Secrets of the iPhone: 10 Lesser-Known Tricks

we’ll explore some simple but lesser-known features of the iPhone that can make your daily life easier. With these tricks, you can become a master of your device and boost your productivity effortlessly. From customizing vibrations for different contacts to using the Measure app as a handy tool for measurements, there’s a lot you can do with your iPhone beyond the basics. Discover how to set up custom vibrations, scan documents with ease, and even free up storage space effortlessly. With these tips, you’ll unlock the full potential of your iPhone and streamline your routine like never before.

One lesser-known iPhone trick involves creating custom vibrations for Contacts.

1. Open the “Contacts“ app on your iPhone.
2. Select the contact for which you want to set a custom vibration.
3. Tap “Edit” in the upper-right corner.
4. Scroll down and tap “Vibration.”
5. Choose “Create New Vibration.”
6. Tap the screen to create your custom vibration pattern. You can tap and hold for longer vibrations or tap quickly for shorter ones.
7. Once you’re satisfied with your custom vibration, tap “Stop.”
8. You can play back the vibration pattern to preview it.
9. Tap “Save” to save the custom vibration.
10. Finally, tap “Done” to save your changes to the contact.

Now, whenever that contact calls you, your iPhone will vibrate with the custom pattern you created, allowing you to identify the caller without even looking at your phone. This can be particularly useful if you’re in a meeting or other situations where you can’t easily check your phone.

Using the built-in level feature to measure angles and surfaces.

1. Open the “Compass” app on your iPhone. If you can’t find it, you can swipe down on the home screen and use the search function to locate it.
2. By default, the app will open to the compass view. However, you can swipe left to access the level feature.
3. The level feature provides a visual representation of whether a surface is level or not. You’ll see two white circles with a line in between them. When the surface is level, the line will turn green.
4. You can also use this feature to measure angles. Simply place your iPhone on the surface or object you want to measure, and the app will display the angle in degrees.

This feature can come in handy when you need to hang pictures, shelves, or other items that require precise leveling or measuring of angles. It’s a hidden gem within the Compass app that many iPhone users may not be aware of.

Quickly access important settings and features by long-pressing on the Control Center toggles.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen (on iPhone X and later) or swipe up from the bottom of the screen (on iPhone 8 and earlier) to open the Control Center.
2. Long-press on a toggle. For example, long-press on the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth toggle.
3. You’ll see additional options or settings related to that toggle appear below it.
4. For example, long-pressing on the Wi-Fi toggle will reveal available Wi-Fi networks, and long-pressing on the Bluetooth toggle will show nearby Bluetooth devices.

This trick provides quick access to additional settings without having to dig through the Settings app, making it easier to manage your iPhone’s connectivity and other features on the go.

Use Siri to read any text on your screen aloud.

This is particularly useful for when you want to listen to an article, a long message, or any other text without having to read it yourself. Here’s how to do it:

1. Activate Siri by either holding down the Home button (on older iPhones) or the Side button (on iPhone X and later) or by saying “Hey Siri” if you have that feature enabled.
2. Once Siri is activated, say “Read this” or “Read my screen.”
3. Siri will then start reading the text that’s currently displayed on your screen.

Additionally, you can use Siri to pause, resume, or skip ahead while reading. Just say “Pause,” “Resume,” or “Skip ahead” to control the reading.

This feature can be incredibly handy for multitasking or for situations where you can’t look at your screen, such as when you’re driving or exercising.

Easily undo typing or actions by shaking your iPhone.

This feature can be incredibly helpful if you’ve made a mistake while typing a message, deleting text, or even accidentally moved or deleted an app icon on your home screen. Here’s how to use it:

1. When you realize you’ve made a mistake or want to undo an action, simply pick up your iPhone and give it a quick shake.
2. A popup will appear on your screen with an option to “Undo [action].” For example, if you were typing and made a mistake, it will say “Undo Typing.”
3. Tap on the “Undo [action]” button to revert the changes.

This feature works across various apps and actions, including typing, deleting text, moving or deleting app icons, and more. It’s a quick and convenient way to undo mistakes without having to manually correct them. Just remember not to shake your iPhone too vigorously!

Use the built-in keyboard trackpad to easily move the cursor and select text while typing.

