Whether it’s downloading top-notch apps, listening to music on iTunes or asking Siri for help, there’s never a shortage of neat things you can do on your iPhone. But here are a few fun tricks you probably didn’t know your device was capable of.
1. Emoji Shortcuts
Did you know your iPhone lets you type out your emojis with shortcuts? Say you’ve created a shortcut named “heartz” for the heart emoji; this means every time you type in “heartz” in a message, the aforementioned emoji will immediately appear. It sure beats the hassle of switching keyboards. Click here to see how it’s done.
2. Snap Pics with Your Headphones
One super-easy trick that many people still don’t know: once you’ve launched the iPhone camera app you can tap the Volume Up (+) button on your headphones to take a picture. It’s perfect for snapping selfies or pics from afar. You can also use them to ignore calls, prompt Siri, rewind a song and more – click here to learn more about the hidden controls of the iPhone headphones.
3. Shake It Out
Don’t like what you just typed? Just shake your iPhone to get rid of it. Once you do, you’ll have the option to Undo Typing. You can shake it once more to Redo Typing, in case you change your mind. This even works if you’ve accidentally archived or deleted an email. Simply shake your phone to Undo Archive or Undo Trash.
4. Read It Off-Line
Want to save an online article to read later? Press down on the page and wait for a menu to pop up. Then tap Add to Reading List. Your article is then saved to your Reading List, which is located within the Bookmarks icon in Safari’s navigation bar. The best part is that you can access this list off-line. So, you’ll be able to read all your saved articles even when you don’t have internet access.
5. Up In the Air
Even if you’re not in the air, you should turn your device on Airplane Mode while it’s charging. Why? Because with all the data cut off, your iPhone will charge a lot faster. It comes in handy when you’re running low on juice and need a quick charge.
6. To the Right, To the Right
Forget back buttons. From the edge of the screen, swipe to the right to go back to your previous page. It works in Mail, Messages, Safari and even on certain apps likeInstagram.
7. Use Siri to Tweet
Siri has your back when it comes to keeping up with your social media updates. Command her to Post a Tweet and she’ll do it for you. Just be sure your device is logged in to your Twitter account first. Click here to see how it’s done.
8. Custom Vibrations
Custom ringtones are fun, but if your iPhone is usually set to vibrate, you may get more out of setting up custom vibrations. To do this, select someone from your Contacts List and tap Edit. Scroll down to Vibration. You can choose from stock vibrations like Heartbeat, Rapid and S.O.S or choose Create New Vibration to make your own pattern. Click here to learn more about custom vibrations.
9. Turn Off Read Receipts
If you don’t want others to know when you’ve read their messages, simply disable Read Receipts. Go to your Settings, tap Messages and then turn off the Send Read Receipts function. It’s as easy as that.
10. Fooled You Once
Feeling mischievous? Trick your friend into sending you an awkward selfie. When you’re chatting with them on iMessage, tell them you want to show them a cool selfie trick and direct their attention to the camera button next to the typing box. Instruct them to hold down the camera icon, slide it up to the new camera button that pops up and then release. It may take them a moment to realize that they’ve just sent you a picture of themselves at an odd angle or with a ridiculous facial expression. Click here to see how it’s done.
