Useful iPhone Tips You Might Not Know

There seem to be an endless number of iPhone tips and tricks to share, and that's because Apple's smartphones are so feature rich that it's impossible to keep up with everything they're capable of. We've rounded up some useful tips and hacks in our latest video, so check them out to see if there's something you didn't know about.

  • Swipe to Numbers with Keyboard - If you press and hold on the number key and then swipe up to type the number that you want, when you release a finger, it will go back to the main keyboard so there's no need to tap twice to get a number character.
  • Create Perfect Shapes in Notes - If you draw a shape in Notes or anywhere else the Markup interface is available, it will morph into a perfect shape. So if you need a visual aid like a circle, draw a wonky version and the ‌iPhone‌ or iPad will fix it right up.
  • Check your iPhone Warranty - Open up the Settings app, tap "General," choose "About," and then tap on the "Warranty" entry to see your warranty information for your device.
  • Use Your Apple Watch as a Viewfinder - The Camera Remote app on the Apple Watch activates the front or rear camera of your ‌iPhone‌ so you can use your Apple Watch as a handy viewfinder. If you take your watch off and wrap it around your ‌iPhone‌, you can use the rear camera while also seeing yourself, which is useful for vlogging.
  • Combine Images with a Shortcut - You can use an app to combine images, but it's easier to use a simple shortcut. Open Shortcuts and tap "+" to add a new one. Type in "Photos" and choose "Select ‌Photos‌" for the first action. For the second, search for "Combine" and select "Combine Images." Change the details to say "Combine ‌Photos‌" and "In a Grid." After that, search for "Save" and choose "Save to Photo Album." You can make it fancier with extra steps, but this is all you need to select a series of photos and have them arranged in a grid formation, with the final result saved to the ‌Photos‌ app. There are also third-party shortcuts that you can use.
  • Auto Schedule Low Power Mode - You can create a quick shortcut for turning on Low Power Mode when the battery dips to a specific level. In the Shortcuts app, create a new Automation, and start out by choosing "Battery Level." From there, select your desired percent. For the next action, search for and choose "Low Power Mode." Deselect "Ask Before Running," and the next time your ‌iPhone‌ battery drops to the target level, Low Power Mode will activate automatically.
  • Find Out What Song is Playing - If you want to know what music is playing you can ask Siri, but if you want to know what song is in a video on your ‌iPhone‌ or what song your device is playing, there's a Shazam Music Recognition option that you can add to Control Center.
  • AirDrop to Any Device - If you use Snapdrop.net, you can "AirDrop" a file from one device to another, even non-Apple devices. This isn't Apple's AirDrop, but it's basically the same thing and it allows for super quick data transfers even if you have a PC or Android phone. It's as simple as opening up the website on both devices and drag and drop the file.

Have a favorite lesser-known ‌iPhone‌ trick that we didn't list here? Let us know in the comments.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
iPhone 17 Pro USB C Port

iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Monday September 22, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 36W with the following Apple chargers:40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max 61W USB-C Power Adapter 67W USB-C Power Adapter 70W USB-C Power Adapter 96W USB-C Power Adapter 140W USB-C Power AdapterFor...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

Apple Blames In-Store MagSafe Chargers for iPhone 17 Pro Display Model Scratches

Wednesday September 24, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
The marks on the iPhone 17 Pro models that people have noticed at Apple retail stores are caused by the chargers that Apple uses, Apple confirmed today. Apple told 9to5Mac that worn MagSafe charging stands in stores are causing marks on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple says that the marks are not scratches, and are instead material transfer from the stand to the phone. The...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Confirms iOS 26 Wallet Passport Feature is Coming in 2025

Tuesday September 23, 2025 1:06 pm PDT by
Digital ID, the iOS 26 feature that lets U.S. passport holders add their passports to the Wallet app, is coming later in 2025, Apple confirmed today. Apple updated the release timing wording of Digital ID on its iOS 26 features page. "Digital ID will be coming later this year with US passports only," it reads. Prior to today, the footnote for the feature said "Digital ID will be available ...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro is Vulnerable to Scratching, But Not Where You Might Think

Tuesday September 23, 2025 2:18 pm PDT by
Early reports have suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air are more vulnerable to scratches and scuffs, primarily due to damage spotted at Apple Stores. Apple customers have discovered that the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models Apple has out for display at its retail locations have scratching in the area of the MagSafe charger. Those devices are handled by hundreds to thousands of...

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
60 months ago
Bizarre implication from Dan that it's okay to have friends who use Android?!
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
08380728 Avatar
60 months ago
How about list things that are idiotic that need to be improved like:
Settings/Phone My Numbertap and hold won’t copy it, and or just tap then the field of numbers is erased and nothing can be copied, totally DUMB...on Android phones, tap the field and standard copy, cut tab appears.

How about messages, tap contact name at top more icons drop down, tap info, the phone number is not visible anywhere, thats the INFO I always need, have to then tap another info icon to finally see the contacts phone number, again super dumb.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
60 months ago

How about list things that are idiotic that need to be improved like:
Settings/Phone My Numbertap and hold won’t copy it, and or just tap then the field of numbers is erased and nothing can be copied, totally DUMB...on Android phones, tap the field and standard copy, cut tab appears.

How about messages, tap contact name at top more icons drop down, tap info, the phone number is not visible anywhere, thats the INFO I always need, have to then tap another info icon to finally see the contacts phone number, again super dumb.
The thread is about posting useful phone tips that work, not complaining about things that aren't a feature or don't work the way you expect.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
08380728 Avatar
60 months ago
Swipe to Numbers with Keyboard:
That’s not useful in the slightest, it actually takes longer after holding and swiping up.

What would be more useful is a tip on making the numbers stay visible after typing a space. Many times we need a enter blocks of numbers with spaces between them but hitting space bar always shows the letters again and this is annoying having to tao tao to get the numbers back. Android phone‘s keyboard dont do this.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
60 months ago
Good article and video, MR.

I set low power mode to automatically turn on when charging.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blowback Avatar
60 months ago

Is that one about making shapes in Notes only with the Apple Pencil? Doesn’t seem to work for me.
When you draw , even with your finger, 'hold' for a sec and the circle or square etc. will form as desired .
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)