iPhone 8 Series
How To: Unlock On/Off Icons for Toggle Switches on Your iPhone
Apple's iOS doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to customization, but with every new iOS version we get, there are more options to personalize. Your iPhone comes packed with plenty of tweaks and hacks to make the device feel truly yours, and one of those is a fun yet useful mod that adds on and off icons for toggle switches on your iPhone.
How To: There's a Much Faster Way to Activate Dark Mode on Your iPhone
With iOS 13, Apple introduced system-wide dark mode for the first time on the iPhone, and there are several ways to activate it. You could use the brightness slider to change the theme, have Siri do it for you, or adjust it straight from the Settings app. But there's one way that's faster than all others so that you can switch from light to dark in no time.
How To: Disable COVID-19 Exposure Notifications on Your iPhone
In iOS 13.5 and later, developers can create and release contact tracing apps for iPhone, which could help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. With these apps comes COVID-19 exposure notifications, which you may or may not want to receive. If you don't want to get these alerts, you can disable them.
How To: Open Your iPhone Camera to Portrait Mode Every Time
Every iPhone Apple currently sells, including the brand new iPhone SE, ships with Portrait mode, injecting DSLR-like depth effects into your Camera app. If that's the shooting mode you use more than any other, it may feel tedious having to switch to "Portrait" from "Photo" every time you open the app. But you can fix that, and there are a few different ways to go about it.
How To: 17 Things You Didn't Know Your iPhone's Home Button Could Do
The Home button on an iPhone does a lot. That's not necessarily news for anyone who's ever owned an iPhone with a Home button, but what you might not know is that it's capable of so much beyond the standard everyday functions. So if you have an iPhone 7, 8, or the new SE model running iOS 13 or later, keep reading to learn about 17 secret Home button tricks you're missing out on.
How To: Watch Out for This Setting the Next Time You Set an Alarm on Your iPhone
When you set an alarm on your iPhone, you assume it'll go off at the set time. However, that's not always the case. There's one quirk in how iOS handles alarms that, if gone unchecked, will silence every alarm you set so that you won't wake up on time.
How To: Turn Off Live Photos Forever on Your iPhone's Camera App
Love them or hate them, Live Photos have their place. The problem is, they're always on, requiring you to disable the feature every single time you open the Camera app. At least, that's how Apple has things set by default — but you can change that with just a few taps.
How To: Change Your iPhone's System & App Text Size on the Fly with This Hidden Setting
You might know that you can increase text size on your iPhone by digging around in Settings. But you also have the ability to text size with a quick toggle so you can use a larger font only when you need it.
How To: Your iPhone's Using More Data Than It Needs, but This Could Stop It
While mobile data caps are larger than they used to be, many of us still have limits to contend with. If you find yourself up against that ceiling month after month, your iPhone itself might be to blame. Luckily, there's an easy fix to stop your iOS device from burning through data in the background.
How To: There's a Quick Gesture to Open Hidden Camera Settings on Your iPhone
The camera on models in the iPhone 11 series includes an ultra-wide lens to take wider images, Night mode for taking better-looking photos in low-light environments, and a 16:9 frame for shooting. With these new features comes a slightly redesigned interface in the Camera app, one that even the second-generation iPhone SE received despite only having one of those three features.
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: Scan Any QR Code in Seconds with Your iPhone
A QR code is a fun and convenient way to link people to a website or app. On iOS, you have a few ways to scan these codes. You can download a QR scanner to get the job done, but Apple has one built into iOS. Or you can add the QR Code Reader tile in Control Center, but that's not even necessary. There's a better way, one that requires basically no effort to pull off.
How To: The Simple Way to Stop Your iPhone from Sending Unwanted Audio Messages
Your iPhone's audio messages may get you in trouble if they haven't done so already. It's way too easy for your iPhone to start recording without your knowledge, only to send a friend or family member a conversation you're having about them. (Awkward.) Luckily, protecting yourself takes only the flick of a switch.
How To: The Not-So-Obvious Way to Bold & Italicize Text on Your iPhone
On a computer, you have keyboard shortcuts like cmd+b and ctrl+i to bold, italicize, or underline text. But how exactly do you this on your iPhone?
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: Share iCloud Drive Folders to Collaborators or as ZIP Files to Anyone from Your iPhone
In the iOS 13.4 update, Apple added folder-sharing capabilities in the Files app. That means you can share multiple documents at the same time instead of doing it one by one. But that's not all — you can share folders with numerous contacts and even enforce access and permission settings.
How To: Reply to Texts on Your AirPods Without Siri Reading Out Your Messages
Your iPhone's "Announce Messages with Siri" feature is pure Apple. If you have a pair of connected AirPods (2nd generation or newer), Siri can read your messages to you as they come in, and you can say "Reply" to send one back. However, that natural flow is disrupted once Siri reads back your drafted text — but you can disable it to make the process smooth all the way through.
How To: Tame Out of Control Notifications on Your iPhone in Seconds with This Quick Move
When left unmaintained, lock screen notifications can be an overwhelming, chaotic mess. Alerts coming in at a rapid pace can be hard to see because there are just too many of them, and your iPhone's screen sometimes can't even take it, falling asleep before you can read only a few notifications. If that sounds like you, there's an easy way to take back control of alerts — and your sanity.
How To: The Simple Trick to Stop Your iPhone from Automatically Going to Sleep
You're halfway through reading an article on your iPhone, when the display just turns off. Frustrated, you open the article again, only for the display to go black again. You shouldn't have to keeping touching the screen to keep your iPhone from going to sleep. Luckily, you can delay or even stop your iPhone from doing so with just a few taps.
How To: Your iPhone's Flashlight Doesn't Have to Be That Bright
Have you ever been to a hip restaurant with horrible lighting? You need your iPhone's flashlight just to read the menu. Of course, sometimes the light comes off too bright, blinding the people next to you. But don't settle for a flashlight that's too bright. You can choose from four different brightness levels instead, to perfectly fit your situation.