Think you’ve mastered your iPhone? Think again. Apple’s iOS is packed with a wealth of hidden features that can make your device more efficient, intuitive, and personalized. From simplifying daily tasks to unlocking advanced capabilities, these 20 tricks from Sam Beckman will help you maximize your iPhone’s potential and enhance your overall experience.
Set Timers and Play Background Sounds Effortlessly
Timers are just a voice command away. Simply ask Siri to set a countdown for activities like cooking, exercising, or multitasking. This hands-free approach ensures you stay on track without needing to navigate through apps. Additionally, your iPhone can generate calming background sounds such as rain, ocean waves, or white noise. To access these, enable “Background Sounds” through the Control Center. These features are perfect for creating a focused or relaxing environment, whether you’re working, meditating, or winding down.
Customize Your Home Screen Like a Pro
Your home screen is more than a static grid of apps—it’s a dynamic canvas for personalization. iOS offers tools to make your home screen both functional and visually appealing:
- Swipe through multiple pages using the page indicator at the bottom of the screen to organize apps by category or purpose.
- Hide the dock for a cleaner aesthetic by using specially designed wallpapers that blend seamlessly with your layout.
- Use Focus modes to automatically adjust your home screen based on your activity, such as work, leisure, or fitness.
These options allow you to tailor your iPhone’s interface to suit your lifestyle and preferences.
Simplify App Management
Managing apps doesn’t have to be tedious. iOS provides intuitive shortcuts to streamline the process:
- Long-press the App Store icon to quickly check for updates or search for new apps without navigating through menus.
- Reorganize your home screen efficiently by dragging one app icon and tapping others to group them together for simultaneous movement.
These features make it easier to keep your apps organized and accessible, saving you time and effort.
Unlock Hidden Photo Editing Tools
The Photos app is equipped with powerful editing tools that go beyond basic adjustments:
- Perfect your hand-drawn shapes by holding your finger on the screen after drawing. The app will automatically refine the shape for a polished look.
- Quickly crop photos by pinching to zoom and adjusting the frame directly, eliminating the need for multiple steps.
These tools make photo editing faster, more precise, and accessible, even for beginners.
Explore Advanced Accessibility Features
Apple’s accessibility settings are designed to enhance usability for everyone, offering features that go beyond their intended purpose:
- Enable “Reduce White Point” to dim your screen beyond the default brightness slider, ideal for low-light environments or reducing eye strain.
- Use “Guided Access” to lock your phone to a single app, minimizing distractions during focused tasks like studying or presenting.
These features not only improve accessibility but also provide practical solutions for everyday challenges.
Master Typing and Text Selection
Your keyboard is more versatile than it appears, offering shortcuts to improve typing and text navigation:
- Turn the keyboard into a trackpad by pressing and holding the spacebar for precise cursor placement, making text editing more efficient.
- Highlight measurements, dates, or currency in text to trigger instant unit conversions, saving you the trouble of using a separate app.
- Disable “Shake to Undo” and instead use three-finger gestures for undoing or redoing text edits, providing a more seamless experience.
These features make typing and editing on your iPhone faster and more intuitive.
Speed Up Email and Safari Navigation
Navigating apps like Mail and Safari can be time-consuming, but these shortcuts simplify the process:
- In the Mail app, swipe with two fingers to select multiple emails at once, making it easier to organize or delete messages in bulk.
- In Safari, long-press tabs to close all tabs at once or organize them into groups for better browsing and multitasking.
These tips help you manage your digital workflow more efficiently, saving valuable time.
Capture Better Photos with Burst Mode
For action shots or group photos, burst mode is an invaluable tool. By holding down the shutter button, your iPhone captures multiple frames in quick succession. This ensures you’ll have a variety of shots to choose from, increasing your chances of capturing the perfect moment. Burst mode is especially useful for photographing fast-moving subjects or making sure everyone in a group photo is smiling.
Navigate Apps More Efficiently
Jumping between sections of an app doesn’t have to be cumbersome. Long-press the title bar at the top of an app to quickly return to previous pages or sections. This feature is particularly helpful in apps with deep menus or multiple layers, allowing you to navigate more efficiently and focus on what matters most.
Discover the Full Potential of Your iPhone
These hidden features are designed to make your iPhone experience smoother, more efficient, and highly customizable. Whether you’re managing apps, editing photos, or navigating menus, these tricks can enhance your daily tasks and simplify how you interact with your device. Start exploring these tools today to unlock new possibilities and make the most of your iPhone’s capabilities.
Unlock more potential in iPhone hidden features by reading previous articles we have written.
- iPhone HACKS: 10+ Hidden Features in iOS 18 – 18.2!
- 12 Hidden iPhone Features That Will Change Everything
- Level Up Your iPhone: 50+ Hidden iOS 18 Features You Need to
- How to Unlock Hidden iPhone Features for a Better Experience
- iPhone 16 & 16 Plus: MUST-KNOW Tips, Tricks & Hidden Features
Source & Image Credit: Sam Beckman
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