Hidden iPhone tips and tricks to elevate your user experience

Apple has, over the years, built iOS into arguably the best operating system for smartphones and portable devices. The platform for iPhone, iPad, and other devices from Apple is known for being easy to use, intuitive, and quite powerful, especially when you’ve mastered the operating system and figured everything out. There’s also a certain level of consistency, meaning that iOS across different devices and versions tends to feel the same, with changes never feeling too jarring and sudden.

While iOS on an iPhone is easy to get started with, it takes some time to explore all the functions and features to make your experience even faster and more intuitive. If you haven’t done that already, here are some useful iOS tricks and hidden features in iPhones, which will help you make the most of your new iPhone.

Hidden iPhone tricks you probably didn’t know of

1. Tap and hold the spacebar to quickly track through text

When typing or scrolling through long text paragraphs, you can tap and hold the spacebar on the on-screen keyboard to quickly use it as a trackpad. The keyboard will go blank, and you can quickly move the cursor to where you want it to be, so that you can make changes. 

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This is helpful to quickly move and select the right spot in the paragraph, especially when you realise there’s a typing error or if you want to change a part of the text you just typed without deleting things that you may have typed after that. It’s a nifty way to quickly get to different parts of text.

2. Silence unknown callers

If calls from unknown numbers and spam calls are a bother, this feature will be particularly useful. In the settings app, you can find the Phone section and choose to enable ‘Silence Unknown Callers’, which will keep all calls from numbers which are not saved on your iPhone on silent. You can, of course, keep your phone on loud to receive calls from known numbers, while ensuring that potentially unwanted calls don’t disturb you.

3. Use the volume buttons as a shutter for the camera

This one is fairly simple, and can come in handy when taking selfies. Instead of stretching your thumb to tap the on-screen shutter, simply press one of the volume buttons to take a picture in the camera app. This works with both the front and rear cameras, and can help with quickly taking pictures without too much shaking.

4. Flash for alerts

Do you like to keep your iPhone face down often? If so, this trick might help you to not miss alerts and calls. In the settings app, go to Accessibility, and then to the Audio and Visual section, where you can activate LED Flash for Alerts. This will ensure that the camera flash module lights up to let you know you’re getting a call or notification. This can be particularly useful when your phone is in Silent mode.

Try these out and let us know if you want us to share more such tips