Your iPhone is a powerful tool that can do your daily life is easier and more productive. However, many users are unaware of the hidden features and capabilities that can save a lot of time.
This is written by RBC-Ukraine (Styler project) with a link to the MacRumors news website related to Apple products.
Quick transition from numbers to letters
On the iPhone, it is often having to switch between keyboards when entering a number or character. Here's a tip on how to do it in a flash.
Instead of pressing the “123” key to switch to the numeric and character keyboard, hold it down and slide your finger over the desired key, then release. This action will enter the number/symbol you want and automatically switch you back to the alphabet layout, eliminating the need for three separate taps to achieve the same result.
Remove the last number in the calculator
It is a common mistake that if you enter the wrong number in the “Calculator” application, you have to start all over again. Fortunately, that's not the case: simply swipe right or left on the number display to delete the last entered number. Repeat the action if necessary to remove multiple numbers.
Assign Back Tap to the back panel
The Back Tap feature allows you to assign an action to be performed when you double or triple tap the back panel your iPhone. You can use it to launch a specific app, call up Control Center, enable/disable rotation lock, activate Zoom, call up the camera, or even launch a command.
To assign an action to a double or triple tap, go to Settings, then Universal Access, then under Accessibility, select Touch. Scroll down and select “Back Tap”, then set the action to double or triple tap by selecting it from the list.
Volume Control
When adjusting the volume on your iPhone, why repeatedly press the buttons , if you can press once and then control the volume on the screen with your finger? Not only is it faster, but it also allows you to adjust the volume level more precisely.
Use a hidden trackpad keyboard
Did you know that the virtual keyboard has a hidden trackpad feature? Press the spacebar and the keyboard turns into a trackpad, allowing you to move the cursor with the text you've written. Touching the trackpad with another finger also allows you to highlight text.
Disabling app rating requests
If you frequently download new apps, you're probably familiar with the annoying “rate this app” prompts that occasionally distract you. Fortunately, they can be easily turned off. Go to Settings, then App Store, and turn off the switch next to Built-in ratings and reviews.
Long press the Back button
If you're deep in menu of a system app like Settings, you don't need to tap the back button in the upper left corner multiple times to return to the top menu. Just hold this button to see a pop-up window with previous screens that you can quickly go back through.
QuickTake Video
On iPhone 11 and above can record video without switching from photo mode. To quickly record a video in the Camera app, simply hold down the shutter button, then release it to stop recording. To continue recording without holding down the button, slide the shutter button to the right.
Quick timer setting
To quickly set a timer, bring up the Control Center by swiping down diagonally from the top-right corner of the screen, then holding the Timer button. Swipe up to set the timer duration, then tap Start.
If you need a longer or more specific time, just ask Siri to set the timer.
Creating a speed dial button
If you regularly call the same people, why not create a speed dial button to call them directly from your home screen?
Open the Commands app and click the “+” button in the upper right corner. Click Add Action, then select one of the suggested contacts from the Call bar. Next, click the “Share” button at the bottom and select “Add to Home Screen”.
Give the shortcut a name, select the contact's photo if you have one, and click “Add” to place it on your Home screen screen.
Copy and paste photo editing
Have multiple photos that you want to edit the same way, or have you made changes to one that you want to repeat on others? Use the new copy and paste tools in iOS 16.
In the Photos app, first open an image, then click Edit and make the necessary adjustments. When you're done, tap Done, then tap the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
From the drop-down menu, select “Copy Changes” to copy everything you've done to the image to the clipboard. Then open another photo or select several in your library, tap the dot icon again, and click Paste Changes to apply the same settings.
One-touch scroll up
This is an old tip , but one of the best and easily forgotten.
When browsing Safari web pages, long menus, or app feeds, tap the status bar at the top of the iPhone screen to quickly return to the beginning. If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 and Dynamic Island isn't in use, tapping it does the same thing.
Double tap for Caps Lock
Most people know that you can access uppercase letters by pressing the Shift key, but there is no obvious way to enable Caps Lock. However, if you simply double-tap the Shift key, it will turn into the Caps Lock key.
One-touch cropping
In previous versions of iOS, cropping images required several steps: go to edit mode, select crop tool and adjust the crop using two-finger zoom gestures or by dragging the corners of the crop tool.
In iOS 17, Apple simplified the process. Now, when you zoom in on any selected photo in your library, a new Crop button automatically appears in the top right corner of the screen. When you click on it, you will see the full crop interface with the selected zoom level.
Thus, you can crop the desired part of the image, rotate it, invert it, apply the aspect ratio of the screen or use the markup tools – with just a few taps. When you're done, just tap Done and your photo will be cropped exactly how you want it.
Quick Message Search
Previously in iOS 16, you could type a word or phrase into the search box Apple's Messages app, and it returned relevant results, but there was no way to filter messages to make it easier to find what you were looking for.
Fortunately, in iOS 17, Apple improved the search function, allowing you to combine search queries and narrow down the results to quickly find the messages you want. If you're looking for a picture or link from a specific person, for example, enter the person's name first, then click 'Message from: [person's name]'.
Then select the 'Photo' or 'Link' filter , which will appear, and “Messages” will further narrow the search results. You can then type in an additional keyword and Messages will show you any links or images that contain that word.
Quick access to photos in Messages
In the previous version of iOS 16, in order to share photos, you had to tap the Photos icon in the app row below the text input field to access the photo library. But in iOS 17, the Photos button is gone, so it looks like you have to press the “+” button to the left of the text input field to select photos.
Fortunately, accessing photos doesn't have to take two steps instead of one. If you press and hold the “+” button, you'll immediately go to your photo library, where you can select the images you want to send.
Quick replies in messages
Until iOS 17 to reply to a specific message in the Messages app required a long hold on it and then pressing Reply. But Apple's Swipe to Reply feature speeds up the process and helps you keep track of which message you're replying to with visual cues.
- Select an iMessage conversation, find the specific message you want to reply to. Swipe right on this message.
- The selected message will be highlighted and a text field will appear allowing you to type your reply and press Send.
- To return to the main conversation, tap the blurred background.
Notice the visual branch that indicates the nested relationship between your reply and the original message, especially useful in group conversations to keep track of who is replying.
Remember that all members of the group chat can read embedded replies. If you don't want to, start a new conversation with the person you want to reply to. Also, keep in mind that Swipe to Reply only works with iMessages, not regular SMS messages.
Adjusting the speed of voice messages
When you receive a voice message, you don't limited to playback at the speed at which it was recorded. If it contains occasional pauses, or the person speaks slowly, you can play it at a higher speed.
Just press and hold the play button to open a menu of playback speed options, including 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x.
Sending voice messages fast
If you often send a lot of voice messages in a row, you don't need to keep pressing the “+” button to show the “Audio” option to record the next one.
The Messages app remembers the last type of message you sent and displays a sound wave icon to the right of the text input field, which you can conveniently press and hold to record the next voice.
Message Menu Settings
When you click the “+” button in “Notifications” to open the options column, they are located by default. From top to bottom: Camera, Photos, Stickers, Apple Pay (if available), Audio, and Location.
At the bottom is the More button, which when clicked shows any other installed messaging apps (you can also swipe up to reveal this hidden list).
You can reorder the apps in the list and place the most used ones closer to the top, and bring more apps out of of the More section to the first settings screen, like this:
- To move an app on the same screen, press and hold it, then drag it to the desired location and release it.
- To move the icons to the front page, just do the same, but drag it to the top of the screen and place it where you want it.