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.
(Note:
Keep reading for a simple way to share these secrets on social media,
to impress them with these tricks, before everyone knows about them.)
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.
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 Details in the upper-right corner of the screen. From there you can view all the photo attachments sent to 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.
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, turn off your
phone so it draws no power at all.
5. Use safer passcodes with letters
Be
default, iPhones only allow a four-digit number as your screen-lock
passcode. Apple calls this Simple Passcode for a reason. 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.
There's a more secure, easy way to create an iPhone passcode.
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 from the little camera icon on 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 >> 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.
