iOS is full of little tips designed to make using the iPhone easier. Here is a non-exhaustive list.
Do you really think you know everything about iOS? Even using Apple’s operating system on a daily basis, there are bound to be some little tricks you don’t know.
Very numerous, they sometimes take the form of a simple gesture in an application, or of a specific action on an area of the screen. Here are a few that should be life changing.
1. Quickly move the text cursor
This is one of the most useful hidden functions that exist on iOS. Known to some users, it is still ignored by too many not to mention it.
When you need to correct long text, you can move the cursor quickly and precisely by holding your finger down on the space bar to turn the iOS keyboard into a trackpad.
Since iOS 13, you can also move the cursor directly by sliding your finger over the text.
2. Add sound to your video screenshots
If you occasionally video record what is happening on your screen, be aware that it is also possible to add your own audio commentary.
To do this, when you deploy Control Center, press and hold the screen recording button. You should see an option there to enable the iPhone’s mic to include audio recording.
3. Move multiple apps at once
Organization freaks are generally quite familiar with this trick. To move multiple app icons from one page of the iPhone home screen to another, tap and hold the first app, and select Change home screen.
Then tap and hold the first app you want to move, and then tap all the other apps you want to move. The icons should all cluster together under your finger. You will then just have to let go and go from one page to another with your free hand, then release your finger on the page or in the folder where you want to store your apps.
4. Hide the bookmarks bar in Messages
The Favorites bar in the Messages application, which allows you to use applications in messaging, can be hidden.
To do this, just do a long press on the App Store icon. The bar should disappear until you press the App Store button again.
5. Select multiple messages in Mail
In Mail, but also in Messages, it is possible to quickly select multiple conversations by sliding two fingers up or down.
6. Erase numbers in the calculator
Have you just started a calculation and typed one or more digits wrong? You can erase them very simply by sliding your finger over them, to the right or to the left.
7. Close several applications at the same time
Are you one of those users who like to “kill” applications when they no longer use them?
To go faster, it is possible to simultaneously close several applications. Display iOS multitasking, and send up apps using multiple fingers at the same time.
8. Fill in the URLs
Do not waste time writing .fr, .com, .org, etc. when you type a site URL in Safari’s address bar. Keep your must pressed on the point to bring up the different areas directly.
9. Master touch gestures
iOS 13 introduced a number of new touch gestures to quickly select or copy and paste text, as well as undo or redo an action. A demonstration is often better than a long speech.
10. Get quick access to updates
In iOS 13, Apple introduced several new features in application management. One of them relates directly to the page dedicated to application updates. From now on, you have to open the App Store and tap on your avatar to access the updates page.
You can also open it directly by keeping your finger pressed on the icon of the App Store where an Updates option is available.
11. Find a word in a web page
Doing research on a web page is not always easy from a smartphone. This function is certainly old, but it is always worth remembering: you can easily search for a term in a web page.
To do this, go to the address bar, enter the word to search for WITHOUT pressing Enter, then at the bottom of the suggestions, tap on Search for “SearchWord” in the line On this page.
You can also find this feature from the share page under the heading Search this page.
12. Quickly change accounts in the Gmail app
Google recently changed the behavior of its Gmail app. While previously you had to open the main menu to switch from one account to another, now all you have to do is slide your finger down on your profile picture.
13. Increase the indentation of the bullets in Notes
If you frequently make bullet lists in the iOS Notes application, be aware that it is possible to quickly increase or decrease the indentation of the latter.
Simply slide your finger to the right or left to increase or decrease it.
14. Decrease the intensity of the torch
Lighting up with the iPhone flash, everyone knows. But did you know that it was possible to decrease the illumination intensity of the flash?
Keep your finger pressed on the torch from the Control Center, and adjust the amount of light you want using the slider.
15. Use the replace function to write faster
iOS has for a long time included the possibility of replacing certain shortcuts entered on the keyboard by specific terms, phrases or characters. This can be extremely useful, for example, to write a long sentence that you are used to using, by typing only a few characters.
But the keyboard replacement function can also be used to enter characters or formulas that do not exist on the keyboard of iOS. While it is possible to write ° (degree) by holding a finger and pressing the 0 (zero) key on the keyboard, no official solution exists for entering numbers in superscript. If you want to evoke a volume (m3) or a surface (m2), the iOS keyboard does not know how to do it … Unless you divert the use of the Replace function.
Open iOS Settings, enter General, then Keyboards, then go to the Replacement menu.
Press the + button, fill in the expression you want to use (by copying and pasting special terms or characters from safari for example, in the case of superscript numbers), and indicate the Shortcut to use.
In our case, by typing the Shortcut ^ 2 on the keyboard, iOS will automatically replace this expression with 2.
16. Activate the one-handed keyboard
To write text comfortably with one hand, iOS offers to use a suitable keyboard that tightens on either side of your screen so that it is fully accessible with your thumb.
You can activate it by keeping your finger pressed on the keyboard world map, then choosing to stick the keyboard to the right or to the left using the appropriate icons.
17. Activate Safari reader mode
Safari mobile, the iOS web browser, offers a reader mode that allows you to display the content of a page in a reworked format, more comfortable to read.
You can activate it quickly by keeping your finger pressed on the button TODisplayed in the address bar (rather than pressing TOA, then click Show Drive).
18. Close all tabs at once
Very often, open tabs in Safari remain open indefinitely. iOS 13 was a game-changer by allowing users to automatically close tabs after a certain period of time.
To do this, open Settings, go to Safari, then in the Tabs section, enter Close Tabs. Choose the length of time after which you want the tabs to be closed.
You can also clean up manually and close all tabs at once. Tap and hold the switch tab button and tap Close X tabs.
19. Display the time of receipt of a message
In Messages, you can view the sending / receiving time of different messages in a conversation by dragging the conversation to the left with one finger.
20. Activate / deactivate AirDrop and wireless connections
Getting spammed via AirDrop is surprising the first time around. Apple’s wireless file exchange module is indeed often used by little jokers to send an image accompanied by a text, not always in the best taste.
In principle, to deactivate AirDrop or restrict it, you have to go to Settings, then to the General menu.
But it is also possible to access it directly by deploying the Control Center and then by making a long press on the wireless connections. You can then manage AirDrop as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooh connections, or activate / deactivate Connection Sharing on the fly.