Helpful Tips, Tricks, and How Tos for New iPhone Owners

Did you get a new iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max for the holidays? If so, make sure to take some time to browse through this article, which is packed with helpful tips, tricks, and guides for the iPhone 12, 12 mini 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, and earlier iPhone models.

Whether you're new to iPhone or have upgraded to a new model, there's likely to be something in here for you. There are hundreds of features and hidden tricks available on the iPhone, so it can be easy to forget the full range of what the iPhone can do.

iphone 12 colors lineup
Below, we've rounded up our most useful iPhone-related how tos and tutorials, both for general iPhone usage and for getting used to iOS 14.

Tips for Beginners

Using iOS 14

iOS 14 in More Detail

For iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Owners

Must-Read Security Tutorials

Hidden Tricks and Tips

In-Depth Guides

We have in-depth guides on many of the features found on the iPhone as well as Apple's services and iOS features, so make sure to check those out if there's a particular aspect of the iPhone that you're interested in learning more about.

Selling Your Old iPhone

If you're planning to sell or give away your old iPhone now that you have a new model, make sure to check out our detailed guide on how to cleanly erase your old devices to get rid of all your data.


Videos

Over on our YouTube channel, we've shared quite a few videos filled with useful tips and tricks related to the iPhone and iOS, all of which are well worth watching to get acquainted with features you might not know about or might have forgotten. We've also got some great comparison videos comparing the cameras of various smartphones.

More Info

Know a super useful iPhone tip that other MacRumors readers might not be aware of? Make sure to share it in the comments below.

For more info on Apple's latest iPhones, and the iOS 14 operating system, make sure to check out our detailed roundups: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iOS 14.

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
apple music chatgpt

ChatGPT's Apple Music Integration Is Now Live

Wednesday December 17, 2025 3:50 pm PST by
There's now a dedicated Apple Music app for ChatGPT, which allows ChatGPT to make music recommendations and build playlists. Apple Music can be added to ChatGPT through the Settings section in the Mac app, website, or iOS app. Apple Music is listed under the apps option, and connecting to it requires signing in with your Apple Account for authorization purposes. ChatGPT can be used to...
apple iphone air battery pack

Apple Aims to Boost Popularity of iPhone Air 2 in Two Ways

Tuesday December 16, 2025 11:06 am PST by
We have been covering iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Fold details from The Information's report about future iPhone models, and next up is the iPhone Air 2. The report says that Apple aims to make the iPhone Air 2 more attractive in two ways. First, Apple is apparently considering adding a second rear camera to the device, which would resolve a key limitation. The current iPhone...
maxresdefault

Apple Developing iMac Pro With M5 Max Chip

Tuesday December 16, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is developing a high-end iMac featuring the M5 Max chip, according to information from leaked internal software. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The finding comes from leaked kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. These kernel debug kit files enumerate unreleased Apple hardware by internal identifiers, such as codenames and platform names, and they...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple's 2026 and 2027 Product Roadmap: Foldable iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, M5 Macs, and More

Tuesday December 16, 2025 4:42 pm PST by
There has been a whirlwind of rumors over the last few days, sourced from leaked internal software designed for the iPhone and the Mac, and news sites like The Information. Below, we have a quick recap of everything we've heard this week, which serves as a guide to Apple's product plans in 2026 and beyond. We've organized the info by likely release date, though there are some products that...

Top Rated Comments

dannyyankou Avatar
78 months ago

Gosh, I miss the days the iPhone didn't need pages and pages of instructions to find all the functions.
Well that would take us back to an iPhone with fewer features.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScreenSavers Avatar
78 months ago
Very detailed post. Lots of good info for new users.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WannaGoMac Avatar
78 months ago
Gosh, I miss the days the iPhone didn't need pages and pages of instructions to find all the functions.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScreenSavers Avatar
78 months ago

Do not let you tease - get these wallpapers (iPhone 11Pro i guess) and your notch is gone in a matter of seconds, as it is on these phones. ;)
Like the infamous iPhone XS box...

Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScreenSavers Avatar
78 months ago
That's to trick those unfamiliar with the notch to not discover it until it's too late.
Is there an option to set the top to be all black yet?
The “notch” isn’t bad. Why would one reduce screen size just to hide it?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EvilEvil Avatar
78 months ago
The notchless iPhones in the header image are such a tease.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)