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The iPhone is undoubtedly a remarkable device. However, many iPhone owners are still unsure about how to use it properly. Although we might be able to use our iPhones to some extent, there are still some cool things about iPhones and their functionalities that are not well understood. The estimated 1.2 billion iPhone users can call, text, take photos, and surf the internet. But do we know how to use our iPhones? For instance, have you utilized the time travel feature?
Cool Things About iPhones
Alright, I can tell that you briefly doubted our sincerity, but I assure you that there are many features of your device that you may not be aware of yet. If you consider yourself unfamiliar with all the capabilities of your iPhone, then this guide is perfect for you. It will walk you through some of the amazing things that you didn’t know your iPhone was capable of.
1. You can tap the back of your phone
Are you tired of searching for your flashlight or camera on your iPhone? Well, here’s a solution for you! The Back Tap feature on updated iPhones (8 and later models) can instantly activate those or other functions.
According to Tolga Kaya, director of engineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, “You can set some functions [to activate] by tapping the back of your phone.” This means that instead of going through the front touchscreen, you can simply tap the back of your phone to activate certain functions.
For example, Kaya sets her double tap to open the camera and triple tap to the flashlight. All you have to do is tap the back of your iPhone twice, and the Camera will turn on, or three times, and your flashlight will come on. Tap two or three more times, and they go off.
To customize Back Tap shortcuts on your iPhone, you can follow these steps: Go to Settings, then select Accessibility, Touch, and Back Tap. Once you’re there, you can choose from a variety of actions such as mute, screenshot, volume adjustment, accessibility shortcuts, and more. In addition to this, you can also assign Back Tap to open the Camera and Flashlight apps.
Back Tap can work even with a case that isn’t too thick.
2. Erase text
Do you ever find yourself typing out a long message and needing to delete some of it quickly? If so, you’ll be glad to know that the iPhone has a solution. According to William Pickering, a digital marketing executive at The Big Phone Store in Wolverhampton, England, you can shake your device to immediately remove some text you just typed. This will prompt a message asking if you want to “Undo Typing,” which is perfect for taking notes when you’re in a hurry.
It may take a few tries to get it right, but your phone will prompt you whether you want to shake it or not. While it may not be easier than hitting the backspace button, it’s definitely a cool feature to try out. If you find that shaking your phone doesn’t undo your typing, you can check the “shake to undo” setting under Accessibility > Touch.
3. Activate a secret mouse
Sarah McConomy is the COO at SellCell.com, a phone trade-in website. She particularly likes the iPhone’s secret mouse.
“If you are in an email or typing a long text and want to change something, it can be difficult to go back to where you need to unless you activate the iPhone’s secret mouse,” McConomy said.
“Turning on the hidden mouse track is simple: Simply press and hold the space bar; you can then use your finger to navigate as a mouse. This little trick will save you time if you are crafting a long email.”
4. Stop accidentally ending calls
If you accidentally end calls by pressing the power button by mistake, McConomy said that Apple’s latest iPhone software update, iOS 16, has solved this issue for you.
“With the new iOS 16, you can end this by heading over to Settings, Accessibility, Touch, and then going to ‘Prevent Lock to End Call.’ At last, the call will only be cut when you press the ‘end call.'”
Hidden cool iPhone features that will make your life easier
Want to get the most out of your Apple phone? This secret iPhone features guide has you covered
You’ve paid (and are still paying) a lot for your iPhone, so it makes sense to get the most out of it, right? Thankfully, there’s a lot to be brought out of your Apple device and the ever-expanding iOS, with a seemingly endless list of tips, hacks, and hidden iPhone features that help ensure you get your money’s worth and make your life a little easier.
Here’s a list of our favorite little-known iPhone features, which we love and use daily. And be sure to check out our guide on how to speed up your iPhone.
If you want to enhance your iPhone experience, you may find our guide to the best iPhone accessories helpful. Additionally, we have guides on the best cases for iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max to help you find the perfect one to protect your device.
Hidden Cool iPhone Features Everyone Should know
1. Customize your iOS Control Center
One iPhone hack that I find really helpful is customizing the Control Center. By adding your favorite and frequently used widgets to the Control Center, you can access them quickly with just a simple swipe down, even when your iPhone is locked. This feature is especially handy when you need to use a certain app or function urgently. Personally, I find the Music Recognition feature the most useful – no more fumbling around trying to find the Shazam app before the song ends!
To customize the Control Center apps, go to Settings, then Control Center. Scroll down to the More Controls section and add any controls that you think will be useful in the moment.
2. Use Back Tap for extra iPhone controls
With Back Tap, you can assign a variety of functions to both double and triple finger taps on the back of your iPhone. This feature is similar to using gestures on a trackpad. For instance, I use Double Tap to activate my Torch and Triple Tap to open my Camera. These functions are particularly useful when I’m holding my iPhone 13 Pro Max at odd angles and can’t reach the lock screen icons or the Control Center pull-down.
You can set up different time-saving and Accessibility functions, and you can even combine the feature with Shortcuts for more customization. You can find Back Tap in the Accessibility menu on your iPhone. If you need help enabling Back Tap, check out our guide with step-by-step instructions.
