85 Hidden iPhone Tricks Most People Don't Know About

Apple iPhones arrived in 2007 running an unnamed operating system. A year later, it received this boring sobriquet: iPhone OS 1. By 2010, marketing got its act together and came up with "iOS," just in time for the debut of version 4.

We're now up to iOS 17, and in the previous decade and a half, iOS has undergone a slew of changes—from embracing dedicated apps (in version 2) and dropping skeuomorphism for flat images (iOS 7) to finally embracing widgets.

Apple's iOS is so full of features that no single review or story can cover it all. So we compiled our favorite tips, tricks, and secrets for iOS and the iPhone. They'll make your day—and your life—more productive and put you on the path to becoming an iPhone expert.

Input

Shift Your Keyboard Left or Right

Trying to type with one thumb? The default iOS keyboard offers a left- or right-leaning option. Hold your finger on the globe or emoji icon at the bottom of the keyboard (if you have three or more keyboards installed, it'll display the globe), and in the pop-up, you'll see an option for a left and right keyboard. Tap your preference. Tap the arrow pointing opposite your preference to go back to full screen. (This only works in Portrait Mode, and won't work if you've adjusted to "Larger Text" view under Settings > Display & Brightness.)

Hold the Space Bar to Make a Trackpad

You're typing along and want to move the cursor up and change something you wrote. You could tap the screen, but your thumbs are already flying. Keep them on the virtual keyboard by holding down on the spacebar. You'll see the keys go blank; now, drag your thumb tip around to move the cursor. Drop the cursor where you want it, and delete or type as needed.

Create Text Replacements

Are there phrases you find yourself typing over and over, like "On the way home" or "Love you more than the sun and moon!"? Go into Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Click the plus (+) icon at the top to enter a phrase and then a shortcut. Then, any time you type the shortcut (such as "otw"), the full phrase (say, "I'm on the way home, leave me alone!") springs to life on the keyboard's text preview. You can even use this trick to type a letter combo that brings up a specific series of emoji.

Swipe Type to QuickPath

Many third-party iOS keyboards have had the ability to swipe-type—that is, to move your finger or thumb around the keys without lifting it to type words. As of iOS 13, this feature is also part of the default keyboard; Apple calls it QuickPath.

Screenshots

Screenshot an Entire Lengthy Web Page

When you're taking a screenshot on your iPhone, a thumbnail appears on the bottom-left for annotation. Tap to take it full-screen. If you took the shot while using the Safari browser, and the web page you're on extends past the size of the screen, glance at the top for a tab that reads "Full page." Tap it, and a slider appears on the right displaying the full page, even if you didn't scroll through it all originally. You can crop to just the area you want or click Done to save it as a PDF, copy it, or delete it.

Bonus: This also works with other browsers on iOS like Chrome and Firefox.

Sign Documents

We don't all have scanners and printers in our homes these days, but Apple offers an easy way to sign a document digitally. Take a screenshot of the doc, and tap the thumbnail. On the lower-right, click the Plus sign. One of the options is Signature. Sign directly on the screen (or use a stored signature). Hit Done, and then drag it to the document in the screenshot. Place the signature, resize it, and save it to send.

Snag Text from Photos and Video

Live Text is iOS's ability to pull editable text out of a photo or even a video. All you have to do is view the image or pause the video. Click the small Live Text icon, and it highlights all the text you can copy (tap and hold to copy it). Depending on what the phone can read, you'll get action buttons. For example, you can translate foreign languages on the fly. If it sees a phone number, it can call the number; if it sees a URL, it will can take you to the website. Turn the phone to get a three-dot ellipsis menu, and you'll see other options, such as the text appearing in an editable window.

Safari

Customize Settings per Website

Some websites look great with default settings, and others don't. You can create settings that are specific to one website—so, for example, so it displays a larger font than others. Simply click on the AA font icon in the address bar when visiting a site. You can set the font size, as well as click on Website Settings to specify whether you always want to see the desktop version; jump right into the Safari Reader (which makes pages easier to read by stripping out extraneous stuff); or turn off all your content and advertising blockers.

Recording

Turn Off Your Microphone on Screen Recordings

To screen-record on your iPhone and iPad, navigate to Settings > Control Center, and make sure Screen Recording is listed under Included Controls (if not, tap the green Plus button below). A screen-record button then appears in Control Center. When recording, you may notice that it's also recording audio, so you can record a voiceover. If you'll be adding voice later or don't need a voiceover, long-press on the button in Control Center. Below, you'll see either Microphone Off or Microphone On—set your preference.

