The release of iOS 16 is just around the corner. But you can already improve your user experience on the iPhone with countless sometimes hidden Apple features. In this guide, you’ll learn about 7 iOS features and tricks to try out on your Apple iPhone.
These suggestions include interface customization options, tips and tricks, and advanced features that have been added to Apple’s mobile operating system in recent years. Keep in mind that the latest iOS 16 version is still in beta. Novelties include a customizable lock screen, notification optimizations, a voice input system, and new security options.
To summarize:
Use shortcuts to create custom icons and more.
iOS is not the most customizable user interface. However, it is undeniably becoming more and more so, to the chagrin of many purists.
The Shortcuts app lets you easily transform app icons on your iPhone home screen, create unique color schemes, and more.
Of course, you can choose to use a third-party app for this, but the native Shortcuts tool offers a range of options that conform to Apple’s discerning design guidelines, plus it can be used to automate routines and more in iOS.
By using the Shortcuts app, icons can be customized, from name to image / © kwgeek
Turn your iPhone keyboard into a trackpad
Of all the iOS tricks, turning the iPhone keyboard into a trackpad is by far the most useful, and I find myself using it almost every day. It’s actually a pretty simple trick that most iOS users don’t know about, and probably isn’t even as popular as the ability to dim the flashlight on the iPhone.
To quickly place the cursor at a key location on a standard Apple keyboard, simply press and hold the space bar and wait for the letters to disappear. After that, without taking your finger off the screen, you can move the cursor around and edit text “like a pro”!
Turn your iPhone keyboard into a trackpad in the blink of an eye / © kwgeek
Add extra buttons to your iPhone with the Back Tap feature
Okay, this trick is as old as enabling dark mode on the iPhone, but most people still don’t notice it. Beyond simple screenshots, the Back Tap feature provides a wealth of functions and shortcuts with a double-tap or triple-tap on the back of your iPhone.
The convenience of this feature is that it supports iPhone 8 and later models. Besides being an important aid, it also acts as a shortcut for apps like the camera, in my case it’s Shazam.
To enable the Back Tap feature on iPhone, follow these steps:
- Enter set up > accessibility > touchthen press back Your.
- press double tap Where three times tap and choose an action
With Back Tap’s options, you can be as creative as Apple allows / © kwgeek
How to enable picture-in-picture mode on YouTube?
Since iOS 15, Apple has provided advanced options for using YouTube in floating windows. The feature, called Picture-in-Picture (PiP), helps minimize YouTube videos on the iPhone screen. However, to enable YouTube Picture-in-Picture mode on the iPhone, a YouTube Premium subscription is required.
If you’re like me, you’re also a YouTube Premium subscriber. First, you need to register as a test user, then the feature will automatically be available on your iPhone. On the other hand, if you want to stay away from YouTube, our recommendation is to download the PiPifier app directly from the App Store.
Watching YouTube videos on your iPhone is less annoying if you’re a premium subscriber / © kwgeek
Drag and drop text, photos and files between applications
Universal controls may not be on the iPhone yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drag and drop text, files, and photos into different apps on iOS. It’s not a very popular feature of iOS, but it’s certainly a great multitasking feature.
For example, in iOS 16 you can even crop an image to make it transparent (like a PNG) and drag and drop it from a web browser into your notes.
How easy is it to use drag and drop to move my colleague Antoine from the background to an image of this week’s top 5 apps? / © kwgeek
How to Cast iPhone to TV
Use the AirPlay feature to cast content from your iPhone screen to your TV. Similar to Miracast, this feature allows you to mirror your iPhone screen to a TV that is compatible or connected to an Apple TV streaming device. To do this, you must visit the iPhone’s control panel and activate the AirPlay shortcut, then follow these steps:
- open Cbetween controls
- Click the icon in the form of 2 overlapping screens
- Select your Apple TV, AirPlay 2-enabled Smart TV, or Mac from the list. (If the AirPlay passcode appears on your TV or Mac screen, enter the passcode on your iOS device)
- To stop mirroring your iOS device, turn on control centerpress screen mirroringthen turn on no more copy
From Control Center, it’s easy to mirror your iPhone screen / © kwgeek
Note that the list of AirPlay 2 compatible TVs is further reduced, including models released from 2018 by manufacturers LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL and Vizio. The updated list, which can be viewed on Apple’s website, also includes some devices with Amazon Fire TV and Roku systems.
Keep in mind that with AirPlay and Miracast, some apps may prevent content from being streamed to the TV for technical reasons or certification requirements. For more information on the subject, check out this tutorial on how to connect an iPhone to a TV.
Get the most out of movie mode and photography styles
Finally, starting with the iPhone 13 series, Apple now offers a movie mode and photography style. Since these two features depend on your hardware, only owners of iPhone 13/Pro models can take full advantage of them right now.
In our dedicated article on movie mode, we showed you how the video feature works and different ways to edit sequences during and after recording. If you have a compatible device, you can learn how to capture video with a blurred background and learn how to automatically change the subject or person in the foreground of the shot.
In terms of photographic style, Apple’s next-generation smartphone camera lets you apply the same hue, temperature, and saturation changes as traditional filters, but leverages the iPhone hardware to deliver different results than existing methods.
These are some of the best iOS features and tips for iPhone users right now. What do you think of the features presented here? What advice do you have for getting the most out of your iPhone? What features would you like to see in this iOS user guide?