10 iPhone Tips & Tricks You Never Knew You Needed

If you’re like the half of Americans that currently own an iPhone, you’re likely loyal to your device and rely on it for everything from texting to banking. And, you may think of your high-tech device as an investment, so why not take advantage of every feature available to get the most bang for your buck? We wrote these 10 iPhone tips and tricks just for you, so that you can discover all the hidden features and tricks that may make you gasp (we’ve been there too). It’s a whole new world when you discover something that makes your life easier!

Don’t deny yourself these tech treasures any longer. Leave it to your local mobile device experts to unveil the best hidden iPhone hacks you never knew you needed … until now:

1. Ask Siri to share your screen. iPhone’s latest update, iOS 15, comes with advanced sharing capabilities using Siri. Instead of sharing the classic way by pressing the share button, you can use Siri by simply saying, Hey Siri, share this with … and then say the name of the contact you want to see the current image on your screen. This is great for eliminating extra steps, especially when on the go.
2. Turn your camera into a document scanner. Picture this: you’re in an important business meeting and you suddenly need to transform a line from a presentation into a quote in your notes app. You’re in luck because there is a hack for that. Simply open an app you want to scan text into—like Notes or Messages. Next, tap and hold for a few seconds then release your finger. A scanner icon and “Scan Text” will appear. Voila! Now you’re a magician, thanks to the secret powers of your iPhone, that is.
3. Access the hidden trackpad. There’s a hidden trackpad in my iPhone? Yes, and we’re going to show you where to find it. It’s no secret that people with even the smallest hands find the compact keyboards on smartphones to be tricky. When it comes to editing your text, scanning through long sentences to pinpoint the exact spot you want to change used to be a frustrating operation. Offering a sigh of relief, the latest iPhone iOS features a hidden trackpad to make scanning a cinch. Simply press and hold the space bar on your iPhone’s space key to turn the keyboard into a trackpad. Easy, right?
4. Drag and drop photos and files between apps. Dragging and dropping between iPhone apps is one of those time-saving, jaw-dropping hacks –just don’t drop your phone! Effortlessly import an image or video from your photos, a web page, or PDF, and drop it into an app like Notes or Messages. First, tap and hold on the file you want to move, then move it toward the top or bottom of the display. Next, while holding that file with one finger, swipe up from the bottom of the screen with another finger and open the app you want to drag your file into. It may seem tricky at first glance, but you’ll get the hang of it in no time!
5. Discover this secret iPhone Calculator hack. The iPhone Calculator is a long-time friend, but beyond that it always seemed sort of… basic, maybe even a bit boring. Try giving it another chance because this humble app has a few tricks up its sleeve. Turn it into an advanced scientific calculator by switching to landscape mode. Also, you can delete a digit by swiping either left or right at the top of the display. And according to our calculations, this tip is pretty cool.
6. Turn on Background Sounds to ease stress. If you’re in need of a bit of relaxation, you’re in luck. iPhone users can enable the background noise feature to pump soothing ambient sounds like rainfalls, streams and white noise through AirPods or other headphones. The best part is that you don’t have to stream anything, so it works even without an internet connection. Open Settings and then tap Accessibility. Next, select Audio/Visual from the Accessibility menu. From the Audio/Visual menu, click Backgrounds Sounds. Then turn on Background Sounds using the slider at the top of the screen and sit back and relax.
7. Rearrange multiple apps at once. If you’ve ever done a full clean up of your iPhone’s home screen, you’ll know how painstaking it is to move each app one by one—so don’t! Now, you can drag and move multiple apps simultaneously. To get started, tap and hold an app on your home screen until all your app icons start “wiggling.” Continue holding and use another finger to select other apps you want to move to create a group. Swipe to a spot on the Home Screen where you want to move your apps. Apps moved. Time saved.
8. Utilize the zooming Maps slider. We’re all familiar with the two-finger pinch zooming function across smartphone devices, but have you heard of one-finger zooming on Apple Maps and Google Maps? Imagine how useful this would be when navigating during a drive. The goal with this function is to allow users to drive safer in unfamiliar areas. Here’s how to do it: In map view, double tap on the screen and the map will zoom in slightly. To control the zoom level, double tap the screen but keep your finger held down on the second tap. You can now zoom in and out. If there was an Olympic medal for making people’s lives easier, we would have won it by now.
9. Use Flash for notifications. Have you ever tried to find your iPhone by calling it on another device only to remember you have the notifications muted? How about when you need it silenced but still want to know when a message arrives, or maybe you just want to look cool? Apple’s iPhone has a feature which gives users a notification light. The phone’s LED flashlight can be set to flash for alerts and notifications. It’s mostly noticeable in the dark, but it’s still pretty ‘flashy.’ Open the Settings app then scroll to Accessibility and Audio/Visual. Then, tap the LED Flash for Alerts toggle to turn the feature on.
10. Search anytime, anywhere with Spotlight. Last but not least, Spotlight Search is a tool we can all use in our busy lives, but few know it exists! With iOS 15 you can access Spotlight directly from the lock screen, which means you can search immediately without waiting for Face ID. Simply swipe down from anywhere but the top right of your screen (as this will only open the Control Center). So now, the real question– What are you going to do with all this free time we’ve given you with these tips and tricks?

Stop by your local Verizon Victra store to experience the bold innovation of Apple’s best iPhone yet. The future is in your hands, literally. So go forth and share your knowledge with the world as the technical pioneers of tomorrow.