This feature is especially handy for precise editing and navigating through text. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open any app where you can input text, such as Messages, Notes, or Safari.
2. Tap and hold the space bar on the keyboard until the keys disappear and the keyboard turns into a trackpad. (Note: This feature is available on iPhones with 3D Touch or Haptic Touch, which includes most iPhones released since the iPhone 6s.)
3. Once the keyboard turns into a trackpad, move your finger around the trackpad to move the cursor to the desired location.
4. To select text, continue holding down on the trackpad and then drag your finger across the text you want to select. The selected text will be highlighted as you drag your finger.
5. Once you’ve selected the desired text, you can release your finger to reveal options such as copy, cut, and paste.

Using the keyboard trackpad can significantly improve your efficiency when editing text on your iPhone, especially for longer messages or documents where precision is key.

Quickly access additional symbols and characters while typing by using the “tap and hold” feature on the keyboard.

This allows you to input special characters, punctuation marks, and symbols without having to switch keyboard layouts. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open any app where you can input text, such as Messages, Notes, or Safari.
2. Tap on the text field to bring up the keyboard.
3. To access additional symbols or characters associated with a key, simply tap and hold on that key. For example, if you tap and hold the “E” key, you’ll see options for accented versions of “E” appear.
4. While still holding down the key, slide your finger to the desired character and then release to input it into the text field.

This feature allows you to quickly access a variety of symbols and characters without having to switch between different keyboard layouts. It’s particularly useful when you need to input special characters or symbols that aren’t readily available on the main keyboard layout.

Use the built-in Measure app to measure objects and distances using augmented reality (AR).

This feature can be handy for tasks like measuring furniture dimensions, room dimensions, or checking if something will fit in a space. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open the “Measure” app on your iPhone. If you can’t find it, you can swipe down on the home screen and use the search function to locate it.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to move your iPhone around the object or space you want to measure.
3. Tap on the “+” button to start measuring. You can tap on different points to measure distances, and the app will show you the length between those points.
4. You can also use the “Level” feature within the Measure app to check if a surface is level by tapping on the “Level” tab at the bottom.

The Measure app uses AR technology to measure distances and objects accurately. While it may not replace a professional measuring tool for precise measurements, it’s a convenient tool to have on hand for quick measurements in everyday situations.

Use the Notes app as a document scanner to digitize paper documents, receipts, and other paper-based items.

This feature can be incredibly useful for keeping digital copies of important documents or for quickly sharing documents electronically. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the “Notes” app on your iPhone. If you can’t find it, you can swipe down on the home screen and use the search function to locate it.
2. Tap on the “+” button to create a new note.
3. Tap on the camera icon within the note.
4. Select “Scan Documents” from the menu that appears.
5. Position your iPhone camera over the document you want to scan. Your iPhone will automatically detect the document and capture it.
6. You can adjust the corners of the document if needed by dragging them to the correct position.
7. Once you’re satisfied with the scan, tap on “Keep Scan.”
8. You can then add additional pages to the scan by tapping on “Add Page,” or you can tap on “Save” to save the scanned document to your note.

The Notes app uses advanced image processing algorithms to enhance the quality of scanned documents, making them legible and easy to read. You can also easily share the scanned documents via email, Messages, or other apps directly from the Notes app.

Use the “Back Tap” feature introduced in iOS 14 to perform various actions by tapping on the back of your iPhone.

This feature can be customized to trigger different functions, such as taking a screenshot, opening Control Center, or launching an app. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Accessibility.”
3. In the Accessibility menu, tap on “Touch.”
4. Scroll down to the bottom and tap on “Back Tap.”
5. You’ll see options for “Double Tap” and “Triple Tap.” Tap on either option to choose what action you want to assign to the back tap gesture.
6. Select the action you want to assign from the list of available options. You can choose from system actions like taking a screenshot, accessing Accessibility features, or launching an app shortcut.
7. Once you’ve selected the action, you can exit the Settings app.

Now, whenever you double-tap or triple-tap on the back of your iPhone, it will perform the action you assigned to that gesture. This can be a convenient way to perform tasks quickly, especially if you have difficulty accessing certain features or buttons on your iPhone.