30 iOS tricks to check after you unbox your new iPhone or iPad

Every year, many iPhones end up under the tree on Christmas Eve. Therefore, many lucky people will have a new 2023 Apple smartphone in their hands. Some of them will be connoisseurs, but for many, this could be the first machine running iOS 16, or even the first iPhone or iPad in general. . So, to welcome newcomers to the world of iOS, here are 30 tips to try right away for a (very) small glimpse of what an Apple tablet or smartphone can do right out of the box, whether it’s the 14, 13, 12 or even SE models . or older, at least under iOS 16. We list over 400 tips and how-to articles, then you can go even further!

• Customizable lock screen: lock screen iOS 16 is highly customizable in wallpaper, font and even widgets. See our dedicated guide for details on this topic
• Free form: Since iOS 16.2, iPhone and iPad have a new multitasking app, Freeform. It allows you to create plans, images, diagrams, for example, using several tools, even with the ability to integrate links, videos into your document or even share with colleagues for extensive collaboration.
• Picture in picture: iPhone and iPad can display video in windowed mode. This allows you to watch video while doing other things on your iOS device. The operation is very simple. After playing the video in full screen, just go back to the main screen. See details here

• A funny shortcut behind the iPhone: In iOS 14 or later, double- or triple-tapping the back of the iPhone can initiate an action, such as volume up, mute, or even opening a shortcut. Go here to enable the feature Settings > Tap Accessibility > Touch > Back of device. And see here for more explanation
• Widgets: Released in 2020, iOS 14 introduced new app widgets. It’s practical, and they also look great on the home screen. We explained how it works in detail here.
• Software library: this very special home screen is a list of all the apps installed on your iOS or iPadOS device. It has smart auto-memory and can also show hidden apps from other classic app pages. Feel free to take a look at it to understand how it works and the benefits you can get from it.

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• Dark mode: Dark mode can be turned on manually or automatically in the “Brightness & Display” section of the Settings app. It’s also possible to quickly turn it on and off from a new shortcut in the control center
• Optimized battery charging : this “Optimized battery charging” option is used to limit battery aging during charging. When enabled, the iPhone uses the user’s daily charging habits to limit the charge below 80% and wait until the iPhone is used again. Because charging more than 80% deteriorates the battery cells faster. The parameter is inside Settings > Battery > Battery status
• QuickPath keyboard : iOS’s virtual keyboard lets you quickly enter text with one hand by continuously sliding your finger over different letters. See detailed working of this feature here
• Connect a PlayStation or Xbox controller : A PlayStation PS5 or Xbox One controller can be connected to play controller-compatible iOS games. Note that a large number of Apple Arcade games are compatible with controllers
  
• Charts to learn more about battery consumption : in Settings > Batteryit is possible to see complete graphs of your device’s energy consumption in the last 24 hours as well as the last two days.
• Hiding the application page: Do you have multiple application pages? Before tapping the circles at the bottom of the screen, you can decide to hide one or more by long-pressing the app and then “Edit home screen”.
• Siri takes a portrait of you : simply ask Apple’s virtual assistant, “Take a selfie with me,” and it will automatically open the Photos app with the FaceTime camera enabled. An easy way to immortalize the discovery of your new device!
• Flashlight shortcut : a long press on the flashlight icon in the control center will quickly change the intensity of the flashlight
• When the camera serves as a magnifying glass : useful for the visually impaired, but only Magnifying Glass mode is integrated into iOS. This allows for large magnifications to make small print easier to read, for example. To take advantage of this, go to the device settings in the section General > Accessibility > Magnifier, then activate the corresponding function. Return to the Home screen, triple-click the Home button, then select Magnifier
• Quick access to the camera on the lock screen : A simple swipe left on the lock screen takes you to the camera, even without unlocking your iPhone. Taking pictures faster than your shadow… or almost!
• Create a secret message in Messages : you can send messages that the interlocutor has to decipher by swiping over them. To do this, type your message, long press the send arrow and select “Invisible ink”, then send.
• Siri and third-party apps : Apple’s voice assistant can work with third-party apps, subject to compatibility. To take advantage of this function, it is enough to mention the name of the application in the Siri request, for example: “Hey Siri, send hello to Jerome on WhatsApp”
• Markup Image Editing : this editing feature allows you to write and draw or zoom in on images and photos to highlight certain details. It is available in Messages and Photos. There is nothing too complicated to access it, just follow the guide

