13 Simple iPhone Tricks You Didn't Know

iPhone Tricks

There have always been some easy tricks to save time and make your life easier. The following is a list of simple shortcuts to streamline your day and help you get the most out of your iPhone.

1. You can increase the amount of time it takes to charge your device by switching your iPhone in Airplane Mode while it’s plugged in. “The difference isn’t exactly all important,” but it will certainly get your battery to 100 percent faster.

2. If a four-digit passcode isn’t up to your security standards. Don’t worry! There’s an alternative. Your iPhone grants you the ability to make a passcode with letters, rather than numbers. Simply go to Settings, then to Passcode Lock. Then turn off the setting that reads “Simple Passcode.” A screen will appear in which you can change your password, with a full keyboard.

3. Are you trying to meet up with someone but they just cannot find you? Quickly send your location from the message app by going into an iMessage, tapping Details and selecting “Send My Current Location.” A map will then be sent to your contact via iMessage or text.

4. Long gone are the days of paying some amount of money for the same song more than once, for each member of your family. With Family Sharing in your phone, all the family members can share purchases even if they have their own accounts. A maximum of six people in your family can share purchases from iTunes, iBooks and the App Store.

5. When you’re travelling, it’s a good idea to find out which apps the locals love most. Whether it’s food, public transportation or the best nightlife, the locals know best. To see what most of the locals are downloading, go to the App Store and tap Near Me (for iOS7) or Explore (for iOS8) at the bottom.

6. If you like to fall asleep to the sound of music and you aren’t alone. Or you are travelling and want to listen to songs for a while before sleep. Luckily, your iPhone will let you dictate how long you want your music to play. Go to your clock and tap on the Timer icon. Set the amount of time you want your music to play for. Then tap on When Timer Ends, and click Stop Playing. Your phone will automatically switch your music off when the time has elapsed.

7. Hidden beneath certain characters of the iOS keyboard are a wide range of letters and symbols that are only available with a long press. For instance, when entering the last part of a Web address in your browser, long press the period key to reveal a list of suffixes to choose from.

8. Don’t want to waste more time holding down the backspace key after typing lengthy text? Just shake your iPhone. After shaking, your iPhone will prompt you to Undo Typing. If you again wish to have the text, shake it again and tap on Redo Typing to retrieve the original message.

9. Reading on your phone is an awesome convenience—until annoying advertisements disturb you in the way. Make reading articles in Safari easier with Reader Mode. If the page you’re on supports this function, tap the icon illustrated below to view just the text and photos—without ads or distractions.

10. Hanging a picture? Use your iPhone as a level. Just swipe right in the Compass app and the world’s most convenient level is now in your hands.

11. Quickly respond to any text message with a single swipe. Most iPhone users know you can slide a notification up to dismiss it. But were you aware that you can pull the alert down and respond instantly? When receiving an iMessage while reading an e-mail or playing Candy Crush, you can easily respond to the message without exiting your current screen.

12. When the camera app is open on your iPhone, use the volume up button on your headphones to quickly snap a photo. Now you can take a more natural-looking picture without touching your screen.

13. Seeking a night of uninterrupted sleep? While many users are aware that the Do Not Disturb feature prevents your iPhone from ringing between set hours, this feature can be taken a step further. If any of your favourite contacts call you or a second call from the same person comes within three minutes, you can tell your iPhone to ring. To enable this feature, go to Settings, click on Do Not Disturb. Then a small moon icon will appear and you will be able to choose all of your specific settings.