Hot iOS & iPhone How-Tos
How To: Find Missing Apps on Your iPhone
Unlike on Android, you can't easily hide your iPhone apps. Sure, you can nestle them away in folders labeled "junk," but they're supposed to be omni-present somewhere on your home screen. That is, until one day they're just ... gone. The fact that some of your apps disappeared only makes it more frustrating because there's no logical reason why they should have, right?
How To: Hide Private Photos on Your iPhone
When a photo or video is just too sensitive to leave laying around in your Photos app, you'll want to either delete it for good or hide it away in safe, secure location on your iPhone. As for the latter, Apple actually has a few tools available to make photos and videos hidden — even password-protected — on your iPhone.
How To: View the Battery Percentage Indicator on Your iPhone X, XS, XS Max, or XR
On all other iPhone models, you go to "Battery" in the Settings app and toggle on "Battery Percentage" in order to see the exact amount of power left in the status bar. On the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR, however, that option no longer exists since there's not enough room up there to show the percentage indicator because of the notch for the TrueDepth camera system. But that doesn't mean it's gone entirely.
Cydia 101: How to Purchase Apps & Tweaks on Your Jailbroken iPhone
While widely known for its massive collection of free apps and tweaks that let you fully personalize your jailbroken iPhone, Cydia also comes laden with packages that can be purchased to take customization to a whole 'nother level. Similar in function to the iOS App Store, buying an app in Cydia is simple and relatively safe.
How To: Use Apple Pay with Face ID on Your iPhone X, XS, XS Max, or XR
For Apple Pay users, the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, or XR will be an adjustment. Gone are the days where you could rest your finger on the Home button and hold your device within range of a contactless reader. Without Touch ID on the iPhone X, this isn't possible. But have no fear, Face ID is here.
How To: Get iOS 11's New Wallpapers on Any Phone
Apple's highly anticipated iOS 11 is ready for the public, and besides the obvious array of new features and improvements, the mobile OS also comes with stunning new wallpapers which would look amazing on any iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch — even on Android devices.
How To: Hide the Status Bar on Your iPhone with This Cool & Simple Glitch
Apple's iOS might be user-friendly, but it's a bit restrictive when it comes to personalization, so you can really only change the look of the home screen by either jailbreaking or exploiting glitches. While there isn't a jailbreak for the current version of iOS, there is a glitch which helps a little bit.
How To: Download iOS 11 Beta on Your iPhone Right Now
Apple introduced their new mobile operating system for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch at WWDC on June 5, 2017, and there are a lot of great new features to try out. While the official version of iOS 11 was released to the public on Sept. 19, you can still sign up either as a developer or with the iOS Beta Program to get new versions of iOS 11 before anyone else does.
How To: Use Your iPhone's Camera to Solve Difficult Math Problems Instantly
Math homework isn't the easiest thing to get through quickly, no matter how prepared you are. Knowing your stuff simply won't cut it. Going through dozens of equations in one sitting could take up hours of your time. Even when you finish, there's always going to be that one problem you couldn't solve, which could take hours itself to finally get right.
How To: The One Flaw You Need to Know About Safari's "Private" Mode in iOS 8
A warning to all of you iPhone users with parents, significant others, and nosy friends: Private Mode in the Safari browser isn't as private as you think. At least, not as private as it used to be back in iOS 7.
How To: Passcode Lock Your Photos & Messages Apps in iOS 8
I hate to break it to you, but you're probably here because you were trolled. Thanks to a Photoshopped image making rounds across Twitter, Apple fans were tricked into believing that iOS 8 allowed them to lock individual apps, accessible only through a passcode or fingerprint ID. While that's not technically true, we've got the solution for you.
How To: The Coolest 33 Features in iOS 8 You Didn't Know About
Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS 8, is out for the general public, and we've got a rundown on the best new features you can use on your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. While there's not a huge visual change as there was from iOS 6 to iOS 7, there's still plenty of cool new features in iOS 8 to be excited about.
How To: "That Movie With" Makes Finding Films Starring Two Actors Beautifully Easy for iPhone
There have been countless times where I'd be racking my brain over the name of a movie I saw, and I don't like giving up. Usually, a few specifics can be remembered, but not enough to come up with a title on my own.
How To: Save Instagram Photos Without Posting Them (And Stack Filters for the Perfect Pic)
We all have that one friend on Instagram: every day, they post a million perfectly filtered selfies, sharing 15 different angles of their outfit. But let's be honest—no one likes to see a million posts in rapid succession, and more importantly, no one wants to be that person.
How To: Pause & Play Music Faster Using the Volume Buttons on Your iPhone
When you're wearing EarPods or another set of headphones with built-in remote controls, pausing and playing music is as convenient as it gets. However, some of the better sounding headphones out there do not have remotes built in, so pausing a song when you need to is at least a few steps, which is a few steps more than I want.
How To: Take Total Control of Buttons & Gestures on Your iPhone for Shortcuts to Anything You Want
The sovereignty that's granted when we jailbreak our iOS 7 devices can only be described with one word—liberating. With this freedom comes countless themes and apps that let us manipulate our devices to really own them and turn them into something that is truly ours.
