Over the past year you have been able to read our weekly iPhone tips 51 times. This 52nd time we have the top 5 best iPhone tips of 2025!
The best iPhone tips of the past year
For this overview, we have not only looked at the best iPhone tips, but also at the most read iPhone tips. This is the result:
1. Background refresh
This feature uses energy unnecessarily and may also consume mobile data unnecessarily. By default, many apps are refreshed in the background, so that you don’t have to wait a few seconds when you open one of those apps. With the majority of apps this is completely unnecessary. This is how you disable it:
- Open the Settings app;
- Tap ‘General’;
- Scroll down a little;
- Tap ‘Background Refresh’;
- Tap Background Refresh again.
To get started, set the option to ‘Wifi’. This prevents you from unintentionally using mobile data. Then go back to the previous screen with the arrow at the top left. In the list of apps you now see, only leave enabled the apps that are important to ensure they are always completely up to date. This could, for example, be Microsoft Teams if you use it for work. Turn everything else off and save battery life!
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2. Create a personal AI assistant
Most people use ChatGPT with the default settings and that is a missed opportunity. You can dramatically improve your ChatGPT experience by creating a personalized version that works the way you do. No technical skills required, just explain how you want ChatGPT to behave at the start of your conversation.
For example, ask to think in step-by-step answers to improve accuracy. You can define a favorite writing style, or, for example, have answers formatted in a way that suits you. You will definitely notice the difference. The default ChatGPT can feel very generic and inconsistent. A customized version feels more focused, reliable and tailored to how you work.
If you are a ChatGPT Plus user, you can save the custom GPT so that it remembers your instructions. If you’re using the free version, save your instructions somewhere else so you can quickly copy and paste them whenever you need them.
All iPhone tips: 5 tips for ChatGPT that you wish you had known a long time ago
3. How to use Genmoji
With the new AI function Genmoji you can generate all kinds of emojis. If you are going to use it for the first time, it is especially nice to use a photo of yourself or a friend as a basis. Then you decide how far you go with it. The principle works as follows:
- Open the Playground app;
- Tap ‘Style’ at the top and choose ‘Genmoji’;
- Tap the colored figure at the bottom right;
- Choose the desired person;
- Choose your favorite emoji or tap ‘Edit’ at the bottom of the person;
- Adjust anything if necessary and then tap ‘Add emoji’ at the top right.
You can now use the emoji you created as a kind of sticker in many places. Think of the Messages app and WhatsApp. They then simply stand at the front among the other emojis. Just make sure you use your iPhone’s default keyboard, as it doesn’t work with all other keyboards.
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4. How to use portrait mode
As the name suggests, portrait mode helps you take better portraits. If you use this mode, it is very easy to keep the subject (someone’s face) sharp and the background out of focus. You can also adjust this so-called depth of field afterwards. Portrait mode also works when you take a selfie and you use it as follows:
- Open the camera app and tap ‘Portrait’ at the bottom;
- Point the camera at the subject and tap where you want to focus;
- Tap the f icon at the top right;
- Adjust the depth of field by adjusting down the f-number;
- If you are satisfied, take the photo.
If you still want to adjust the depth of field, go to the Photos app and open the photo you took. Tap the edit button at the bottom (right next to the ‘i’) and adjust the f-number by swiping horizontally left or right at the bottom.
All iPhone tips: iPhone tips: with these tricks you will learn to take better photos with your iPhone
5. Free up storage space
If the storage space on your iPhone becomes full, this will certainly not have a positive effect on the speed. So make sure you have enough storage space available. This can be done, for example, by removing apps that you do not use. You can approach this in different ways. You can see which apps take up the most space and then choose which of those apps you no longer need. To do this, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
You can also set apps that you haven’t used for a long time to be automatically ‘cleaned up’. The associated documents and data will not be lost, but it will save you space. You set this function as follows:
- Open the Settings app;
- Tap ‘Apps’ at the bottom and then ‘App Store’;
- Scroll down and turn on Clean Up Apps.
In addition, photos and videos quickly take up a lot of storage space. It’s a good idea to use iCloud Photos. All photos you take are then not stored on your iPhone, but in your iCloud. You can then open them as usual, provided you are connected to the internet. This is also possible on other Apple devices if you have them. To enable it:
- Open the Settings app;
- Tap your name and then ‘iCloud’;
- Tap Photos and turn on Sync This iPhone;
- Make sure ‘Optimize iPhone Storage’ is checked.
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More iPhone tips?
Did you like these iPhone tips and want more? On iPhoned you can read useful tips and tricks for your iPhone every week. Check out the most recent tips below!
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