Do you need emergency iPhone help but don’t want to take a lengthy training class on how to use a smartphone? Look no further, as the team at Geeks on Wheels have got you covered. With IOS 13 tips and tricks. So you can enjoy your iPhone without your Siri search history filled with endless “set up my device” requests.
Considering they’re called ‘smartphones’, we wouldn’t blame you for wondering why the secret tips and tricks of an iPhone are so hard to discover. The truth is, there are so many hidden life hacks on the device in your pocket that you’d need a massive guide just to get through half of them. To save you the trouble – and make your life infinitely easier – we’ve listed our best 10 iPhone tips and tricks below.
IOS 13 Tips and Tricks – The Compass app is a secret spirit level
We’ll start with one all you DIY hobbyists will love: the iPhone’s hidden spirit level! You might have disregarded the humble Compass app when you first set up your iPhone. If you’re trying in vain to get that new picture frame on your wall in perfect alignment. However, don’t go to the app store and spend your hard-earned cash just yet!
Instead, open up your Compass app. If you can’t find it, swipe down on your Home screen to open the search bar and type ‘compass’ – then swipe left to bring up the spirit level. You’ll never have to listen to complaints about your DIY skills again!
IOS 13 Tips and Tricks – Clear your iPhone memory
Painfully slow iPhone got you down? It could just be that you need to clear your app memory. To do this, simply hold down ‘Sleep / Wake’ button until the ‘slide to power off’ command appears. Then, instead of pressing cancel, hold down the Home button at the bottom of your device. Once your phone is back to the main screen, all your apps will have been cleared of their memory. Enjoy a faster iPhone!
IOS 13 Tips and Tricks – Close all your iPhone apps at once
If you’ve only just discovered multi-tasking, chances are you’ll be shocked at the amount of apps you have running simultaneously in the background. You’ll also know the repetitive frustration of swiping up 30 or so times to clear them individually.
To close all the apps running on your phone at once, open the multi-tasking menu by quickly double-tapping your Home button. Then place three fingers on the top third of your screen and swipe up. Ta-da! All your apps are now closed, saving you aching fingers and plenty of time.
IOS 13 Tips and Tricks – Backspace on the iPhone calculator
Ever used the iPhone Calculator app and wondered: “why can’t I just backspace without deleting the entire number?”
While pressing the “C” button will clear the entire number, you can just delete the last digit of the number by swiping right or left on the black display area at the top of the app where the number appears.
How to charge your iPhone faster
Although this isn’t so much a secret as a little tip when you need to charge your iPhone faster, swiping up from the bottom of your screen / or down for Iphone XR and up, once it’s unlocked will allow you to enter Aeroplane Mode by clicking the little plane icon in the top-left-hand box on the screen.
While in Aeroplane Mode, you can still select an option to connect to Wi-Fi. However cellular data is blocked, preventing incoming phone calls. Also, if you press and hold your finger on that little box, it’ll bring up an expanded selection for AirDrop and Personal Hotspot settings.
Use your connecting headphones to take a photo
You might know that you can press your iPhone’s volume buttons to take a photo when you have the Camera app open. But did you know the same trick works on your compatible, connected headphones? If you’re jogging with some wireless headphones connected and don’t want to risk sweaty fingers on your phone screen, but still just have to take that waterfront sunrise photo for your Instagram – this iPhone trick is the social media life hack you need.
IOS 13 Tips and Tricks – Check your iPhone’s signal strength
You know how in the movies you’ll see someone desperately trying to get better phone signal. They could be waving their hand around at the ceiling and doing something incredibly dangerous like hanging out a window? For obvious reasons, don’t do that. However, if you’re struggling to find the best stop to send a text message or get a call, then you’ll be glad to know technology has fixed that old movie trope with the iPhone’s hidden Field Mode tool.
This one is a little more complicated, so we’ll break it down into steps:
- Open your iPhone call screen as though you were dialling a phone number.
- Type: *3001#12345#* into the number space, including the asterisks (*).
- Press the call button.
- Express infinite gratitude and wonder as you witness the iPhone’s hidden Field Mode.
Want to understand those numerical signals? Around -50 will mean you can stream high-quality videos on your cellular network, while a score of -120 and lower will mean you’ll be struggling to even send a text message.
Lock your iPhone camera focal point
Can’t get the right focus on your iPhone Camera app? Press your finger against the yellow box in the centre of your screen while you have the Camera app open until you see text at the top of the camera that says “AE/AF Lock.” – You’ve now locked the focal point of your camera, so you can take a perfect, crystal-clear image every time.
IOS 13 Tips and Tricks – How to undo a typing mistake on an iPhone
We’ve all been writing notes on your phone, or carefully crafting a long-winded text response to only delete it all by accident. While you’ll be used to your ‘undo’ keyboard shortcut on a PC, it’s just as easy on an iPhone. Simply shake your iPhone in a side-to-side, horizontal motion, and tap Undo Typing to correct your mistake! You can also retrieve your original message by shaking your iPhone again and tapping on Redo Typing.
Change your iPhone missed-call replies
Custom replies on the iPhone are a saviour of the corporate world. If you’re in a meeting and don’t want to ask someone to wait five minutes while you take a call, you’ll notice three options appear: Slide to Answer, Remind Me and Message.
By default, the three replies for the Message option are:
- “Sorry I can’t talk right now”
- “I’m on my way”
- “Can I call you later?”
However, if you want to add a little bit of your personality to your automated responses, you can change these default choices by navigating to the Settings app, then selecting Phone, and entering the Respond With Text menu. Unfortunately, you’ll still only be limited to three, but how many excuses do you really need for missing a phone call?
Geeks on Wheels – Same-day IT services in New Zealand
If you’ve read the tips above but still need help with your phone, tablet, laptop or PC, the expert team at Geeks on Wheels are only a call away.
Our team offers comprehensive computer training in Wellington, Auckland, Waikato, Christchurch – and almost everywhere else in New Zealand – so call our team today, and we’ll show you why we’ve been the best choice for helping Kiwis with their IT problems for over a decade!