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My 7 favorite iPhone tricks you’ll use time after time
Have you ever looked at your iPhone or iPad user guide? I mean, read through all 100-plus pages of it?
Chances are, like most people, you were so excited when you got your new Apple gear that you forgot all about the user guide. That’s too bad because buried deep inside its pages are some really clever tricks.
Good news. The following seven iPhone tips and tricks are not only cool but useful. Even if you’re an Apple devotee, chances are good that you don’t know about one or two of these.
So, are you ready to read about iPhone tricks that’ll impress your family and friends, and make your life a little easier? Let’s go.
1. Display zoom
Do you ever have trouble reading your iPhone without your reading glasses? Or perhaps you have a hands-free holder in your car that places your screen just far enough away that it’s hard to read maps or directional prompts? Here’s a quick way to instantly make everything on your screen a bit bigger. Note: This works for iPhone Plus models only.
The feature is called Display Zoom. Go to Settings >> Display & Brightness >> View >> Display Zoom.
2. See every photo and video you’ve sent
Do you ever look back over the photos and videos you’ve texted someone? We all have. After all, no one takes more meaningful pictures about your life than you. Or, maybe you’d love to look through the collection of photos that someone has texted you.
You may not realize there’s a really simple way to take a look back at all the photos and videos you’ve sent someone. It’s like a scrolling timeline that’ll make you laugh and bring a tear to your eyes.
Here’s how: From Messages, open the message thread with that person >> press the Details icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. From there you can view all the photo attachments sent to and from that person.
3. Speed up your iPhone with a better restart
The next time your iPhone starts slowing down, give it some pep with a restart. But, before you lose all the apps you’ve got open, do this instead.
Simply hold down your power button until you see the message, “Slide to Power Off.” Then hold down your Home button for about five seconds.
Your iPhone will open up a refreshed homepage. It’ll look unchanged, but when you tap on any of your apps, they’ll reload. The best part is, you should notice your iPhone running faster, too.
4. Charge fast in a pinch
Say you only have a few minutes to grab as much battery recharge as you can, maybe before boarding a flight or going into a meeting. Putting your phone in Airplane Mode will allow it to charge just a bit faster.
Airplane Mode turns off all the radios, including cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your Apple gadget. Not only does that save the juice that it would have been using to power those transmitters, your gadget won’t suddenly begin downloading a big email attachment.
Here’s how: To access Airplane Mode >> swipe up from the bottom of your Home Screen to open the Control Center >> tap the airplane icon on the far left. You can also go into Settings and slide Airplane Mode to on. It’ll turn green and a plane symbol will show up in the top left corner of the screen.
Do you have more than just a couple of minutes? To charge the fastest in a hurry, plug your iPhone in and then turn off your phone so it draws no power at all.
5. Use safer passcodes with letters
iPhones used to only allow you to create a four-digit passcode for protection.
Do the math on that and you’ll realize that allows just 10,000 passcode combinations. Now consider that someone watching you might see the simple combination you use to enter your passcode. Or, someone who knows you well might guess your four-digit passcode based on your birthday, street address or another PIN you use a lot.
Now, Apple gives you the chance to create stronger alternatives. You can choose between a four-digit numeric code, a six-digit numeric code, a custom numeric code, or a custom alphanumeric code. These options are more secure than the original four-digit option.
Go to Settings >> Touch ID & Passcode >> Tap Turn Passcode On >> Enter a six-digit passcode or tap Passcode Options and choose among the options we’ve listed above >> Enter your passcode again to confirm it and activate it.
6. Take a photo without unlocking your screen
Is there anything worse than missing a great photo? You know how it goes. Your dog or cat or your kid does something so incredibly adorable that you just have to share it with the world.
But, a lot of times you miss the shot. By the time you grab your iPhone, unlock the lock screen, tap your photo app and take the shot, that cute moment where your kid is looking up at you with a big smile on her face has passed.
Don’t miss another spontaneous shot. Instead, from your lock screen, swipe up and tap the little camera icon in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. Your camera is open and ready to go.
7. Invert your screen colors
Say you are browsing in a dark place, like a restaurant, but you don’t want to disturb other people. You can’t dim your screen but you won’t be able to see.
Plus, turning down the screen brightness reduces the contrast between the text you are trying to read and your screen’s background. This little-known trick will help you: turn your screen from white to black and the letters from black to white. (See photo.)
The people sitting near you will appreciate how much less light your gadget is creating, and so will your eyes. Note: Be sure to turn it back. Photographs will also be reversed like a film negative.
Go to Settings >> General >> Accessibility >> >> tap Display Accommodations >> turn on Invert Colors.
We’ve got an easy way to share these surprising iPhone secrets with your family and friends. Just click on one of the links below to share this article on your favorite social media networks.
And speaking of iPhone tricks, learn the secret to stopping a text message before it sends incorrectly.
Tags: addresses, Apple, apps, battery, camera, car, email, family, Feature, film, friends, guide, home, love, models, phone, photos, restart, settings, social media, speed, Touch ID, tricks, video, videos, Wi-Fi, Zoom
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