Cool smartphone tips and tricks to try out

Smartphones are the most important electronic devices we own right now. They not only help us with payments, getting from point A to point B, hailing a ride, or staying connected with our friends and family but also help us do those things quickly. However, you can use these simple smartphone tips and tricks to find things quickly, and in the process, save a lot of time.

Smartphone tricks: What you need to know

If you have an iPhone, you can get to the camera without even unlocking your device simply by pressing the camera icon at the bottom right of your lock screen, and start the flashlight from the bottom left.

Android users can also get to their camera quickly from the lock screen and change various settings. Even after so many years, most smartphone users think they need to unlock their devices to access the cameras when there is a faster way to do it.

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While Android users might find it easier to get to their app from the app drawer, there are iPhone users and Android users who have to jump through pages before they get to their favourite app. Well, you can either bring your favourite apps to the first or second page on Android (even iPhone with iOS 18) or simply start typing the name of the app you are looking for or the setting you want to tweak.

Smartphone tips and tricks: Tweaks and shortcuts to know

If you are intrigued then here are some more cool smartphone tips and tricks to keep in mind

1. Restore deleted photos and videos

One of the common problems faced by smartphone users is accidentally deleting your photos and videos. There is a simple solution to that and one you might not know about. If you have an iPhone, go to Photos and tap on Albums and scroll all the way to the bottom to find “Recently Deleted.” To restore a photo, tap on it and select “Recover” or tap “Recover All” to restore everything. Apple gives its users 30 days to recover deleted photos and videos from trash.

On Android, if you use Google Photos then go to the app and select Library and then click on Trash. All the deleted photos that you have backed up get stored here for 60 days and to restore a photo, hold your finger on the image in the trash and then select “Restore.” If you don’t have your photos or videos backed up in Google Photos then Google keeps them in your trash for only 30 days.

2. Create a guest Wi-Fi

Gone are the days when you had to pass around your Wi-Fi passcode in a note or put a sticky note in your home. Instead of going through that hassle, you can simply let your friends and guests connect to your Wi-Fi via a QR code. It takes a few steps to set it up but once you do, it can save a lot of time. Here’s how to do it on your Android and iPhone.

On your iPhone, go to the Shortcuts app and tap Gallery in the lower right corner. Look for Shortcuts for Accessibility and scroll through the list of icons to find QR Your Wi-Fi and then tap Add Shortcut. Now, go to My Shortcuts on the lower-left side of the screen and click on QR Your Wi-Fi and press the play button. This will prompt you to enter your Wi-Fi name and password, and the QR code will appear on your screen. You can screenshot it or share, save, and even AirDrop it.

Android makes the process of sharing your Wi-Fi passcode even easier. Go to Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi or Settings > Network & internet > Internet. Here, you should see the QR code option to the right of your network. If you don’t see this then tap the Share button to generate a QR code with your Wi-Fi name and password.

3. Link your phone to Windows

If you have an iPhone and a Mac then you are already experiencing the best integration between a mobile and a desktop platform. However, to get the same experience with Android and Windows, all you need to do is download the Phone Link app and enjoy continuity between your phone and Windows laptop or desktop computer. You can make calls, send texts, and even view or use photos from your phone on your PC.

4. Visual look up on iPhones

This little-known feature among iPhone users is truly game-changing. With the Visual Look Up feature on your iPhone, you can easily identify places or learn more about birds, plants, animals, and insects in your photos. To use this feature, go to your Photos app and open any photo in full screen. Now, look for the small “i” icon in the middle of a circle at the bottom of the screen.

If this information icon has two small stars at its top-left corner then it means Visual Look Up is available for that photo. You can tap that icon to see what Visual Look Up sees in the picture. It is far from perfect and evokes memories of Google Lens on Android but it has the potential to do a lot more once Apple gets its AI tools ready.

5. Developer options

If you are an Android user then you should immediately start using developer options. To enable developer options, all you need to do is go to Settings > About Phone and tap on the build number seven times. Now, head to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options.

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Once enabled, you can enable screen taps, change Bluetooth device options, and even set USB connection preferences. Wondering whether your Android phone’s screen truly has a 120Hz refresh rate, you can check that with developer options. Isn’t that cool?

There are a lot of cool tips and tricks that are designed to help get things done faster on your smartphone or elevate your user experience. For example, the back tap feature on the iPhone is one of the fastest ways to enable a flashlight or turn on the camera. If you are worried about snooping then you can use the screen pinning feature on your Android. While there are a lot of interesting tricks with Android and iOS, the features mentioned above will make your life easier.