Since it was first launched 17 years ago, the iPhone has become an integral part of our lives. It is hard to imagine the daily routine without it when we need it for navigation, communication, work, entertainment or just to pass the time. Maybe you think you know the inside of the device, but it's important to know that there are dozens of tricks hidden in it that can make your life easier, more efficient and even more fun.
We have collected the best tips and tricks in the world of the iPhone's hidden functions, which will allow you to get the most out of it through a few simple actions. So here's everything you didn't know about your best friend.
The question is sure:
Has it happened to you that a friend asked for your iPhone for a moment to "make a call" or that the child asked for the phone while you were waiting for the doctor? During this time you hope they won't go into other apps and discover details you wouldn't want to reveal. The iPhone has a solution for exactly that: Apple has incorporated an option where the entire device becomes a time-limited phone of one app.
So for example, if the person next to you wants to make a phone call, only the phone option will appear when all other apps "disappear". Does the child want to surf YouTube? No problem - the iPhone becomes a device with YouTube only and all other applications are turned off. Only you can release the device from this state and return it to normal use.
How do you do that? Go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access. Make sure the Guided Access button is active. Set an access code that will allow you to activate and release the mode. Decide how long to limit lending the iPhone to another person. Now go back to your home screen, open the required app (like Phone or YouTube), tap three clicks on the side button and select "Guided Access".
Now the iPhone is locked and only the selected app appears. When the person you lent the device to has finished, press the side button three times again, you will be asked to type your iPhone password - and the device immediately returns to itself.
Eavesdropping through the AirPods:
Apple's "Live Listening" feature uses the microphone of the iPhone or iPad as an audio source, and transmits the sound directly to the AirPods. If you have a hearing problem, or you want to know what is being gossiped about you, you can do it easily: leave the iPhone on the table, and when you leave the place you will be able to hear through the AirPods everything that is done around the iPhone.
How do you do that? Go to Settings > Control Center, and scroll down to tap the plus sign next to Hearing. This adds the "Hearing" accessibility controls to the iPhone's Control Center. All that remains to be done is to press the button of the hearing controls in the control center, choose Live Listen and start listening.
Find the gadget:
Apple allows you to find any accessory manufactured by Apple using the signals that the device transmits. You will be able to locate the AirPods in your jeans pocket just before you run the washing machine, the tablet in the drawer, and the AirTags - the tracking discs that can be attached to a purse, key chain, suitcase or bag.
How do you do that? To find the various accessories, access the "Finding" application, choose from the list of items, and the iPhone will take you to the lost accessory.
Listen together in headphones:
Did you go jogging and wanted to listen to the same playlist with your running partner? Are you on a flight and want to watch a movie together on an iPad? Until recently it was a complicated business, but with the AirPods or Beats headphones it is possible.
How do you do that? Tap the AirPlay button - the audio sharing option at the bottom of the screen, then tap Share Audio, and whoever is next to you will have to tap Join. Finally, choose the other device that wants to join you for listening. To stop sharing, uncheck the next device in the same list.
The iPhone and iPad also allow you to set the volume level separately for each pair of headphones. Open the control center, press and hold the volume indicator. You'll see it expand to two sliders, which can be adjusted for each pair of headphones.
White silence:
If you are trying to study or concentrate and the noise around you is driving you out of your mind, using AirPods 3 you can choose white noise - a kind of masking of the surrounding noise, or other background sounds such as waves in the ocean, rain or rushing water.
How do you do that? Enter the control panel by swiping down from the top of the screen, select the ear icon and tap the masking sound you want.
Find iPhone is off:
Can't find your phone and don't remember where you left it? Apple allows you to locate the device, even if it is turned off.
How do you do that? Go to settings, from there to Apple ID, location. Make sure all buttons are turned on, including "Finding Network". This way the location of the iPhone will be revealed even if it is not connected to the network.
Fix back:
Have you written a text, but it is full of typos? Instead of going back and deleting words using the backspace button - correcting spelling on the iPhone is very easy.
How do you do that? Press and hold the space button on the keyboard until you feel a slight vibration from the screen, and move the cursor to wherever a correction is required.
The calculator trick:
For years, Apple has not updated its calculator, which is not always found on iPads either. This is because so far the developers have not presented the company with a calculator app that is good enough for Apple's standards. This left the same old view of the calculator, without a button in the space that allows you to delete numbers. Most of us tend to simply press the AC key to start typing the numbers again. But a secret iPhone trick allows you to delete a wrong digit in a long calculation.
How do you do that? Swipe left or right on the number you want to delete from the top display line, and voila - the number will disappear.
Music video:
The iPhone users encounter a problem when they want to take a video while music is playing on the device: in such a situation, the music stops automatically. You will not be able to take a video even if your device is connected to an external speaker or to Car Play. Why does Apple insist on this block? Possibly to prevent future lawsuits due to copyright infringement on the music playing in the background. But there is a way around the block.
How do you do that? While the song is playing on the iPhone, open the camera in the option to take a photo, press - and do not let go - the red photo button at the bottom of the screen. Your iPhone will start recording video while the music continues to play in the background.
Parallel timers:
If you have many tasks at the same time, you can activate several parallel timers, and assign a separate name to each of them. For example, you can activate a timer for cooking, a timer for baking, a timer for training and a timer for picking up the child from class.
How do you do that? Click on the clock and then on the "countdown" timer function. Choose the timing of the first timer. Now a plus sign will appear on the top left screen, click on it and set the next timer, and so on. You can assign a name to each timer by clicking on the specific timer: in the line where it says "label" type the name of the timer.
Everyone has a vibration:
You probably know how to assign a different ringtone to each contact, but what about vibration? If you use the vibration function on your iPhone, this trick is for you: even in vibration mode, you won't have to check who is calling in the middle of sitting, but you can simply feel the unique vibration you assigned to him.
How do you do that? Go to Contacts, open the contact whose vibration you want to set, click Edit, scroll down and click Ring. Here you can also change the type of vibration, and on the same occasion also change the ringtone you want for that contact.
Close with a blow:
If you have many applications open on your screen, and you are used to closing them one after the other, from now on there is a faster way.
How do you do that? Drag your fingers from the bottom of the screen to the middle. Now you can see all the active apps arranged like a deck of cards on the screen. Using your three fingers you can close three apps at a time in one fell swoop.
Tap on the back:
One of the favorite shortcuts on the iPhone since it was first introduced with the 14 operating system: the tapping gesture on the back of the device enables a wide range of features.
How do you do that? Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. Now you can choose what a double tap and a triple tap will do.
Identifying warning symbols:
If you upgraded to an iPhone 15, this feature can really save you in critical moments in your car: if you take a picture of the dashboard, the phone will recognize warning symbols and explain to you what they mean.
How do you do that? Take a picture of the dashboard, enter the picture, click on the lower information icon that appears as the letter i, and in the first row you will see the symbols that the phone recognized - and their meaning.
Sleep quietly:
If you like to fall asleep with music or a video, the iPhone will close them for you while you are already falling asleep.
How do you do that? Enter the timer, set a schedule, and at the bottom of the screen, in the line "at the end of the countdown" select the "pause playing" option. Your timer will stop the music or video player at the end of the time you allocated.