Broadcast Your Screen

Holding down the Screen Recording button in Control Center also produces another option: You can pick an app into which your recording can be saved (say, Photos) or do a direct broadcast. The apps that support broadcast include chats apps such as Facebook Messenger; video-meeting tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype; or even sharing services including TikTok and Twitch.

Enhance Your Voice

In Voice Memos, you can use Enhanced Recording to reduce background noise. Make a recording, click the equalizer menu, and under Options, turn on Enhance Recording to make it sound better. You can also use this screen to adjust playback speed or to skip the silences in the recording.

App Store

Force App Updates

Do you worry that the app you're using may not be the most up-to-date version? Make sure the App Store is set to auto-update your apps. Go to Settings > App Store and in Automatic Downloads, turn on App Updates.

If you don't want to wait, open the App Store app, tap your picture, swipe down to update, and tap Update All, if it appears. (Bonus: If you see an app in that list that you don't use anymore, just swipe left to delete it.)

Offload Apps

Have you filled your phone with apps that you never use? While you're in Settings > App Store, turn on Offload Unused Apps. Apps then disappear from your phone when you don't use them after a few weeks. Any data or docs related to the app remain, though, so if you reinstall, it'll still be of use. This is a great trick to use when you're a heavy gamer, since games can take up a lot of space. Free some up space for new fun. Note, however, if an app is offloaded and then removed from the App Store in the meantime, you will not be able to download it again.

Phone

Silence Unknown Callers

Inundated by robocalls? Visit Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers. When that's turned on, any number that's not in your contacts, Siri suggestions, or recently called list goes directly to voicemail. A silent notification tells you that a call has been silenced; you can view the number in your Recents list.

To keep your line open to unknown callers, you can use a secondary number via a second SIM card or VoIP burner account.

Watch a Live Voicemail

When you get a call in iOS 17 that you don't recognize, keep looking at your lock screen. The phone will now transcribe any voicemail being left for you in real-time as you watch. If it's long enough, you can answer the call if it seems important. You may have to turn it on in Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail.

If you turn on Silence Unknown Callers (above), the Live Voicemail still works so you can decide if you want to answer—but it won't transcribe any numbers marked by your mobile carrier as spam.

Hang Up via Airplane

Hanging up on people, even when you really want to, is impolite. But when you're on a call and switch on Airplane mode, the call is cut off, as if it had failed. Then you don't look responsible. (Thanks to @kaansanity on TikTok for this idea.)

Make Calls Over Wi-Fi

When cellular service is iffy, Wi-Fi Calling can tap into a Wi-Fi network to place calls. You'll need a wireless carrier that supports it. Go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling to turn it on. Be sure to set up an Emergency Address; 911 centers can't pinpoint your location for VoIP calls. You'll know it's on when you swipe to see the Control Center and the word "Wi-Fi" appears next to your carrier's name.

For more, read "How to Set Up Wi-Fi Calling on an iPhone."

Use Your iPad to Make Calls

Once you have Wi-Fi Calling turned on, you get another option—Add Wi-Fi Calling for Other Devices. That feature is exactly what it sounds like. When your iPad (or another iPhone) doesn't have a cellular account, as long as the device is signed into your iCloud account, it can make phone calls using your main iPhone's connection to the internet. Your carrier may throw some warnings up about it (such as an AT&T notice that this won't work with TTY Devices).

Interface

Move Multiple Apps at Once

You can group apps together on the home screen by dragging one atop another to create a folder. But what if you want to move a bunch of apps to another page on the home screen? Don't do it one at a time: Instead, press down on one app until it goes wiggly, then use another finger to tap a bunch of apps. They'll be grouped; you'll see a number increment go up as they're added. Without removing your finger, drag that stack to a new page and drop them all at once. (This takes practice.)

Change the Default Apps

Apple long favored its own apps, which meant links and emails defaulted to opening in the Mail app and Safari. Now you can change your default mail or browser app to another option; say, Gmail or Chrome. For more read "How to Change Your Default Browser and Mail Apps in iOS."

Hide a Page of Apps

Have some apps on your phone you want to hide but not delete? Put them all on a single screen. Then hold your finger on the screen to go into wiggle mode, and tap the home-screen scroll dots at the bottom. You'll get an Edit Pages interface that lets you turn off the view of an entire page of apps. This doesn't delete the apps, and you can still swipe down to access Spotlight search and find the apps easily. But it's a quick way to keep certain apps from prying eyes.

