Fast forward to whenever you unbox an iPhone, you are greeted with sleek design, seamless performance, and a user-friendly interface. It is, however, a device that, like any advanced ones, has considerably many features and hidden functionalities that you might never think about. That would overwhelm you if you were a beginner to iPhone, but the good news is that it certainly doesn’t have to be that complicated to learn how to get the best of it.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the best iPhone tips and tricks that will enhance your experience and make your device a lot finer and efficient. Whether you use an older iPhone or the new model, these tricks will help you to get increased productivity out of it while saving some time and maximizing your new device.
- Home Screen and App Organization Tricks
One of the first things you will want to do with your iPhone is organize your home screen. A cluttered home screen would eventually make it harder to identify the applications you tend to use most often. Here below are a few tips that will improve the organization of your apps and the general home screen experience.
Create Folders for Apps
You can add folders to group similar apps together, giving your home screen neatness and organization. For example, you may provide a folder for all your social media applications; one folder for games; and another for productivity applications.
- How to Created Folder: Tap and hold an app until it begins to jiggle. Drag the app over another app you want to group it with, and a folder will be created automatically. You can then drag more apps into this folder to add them to it.
There are many features in iOS 14 that owners of iPhones can customize to make their app icons unique. It allows the user to create shortcuts and app icons, thus adding a personal touch to the phone.
- Change App Icons: Open the Shortcuts app > Tap on the “+” button to create a new shortcut > Select Add Action > Click on Open App > Choose the app you need > Tap on the three dots in the corner > Click on Add to Home Screen > Tap on the icon next to the shortcut name and select a new image or photo.
App Library
The App Library is the new feature in iOS 14 that automatically organizes all your apps into categories and makes searching for and accessing apps quick and easy. In order to access the App Library, just swipe from the left toward the last screen on your home screen.
- How to Use the App Library: From the App Library, swipe down to access the search bar, enter the name of the app, and hit enter to launch it. This method is great for hiding away all other apps, as you can always access them from the App Library without clutter on your home screen.
- Efficient Multitasking and App Switching
For someone accustomed to the iPhone simplicity, it is also the multitasking features that allow this tool to be most efficient while juggling several apps.
App Switcher
App Switcher is one cool feature that allows for easy switching of applications. Instead of returning to the home screen every time to access a different app, it is possible to use the App Switcher.
- Using App Switcher for iPhone X or later: Simply swipe from the bottom of the screen and hold till you see the app cards. Swipe left and right to find the app you wish to switch to.
This feature is exclusive to iPads but is, however, available as Slide Over and Split View for iPhone users.
While on a phone, the browser could be opened during a video, or mail while simultaneously messaging someone.
The feature can be enjoyed on the iPhone in the following ways.
The video doesn’t have to stop; it could just be minimized down into a small floating streaming window.
How to Use Picture-in-Picture: Upon access through the apps like YouTube or Safari, use the following method: As soon as the video starts, start to swipe up from the bottom; the video then shrinks into the floating window on top of other applications and there you go-you can drag, resize, or even pause by tapping on it.
- How to Personalize Your iPhone Using Widgets
Introduced in iOS 14, widgets enable personalization of your iPhone by adding highly-interactive elements, like weather, calendar, and news updates, directly on the iPhone’s home screen.
How to Add Widgets to Your iPhone Home screen:
- Adding Widgets: Long press on an empty area on the home screen, tap the “+” icon at the top left, and choose a widget. Select the size of the widget to be added to the home screen.
- Widgets Customization: Some widgets are customizable. The Weather app, for example, will let you choose which displays to show: the current weather, an hourly forecast, or a weekly forecast. Click on a widget, and it will take you to customization.
- Using Siri Like a Pro
Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, is an intelligent item for using the telephone hands-free to do tasks quickly and efficiently. Here are tips to make the most of using Siri.
Set Up Siri
If Siri is not set up yet, go to Settings > Siri & Search and turn on Listen for “Hey Siri” and Press Side Button for Siri (depending on your phone model). Follow the directions on the screen to train Siri to understand your speech.
