Apple iPhones were launched in 2007 with an anonymous operating system. A year later, Apple gave the system an advanced name; iPhone OS 1. By the time the fourth version of the iPhone was released in 2010, Apple had finally confirmed the iOS name for the iPhone operating system.

The iPhone has now reached iOS 14 and has changed a lot in the last decade; From proprietary apps (version 2) and the elimination of skeuomorphism for flat images (iOS 7) to accepting widgets last year.

iOS has many features that take a long time to cover; Even if we want to make these points complete, some of them may still be missed. In this article, we tried to explain the tips, tricks, and secrets that make the iPhone more productive and you can use it more productively. If you have just joined the iPhone users or have not turned your iPhone over yet.

Methods of entering and correcting text on the keyboard

One-finger typing

If you just want to type with your thumb, you can do so by swiping the default iOS keyboard left or right.

Press your finger on the sphere icon or emoji and pause; The ball icon will only be visible if you have more than 2 keyboards installed on the iPhone. A pop-up will then appear, allowing you to select which side of the screen (right or left) the one-finger keyboard is on. Touch the desired option.

To return to full-screen keyboard mode, you can touch the arrow that is in the opposite direction of your choice. This option only works when the iPhone screen is portrait or portrait.

Correct typed words

If you needed to change the previous part of your text while typing, you can touch and hold the space bar button on the iPhone keyboard without raising the cursor and placing it at the end of the phrase you want to correct. You will see that the keyboard pops up, allowing you to guide the cursor to the desired phrase by simply moving your fingertips on the keyboard.

This may seem illogical at first; But believe me, not having to move your fingers away from the keyboard for even a second will ultimately speed up your typing.

Create a shortcut for the text

If some phrases are used more than others in your correspondence, you do not have to spend time typing them every time. In the settings section, go to General and then Keyboard and select the Text Replacement option. Touch the plus sign (+) at the top of the screen to enter the phrase and create a shortcut. By selecting a shortcut, whenever you want to use the phrase, just type the shortcut assigned to it so that the keyboard automatically suggests the phrase to you and you can replace it.

You can also use this feature to create word combinations that represent a particular emoji so you no longer have to go to the emoji section to use them.

Typing by swiping

Many standalone iOS apps have the ability to swipe or type with your finger on the keyboard. With the help of typing swipe, you can drag it on the letters without removing your finger from the keyboard. Since iOS 13, this feature has become part of the iPhone’s default keyboard. Instead of typing, Apple calls it QuickPath.

screenshot

Full-screen screenshot

If you want to take a screenshot of a screen, a notification will appear at the bottom left of the screen that you must touch to open it in full screen. If you want to take a screenshot of a webpage that you opened in the Safari browser and the size of the section you want is larger than the size of a screenshot, select the Full page option at the top of the page. A slider will appear on the right that displays the entire screen, and you can easily place everything you need in one screenshot.

Sign documents

Not all of us have scanners and printers at home, which is why Apple has made it easy for users to digitally sign documents. To do this, take a screenshot of the document and touch its small preview. On the bottom right, select the Add icon and touch Signature. You can enter your signature directly on the page or use your saved signature file. Finally, click Done and move the signature to the desired section of the document screenshot. You can resize the signature and send it after saving it.

Safari

Personalize each page of the web

You may not like the default settings of some web pages and want to change them. You can change the settings of each page individually; For example, with this change, a specific website will be displayed to you in a larger font than other websites. To do this, after entering the website, touch the AA icon in the search bar to change the font size. By selecting the Website Settings option, you can specify that you always see a page as a desktop version, enable Safari Reader mode, or disable the adblocker.

voice recording

Turn off the microphone when filming from the screen

To capture video from the screen, go to Settings and Control Center to make sure the Screen Recording option is enabled. After activating this option, the recording button will appear in the Control Center.

Once you start recording, you may find that the sounds around you are recorded in the video along with the video being taken from the screen. If you do not need external sounds in the movie, you can tap the record button and pause; Then select to turn off the phone microphone while recording.

Share screen

By tapping and holding the screen capture button in Control Center, you can choose to save the recorded video or publish it directly to an app. Apps that support this feature include chat apps like Facebook Messenger‌, video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype, or even social networks like TikTok.

Improved sound

In Voice Memos, you can improve the quality of the recorded sound by reducing background noise. To do this, after recording the sound, tap the three-dot menu (…) and select the Edit Recording option, then select the magic wand icon at the top right of the screen.