The Three-Finger Symphony

Want to quickly undo a mistake in iOS? You have a few options.

• Swipe three fingers to the left;

• Single-tap three fingers on the screen;

• Shake to undo.

Swiping left is an automatic undo, while a single tap of three fingers will produce a quick toolbar at the top that shows an undo curly arrow (as well as cut, copy, paste, and redo options). Shake-to-undo, meanwhile, could be annoying in some circumstances, so you might want to disable that one in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Shake to Undo.

Take the Night Shift

You shouldn't look at your iPhone before you go to bed—that blue light doesn't help you sleep. But we all do it. So activate Night Shift via Settings > Display & Brightness to reduce the blue wavelength of light on the screen. It will add a yellowish tint to the screen (which you can control in Settings), so it may make video look a little off, but it's fine for reading. Set it to activate at pre-scheduled times and shut off in the morning, or you can turn it on manually until the next day.

Live Wallpaper Returns

There used to be the ability to turn one of your Live Photos into a wallpaper, but Apple removed it... only to bring it back for iOS 17. To do it, find your Live Photo in the Photos app, click the Share icon at the lower left. One of the options is Use as Wallpaper. It only seems to work with new Live Photos you take after the iOS 17 upgrade; older Live Photos don't have the option. Once you share it as a wallpaper, it'll animate every time you unlock the phone.

Photo-Shuffle Your Wallpaper

Another option is to have a different image come up each time you unlock. Go to Settings > Wallpaper > +Add New Wallpaper > Photo Shuffle. You can specify a person or persons (iPhone narrows the search with facial recognition), pet, nature shots, or a specific place. Your wallpaper then changes with every tap or lock or every hour or day.

Customize Icons, Widgets, and More

iOS is now (almost) as customizable as Android. For full details, read "How to Add Custom Icons, Widgets to Your iPhone Home Screen in iOS 14."

Networking

Share Your Wi-Fi Password Automatically

Want to share your Wi-Fi password without writing down a complicated string of numbers and letters? Make sure you and your guest both have Bluetooth turned on. Then, have them navigate to Wi-Fi settings. If they have a modern iOS, iPadOS, or macOS device, and they're in your contacts list, a pop-up will appear on your screen saying Do you want to share the Wi-Fi password for [network name] with [contact name]? Tap Share Password, and that person can log in.

Find Forgotten Wi-Fi Passwords

Before iOS 16, your phone stored your Wi-Fi passwords, but it wouldn't actually show them to you. Now it will. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and click the info icon (the "i" in a circle) next to a network name. To find a network that's out of range, click Edit at the top. The Wi-Fi password on the info screen will still be blanked out—tap to reveal it. You'll have options for iOS to copy it or say it aloud.

You can also use these screens to forget Wi-Fi passwords by tapping the red minus (-) icon next to each network name.

Quick Switch a Network or Bluetooth Connection

Stop going into Settings every time you want to switch a Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth connection manually. Instead, swipe to access Control Center. The top-left section has the connection buttons for Airplane mode, Cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth grouped together. Long-press on the group, and a menu pops out showing AirDrop and Personal Hotspot buttons. Press down on Wi-Fi for a quick menu of all available networks; do the same to Bluetooth for a list of possible connections.

Siri & Search

Teach Siri Names

Sometimes Siri gets names tragically wrong. Sometimes she recognizes that and asks if she should learn how to pronounce the name, but other times, you have to correct her. Say "Hey, Siri, learn how to pronounce [name]." Once she confirms the name in your contacts that you want, she'll have you pronounce it, then provide choices on-screen. Pick the one she gets right.

Change Siri's Voice

Voice assistants have long defaulted to female voices. Siri has offered the option to switch to a male voice for a decade. To change up Siri's voice, go into Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Voice. In addition to a generic American female voice, you can select an Australian, British, Indian, Irish, or South African accent with a male or female voice. Set the language so that even if it sounds Irish, the voice uses US phrases.

Find Other iOS Devices

If all your iOS devices are on the same Apple or iCloud account, it won't be hard to find them. Say "Hey, Siri, find my iPad" (for example) to the device you actually have in your possession. The missing iPad starts playing a chime, which should continue until you find the device and turn it off. You can also use the Find My app.

