sign in to your
account. You should now be able to use the app to control your cable or
satellite box. This isn’t a full-fledged remote with support for your
TV, but it is helpful in many situations.
Sometimes dictation cannot handle the names and places you are trying to communicate to another iPhone user. Instead, tap and hold on the microphone button and record an audio message. Slide up to send or to the left to cancel the message. By default these audio messages expire after two minutes.
When a friend is trying to meet you somewhere you can quickly share your current location from the Messages app so that they can see where you are on a map and navigate to it.
Send an Audio Message
Sometimes dictation cannot handle the names and places you are trying to communicate to another iPhone user. Instead, tap and hold on the microphone button and record an audio message. Slide up to send or to the left to cancel the message. By default these audio messages expire after two minutes.
Quickly Share Your Current Location
When a friend is trying to meet you somewhere you can quickly share your current location from the Messages app so that they can see where you are on a map and navigate to it.
In a message tap on Details and then on Send My Current Location.
If you chose to Share My Location, the user will be able to see your
location even after you move for a period of one hour, one day or
indefinitely.
Group Messages can get out of hand, and now you can leave a group message if it is all on iMessage or you can choose to set it as Do Not Disturb for that group message only.
Read: iPhone Message Tips
Tap on Details and then scroll down to Leave this Conversation. If you cannot leave the conversation you can turn on Do Not Disturb, which will at least give you some peace.
If you turn on a new Hey Siri feature you can use the iPhone without holding the home button. The iPhone needs connected to power for this to work, which means it is best used in a car or on your nightstand. Use this guide to turn on Hey Siri and then whenever the iPhone is connected to power you can say, “Hey Siri” and then tell the service what you want it to do.
As long as you are on iOS 8 you can turn your iPhone into an emergency medical ID that first responders can access even if your iPhone is locked. Here you can include emergency contacts, medical information and other details that EMS or police may need to know. Go to the Health App -> Medical ID -> Create Medical ID. Now add your medical information in the appropriate fields.
Leave or Mute a Group Message
Group Messages can get out of hand, and now you can leave a group message if it is all on iMessage or you can choose to set it as Do Not Disturb for that group message only.
Read: iPhone Message Tips
Tap on Details and then scroll down to Leave this Conversation. If you cannot leave the conversation you can turn on Do Not Disturb, which will at least give you some peace.
Use Siri Without Touching Your iPhone
If you turn on a new Hey Siri feature you can use the iPhone without holding the home button. The iPhone needs connected to power for this to work, which means it is best used in a car or on your nightstand. Use this guide to turn on Hey Siri and then whenever the iPhone is connected to power you can say, “Hey Siri” and then tell the service what you want it to do.
Turn Your iPhone into a Medical ID
As long as you are on iOS 8 you can turn your iPhone into an emergency medical ID that first responders can access even if your iPhone is locked. Here you can include emergency contacts, medical information and other details that EMS or police may need to know. Go to the Health App -> Medical ID -> Create Medical ID. Now add your medical information in the appropriate fields.
Share iPhone Apps, Music and Movies
You no longer need to buy a separate copy of an app or a movie to share it with other people in your family and you don’t need to share an Apple ID and password. With the new Family Sharing option, you can link members of your family together so you can all use the same apps and access the same entertainment. Here’s how to set this up and how you can use Family Sharing on the iPhone to manage in-app purchases for your kids as well.
Read Webpages Easier
Sometimes reading a web page is not very easy due to ads or small font sizes. If you read web pages in Safari on the iPhone you can use the reading mode. This creates a cleaner look and it also lets you change the font size to match your eyes.
When you are on a web page look for a small four-line icon next to the web address. This switches to reading mode. Tap on the A |A to change the font size. When you are done you can tap on the four-line icon to exit.
Quickly Share Photos, Files & Links
Apple includes AirDrop that lets you quickly send photos, videos, files, links and more wirelessly to another iPhone or Mac. This is faster than uploading to a service or sending as an email and depending on the size of the file it is almost instantaneous.
When you are on a file you want to share, tap the share icon that you would normally use to send by email or as a message. Look for other users in the top of the sharing section as a circle. Tap on the circle to wirelessly send the file to another iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Send a Photo or Video with a Tap in Messages
Apple makes sending a photo or video to another user fast thanks to the new Messages app. Tap and hold the camera icon on the left side of the screen. Slide to the right to record a video or up to take a photo. If you take a photo it will send almost instantly. When you record a video you can review it and then choose to send or cancel it.
Share the iPhone’s Internet Connection
Apple includes a Personal Hotspot feature on the iPhone. This is a fancy way of saying you can share the iPhone’s internet connection with an iPad, laptop or other WiFi device. Most new plans include a personal hotspot feature at no extra charge. If you are unsure, the iPhone will prompt you to call your carrier if you don’t have this as part of your plan.
Go to Settings -> Personal Hotspot -> On and set up a password. Look for the iPhone name on your other devices. You can share to almost any device, not just other Apple products