App Store

Auto-update apps

If you are one of those people who always like to use the latest version of apps, then you should enable the auto-update option in the App Store. To do this, go to Settings and then the App Store to find the Automatic Downloads option. If you are concerned about data security, choose one of the two options Always Ask or Ask if Over 200 MB.

If you do not want to wait, log in to the App Store, tap your photo and tap the Update All button in the Updates section. If you see an application in this list that you have not used for a long time, drag it to the left to remove it from the device.

contacts

Mute anonymous calls

If you receive a lot of automated and promotional calls, it may be best to mute anonymous calls. From the settings, go to Phone and enable the Silence Unknown Callers option. When this option is turned on, any number that is not in your contacts list, suggestions, or recent contact list will be transferred directly to voicemail. After an anonymous call, a silent notification notifies you that a call has been muted. You can see that number in your recent contact list. If you have to keep your line open for anonymous calls, it is better to use a second SIM card and a secondary number.

Call via WiFi

If mobile service in your area is poor, you can make calls over a Wi-Fi network. Of course, to use this feature, your WiFi service provider must support it. If everything is ready, go to the Phone section in the settings to enable this feature and turn on the Wi-Fi Calling option.

Use airplane mode

Sometimes you want to hang up during a phone call, But this does not seem very polite. Apple respects the wishes of users and allows you to interrupt the call during the call by activating the flight mode in a way that looks like a network outage or weak antenna.

Interface

Moving multiple apps at the same time

You can drag and drop each app into a folder and categorize it on the Home screen. If you want to move a large number of apps to another page, choosing them one by one is tedious. To move multiple apps at the same time, first, tap an app and pause to move its icon, then use the other finger to select the remaining apps. This allows apps to be selected in groups, and as each app is added, the number that indicates their number increases. Now, without removing your finger, move these apps to the desired page and drop them all at the same time. You may be a little confused at first; But do not worry, it takes a little practice.

Change default apps

It’s been a long time since Apple has made its apps the default iPhone app. For example, links and emails open by default in the Mail app and Safari browser. In iOS 14, you can open your default browser and email app with apps like Gmail and Google Chrome.

Hide apps

If there are some apps on your phone that you still do not want to delete despite not being used, you can hide them. To do this, you must first move all those apps to one page. Then hold your finger on the screen until the list of Home screen dots appears and tap on them. This will take you to a page editing interface that lets you turn off the display of a page of apps. This option does not delete apps, and you can still scroll down to find and access apps by dragging the page. This allows you to quickly get rid of useless apps so that the screen looks a little more secluded.

Determine the volume

In older versions of the iPhone, you could only increase or decrease the volume of the device with the physical buttons on the side of the phone; This will bring up a large soundbox.

In iOS 13, Apple replaced this large box with a slider; With this slider, users could also set the volume of the screen. If your device was connected to Bluetooth or a speaker, it was visible in this slider.

Three-finger symphony

If you want to fix a mistake on your iPhone quickly, you have several options in iOS 13 and above:

• Swipe left with three fingers
• Tap the screen once with three fingers
• Shake the phone

Swiping three fingers to the left automatically undoes the previous action. A three-finger tap hits a toolbar at the top of the screen that includes copy/cut/paste and redoes in addition to the Ando flash. You may want to remove the phone as it may be annoying to shake it in different situations. To do this, go to Accessibility and then Touch from the settings to turn off the Shake to Undo option.

Night Shift

You must have heard it said that it is better not to work with your iPhone before going to bed because the blue light of the screen prevents you from falling asleep. To solve this problem, you must enable Night Shift on the iPhone. From the settings, go to Display & Brightness, which reduces the wavelength of blue light on the screen. This option adds a yellowish color to your phone screen (you can control the amount in the settings) which may adversely affect the videos, But it is suitable for when you want to read something on your iPhone. You can also specify that this option is activated at predetermined times and off in the morning, or set it manually at desired times.

Movable lock screen

You can set a few seconds of video for the iPhone screen lock. In the settings, go to Wallpaper and select Choose a Wallpaper. At the bottom of the page, you can see all the options that can be selected in Live Photos. Select an item of your choice and drag and set it with one finger. Press the screen down with one finger to view the animation. If you like it, select Set and then Set Lock Screen. If you want this animation to be your wallpaper, select the Both option. You can now press the screen to enjoy the selected animation before unlocking the iPhone.