Just say "Siri"

As of iOS 17, you no longer have to say the full "Hey, Siri" as a wake word. You can just say "Siri." (But if you hate that, you can change it in Settings > Siri & Search so the phone only listens for "Hey Siri." Or turn off the wake-word option altogether.

For more, read "10 Tips for Using and Tweaking Siri on Your iPhone or iPad."

Calculator

Skip the Calculator to Calculate

If you have some addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division you need to do quickly, just use the search bar. On the home page or widgets page, swipe down from the middle of the screen to search, type in the operation, and you'll get the answer. It's flexible enough to realize that an "x" and a "*" can both be used for multiplication. It can even handle operations such as 9^2 (9 squared, which equals 81) or 9% 100 (9, which is 9% of 100). Click Go on the keyboard, and it pushes you to the Calculator app.

Swipe to Delete Calculator Entry Mistakes

The calculator app built into iOS is pretty basic, but becomes powerful when you turn your phone to landscape mode. That transforms it into a scientific calculator with exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric options. Tap Clear (C) to clear your last entry, or All Clear (AC) to clear all your entries. But if you put in one wrong digit, and catch yourself, simply swipe. Any swipe on the calculator's display up top in either direction deletes the last number typed. Keep swiping to trash a few in a row.

FaceTime

Read What They're Saying

Live Captions show closed captions, generated in real-time, of what the person you're talking to is saying. It's not always accurate, but it can be helpful in some situations—say, when you need to chat face-to-face but want the volume down so other people can't hear you. It also can take up a lot of screen real estate, so turn it off by clicking the I in a circle to pull up the settings for the person you are talking to. If you never want it, turn it off in Settings > FaceTime > Live Captions.

Zoom Yourself

Want to zoom in on your own face during a FaceTime call? Double tap, and your thumbnail expands to full size. (This doesn't affect what the person on the other end sees.)

Take a FaceTime Live Pic

Tap the screen as you're chatting: You'll see a round white shutter button over the video. Click it, and you've taken a Live Photo (the kind with minimal, Harry Potter-esque motion) of the person on the other end. That person will be told on their end of the FaceTime call that a picture was taken, so don't think you're getting away with anything.

Make Eye Contact for Real

In a video call, we usually look at the person we are conversing with on the screen. That's natural to us, but it means that you are not really making eye contact with the person—because you're not looking at the camera. Apple created a feature called Eye Contact that subtly, digitally adjusts your eyes so they appear to be looking at the camera, and thus at the other person. It works well, but if you don't want it, go into Settings > FaceTime > Eye Contact to deactivate it.

Trigger Things by Hand

You can make little visual effects appear on the screen in a FaceTime call by using your own hand gestures. Give a thumbs up and there's a thumbs-up icon (same with thumbs down). Two thumbs up puts fireworks behind you on the screen. Double-down makes it rain. You can do a peace sign, make a heart, double rock-n-roll horns.... or just hold your thumbnail down so you can get a menu to see all of these options.

Leave a Message

Finally, when someone doesn't answer on FaceTime, you can leave a message for them right in the app, as a video. Just tap Record Video when there's no answer, record what you want to say, click Stop, then Play if you want to review it before you hit Send. People can save the video you send them to their Camera Roll, so don't say anything incriminating.

Contacts & Calendar

Make Custom Ringtones for Each Contact

Want to know who's calling without looking at the screen? Assign a custom ringtone sound to your most frequent callers. Enter their contact entry, click Edit at top, and scroll down to Ringtone. You'll get the full list of available ringtones on your iPhone. Click Classic at bottom, and you'll see the list of original ringtones that came with the first iPhones. Even the Alert Tones you'd usually use for incoming messages can be used for phone calls. (If you don't see one you like, tap Tone Store to enter the iTunes store app and buy a tone; they're around $1.29 each.) While you're editing that contact, you can set a custom Text Tone in exactly the same way.

Customize Good Vibrations

If your phone is on vibrate, a custom ringtone won't help you ID a caller or texter. Assign frequent contacts there own individual vibration pattern. On the contact, tap Ringtone again, then tap Vibration. It is likely set to default. You'll see a few options, including "Alert," "Heartbeat," and "Symphony." Make your own by clicking Create New Vibration. On the next screen, tap a pattern. (I use "shave and a haircut, two bits" for my family.) Click Stop, then Save, and give your new vibration a name. Go back to the Ringtone screen, and click Done to finish.

