Yes, your iPhone came with a user guide and there a ton of how-to videos on Apple’s site and YouTube. But who has the time? You’ve come to the right place.
Did you know that you can record your iPhone’s screen? It’s better than a screenshot that only gives you a still photo. Tap or click here to find out how to record your screen.
What about Apple Notes? The unassuming digital organizer is capable of a lot more than you realize. I use it as a document scanner all the time. Tap or click for five of my favorite uses.
Your iPhone contains countless features you probably aren’t using.
1. Dim your iPhone with low light mode
If you’re using your phone in a dark room or the screen is merely too bright, you can turn to low light mode. This can dim your screen brightness more than the standard settings allow.
To enable it, tap Settings > Accessibility > Zoom > Zoom Region > Full Screen Zoom. Return to the main Zoom menu and tap Zoom Filter > Low Light. Return to the main Zoom menu and toggle Zoom on.
Double-tap with three fingers to zoom out and restore the full screen. To access low light mode quickly, triple-tap the screen using three fingers or triple-click on the Home button. Select Choose Filter to adjust or disable the light filter.
2. Organize your cards in Apple Wallet
With COVID-19, you really don’t want to use a touchpad at grocery stores. Using the Apple Wallet on your phone, you can store your credit, debit, prepaid, and store cards for easy touchless payment.
Open the wallet app and your cards stack on top of each other. The top default payment method is Apple Pay. To change it, tap your finger on the card you want to be your default payment method and drag it to the top of the stack. Easy!
New to Apple Wallet? Tap or click for steps on adding new cards, paying with your iPhone, and managing your Wallet.
3. Respond to messages with a tap
A Tapback lets you respond or “react” to a message quickly with emojis — no need to hit send. Just double-tap or hold a message while in the Messages app. You can select a heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, !!, ? or Haha.
I have more texting tips. Tap or click for a dozen iPhone texting tricks you’ll wish you knew sooner.
4. Delete calculations with a swipe
There’s nothing more frustrating than messing up when you’re in the calculator app and you have to start over. Instead of hitting delete repeatedly, swipe back (left) as an undo.
5. Adjust Calendar start and end times
When you add an event or edit an existing one in Calendar, time increments are by default set to five minutes. You can, however, change it between one and five-minute increments easily. To adjust the “Start” and “End” times, double-tap on either the date or time scroll wheel.
RELATED: 12 Google Calendar hacks to try right now
6. Move multiple apps all at once
Want to organize your iPhone apps? You don’t have to move them one at a time.
Move multiple apps by long-pressing on one app with one finger, then use another finger to tap and drag another icon. Stack it on the first app you selected. Continue stacking apps. When you’re done, drag and drop the entire stack to wherever you want.
7. Indent list items in Notes
Your Notes don’t have to be messy brain dumps. You can bullet items, and there’s an easy way to do it: Just swipe to the right. Your item(s) will indent, and you can even make a sub-list within your bullets. Undo with a swipe to the left.
Tap or click to discover how you can easily turn your handwritten notes into typed text.
8. Customize alerts for contacts
Customize vibration or sound alerts for specific contacts. Maybe your Mom has a special ring, and your spouse’s texts get their own buzzing sequence.
Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics (on supported models) or Sounds (on other iPhone models). Drag the slider below Ringers and Alerts to set the volume for all sounds. Tap a sound type, such as ringtone or text tone under Sounds and Vibration Patterns for new mail, calendar alerts, AirDrop, and more.
You can also select a ringtone or Text Tone. Under Sounds and Vibration Patterns, tap Ringtones to set the tunes for work for incoming calls, clock alarms, and the clock timer.
Text Tones can be used for text messages, new voicemail, and other alerts. Tap Vibration in Text Tones to choose a vibration pattern or tap Create New Vibration to create your own.
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9. Stop the music
Looking for a bedtime timer that will stop your audio and lock your phone, forcing you to enter your passcode? You don’t need a special app for that.
Open the Music app and select your playlist and start a timer. Instead of choosing an alarm or alert sound, tap When Timer Ends. Scroll to the bottom and choose the Stop Playing option. Press start and done!
This timer is great for kids or yourself if you want to set a limit for playing addictive games or for bedtime. Having to unlock your phone is a good reminder that it is time to go to sleep.
RELATED: Get your music off records and CDs and into a digital format. Tap or click for a step-by-step guide to making digital copies of your tunes.
10. Select messages to forward or delete
To quickly select messages to forward or delete, open your message thread and pinch on the screen with your forefinger and thumb. You can either choose Delete All or check off individual messages to delete or forward.
What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch The Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.