Personalization of icons and widgets

IOS is now as customizable as Android. See this article for more information.

Network

Automatically share Wi-Fi password

If you want to share your password with your guest without writing it down, both of you must have Bluetooth turned on. Then your guest should go to Wi-Fi settings. If your guest has an iOS 12 or higher device, iPadOS or macOS, and is saved in your contacts list, a pop-up will appear on your phone screen asking if you would like to share your WiFi password with them. By selecting the Share Password option, your password will be provided to him.

Rapid change of network and Bluetooth connection

You do not need to go to settings every time you change your Wi-Fi or Bluetooth network. Go to Control Center The upper left contains a set of communication buttons for airplane mode, data, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Tap this group and pause for a menu to appear. Tap Wi-Fi and pause to access the quick menu of available networks. Do the same for Bluetooth.

Siri

Change the sound of satiety

For a long time, the female voice was the default iPhone voice assistant. Siri has been offering the option to change the default voice to the male voice since 2013, and it is said that soon the female voice will no longer be the default voice. If you want to change the sound of Siri, go to Siri & Search and Siri Voice from the settings. In addition to the American Female Voice, you can select or adjust the Australian, English, Indian, Irish, or South African accent with a male or female voice.

Learn to pronounce correctly in Siri

Sometimes Siri is unable to recognize nouns; Especially if these people are on your contact list. Sometimes Siri asks you how to learn how to pronounce a name, otherwise, you have to correct it. To learn how to pronounce a name in Siri, say: “Hey, Siri, learn how to pronounce [name]”. Indicates that name; You must select the option in which Siri pronunciation is correct.

Find your iOS devices

If all of your devices are on an Apple / iCloud account, finding them is not difficult. For example, just say to Siri: “Hey, Siri, find my iPad”. This will start playing audio on your iPad and will continue playing until you find it and mute it.

calculator

Drag the page to clear input errors

The iOS calculator has a simple structure; But if you turn it to landscape mode, you can see more features. This calculator turns into a scientific calculator in landscape mode, which includes exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric calculations. Tap (C) to clear the last input, and (AC) to clear all inputs. If you enter only one number incorrectly, just drag the page in any direction you want. Swipe up or in any direction on the calculator screen to delete the last entered number.

Fast calculations

You can use the search bar if you want to do simple calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division quickly. Swipe down from the middle to search the Home page or the Widgets page. Enter your computational action in the bar to get the answer; You can use “x” or “*” to multiply. You can also perform operations such as empowerment (2.9) or percentage calculations (100% 9).

Face time

Zoom in on your image screen during a call

If you want to make your image bigger when you call FaceTime, you have to double-tap your image to go full screen. This change is only visible to you and will not change the other party.

Take photos while on Facebook

When chatting, tap the screen to open the menu. On the video, you will see a white and round shutter button, by selecting which you can record a live image from the opposite side of the chat.

Eye contact when making a video call

Usually, when we make a video call, we look at the image on the other side of the phone screen. Although this is normal for us; But because we do not look at the camera, it seems that we do not want to make eye contact with the other party. In iOS 14, Apple has added a default feature called Eye Contact to FaceTime that adjusts your eyes as if you were looking at a camera. However, if you do not want to use this feature, go to FaceTime in the settings and disable the Eye Contact option.

Audience list

Choose a custom ringtone for each contact

If you want to know who is calling you without looking at the screen, the best way is to create a custom ringtone for the most contacted audience. On the Contacts page, enter the information about the contact you want. Click Edit at the top of the page and then scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Ringtone. Finally, select Classic to access all iPhone ringtones. In this section, you can select the song you like the most. In the same way you can change the message tone of the desired contact.

Personalization of vibrations

If your phone is always silent and just vibrating, personalizing the call tracking will not help you identify the caller; But instead, you can attribute a specific vibration pattern to each of your audiences. To do this, re-enter the page of the contact you want, go to Ringtone and touch the Vibration option at the top of the page. Apart from the default vibration patterns, you can create your own personal vibration pattern by selecting Create New Vibration.

Emergency Contact Determination (SOS)

First, make sure you include the numbers of all the important people you know in your contact list; Now go to Health and tap on your face icon, then touch Edit from Medical ID and enter Emergency Contacts to select one or more people as SOS for emergencies. After that, a red star will be added to your contact list next to their names. To send SOS, simultaneously press the power button on the right with one of the volume buttons on the left. You can also use the emergency SOS slider. With this option, the countdown starts, the alarm sounds, and when the call reaches the emergency number, messages are sent to the contacts you have designated.

