We are going to give you a few tricks to use your iPhone “in expert mode”. In other words, we are going to collect several of the best iOS features to get the most out of it, some known and others not so much.
For this tutorial we have used iOS 15, so we recommend updating to the latest version so that you can ensure compatibility with all the functions that we are going to show you in this list.
Make apps not appear on the desktop
We start with something that I consider essential as soon as I receive an iPhone, prevent the desktop from filling up with apps. By default, iOS adds each and every one of the apps that we install to the desktop, something that does not make much sense since there is an Apps Library in which they are grouped by folders.
In a simple way, we can prevent apps from being added automatically to the desktop, following these steps:
- Open the iPhone settings
- Go to Home Screen
- Click on ‘Only in the app library’
Hide the desks
A not very well known feature of iOS is to hide the desks. If you don’t want to have so many when unlocking the phone, you can always hide them.
- Long press on a desktop space
- Tap the desktop indicator at the bottom of the screen
- Hide the desks you want
Activate or program dark mode
IOS dark mode was a long time coming, but it is currently one of the most complete. It applies to both the system as well as own and third-party applications. In the iPhone we can activate it manually or program it to taste.
- Open the iPhone settings
- Go to ‘Screen and Brightness’
- Set dark mode
Turn off iCloud copy
Unless you’re willing to pay for iCloud storage, it doesn’t make much sense to keep the copy in iCloud. We are not going to deactivate it completely, so that we can keep the WhatsApp backup, but we are going to make the iCloud backup take up less space.
- Open the iPhone settings
- Click on your profile picture, where your name appears
- Tap on iCloud
- Turn off all the apps you don’t want to use iCloud for
Control usage time
As in Android, with the iPhone we can measure the time of use of our phone. iOS shows us the daily average, allowing us to put limits on the use of apps, rest periods, communication limits, restrictions and more. If you think you are going to use the phone too much, it may be a good idea to set the usage time.
Add widgets to the screen
With the new iOS update the new widgets arrived, with a fairly careful design. Enough with long press on the screen, click on the ‘+’ icon and add the widgets that we want. Some of them are even interactive, so the information they display will change throughout the day.
Use the calculator without opening the app
All phones have a calculator app, but did you know that you can do operations without opening the iPhone app? You just have to swipe down on the desktop to open Spotlight and type the mathematical operation you want. It will be done in real time, without even having to give it to anything else.
Take your selfies as you see them on camera
By default the iPhone selfies are reversed, so we will not see the same photo in the preview, something that can throw us off the final result. From the settings, in the camera section, you can invert the selfies so that they look exactly as you have taken them. You just have to activate the ‘keep mirror effect’ function.
Change the default browser
Default, iOS has Safari as the default browser, but with iOS 15 we can change this setting. From the iPhone settings, look for Safari and, where it appears “App of the default browser”, change to the browser you want (in our example, Google Chrome).
Use both hands to move apps faster
Moving applications and adjusting them on the iPhone desktop is somewhat tedious, but there is a trick to be faster. If you select an app with one finger and with the other you slide the screen, the app you have pressed will remain selected, but the desktop will change. So you can move apps from one desktop to another much faster.
Activate quick app shortcuts
Although iPhones no longer have Force Touch physical we can invoke shortcuts in apps. You just have to press and hold an application and a menu will appear in which we can use various functions and settings much faster.
Record screen with microphone sound
By default, the iPhone records the sound of the phone’s own screenbut not the microphone pointed at us. If we want to reverse this, we just have to do a long press on the screen recording and activate ‘microphone’.
Customize the control center
The control center in iOS can be customized at the option level. Every direct setting that appears, except for the most basic ones, can be changed, in order to have the options that we want available. Within the settings you have the ‘Control Center’ submenu. From here you can add the controls you want.
Don’t forget about AirDrop
AirDrop remains unrivaled, being one of the most important options of the iPhone. It’s the fastest option to send files in seconds, ideal to send our files to the Mac, since it does not work with Windows. AirDrop combines WiFi and Bluetooth to minimize transfer times, making it a winning option.
Turn off background updates
If you want to save the maximum battery on your iPhone, disable background updates. You will not stop receiving notifications, but the apps will stop updating the content in the background. In other words, every time you open the apps they will have to load their content, something that only takes a few seconds in exchange for gaining a lot of battery life.
Protect your eyesight with Night Shift
The iPhone’s Night Shift mode works independently of True Tone. In this case, We have a blue light filter that protects our sight, especially at night. We can both schedule its activation and choose the degree of warmth it has. If you are going to use it at night, we recommend putting it quite yellow.
Change Siri’s voice
Although Siri has a very characteristic voice, we can change it without minor problem, and even bet on a male assistant. From the settings we can choose between the different Siri voices and, the one we apply, will remain by default until we reverse the process.
Add a second face to Face ID
If someone else uses your iPhone, you can set a second face for Face ID. As the name of the function indicates, it is a second recognition to register a new face in the biometric system of the iPhone. Not only can you unlock the phone, but you can make purchases, access passwords and more, so be careful who you put in Face ID.
Activate automatic downloads from the App Store
If you don’t want to be manually updating the applications on your iPhone, all you have to do is activate automatic downloads in the App Store. From the settings menu, search for the App Store and activate the app updates.
Check if your passwords are compromised
iOS 15 allows us to know whether our passwords have been compromised or not. To do this, we just have to go to the ‘passwords’ section in the settings, and access ‘security recommendations’, where they will tell us which passwords are in danger so that we can change them.
The native camera is a QR reader
It is common to download applications to read QR codes, especially in these times of pandemic. What many do not know is that the iPhone camera already has the QR reader integrated and that you don’t have to take any additional steps to activate it.
Just open the camera, focus on the QR code, and the iPhone’s own camera will give you a link In order for you to access the content, you don’t have to do anything else.