Do you have an iPhone but only use 10% of its capabilities? In this mega-guide you'll discover 25 hidden features that will change the way you use your phone! From Drag & Drop to magical Siri commands!
📋 Table of Contents
👆 Gestures & Navigation
Gestures that make life easier
📲 Drag & Drop
You can drag photos, text, or links from one app to another! Long press the item, use your other hand to open the other app, and drop it there.
🔙 Secret Back Menu
Instead of tapping the “Back” arrow multiple times, long press it to see all previous pages and jump directly to where you want!
⬆️ Tap To Scroll
Scrolled too far down and want to go back to the top? Simply tap the status bar (where the time is) and you'll instantly jump to the top!
📳 Shake To Undo
Typed something wrong? Shake your iPhone and an Undo option will appear! Works everywhere - text, emails, even in Photos to revert edits.
🤏 Pinch To Copy & Paste
Select text and “pinch in” with 3 fingers to Copy. Then “pinch out” with 3 fingers to Paste! Faster than using menus.
Paste: Pinch out with 3 fingers
👆👆👆 Three Finger Swipe
Swipe left with 3 fingers to Undo, right to Redo! Works in text, drawings, and many other apps.
Redo: Swipe right with 3 fingers
⚡ Quick Actions
Quick actions without opening an app
💬 Quick Text
From the Lock Screen, you can send a quick message without unlocking! Long press on a message notification.
✏️ Quick Draw
Need to jot something down quickly? From the Lock Screen, swipe from the bottom right to instantly open a blank note!
🔢 Quick Calculator
In Spotlight Search (swipe down on the home screen), you can type math equations and get the result instantly!
📚 Quick Stack
You can stack widgets on top of each other! Drag a widget onto another one of the same size to create a Smart Stack.
🎙️ Voice & Control
Voice and Siri control
🗣️ Voice Control
Enable Voice Control and control your iPhone with your voice! Say “tap Settings” or “scroll down” for hands-free control.
Commands: “Tap [button name]”, “Scroll down”, “Go home”
🪄 Magical Siri Commands
Siri can do much more than you think! Try: “Flip a coin”, “Roll a dice”, “What song is this?”, “Set a reminder when I get home”.
📸 Camera & Photos
Tricks for photos and videos
📷 Burst Photos
To take burst photos (multiple photos in quick succession), slide the shutter button to the left and hold!
🍳 Recipe From Photos
With Visual Look Up, you can find recipes from food photos! Open a food photo and tap the “i” icon with stars.
🔍 Scan Videos
You can pause a video and use Live Text to copy text that appears! Works on any video.
📜 Full Page Screenshots
When you take a screenshot in Safari, you can save the entire page as a PDF! Tap “Full Page” after the screenshot.
🔒 Security & Privacy
Protection from spammers and nuisances
🚫 Stop Spammers
Enable “Silence Unknown Callers” to stop your phone from ringing from unknown numbers! They'll go to voicemail and you'll see a missed call.
🛠️ Utilities & Tools
Useful tools you didn't know existed
📐 Leveling Tool
Your iPhone has a built-in level! Open the Measure app and swipe to the “Level” tab to check if something is straight.
🌦️ Interactive Weather Map
In the Weather app, tap the map to see an interactive map with temperature, precipitation, air quality, and much more!
⏰ Timers & Sounds
Timers and sounds
🎵 Media Timer
You can set a timer to stop music or podcasts! In Timer, instead of a sound select “Stop Playing”.
⚡ Instant Timer
In Control Center, long press on Timer to quickly set a timer with a slider, without opening the app!
🔊 Hidden Sounds
Your iPhone can play background sounds for relaxation! Rain, ocean waves, white noise - perfect for sleep or concentration.
Or add it to Control Center for quick access!
📳 Back Tap & Haptics
Tap the back and custom vibrations
👆 Back Tap
Tap the back of your iPhone 2 or 3 times to trigger an action! Screenshot, flashlight, Shazam, anything you want!
💓 Custom Vibration
You can create a custom vibration pattern for each contact! That way you know who's calling without looking!
📳 Vibration Patterns
Beyond custom patterns, there are many preset patterns! Try them to find the one that alerts you best without being annoying.
Pro Tip: Combinations
Combine Back Tap with Shortcuts for unlimited possibilities! E.g. Double tap to open the camera, Triple tap for Shazam!
📌 Conclusion
These 25 tips are just the beginning! Your iPhone hides hundreds of small features that make life easier. Our favorites:
- ✅ Back Tap - Game changer for quick actions
- ✅ Drag & Drop - Multitasking on another level
- ✅ Three Finger Gestures - Undo/Redo without menus
- ✅ Media Timer - Perfect for falling asleep to music
- ✅ Background Sounds - Relaxation on demand
Try them out and tell us which one impressed you the most! 🚀