Camera

Use the volume buttons as a shutter

If you are in the camera app, you do not need to use the on-screen buttons. You can press one of the volume buttons to take a snapshot. These buttons can also start and stop movie recording. If you connect your wired AirPod to your iPhone, you can use the volume buttons on it in the same way as a remote shutter.

Hidden scanner QR code

Although the iPhone camera app is equipped with a QR scanner; But there is a secret and faster way to do this. Swipe down from the page, type the word CodeScanner. An app will appear with which you can scan the desired code.

Camera focus lock

In the camera app, the iPhone instantly changes focus with each movement of you or your subjects. To prevent this, hold one of your fingers where you want to focus. After this, the phrase AF Lock appears at the top of the screen.

Selfie of mirrors

Look at yourself in the front camera of the iPhone. Since we are used to seeing our reflection in the mirror, the iPhone displays the front camera image like a mirror for the convenience of users. After you take a selfie, the iPhone turns the photo upside down vertically and saves it in a non-mirror state so that it looks like someone else took a photo of you. If you do not like this, go to Camera from the settings and turn on the Mirror Front Camera option.

Change one of the shutter button functions

Previously, you could take several burst shots by holding your finger on the shutter button. In iOS 14 this has changed. Now by holding down the shutter button, the camera starts recording the video, and the video is cut off when you remove your finger from it. If you do not take your finger and swipe it to the right, the video will continue to be recorded. For continuous shooting, you can also hold down the shutter button and swipe left, or go to Camera from the settings and select Use Volume Up for Burst.

Delete photos before sharing deal

When you share images directly from a Photos application with a person or service, they can access all the information collected during the shooting, especially location data. Before submitting the photo, tap the share button and check the options above. This feature can delete GeoIP metadata that exposes location. If you select all image data, all information such as edit history, crops, filters, and live images that you have applied will be lost.

Notes

Scan multiple photos in one PDF

Hold your finger on the Notes app icon to see a menu of things you can do with the app; This menu includes adding a new note (New note), New checklist (New checklist), and Scan Document. By selecting the document scanning option, you can take photos of all the pages in a physical document and put them in a PDF file; You can then view this file page by page or share it.

Manually write notes

Sometimes we want to write a note manually without typing or add a hand drawing to it. To do this, tap the icon that shows an auto head in the note. You can now choose your pen type from the available options such as magic, highlighter, and pencil. If you tap and hold any pen, you can specify its thickness. Refer to the color wheel to change the color and sharpness.

Password protect notes

Go to Notes and Password from Settings, choose one of the iCloud or On My Phone options, depending on where you store your important notes. Enter a password and confirm it, and leave a help word to remind you. You can also use Touch ID and Face ID, But you will still need to create a password. Enabling this option does not immediately apply it to the app. To lock a note in the Notes app, swipe left on the screen and tap Lock.

Messages

Manually write the message ‌

If you want to draw a hand message or a simple design and send it to someone, get help from your iPhone instead of drawing a picture on paper and sending a picture. While you are writing a message, an icon appears on the keyboard in the form of a hand-drawn circle. If you touch it, a blank canvas will appear on which you can write. The draft options are listed at the bottom of the page, and whatever you submit will be added to this list. To clear any of these options, you can tap and hold.

Create a name for a group

Group messaging is a hallmark of any good messaging service. You can name your chat groups on the iPhone and assign an emoji or memoji to each group for quick access. Tap below the group icon where it says “X people”, then go to Change Name and Photo to create the group name in the Info section. You can also change the group avatar to an emoji. Note that if there are people in your chat group who have Android devices, this change will not apply to them.

Replay in group chat

If there is a topic mess in a group chat and everyone is talking about a different topic, you can manage replies. To replay a message, tap, pause, and select Reply. Everything on the page turns gray when you write your message.

Security

Improved password security

The good news for iOS 14 users is the Security Recommendation feature, which allows users to increase the security of their information. If you save a lot of passwords on your phone, this feature checks that those passwords are not in the list of known leaks or breaches of known data, and also suggests that you change it if you choose a duplicate password. To activate the settings, go to Passwords and Security Recommendations to turn on the Data compromised passwords option.