Create SOS Contacts

Make sure your most important people are in your contacts. Then go to Health, click the icon of your face, then Medical ID > Edit > Emergency Contacts to designate one or more as emergency SOS person(s) if you have an issue. (SOS also contacts emergency services.) A red asterisk now appears next to them in your Contacts list.

To send an SOS, hold down the power button on the right and one of the volume buttons on the left at the same time. You can either use the Emergency SOS slider, or keep holding the buttons—a countdown will start, an alert will sound, and when the call goes through to 911, messages are sent to your emergency contacts. This is even more powerful in the latest iPhones, which have Emergency SOS via satellite.

Use Search to Make a Quick Calendar Entry

The spotlight search on iOS is accessed by swiping down amid all your home screen icons, from there you can type or speak what you're looking for on the phone. But if you want to make a quick calendar entry, just start typing/talking and include dates and times and a description. iOS will figure it out and put an entry on screen with a giant Add button next to it to throw it on your default calendar.

Camera & Photos

Use Volume Buttons as Shutter Buttons

When you're in the camera app, you don't need to use the button on the screen as a shutter. Click either of the Volume buttons to take a snapshot. It'll even start/stop a video capture. If you have wired earbuds connected to your iPhone, use the Volume buttons on the wire to do the same thing.

If you hold the volume button down, it'll take a video until you release it. See below on how to turn the Up Volume button into a Burst Mode shutter.

The "shutter" sound will happen if you use this, unless you have your volume turned down. You can do that while in the Camera app—swipe down from the top of your screen to access Control Center, drag the volume down, then swipe up from the bottom to go back to Camera.

Take People and Things Out of Images

Is someone or something in the foreground of a photo that deserves to be preserved without whatever is behind them? This iPhone image trick is part of Visual Look Up. Tap the part you want to save, and it will pop off the screen a bit, then ask you to Copy or Share it; but you can also drag it around to place it somewhere else (into Messages or an email, for example). The background becomes transparent. This also works on images you see in Safari. (Visual Look Up also lets you take pictures or videos of plants, animals, food, symbols/signs, and landmarks to get instant identification of what they are by clicking the I in a circle icon.)

A new option when you pull an image is to make it into a Sticker, which you can read about below in Messages.

Snap Photos While You Shoot Video

As you're shooting video, look for the white circle shutter button on the screen. Any time you tap that as you shoot, it snaps a still image. You'll see all of them in your camera roll. They'll be video-resolution quality, though, not the multi-megapixels you're typically shooting with the still-camera option on the phone.

Hidden QR Code Scanner

The Camera app includes a QR scanner—but for faster access, Apple also offers a hidden, standalone QR code scanner app. As our sister site Lifehacker writes, swipe down from the middle of the screen to bring up the Spotlight search box, type CodeScanner, and an app appears. Tap it, and snap a photo of any QR code.

Lock Camera Focus

In the Camera app, the iPhone refocuses instantaneously as you move or your subject moves. If you don't want that, hold a finger on the screen over the area you want in focus—you'll know it worked when it says AF Lock at the top.

Adjust Focus After the Shot

There are many lenses in iPhones, so you can take cool portrait-mode photos with blurred-out backgrounds (the bokeh effect). Modern iPhones also offer this with videos when you shoot in Cinematic Mode. The latest iOS knows that sometimes you blow the shot and focus on the wrong thing anyway. So now you can go in to the Photos app and reset the focus after the shot is done. You can change the f-stop for each photo to increase or decrease the blur as desired. In a video, click edit and you'll get a timeline showing the places where the focus shifted via yellow dots. You an delete them all and setup a new spot in the shot that should be tracked for focus. TyTeachesTech on TikTok has an excellent short tutorial.

Mirror Selfies

Look at yourself in the front camera of your iPhone. You are seeing a mirror image, which is what humans are used to when they see their reflections. When you take a pic or video, the image gets flipped, as it would appear when the photographer was behind a camera. You usually want that. If you don't, though, go into Settings > Camera and turn on Mirror Front Camera.

Copy Your Photo Edits to Paste

When you create a beautiful new image using just the in-phone Camera app, you can easily recreate the effect on other images. After you do your edit, hit the ellipsis menu (...) > Copy Edits. Move on to the next image, and in the same menu, look for Paste Edits. Or go to the full camera roll, touch Select, tap multiple pics, then use the menu button to select Paste Edits and change them all as a batch.

