15 'Secret' iPhone Hacks That Will Even Impress Siri Want to know how to charge your phone super fast and correct Siri when she's wrong? These elusive shortcuts will help you save time.
By Rose Leadem
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While Apple products were created to be simple and easy-to-use tech tools for the everyday person, it turns out they've got a whole slew of their own hidden tricks and shortcuts: Secret gestures that help maneuver your phone quicker to hacks make room for storage space.
Related: How to Record Calls on an iPhone
The kicker is, Apple doesn't go out of its way to advertise these hacks. Luckily, we went undercover to sniff out the most useful ones.
Here are 15 iPhone hacks that will even impress Siri.
Convenience through secret gestures
While many of the apps and features on the iPhone are pretty straightforward, there are a few hidden ones Apple doesn't tell you about. One of these so-called "secret gestures" is when you're in the "App Store," if you press any of the menu buttons at the bottom of the screen ten times, you'll reset the cache. Another one is if you hit the green call button in the iPhone app, your phone will recall the last number you called.
Specific apps have their own secret gestures, too. In Safari, open up the "New Tab" button on the bottom right corner of the screen, then hold down the "+" which will give you the ability to open back up any recently closed tabs. Another useful Safari one is after hitting the "New Tab" button, hold down the "Done" button in the bottom right corner. Then, you'll be able to close all open tabs at once.
Clear up your phone memory
When you're phone starts getting slow, sometimes turning it on and off won't remedy that issue. Instead, try holding down the "Power" button, and when you are presented with the option to slide and power off your phone, hold down the "Menu" button. This will reset your phone and flush out the RAM, which will reduce the amount of space any of your apps might be taking up. This move should breathe speed back into your phone.
Camera tricks
The iPhone and its awesome camera have helped revolutionize the way we take photos. And it comes with its own set of hidden features, too. For example, when you're recording a video, you can take photo stills, too, by pressing the round button that appears in the bottom left corner of the screen. Another trick is when you're taking a photo, hold down the the round photo button and your phone will take a burst of images so you'll have a variety to choose from.
Reachability mode
After releasing its plus-size phones, Apple also created a way to help people easily access and reach items on these bigger phones while still using one hand. It's called "Reachability," and it shifts the entire top of the iPhone screen down so the screen is much more in reach while holding the phone. To use this feature, simply tap (not press) on the home button twice.
“Spirit level” in the compass app
Who would have thought you would need to open up the compass app unless you were out camping or climbing? Here's a reason you might want to try it out: By opening up the app, flick the phone to the right, and you'll have access to the "Spirit Level." Like an actual carpentry level, the "Spirit Level" will gauge how level a surface is, which can be helpful when hanging pictures on the wall or any activity that requires a level surface.
Correct your autocorrect
Meant to type "pick" and your iPhone autocorrected to "lick"? Don't worry -- we've all been there. However, you shouldn't let autocorrect embarrass you anymore. Of course, you don't want to turn it completely off and risk accidentally hitting the wrong buttons yourself with nobody else to blame. Instead, go into your "Text Replacement" in your "Keyboard" settings and add in words that you use often, which Apple autocorrects to something else. For example, when you type the acronym "OMW," the phone defaults to "On my way!" You can text replace "OMW" so it says "OMW."
Headphone tricks
The headphones that come along with your iPhone aren't just for music and phone calls. In fact, the volume controller that's attached to the headphone's wire can also be used to take photos. By clicking the up or down button while your "Camera" app is open, you can snap photos. That trick also works without your headphones: When your "Camera" app is open, click the volume up or down on the side of your phone to take pictures.
Prolong your battery
Not sure why your phone's battery is dying so quickly? Finding out is easy. Go into "Settings," and click "Battery," and you'll be presented with a list of all of your apps and exactly how much battery they're sucking up. On the "Battery page," you can also switch your phone to "Power Saving Mode," which will extend your iPhone's battery life.
Check your storage
On top of battery usage, storage use is probably the next most important feature on your iPhone. And if you're storage is getting full, a way to check what's taking up the most room is by going into "Usage" settings and clicking on "Storage." Your phone will present a list of all of the apps taking up space on your phone and how much. If you've got some old apps you never use on that list, you can delete them, and make some room.
Use “Night Shift” for bedtime
Constantly looking at screens all day long can take a toll on your eyes. Luckily, Apple introduced "Night Shift," which changes the color of your screen to a more yellow tone intended to be easier on your eyes, especially before bed. To turn it on, go to "Settings," search for "Night Shift" at the top of the screen and you'll be presented with options to enable, schedule and control "Night Shift." If your phone is running on an older iOS, there's an extra step to enable this feature: After you go into "Settings," click on "Display and Brightness." There you will be able to activate and control "Night Shift."
Charge your phone quicker
If you have some time to disconnect and need to juice up your phone quickly, turn on "Airplane Mode" while you charge it. This method is substantially faster than simply plugging in your phone to an outlet and is especially helpful if you're in a hurry. To do so, slide up on the screen to open up the phone's menu, then hit the plane button.
Customize phone vibrations
When a certain person texts or calls and your phone vibrates, you can set it up so that vibration is customized. Click on a specific person in your "Contacts" list and hit "Edit," then go to "Vibration" and press the "Create New Vibration" button. From there, you can pick a vibe of your choice for that person.
Correct Siri
Siri's not always right -- in fact, a lot of the time it gets things wrong. So, to help the voice assistant out, correct her. When Siri pronounces something wrong, reply with, "Siri, that's not how you pronounce..." Siri will then ask for the correct pronunciation and remember it from there on out.
Find the best signal
Whether you're in some foreign country or your office just gets terrible phone service, there's an easy trick to find out where the best signal is in your location. Dial *3001#12345#* into your iPhone and hit call. This will launch the "Field Mode" tool, which will show you the exact score a certain area gets when it comes to strength of service.
Use Siri to translate
Forget Google translator -- if you need to quickly translate something into another language, Siri can do that for you. The voice assistant can translate English into five languages, including Chinese, German, Italian, French and Spanish. To utilize this feature, say something like, "Siri, how do I say..." or "Siri, translate... " It will supply you with, not only a verbal translation, but also a written one.
