Using iPhone Like a PRO: 12 Tips for Using Your iPhone Efficiently

Use your iPhone like a PRO: 12 tips for using your iPhone effectively. Want to start using your iPhone like a pro? iOS has a lot of hidden features that save you time when doing many things. In this article, we give 12 tips for using iOS, with which your iPhone will be more efficient and productive.

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Most of the tips in this article are focused on iPhones with iOS 16, but some of them will work on iPads and earlier versions of iOS.

1-Quickly switch your keyboard from letters to numbers

When typing through the on-screen keyboard, you very often have to switch to the numeric keypad, to save time on this process, use this simple life hack.

Instead of pressing the 123 button to switch to the number/symbol keypad, hold this button and hold it down, move your finger to the desired number or symbol key, and then release it. Doing so will automatically switch you back to the alphabetic layout, without having to perform three separate clicks to achieve the same result.

2-Delete the last digits in the calculator

Most iPhone users, when entering a number in the calculator by mistake, completely reset the entire number and dial it again. Fortunately, there is a life hack: swipe left or right on a digit in order to erase the last dialed digit, this action can be repeated as much as you like.

3-Assign functions to tap on the back of iPhone

Back Tap is an accessibility feature that lets you designate an action that will be triggered when you double or triple tap on the back of iPhone. You can use it to launch a specific app or control center, turn the screen orientation lock on/off, enable zoom, launch the camera, or even call a shortcut.

To assign an action to a double or triple tap, go to Settings -> Accessibility, then in the musculoskeletal section, tap Tap. Scroll down and tap Back Touch, select Double Tap or Triple Tap to set the action to launch, and then select the action you want to perform when tapped from the list.

4-Control the volume from the screen

You can adjust the volume of the iPhone not only with the control buttons, but also with your finger on the screen.

Not only is this a faster way to turn up or down the volume, but it also gives you the ability to fine-tune the volume level, similar to using Control Center.

5-Use the hidden trackpad

Did you know that the virtual keyboard has a hidden trackpad? Just press and hold the spacebar, the keyboard will disappear and turn into a trackpad, allowing you to quickly move the cursor on the screen over the text you type.

Perhaps you already knew about it. But did you know that if you press the trackpad with another finger, you can also select text?

6-Disable the request to rate apps in the App Store

If you install apps frequently, you’re probably familiar with the annoying prompts on your iPhone and iPad asking you to rate an app in the App Store.

Luckily, you can easily disable this. Go to Settings > App Store and turn off the toggle next to Ratings & Reviews.

7-Long press on back buttons

In system apps such as Settings, you don’t have to press the top left Back button multiple times to return to the home menu. Just hold down this button to bring up a menu with the previous menu items, clicking on one of the items will move you back to it.

8-QuickTake video

On iPhone 11 and later, you can record video without ever leaving Photo mode. To take a quick video in the Camera app, simply press and hold the shutter button and then release it to stop recording.

To continue recording video without holding down the button, slide the shutter button to the right. The shutter button will expand and a padlock icon will appear. If you move your finger to the lock, the shutter button will be locked while you are shooting a video. You can also press the shutter button to take a photo while recording a video. When you want to stop recording video, just press the record button below the viewfinder.

9-Start the timer faster

To start the timer faster, bring up Control Center by swiping down diagonally from the top-right corner of the screen (if your iPhone has a home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen), then long-press the timer button. Swipe up on the slider to set the duration of the timer, then tap Start.

Please note that each section in the adjustment scale increases the timer duration in the following steps: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 45 minutes and 1 or 2 hours. If you need a longer or specific duration, just ask Siri to set the timer.

10-Create a shortcut icon for your favorite contact

If you regularly call the same people, why not create a separate call button for that person so that you can call them directly from the home screen?

Open the Teams app and tap the “+” button in the top right corner. Click Add action, then select one of the suggested contacts from the Call row. Then click the Share button at the bottom and select Go to Home Screen from the menu. Give the team a name and tap the team icon to give the contact a photo, then tap Add to make the contact’s call appear on the home screen.

11-Copying and pasting photo edits

If you have multiple photos that you want to edit in the same way, or if you’ve made changes to one photo and apply those changes to other photos, take advantage of the new editing tools in iOS 16, Copy and Paste Edits.

In the Photos app, open an image, then tap Edit and make the necessary edits to it. When finished, click Done, and then click the ellipsis (three dots) icon in the upper right corner of the interface.

From there, click “Copy Edits” to copy all the changes you just made to your clipboard. Then open another photo or select multiple photos in your library, click the ellipsis button again, and then click Paste Edits to apply exactly the same settings.

12-Return to the beginning by touching the status bar

This is old advice, but one of the best. Every time you surf the web with Safari or scroll through a long menu or app feed, tap the status bar at the top of your iPhone’s display to return to the start.

If you have an iPhone 14 Pro and are not using Dynamic Island, tapping on it does the same thing.

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