Burst Changes

Initially, you would hold your finger down on the white shutter button for burst mode, which takes several pictures in less than a second. But in iOS 14, that changed—now, holding down your finger on the button shoots a video until you release it. (You can drag right to keep shooting the video without using your finger).

You can still access burst mode, which is a great way to get still images of subjects in action. The trick: Hold the shutter button and drag it left. It'll keep shooting as long as you hold it. Alternatively, in Settings > Camera > Use Volume Up for Burst, you can make the Volume Up button a default way to get a burst of shots.

Strip Data From Photos Before You Share

When you're sharing images directly from the Photos app to a person or service, the shots take with them all the information collected at the time of capture, including location data. You may not want to share that. Instead, view a photo and click the Share Button, but before you share it, click Options at the top. Turn off All Photos Data. That removes everything, including the edit history, crops, filters, and Live Photo effects you may have applied.

Keep It On the Level

A new feature for the iOS 17 Camera is the photo level, indicated by the horizontal line on-screen. When it's level, the line is yellow. Now you'll have a better idea now if you're tipping down too far on either side, whether in portrait or landscape orientation. Tilt far enough and the level line disappears, as the gyroscope inside assumes you meant to go full Dutch-angle. Turn it on under Settings > Camera if you can't see it.

Crop It Quick

If your photo has too much and you want to crop it down to just the salient part of the image, you used to have to tap it, select edit, and find the crop tool. No more. Just open an image and do the two-finger zoom-in, either in portrait or landscape mode. A Crop button appears at the upper right. Tap it and the image is instantly whittled down to what you see on the screen. (You can always go back in to Edit the image and restore it.)

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Notes

Scan Multiple Pages Into a PDF

Hold your finger down on the Notes app icon to bring up an instant menu of things to do: You can add a new note or a new checklist, as well as Scan Document. The latter is a powerful tool, giving you a way to take a picture of all the pages in a physical document and stitch them together into one PDF. You can then view it page by page in the app, and share it with others.

Draw a Note

Sometimes you just want to write a note—or sketch it. You can get fancy apps for that, but the Notes app can handle it too. In any note, new or old, click the pen-nib icon for a menu of writing implements at the bottom—a marker, highlighter, or pencil—along with an eraser and a lasso to grab entire areas of the drawing. Hold a finger down on the tool to select different line-thickness options. Tap the color wheel to change the color and opacity of your virtual link or lead. (Apple's newer Freeform app is also great for drawing.)

Password-Protect a Note

Go to Settings > Notes > Password. Tap either iCloud or On My Phone—it depends on where you store your most important notes—then enter a password, verify it, and give yourself a hint. You can also turn on Touch ID or Face ID (depending on your iPhone model) to require either method to open notes, but you'll still have to enter a password. This doesn't instantly put a password on your Notes app, though: Within the app, swipe left and tap the lock to protect a specific note.

Messages

Name a Group

Group messaging is a hallmark of any good message service. In a thread with other iOS or macOS users, you can rename the conversation. You can also assign an overarching emoji or Memoji to the group for easy access. Click "[X] people" under the icon, then click Change Name and Photo to provide a Group Name. You'll also see a section of avatar options. If you don't like those, pick one anyway, and on the next screen, replace it with any emoji. (This now even works with a non-iOS user is in the group, such as someone with an Android phone or a dumb phone.)

Draw Your Message

Sometimes you want to send a hand-drawn picture to a friend. You don't have to sketch on paper and take a photo. In a Messages thread, just turn your phone to landscape orientation; the keyboard displays an icon that looks like a hand-drawn loop. Click it for a blank canvas on which you can draw (only in black). Anything you send will also be listed at the bottom to use again later. Hold a finger down on a pre-written note to delete it.

Thread Messages in Group Chat

Sometimes group messages get out of hand, with everyone talking about different things. Instead, thread your replies. Swipe the message to the right (or hold a finger on a particular message and tap Reply), then everything else gets grayed out while you type. Once sent, a mini thread appears.

Keep in mind that it's not private—anyone in the group can see the threaded reply and also chime in.

Add Almost Anything to Messages

The way to add things to messages, from images to memes, used to be complicated but iOS made it simpler. There is now a plus sign in a circle next to the messages box. Hold your finger on it to instantly bring up your camera roll of images for quickly adding the latest. Or tap it to get the list of apps that offer things to share—you can access the camera, photos, audio files, your location, Apple Cash, and much more. (Click the More option to reorder, so the most-used apps will be the first you see.) Go into Settings > Messages > Message Apps to turn off any app you don't want to see on that list.

