You usually use the volume buttons on your iPhone to adjust the volume. But these buttons have many more functions, which you probably don’t all know yet. We show them off in this week’s iPhone tips!
Secret functions of the volume buttons
The two buttons on the left side of your iPhone aren’t just for volume control. There are also many other actions that you can perform with these buttons. Whether you’re a photo enthusiast looking for finesse, want quick contact with the emergency services, or would like a physical sleep button, these iPhone tips will show you how to do that. Simply with the volume buttons of your iPhone!
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1. Contact the emergency services
With the SOS emergency notification from your iPhone, you can quickly call for help in case of an emergency. When you make a call using Emergency SOS, iPhone automatically dials the local emergency number and shares your location information with emergency services. The feature can include important medical information, emergency contacts, allergies, and much more. In an emergency, this information is accessible to anyone, even if your phone is locked.
By simply holding down the side button and either volume button, you open a menu where you can place the emergency SOS or turn off your iPhone. The feature also works by pressing the side button five times in quick succession, if this option is enabled in the app ‘Settings > Emergency SOS > Call with five button presses’.
2. Use as camera buttons
Some Android devices use the volume buttons to zoom in, but on the iPhone you mainly use them to take photos. Instead of the shutter button on the screen, you can also press one of the volume buttons to take a photo immediately.
It works very intuitively and gives the feeling of a traditional camera. You can also use volume up as a burst mode. You can enable it in the app ‘Settings > Camera > Use ‘Volume up’ for burst’.
At number two of this week’s iPhone tips we have an extra tip. In the camera app you can also use the volume buttons to start a video recording. This mainly ensures stability and control during filming. Press and hold either volume button for a quick video recording. Once you’re done recording, just release the button.
3. Snooze and snooze (if you have that enabled)
Number three of these iPhone tips is going to help you tomorrow morning. We all know that tapping the sleep button on your iPhone’s screen early in the morning with your sleepy head can be quite inconvenient. You don’t have to do that at all from now on, because you can also just use the volume buttons and you will of course find them with your eyes closed.
If you use the volume buttons to snooze your alarm, make sure the snooze function is turned on. If that’s not the case, you can turn off the alarm clock completely, with all the consequences that entails. You turn on ‘Snooze’ the moment you set the alarm.
4. Mute incoming call
It is very human to forget to silence your iPhone when you have an important meeting, for example. Before you know it, everyone is suddenly taken out of their concentration because you suddenly get a call.
The easiest way to turn off that annoying sound is to press one of the volume buttons. The sound is then immediately muted. If you prefer to immediately reject the call completely, just press the side button once. Of course, put your iPhone on silent!
5. Perform a hard reset
In the unlikely event that your iPhone no longer responds at all, you can use the volume buttons to perform a hard reset. If you have an iPhone 8 or newer, you do this as follows:
- Short press Volume Up;
- Short press Volume Down;
- Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
If you have an older iPhone, it works slightly differently. Read the article: ‘reset your iPhone? That is how it works’.
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