Apple boasts how easy its iPhones are to use. Their products do not just improve your ability to communicate, but your productivity as well. So, knowing certain tips and tricks will make a difference in how iPhones will serve your needs.
However, Apple devices come with a considerable price, making them unappealing to most people despite their excellent functionality. Luckily, there is an affordable way of getting one of these gadgets – and that is to buy refurbished iPhones.
Discover all the great things your iPhone can do – from custom notifications and battery management to advanced security, here are eight tricks for iPhone users:
1. Customize vibration patterns to your contacts
Assigning a ringtone to your contacts will help you identify the person calling without looking at your phone screen. But with your iPhone, you can also customize vibration patterns, so you’ll know who’s calling if you turn your device to silent mode.
Choose from the different built-in vibration patterns or even create your rhythm. Best of all, you can also assign a vibration pattern for text messages.
2. Respond through text if you can’t answer a call
There are instances when you just can’t answer a phone call. Instead of leading the caller to your voicemail, it would be better to respond to the caller with a text explaining why you are not picking up. The iOS allows you to do just this.
Depending on the iOS version you have, you can tap the message button above the slider or swipe the phone icon upward and choose “Respond with Text”. By default, there are three pre-written options – “Can I call you later?” “I’m on my way” and “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.”
You can also customize the prepared messages. But you can’t prepare more than three messages, so you need to sacrifice one of the current options if you want to add a new one. Tap the one you want to erase and enter your new response.
3. Improve battery life
Running out of power is the last thing you expect from your iPhone on a hectic day or at a corporate beach party. That is a disaster!
But if you have an iPhone, you can take advantage of its grayscale feature. By turning it on, you will see a significant increase in your device’s battery life. Expect to see the colors fade away after turning it on.
You can also save battery by switching to low-power mode whenever you want to prolong device battery life. Some features will be turned off to reduce power consumption. For instance, using this feature will turn off the background app, reduce the time before the screen darkens, minimize animations, and fetch mail less frequently.
You should also check your battery usage to determine which apps are consuming most of your battery. Apple also provides insights and suggestions to help with battery conservation, including enabling auto-lock and decreasing screen brightness.
4. Activate “Interactive Notifications” to make a call
If you tend to forget making important calls, use your iPhone’s reminder app.
When it’s time for you to call the person, your iPhone will remind you to do so. By swiping the interactive notification feature, you will see two options: call or snooze. You can then immediately make the call, thereby saving you time.
5. Enhance password security
Depending on the model of your iPhone, you can unlock it using your fingerprint or face.
But nothing beats setting up a strong passcode. Instead of using a four-digit passcode, consider creating a six-digit alphanumeric code. Using both numbers and letters gives you an unlimited number of potential passwords compared to using numbers alone, which could be hacked using the right equipment.
But with the introduction of iOS 12, you can secure your iPhone from anyone who wants to plug a device to hack it. This will be activated an hour after locking your iPhone, unless you change the setting.
6. Use the “Do Not Disturb” mode
The Do Not Disturb mode is perfect for isolating yourself from distractions if you are going to sleep or doing something important. It can be activated from the control center by tapping on the crescent moon icon on your iPhone’s screen.
By activating this feature, alerts and incoming calls will be silenced. But if you want someone to contact you even if you switch to this mode, you can do so.
You can also set quiet hours during the day or at night. For instance, you can choose to activate the Do Not Disturb mode for an hour, until you leave your location, or until the evening.
More importantly, you can activate this mode when you are driving to reduce distractions. You can do it manually, when connected to your car Bluetooth, or automatically. It blocks phone calls and incoming notifications, but you can set an auto-reply for some of your contacts.
7. Take a selfie with your headphones
People are addicted to taking selfies. If you’re upset about the quality of your selfies, this is a handy trick.
Though you can press one of your iPhone’s volume buttons to minimize camera shake, there is a better way of capturing picture-perfect selfies. And that is to use the volume button of your attached headphones, making it one of the best mobile accessories to invest in.
Taking a photo using the headphone volume button will not just minimize shake but will also guarantee a natural-looking picture from afar or capture a phone hands-free.
8. Limit access for your kids and prevent cell phone addiction
Kids today are drawn to phones and other gadgets.However, you have to make sure that they can’t access unsuitable content on your device once they get hold of it. Luckily, the iPhone offers a way to limit them from accessing certain apps. It also allows you to set a specific age range for suitable content and block in-app purchases.
With the introduction of iOS 12, you can control your kids’ online activities by using the Screen Time feature. This allows you to set allowances for the use of specific apps, reminders when time is up, and, eventually, to block them from having access to your device. It is up to you to give them extra time.
But the Screen Time feature is not just a way to limit your little ones from using your device because this is also helpful in preventing iPhone addiction.
It allows you to check which apps you spend most of your time on and how often you use your phone. From there, you can set app limits. For instance, you can limit your social media apps so you can only use them for two hours a day. And if you need more time, you can set a Screen Time password.
Get the most out of your iPhone by applying these useful tips to save time, become more productive, and get things done smoothly.
Author Bio:
Mirza Saqib Habib is the Business Manager at Dubai-based Teckzu, the perfect one-stop shop to discover, browse, and buy new and refurbished electronics such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and accessories. Mirza comes from a strong E-commerce background with over 6 years of regional experience. He has helped kick-start many startups in the past and is passionate about using technology to facilitate a seamless digital user experience.