3. Unlock the interactive iOS weather map
While all iPhone 13 models are waterproofed to the IP68 standard, getting stuck out in the rain is still no fun. The iOS Weather app has you covered with an easy-to-read interactive weather map so you can easily see the day ahead’s weather and never get caught short again.
With a scrolling 12-hour forecast for anywhere on the planet, featuring temperate, precipitation, and air quality overlays, and all your locations pinned, the app’s weather map virtually turns you into a weather reporter. It is difficult to stop using once you’ve started. To get started, click the map icon in the screen’s bottom-left corner in the Weather app. See our guide on accessing interactive maps in the Apple Weather app for more info.
4. Share whatever is on your screen using Siri
iOS 15 has introduced a new feature that allows you to share your screen with a contact using Siri. Instead of manually pressing the share button, you can use Siri to quickly share whatever is on your screen. This feature can come in handy when you want to share something quickly but your hands are occupied. You can share an image, a photo, or even a song you’re listening to on Spotify. In case Siri is unable to share your screen with the Weather app, it will take a screenshot and send it instead. To share your screen with a contact, simply say “Hey Siri, share this with…” followed by the name of the person you want to share it with.
5. Access the iPhone’s hidden trackpad
Even individuals with petite hands can find the compact keyboards of phone screens somewhat challenging, and scrolling through large amounts of text to locate a specific spot can be a fiddly task. However, to assist with this, iPhone has a hidden trackpad that can scan your screen quickly and precisely.
To activate the hidden trackpad, press and hold the space bar on your iPhone’s keyboard. This will transform your keyboard into a trackpad. For more information on enabling the hidden trackpad on iPhone or iPad, please refer to our guide.
Things Only iPhone Users Can Do
For many, it isn’t easy to imagine life before smartphones.
At the same time, it’s hard to believe that the original Apple iPhone, considered a genuine unicorn at the time thanks to its superior experience and stunning, rainbow-worthy display, was released over ten years ago.
Even though the iPhone is older than most grade school students, some of its capabilities remain a mystery.
Sure, we all hear about the latest, most excellent features, but what about those lingering in the background just waiting to be discovered?
Getting your hands wrapped around those capabilities separates you, a soon-to-be power user, from those who have yet to truly unleash their full potential.
So, what are you waiting for? Release that unicorn and let it run free like the productivity powerhouse it was always meant to be.
Here are nine ways to get started.
1. Get Back Your Closed Tabs
We’ve all done it. While moving between tabs or screens, our fingers tap the little “x” and close a vital browser tab.
With the iPhone, all is not lost. You can get that epic unicorn meme back from oblivion!
The included Safari browser makes recovering a recently closed tab a breeze.
2. Smarter Photo Searching
Searching through photos hasn’t always been the most intuitive process…until now.
Before, you had to rely on labels and categories to support search functions. But now, thanks to new machine learning-supported features, the photos app is more powerful than ever.
The iPhone can recognize thousands of objects, regardless of whether you’ve identified them. That means you can search using keywords to find images with specific items or those featuring a particular person.
Put the keyword in the search box and let the app do the hard part.
3. Find Out Who’s Calling
Sometimes, you can’t simply look at your iPhone’s screen to see who’s calling. You may be across the room, are driving down the road, or have the phone safely secured while jogging.
Regardless of the reason, just grabbing it quickly isn’t an option. But that doesn’t mean you want to sprint across the room, pull your car over, or stop your workout to find out it’s a robo-dial.
You can avoid this problem by setting up Siri to announce who’s calling. Then, you’ll always know if you want to stop what you’re doing to answer before you break away from the task at hand.
4. Stop Squinting to Read Fine Print
Fine print is the donkey we all face regularly in the business world. You can only sign up for a service or review a contract if you meet petite font sizes.
Thanks to the iPhone, you don’t have to strain your eyes (and likely give yourself a headache) to see everything you need to see when faced with fine print on paper. Open the Magnifier, and your Camera will now be a magnifying glass.
5. Clear Notifications En Masse
Yes, notifications can be significant. They let you know what’s happening without opening every app individually.
But, if you last tend to your iPhone a while ago, they can pile up quickly. And who has the time to handle a massive list of notifications one at a time?
iPhones that feature 3D Touch (iPhone 6S or newer) can let you clean all your messages simultaneously.
6. Close Every Safari Tab Simultaneously
iPhones running iOS 10 can simultaneously support an “unlimited” number of Safari tabs. While this is great if you like keeping many sites open, it can get out of hand quickly if you don’t formally close the ones you don’t need.
If you have more tabs open than stars in the sky, you can set yourself free and close them all at once.
7. Request Desktop Site
While mobile sites are handy for the optimized experience, they can also be very limiting. Only some mobile versions have the features you need to complete things, but requesting the desktop version wasn’t always the most straightforward process.
Now, you can get to the entire desktop site with ease. Just press and hold on the refresh button at the top of the browser screen, and you’ll be given the option to request the desktop site.