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• Smart searches on photos : Photos can search according to the object present in the photo. To check this, click the little magnifying glass in the top right of any tab in the Photos app. For example, we can try the word car to display all the photos that contain a car. Even more impressive, just type a letter and Images automatically suggests a wide selection of keywords

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• Screen recording to video : It’s easy to start recording what’s happening on your iPhone or iPad screen. You need to add the “screen recording” function by going to the control center Settings > Control Center. Then, when you’re ready to start recording, open the control center and click the appropriate button. Press the button again to stop everything

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• Easy and powerful screenshot : after the capture is done, simply tap the capture that appears by simultaneously pressing the Home and Power buttons on iPhone 8 and older, or the Volume + and Power buttons on iPhone with Face ID. bottom left. Annotations, images, colors, etc., are all available to highlight certain elements of the image or write direct comments.
• Notes software scans your documents : No third-party software is needed to scan paper documents using Notes. The feature is accessible via the “+” button in Apple Notes and offers automatic edge detection, manual cropping, and several filters to create a grayscale, black-and-white, or color result.
• The iPhone becomes a “Measurement” tool in Augmented Reality : Using the iPhone’s augmented reality capabilities, this app lets you take measurements of real objects using a virtual meter.
• How to use the side keyboard : this feature makes it easier to reach certain letters on the other end of the screen, especially on larger iPhones or just for smaller hands. To take advantage of this, when the keyboard appears on the screen, click the keyboard icon to the left of the microphone and select left or right orientation.

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• Mark and Paste : seen here on Mac and PC and welcome to iPad and iPhone. It is indeed possible to perform drag-and-drop commands, such as dragging an image visible in Safari into an email, or dragging a piece of text visible in an email into a new note, etc.
• Long press the “Reader” button in Safari : on the left, Safari’s address bar has a button to switch to reader mode. This mode, for example, displays only the text and images of the article. A long press of this button allows you to use reader mode for either the currently open site or all websites consulted later.
• Network settings shortcut : a long press on the settings app icon gives you quick access to wireless settings, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G-4G, while a long or stronger press on the Wi-Fi icon in the control center does the same
• Create Memoji (iPhone with Face ID) : An evolution of Animojis, Memojis are essentially customizable replacements of cartoon characters. These are avatars that the user can create, modify and adapt according to their facial features and characteristics. It is, of course, possible to create a completely unusual Memoji without any connection to an existing person. The avatar created in this way will then be able to come to life by detecting and tracking the face, eyes, mouth and even tongue of the person using the iPhone thanks to the special Face ID camera. To create your own animated person, go to messages and select Emoji, then you will be prompted to create Animojis (“+” sign otherwise)
• portrait mode : the sensors of these iPhones allow us to measure the depth of what the human eye “sees”. This is reflected in photography by blurring the background and lighting the foreground. To use this mode, you need to select “Portrait” in the iOS shooting app

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• Visible Wi-Fi code: Under iOS and iPadOS 16, as explained in our columns, you can easily find the code of the Wi-Fi network you are connected to in the settings.
• Easy cropping of an object in a photo: Cut and long press the object in the photo to paste it anywhere, for example, into a new photo, email or note.
• Translation from the camera: Aim the iPhone camera at the text, tap the select text icon at the bottom right, then select the text and click Translate in the menu that appears on the screen. You are now a polyglot

There, of course, you’ve tamed your new iPhone or iPad a bit and learned a few ways to impress the gallery. Now is the time to really get your hands dirty and see what iOS really has.

You can find the latest information about iOS here.

i-nfo.fr – The official app for iPhon.fr

Author: Keleops AG