Use Siri for Your Everyday Tasks
Siri will be your assistant in setting reminders, sending text messages, turning on or off devices in your smart home, and even searching for information for you. Some of the jobs Siri can handle are:
- Setting Reminders– Just say, “Hey Siri, remind me to call John at 2 PM.”
- Sending Messages-“Hey Siri, send a message to Alice saying I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
- Opening Apps-“Hey Siri, open Instagram.”
- Controlling Devices-If you have any devices connected to Apple HomeKit, you can control them using Siri. An example could be, “Hey Siri, turn off the lights.”
Create Shortcuts for Regularly Done Tasks
Set a shortcut for commonly done activities by going to the Shortcuts app. As an example, you could create a shortcut that will ask Siri to send a text message, play your favorite playlist, or open a selected website with one command.
- Maximizing Battery Life
The battery life of an iPhone is extremely important; here are a few simple things you might do to make sure it lasts long and does not drain unnecessarily.
Enable Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode reduces the amount of power your phone consumes by disabling some features,such as email fetch, automatic downloads, and visual effects.
With the help of settings, one can turn on Low Power Mode at any time by going to Settings > Battery and enabling it or simply asking Siri to switch on the Low Power Mode.
Monitor Battery Usage
To see what apps are devouring your battery life, go to Settings > Battery. If you see any heavy hitters, consider changing their settings from background activity to not in use, or alternatively deleting apps that you don’t really need.
Utilize Auto-Brightness & Dark Mode
Activating Auto-Brightness functions well to give your phone a brightness suitable for the environment you’re in, thus saving battery power. You can allow Auto-Brightness from Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
Dark Mode also works in minimizing battery consumption for energy-efficient uses by making screen dark (especially beneficial for the OLED screens).
- How to Switch On Dark Mode: You would go to Settings > Display & Brightness and select the Dark option.
- Photographs are Improved, Thanks to These Mods
It is the iPhone cameras quality that makes the iPhones just about the best for photography and videography, while learning how to maximize the potential of your camera will improve your photography and videography skills.
Use Portrait Mode for Professional-Looking Shots
This will allow you to get some great photos with blurred backgrounds and sharp subjects; it is essentially what portrait photography is all about.
- To Use Portrait Mode: Launch Camera, and swipe to Portrait. Place your subject in the frame, and let the iPhone automatically blur the background while keeping the subject sharp.
Use Night Mode for Low-Light Shots
Night Mode automatically kicks in when the lighting is low—great for capturing bright, clear photos when it’s dark.
- How to Use Night Mode: You will see a small moon face in the Camera app telling you that Night mode has kicked in when you find there isn’t enough light. Just hit the shutter button and Night Mode will do the trick.
Take Quick Photos Using the Volume Button
Instead of tapping on the screen to take a picture, you can use one of the volume buttons to take a photo, which is easier when you hold your phone in one hand.
- Enable Volume Button Shutter: Open the Camera app and tap on the volume up or down button to take the picture.
Security and Privacy Features
Keeping your data safe is paramount, and iPhones have many security and privacy features that help protect your personal information.
Setup Face ID or Touch ID
Face ID (for newer iPhones) and Touch ID (for older models) are facial recognition and fingerprint technologies, respectively, which ultimately allow you to unlock your phone securely and make purchases.
- Setup Face ID or Touch ID: Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode or Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, then follow the prompts to set up your preferred login option.
Privacy Settings
Apple’s privacy settings are robust, ensuring your personal data is never compromised. Among the many things, the permissions for which apps can access your microphone, camera, location, etc., can also be managed.
- Manage App Permissions: Go to Settings > Privacy and customize the way each app can access: location, camera, or microphone.
Conclusion
The iPhone is a powerful device, but it becomes even more powerful when you know how to maximize its features. There are many ways to optimize the performance of your phone, take better pictures, and customize the privacy on your device according to your requirements.
You can use your iPhone more efficiently and make the most of the features available. If you know these tricks, you will surely have a better and smoother experience with exploring your iPhone.