iPhone 11 Series
How To: Activate Siri on Newer iPhones Without a Home Button
In its never-ending quest to innovate its flagships, Apple's newer iPhone models with Face ID do away with the iconic Home button present since the first iPhone back in 2007. That means screenshots, force-restarting, switching apps, Apple Pay, and the home screen all work differently on the iPhone X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. One of the more important aspects, Siri, is also slightly different.
How To: Add Captions to Photos & Videos in iOS 14 to Make Searching by Metadata Easier
If you've been an iPhone user for quite some time, you probably have quite a bit of photos and videos in iCloud or on your device. Unless you know the date, location, or event, it can be pretty hard to find a specific memory. Even with intelligent search suggestions, AI-created categories, and multi-keyword filters, you still may not be able to find what you want. The new iOS 14 update changes that.
News: You're Not Crazy, Your iPhone Is Making Strange Noises
Apple hasn't really changed notification sounds on the iPhone since iOS 7. So how come you hear strange pings, plunks, and doots coming from your iOS device? No, it's not an app you downloaded (although third-party apps can have their own notification sounds). Instead, what you're experiencing is likely the result of updating your iPhone to iOS 13.
How To: iPhone Too Bright at Night? Don't Just Use the Brightness Slider
Even with your iPhone's brightness slider down all the way, your display will probably still be too bright at night with all the lights dimmed or turned off. So if you want to continue scrolling through Instagram in bed or enjoying a late-night TikTok binge without hurting your eyes, there's a quick trick you can use to make your screen even dimmer and prevent strain on those peepers.
How To: This Secret FaceTime Trick Lets You Zoom with Your iPhone's Camera
With Zoom and Google Meet, you can zoom in using your rear camera on a video call to focus on something far away or to get a closeup view. But in Messenger, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Skype, Instagram, and most other video chat apps, zoom functionality is disabled. And it may appear to be blocked in FaceTime too, but that's not the case — the feature is just hiding in plain sight.
How To: iOS 13 Makes Bulk-Deleting Emails in Apple Mail Easier & Faster on Your iPhone
One of my biggest gripes with the Mail app on iOS is that it makes it super hard to select multiple emails quickly in a search. For instance, if you want to delete all emails from one sender, it could take a seriously long time to do it the usual way. A bug in iOS 12 and older helped make the process faster, but it's no longer around in iOS 13, but Apple did include a faster way to select multiple emails.
How To: View the Battery Percentage Indicator on Your iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max
There are plenty of jokes out there about the battery indicator on iPhones. Some people complain about their iPhones dying randomly at 11%, while others see hours of use at the 1% mark. Despite its inconsistencies, that battery percentage is a useful tell for how desperate you need a charger. There's just one problem: the icon is hiding on your iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max.
How To: Hide Any App on Your iPhone in Plain Sight
If there's an iOS app you want to hide from your iPhone's home screen, there are a few built-in ways to do so in iOS 14, but there is a clever workaround you can use in older iOS versions. Plus, it also works in iOS 14 as a way to disguise app icons instead of just hiding them, so no app is what it seems.
How To: Apple's Mail App in iOS 13 Has New, Faster Ways to Select Multiple Emails
Normally, when you want to select multiple emails in the Mail app, you'd hit "Edit," tap all the bubbles next to the emails, then mark them, move them, or trash them. But in iOS 13, there's a much faster way to do it on your iPhone.
How To: The Fastest Way to Remove the Background from Your iPhone Photos
You might think your photo is amazing, but in the midst of editing it and getting ready to post it on social media, you notice something in the background. Maybe it's an unwelcome stranger or a wide-open dumpster, or it's the entire backdrop, but suddenly you realize that it's bad. Although you look good in it, the background just doesn't work — which is why you can always get rid of it.
How To: The Fastest Way to Dim Your iPhone Screen Lower Than the Lowest Possible Brightness
In the dark, even the lowest brightness option on the iPhone can still feel a thousand burning suns. No matter whether you're in bed or at the movie theater, you don't want to create a distraction with your smartphone. That's why you might want a brightness that isn't readily available on your device — but luckily, there may be a way to go lower than the lowest brightness.
How To: Force-Close Running Apps on Your iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max
As efficient as your iPhone is, it doesn't hurt to fully close running apps from time to time to free up memory and keep background processes to a minimum. Force-closing is also a great way to troubleshoot buggy apps, and can often resolve minor issues without having to restart your device.
How To: Printable iPhone 11, 11 Pro & 11 Pro Max Cutouts — See Which Size Is Right for You
Whether you're ordering a new 2019 iPhone model online or just want to know how they look in your hand before buying in person, use these printable cutouts to see which one looks and feels best.
How To: There's a New Simple Swipe to Undo Typing on Your iPhone
Remember when typing without physical keys seemed ridiculous? Now, touch typing is the smartphone norm. That said, mistakes are inevitable on small screens. So before you start hammering on that delete key or shaking your iPhone like a madman, know that there's a better way to undo text you didn't mean to type — no shaking involved.
How To: Return to the Default Font in Mail Drafts After Using a Custom One
One of iOS 13's coolest features is the ability to download, install, and choose fonts in select apps like Pages and Mail. However, you might notice an issue when writing an email with a custom typeface: there's no option to return to the default font. What gives?
How To: You're Scrolling Wrong on Your iPhone — This Way's Much Faster
You're scrolling wrong. Kind of a weird accusation, isn't it? But you are. If you're still scrolling through long pages on your iPhone swipe after swipe, you're simply wasting time. There's a much faster way to get to where you want to be, whether that's on a lengthy webpage, long conversation in Messages, or multipage document.
How To: There's an Easy Way to Turn Off Camera's Night Mode on Your iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max
Night mode on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max is a godsend if you want clearer photographs in dimly lit environments. But if you want to keep the image dark or full of shadows as an effect of sorts, it's not immediately obvious how to disable Night mode, which turns on automatically when the app thinks you need it. But it can be turned off.
How To: Out of Storage? Your iPhone Can Automatically Delete Apps You Don't Use
If you've ever run out of storage on your iPhone, you know how much work it can be to free up space. But all that work isn't necessary. Your iPhone can remove content automatically so you won't get any "storage full" warnings anymore — as long as you enable the option first.
How To: Your iPhone's Screen Will Turn Off Faster if You Disable This Setting
Have you ever noticed that when you put your iPhone to sleep, it takes an extra second longer than it probably should for the screen to go black? It's a bit strange and forces you to wait another moment until your iPhone locks. But most of you can avoid the small delay entirely by just changing one setting.
How To: Bulk Delete Messages Faster with This Hidden iOS 13 Gesture
On the surface, deleting conversations in Messages seems harder in iOS 13 after Apple removed the "Edit" button on the main page. Fortunately, they added a new gesture that lets you remove entire threads and individual messages with ease.