Brand new in here for iOS 17 is Stickers. You can send almost anything as a sticker reaction. Lots of apps are offering stickers, from Wikipedia to PBS Kids to Papa Johns. But most important is that ANY emoji can be a sticker, plus you can make your own from your photos.

To do that, start from the Photos app and hold a finger on a part of an image you want to sticker-ify; or in the Stickers section while in Messages, click the Plus icon to go into the Photos. Each sticker you make from a photo can have its own special effect, like looking puffy or turning into comic book art.

Talk, Pause, Talk Some More

Sending audio to someone via Messages is like doing a direct voicemail without the phone, and it got an upgrade in iOS 17. To record audio you tap the + icon and select Audio. Start talking, and you push on the red square to stop. But that's more like a pause now--you can click on the + next to the time stamp to start the recording again. Stop and start again as much as you like. You can play it back to yourself before sending, and drag your finger across the waveform to scrub back and forth to hear different parts of your outgoing message.

Send Check In Alerts

When you're traveling somewhere and want to keep someone else abrest of your whereabouts, you can select Check In from the list under Messages (via that + menu). When you first use Check In you have to configure if you want the recipient to see Limited or Full location data and details. For example, it will send info about your phone's battery and network signal strength, or even if you took off your Apple Watch. Change the details of what you'll share later in Settings > Messages > Check In Data.

Security

Enhance Password Security

Security Recommendations are handy when you store a lot of passwords in iOS, whether for apps or websites. The feature tells you whether a password appeared in a known data breach, and it suggests you make changes if you have repeated passwords (because that's a big no-no). Find this at Settings > Passwords > Security Recommendations.

Better yet, get a real password manager that supports iOS. You should also set up an Apple Passkey for easy sign-ins via Face ID or Touch ID.

Hide Your Precise Location

Smartphones track not only what you do but also where you go. Block some of that. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services to see the settings for every app; go into each to turn off the Precise Location. Some apps need your location (such as Maps, when you're using the GPS)—but few need exact coordinates. (Check your settings if you just updated to iOS 17, it may have changed things.)

Turn Off Ratings Nags

Do any of your apps constantly ask you to rate them? They need good reviews to earn better ranks in the App Store, but it can become annoying. Go to Settings > App Store and turn off In-App Ratings & Reviews. You can always go back in and rate any app you like or hate by searching for it in the App Store.

Set Face ID to Work With a Mask

Face ID is meant to work with eyes, nose, and mouth all visible to the camera. But you may still be masking. Apple introduced the option to still use facial authentication even when your mouth and nose are covered—the scan sticks to your eyes only. It's not as secure, but it works (on the iPhone 12 and later).

For more, read "How to Set Up and Use Face ID on Your iPhone."

Delete One-Time Security Codes

We live in a world full of MFA log-ins now, requiring extra codes that be sent to our phone messages (and email). iOS has long had a nice feature where it will auto-detect an incoming message with a code and offer it at the top of the keyboard even when you're in an app or the browser already, waiting for the code to arrive. The downside to that is having a bunch of message detritus, filled with one-time-use codes that you have to manually delete.

With iOS 17, go to Settings > Passwords > Password Options and toggle on Clean Up Automatically. Now, iOS will take it upon itself to delete the message after you input the code. They'll still be in your Recently Deleted folder in messages for a while.

Private Browsing Gets Face ID

You don't have to do anything to have this work other than have Face ID turned on. In Safari, if you open up a bunch of websites under the Private entry at the bottom, you can now swipe left to go back to normal browsing without worrying that someone could pick up your phone and swipe right again to see your secret surfing. All your open Private tabs stay locked until you show your face.

Stop Getting Nudes

If unsolicited d*** pics and other nudity are a problem on your phone (getting them sent to you at all could be an issue) let iOS 17 help. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security >Sensitive Content Warning. If you turn it on the operating system will try to detect photos and videos with too much skin and blur the naughty bits. It'll specifically look at images sent to you via Messages, FaceTime Video Messages, or AirDrop.

