1. SEE NOTIFICATIONS AT A GLANCE
To set it up, open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, and activate the Raise to Wake option.
2. PRIORITIZE CERTAIN DOWNLOADS
On the home screen, find the app you want to put at the front of the line and apply a firm 3D Touch press. Then pick Prioritize Download from the list of options.
3. CHANGE THE FLASHLIGHT INTENSITY
To bring up the Control Center, swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or on an iPhone X, swipe down from the top right corner). Then do a firm 3D Touch press on the flashlight icon.
4. ENABLE QR CODE SCANNING
From Settings, tap Camera and toggle the Scan QR Codes switch on. Now you can use the Camera app as normal, but when it pans over QR codes, it will automatically scan them.
5. DELETE UNUSED APPS
In the Settings app, tap General, choose iPhone Storage, and then enable the Offload Unused Apps option. If you regret losing one of these apps, you can always reinstall it.
6. JUMP TO THE CORRECT CAMERA MODE
Nobody wants to miss an important shot because they were scrolling through various modes inside the camera app. Instead, when you catch sight of something you need to photograph or film in a hurry, apply a firm 3D Touch to the Camera icon rather than tapping it lightly. Then you’ll be able to choose a camera mode like Selfie or Slo-mo directly from the home screen. This will speed up your snapping, although Apple doesn’t make all the camera modes available as shortcuts.
7. STOP WEB TRACKERS
To enable this feature, open the Settings app, tap Safari, and turn on the Prevent Cross-Site Tracking option. While you’re in this Safari menu, you can also block pop-up ads.
8. FIND EMOJI FASTER
To swap a word for its brighter pictorial representation, just tap on a highlighted word and the emoji will drop in. If that orange word can match multiple emojis, you get to choose your favorite one.
9. SEARCH THROUGH SAFARI TABS
To access this search option, you have to open Safari, rotate your phone to put it in landscape mode, and then hit the tabs button (it looks like two squares). Now you’ll see a Search Tabs box that isn’t normally visible.
10. LOOP YOUR LIVE PHOTOS
To edit one of these Live Photos, open it in the iOS Photos app and swipe up on it. You’ll see a variety of different effects you can add—including Loop, an option that will instantly transform your Live Photo into a short, repeating video clip.
11. IDENTIFY CONTACTS MORE EASILY
To create these specialized alerts, open Contacts, tap any person on the list, and choose Edit. In addition to selecting an immediately identifiable ringtone, you can tap out a unique vibration pattern.
12. CHANGE VIDEO RESOLUTION
Head to Settings, then Camera, then Record Video to reduce the default resolution.
13. ABANDON WEAK WI-FI NETWORKS
So if you have a decent data plan and strong LTE connectivity, tell your device to ditch weak Wi-Fi in favor of more reliable mobile data. In the Settings app, tap Cellular and turn the Wi-Fi Assist toggle switch on.
14. SORT THROUGH FILES
Simply drag down somewhere on the screen, and a menu will appear. It lets you sort files by name, date, size, or tags. The same menu also lets you create new folders and switch between list and thumbnail views.
15. FALL ASLEEP TO MUSIC
Open the Clock app and hit the Timer tab. From here, select When Timer Ends. Rather than choosing to play a ringtone at that point, opt to Stop Playing instead. Finally, set the duration of the timer and tap Start. Now, any music or podcasts you start will come to a halt when the timer ends.
16. RESPOND TO CALLS WITH CUSTOM MESSAGES
Open Settings, head to Phone, and tap Respond with Text to add and edit potential messages.
17. SECURE YOUR NOTES
In Settings, go to Notes, followed by Password. Here, you can set a code or a Touch ID lock. Inside the Notes app, lock a specific note by dragging it to the left in the list, tapping the lock icon, and entering your password.
18. LIMIT LOCATION TRACKING
Open the Settings app and tap Privacy, then Location Services. Select any app and change Always to While Using the App.
19. DISABLE READ RECEIPTS
Simply tap the (i) icon at the top of the conversation and turn off the Send Read Receipts option.
20. SEND MORE EMPHATIC MESSAGES
Once you’ve typed your communication into the Messages app, tap and hold the blue send icon on the right. Then drag it up or down to change the weight of the outgoing text.
21. TYPE INSTRUCTIONS TO SIRI
In Settings, tap General, then Accessibility, then Siri. Now turn on the Type to Siri option. Now, when you hold down the Home button (or the Power button on the iPhone X) to call up Siri, you can speak or type your instructions.
22. MAKE NOTIFICATIONS LESS DISTRACTING
You can make these alerts less distracting by removing the preview snippets that come with them and tempt you to immediately check your phone. As an added bonus, changing this setting will protect your notifications from snoops who look at your lock screen. To remove the previews, open Settings and tap Notifications, then Show Previews, and finally Never.
23. SEND MONEY THROUGH MESSAGES
Whenever you type a dollar amount into a chat, it will automatically appear underlined. Tap on this underlined number, and Apple Pay will send that amount of money from your account to the other participant in your conversation. However, before it officially transfers, you do get the chance to double-check and verify the amount.
24. GET BIGGER, BOLDER TEXT
If you open Settings and then tap Display & Brightness, you can use the Text Size and Bold Text options to change the on-screen typography. Not every app will comply with your choices, but all of Apple’s native apps and all of the iOS settings screens will.