Disable exact location

In addition to tracking your work, smartphones also track your location. You can block your location details in the Privacy and Location Services sections. In this section, the settings of each app are visible, you can turn it off by entering any Precise Location.

Disable scoring reminders for apps

If the apps bother you every time they want to rate them, you can fix this problem in the settings. Apps need your rating to be seen and raised in the App Store; But by going to the App Store in the settings, you will be able to turn off the In-App Ratings & Reviews option.

Unlock iPhone when wearing a mask

Because we all have to wear masks due to the spread of the Coronavirus and Face ID is not able to recognize faces with masks, Apple has introduced a new way to unlock the iPhone with the help of the Apple Watch. We covered this in an article; Click here to read it.

Face ID currently works if your eyes, nose, and mouth are visible in front of the camera; But there is another not-so-perfect solution. First, set the ID without covering the face. Then set the Alternative Appearance. To do this, fold a mask in half and cover half of your face with it so that only the tip of your nose and half of your lips are hidden. If you make a mistake, move the mask slightly to scan it, then see if you can do it with a full mask.

Accessibility

Unlock the phone with sound

This feature works when your password is 5 digits or less; however, it is a good option to unlock the iPhone when you have a mask. From Settings go to Accessibility and turn on Voice Control, then touch Customize Commands, select Custom, and then Create New Command. Now you have to type a custom phrase as the voice password. To access Run Custom Gesture, you must enter Action and create a personalized gesture by tapping or dragging your finger on the screen. Press the stop and save buttons at the top of the screen a few times. After that, whenever you want to use your voice password, you can tap the screen and select the blue icon of the microphone, then by saying the phrase you have chosen, the iPhone will be unlocked.

Notification with LED on

If you want the iPhone’s LED to light up when you receive the message, go to General and enable the Enable LED Flash for Alerts option by entering Accessibility.

Disable Voice Control

If you want to disable Voice Control you have to say “hey, Siri, turn off Voice Control” and to activate it again say “hey, Siri, turn on Voice Control”. When voice control is on, you must say “Show me what to say” to access the iPhone command list. Among these phrases are commands such as “go to sleep”, “lock screen” and “show grid continuously”, the last of which put checkered lines on the phone screen along with numbered boxes. If you say the name of the box, the iPhone will zoom in on it or activate an icon or button for you.

Use the mouse on the iPhone

Did you know that you can connect a Bluetooth mouse to your iPhone and use it instead of your finger? Go to Accessibility and then Touch to enable Assistive Touch. Then go to the Bluetooth Devices section of the Devices section. Pair the mouse with your phone. You can customize mouse clicks to simulate the use of your fingers.

Get command by tapping the back panel of the iPhone

The Back Tap feature on the iPhone allows you to execute different commands by tapping the back of the phone. To activate, go to Accessibility, then Touch and turn on the Back Tap option. You can activate various commands by tapping the back of your iPhone, such as mute the phone, screenshot, Siri call, screen lock, create various access options (such as voice control and zoom), and shortcuts.

Shortcuts

The command “HEY SIRI, I’M GETTING PULLED OVER” has been on the iPhone since the Black Lives Matter protests and the inappropriate treatment of blacks by US police. This iPhone feature combines Siri options, access, and shortcuts. With this feature, whenever the police order an iPhone user to stop, the phone automatically starts recording videos and sends a message to the selected audience. Whenever you feel threatened, you can take a video of the scene and inform your audience in the shortest time just by saying this phrase. You can also select one of the following options by touching the Shortcuts app:

• Enable Do Not Disturb
• Reduce screen brightness
• Stop running videos
• Send your location to a pre-selected audience
• Start movie recording

Set “Do Not Disturb” based on location

In the Shortcuts app, go to Automation and select Create Personal Automation by tapping the plus icon (+) and then Arrive. Now select an address such as your school or work address and tap Done. If you wish, you can specify the time of your presence in that place. Then touch Add Action and then Scripting to reach the Do Not Disturb option and finally activate the until I leave option there.

Say Cheese shortcut

You must download this shortcut. After downloading, say “Hey, Siri, say cheese” to open the camera and take a snapshot without the need to move your fingers. You can enable this shortcut by default for the main camera or selfie. Note that your phone screen must be unlocked to use the Say Cheese shortcut.

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I hope you use the above tips. Which of the above was new or interesting to you? Which trick do you think is most used and which one is better to change in the next versions of iOS?