Maps

Download Maps for Offline Use

Sometimes you may have to drive or walk somewhere that has no clear signal, but you still need a GPS nav map to get around. iOS 17's version of Apple Maps now offers the option to download maps ahead of time so you don't have to panic. Open Maps and click your name, then go to Offline Maps > Download New Map. Select some section of a city or state in the adjustable box, and it'll grab the map to store on the phone. Use the toggles at the bottom to get Automatic Updates (so you don't have to download that same map again on the next trip) or Optimize Storage by auto-removing any map data you don't access for a while (it can take up a lot of space). You can even set it to Only Use Offline Maps when you know the internet will be iffy.

For more read 12 Reasons to Use Apple Maps.

Accessibility

Unlock via Voice

This one works only when you have a 5-digits-or-fewer passcode on your phone, but it's a great option on an older iPhone you access frequently. Go to Settings > Accessibility> Voice Control. Turn it on, tap Customize Commands > Custom > Create New Command... and type in a phrase you want to say: "Saddlesoap," for instance. Click Action to pick Run Custom Gesture. Tap or swipe a gesture that would hit your passcode. (This requires you to know approximately where the number pad keys would appear.) Tap Stop, and Save at the top a couple times. Next time you're out, tap the screen, look for the icon of a microphone in a blue circle at top—that means the iPhone is listening—and say "Saddlesoap." Watch your phone unlock itself for you.

Flashy Alerts

Alert noise isn't always enough: You can set your iPhone's LED light to flash when certain messages come in. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Enable LED Flash for Alerts.

Turn Voice Off (or On) via Voice

When you want to stop using Voice Control, say, "Hey, Siri, turn off Voice Control." You can turn it on the same way. When it's on, say "Show me what to say" to get a list of commands for your iPhone, such as "go to sleep," "wake up," "lock screen," or "show grid continuously." That last one puts an overlay grid on your screen, with numbered boxes. Say the name of the box, and it can zoom in or "push" an icon or button for you.

Change Appearance in Select Apps

Maybe you want larger text in a particular app. You can make it happen. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Per-App Settings > Add App. Pick an app, and then tap it to adjust the display and text size, increase the contrast, invert the colors, and other options.

Mouse Around the iPhone

Did you know you can connect a Bluetooth mouse to your iPhone, and use it to mimic your fingers? Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Assistive Touch, and turn it on. Then scroll down to Devices > Bluetooth Devices. Turn on your Bluetooth pointing device, and pair it. Customize the mouse clicks to reflect how you use your fingers.

Back Tap to Success

You can set up Back Tap so that a double-tap or triple-tap on the back of your phone performs an action. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap to turn it on. Then pick a system action to perform for each, including muting the phone, taking a screenshot, activating Siri, locking the screen, activating various Accessibility options (such as Voice Control or Zoom), and activating shortcuts.

For more, read "Accessibility for Everyone: How to Use Back Tap on Your iPhone."

The Shortcuts App

I'm Getting Pulled Over

This mashup of Siri, Accessibility, and Shortcuts is perfect for anyone who wants an instant record of a potentially problematic interaction, such as getting pulled over. Once installed, "I'm getting pulled over"—created by Robert Petersen—will let you say "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over," or tap it in the Shortcuts app, which will:

• Turn on Do Not Disturb

• Dim your screen

• Pause any playing audio

• Text your location to pre-selected contacts

• Start recording video

Here's a full rundown on how to set it up.

Say Cheese via Siri

This is a Shortcut you can download. When you say, "Hey, Siri, say cheese" the Shortcut activates to take a hands-free photo for you. Set it up to default to the front or back camera, and tell it where to save the image in your Photos app. Click on the entry for it in Shortcuts to make sure you give it access to your camera. The iPhone has to be unlocked for it to work.

Make a Speed-Dial Button

This is a good one to set up for your non-techie relatives who have some issues with these new-fangled iPhones. In the Shortcuts app, view All Shortcuts, and click the Plus sign (+) at the upper right. Click Add Action, then in the Call section, click the + in the blue circle, then click Call (again). On the next screen, click Contact to add your favorite person. Select two or more people if you'll want to call multiple people at once. Rename it at the top. Click Done. On the main All Shortcuts screen, find and long press the ellipsis menu (...) > Details > Add to Home Screen.

For more on Shortcuts, read Mashable's 21 ways you didn't know you could use Shortcuts on your iPhone and our How to Automate Your Life with Apple's Shortcuts App, How to Make GIFs With Apple's Shortcuts App, and How Long Will It Take to Charge Your iPhone? Use This Shortcut to Find Out.