How To: Make the Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor Work Perfectly on Your iPhone Every Time
Since its introduction on the iPhone 5S, Touch ID has made unlocking Home button iPhones quick and secure. The second-generation iPhone SE brought back the beloved feature in 2020 but didn't take any steps to improve on the technology. So if you're rocking Touch ID and having trouble getting it to read your fingerprints, there are some things you can do to fix it.
How To: The Trick to Listening to YouTube in the Background on Your iPhone or iPad
As an avid music fan, Spotify and Pandora only partially satisfy my needs on a day-to-day basis. When there's a certain obscure or underground band that I want to listen to, I'm relegated to using YouTube as my main music player source.
First Look: The New Ringtones & Dynamic Wallpapers in iOS 7 for Your iPhone 5
During today's press event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple announced that iOS 7 will come bundled with several new ringtones—something that has stayed relatively static the past few years.
How To: 18 Siri Commands Every iPhone Owner Should Know
Siri can perform many actions for you on your iPhone, such as sending messages, providing information, getting directions, looking up a contact, and playing music. Still, there are even more important Siri voice commands that every iPhone owner should know — even the ones who hate Siri.
How To: Download & Install iOS 13 on Your iPhone via Update or Restore Image
It's finally out. After months of testing, iOS 13 is available to install on your iPhone, which means over 200+ new features you can use right now. The update, released on Sept. 19, can be installed over the air or from a restore image using iTunes in macOS Mojave and older or Finder in macOS Catalina. Ditto for the 13.1 update issued on Sept. 24.
How To: Swap the Flashlight and Camera Lock Screen Controls on Your iPhone to Open Apps, Toggle Settings, and More
It's no secret that you can quickly toggle the flashlight and open Camera from your iPhone's Lock Screen using the bottom left and right buttons. But what you may not know is that you can customize those buttons to perform different actions on your iPhone.
How To: 11 Hidden iOS Features You Won't Find in Any Apple Docs
There are many things your iPhone or iPad can do, and Apple does an excellent job of documenting everything on its website. But there are some features that won't show up in any Apple manuals or help pages.
How To: The Ultimate Guide to Freeing Up Space on Your iCloud Account
We've already shown you how to free up internal space on your iPhone, and now it's time to tackle another problematic storage issue—your iCloud account.
How To: Set an Alarm on Your iPhone for When Your Battery Reaches Full Charge
Out of all the myths about the iPhone's battery, one that's very true is that charging your phone overnight is bad news. Keeping the charge level at 100% puts the battery under strain, which can permanently damage it. Apple took steps to address the issue in iOS 13, where your battery stops charging when it hits 80% in some scenarios, but that's not always enough.
How To: Open Your iPhone's App Library Faster from Your Home Screen or Anywhere Else
The App Library is an excellent tool for browsing all the apps on your iPhone, especially since it includes every one of the home screen bookmarks you've made for websites and shortcuts. But it's all the way past your last home screen page. If you have a lot of visible home screen pages, that's a lot of swiping to open the App Library. Luckily, there is a trick to accessing it faster.
How To: Find and Manage Your 'Sign in with Apple' and 'Hide My Email' Accounts on Your iPhone
The "Sign in with Apple" service lets you create accounts with third-party apps and websites more easily using your Apple ID. More importantly, it can hide your personal email address using auto-generated disposable email addresses. However, it's easy to lose track of the accounts you use with Sign in with Apple, as well as any throwaway email addresses you used to hide your actual address.
How To: The Easiest Way to Find, Share, and Manage Wi-Fi Passwords Your iPhone and Other Apple Devices Auto-Saved for You
In the latest software updates for iPhone and iPad, there's an even easier way to view all your saved Wi-Fi networks and credentials and share them with family, friends, and others who need access.
How To: Apple Has a Killer New Word Game Puzzle Called Quartiles on iOS 17.5
Apple's newest software update, iOS 17.5 includes one killer new feature for people who like word games: another lexical challenge to complement the crossword puzzles that Apple News already has.
How To: Use Live Captions on Your iPhone for Real-Time Transcriptions of Any Audio — Calls, Videos, Podcasts, and More
With Apple's latest accessibility feature, you can get live transcriptions of anything you're listening to on or around your iPhone. Real-time captions work for phone calls, video conferences, FaceTime, music, podcasts, streaming media, movies, games, and more — even someone sitting right next to you talking.
How To: You Need a DAC to Enjoy Apple Music's Hi-Res Lossless Audio — Here Are the Best Options
On May 17, Apple announced that Lossless Audio playback for Apple Music was finally coming to subscribers in June. The long-awaited option will let users stream songs at a much higher quality than ever before. Still, in the fine print, Apple noted that you wouldn't be able to listen to the best sound quality — Hi-Resolution Lossless — on your iPhone without a DAC.
How To: Restore an iPod Touch Without Using iTunes
The iPod changed the music and electronics industries when it was first introduced way back in 2001. It is credited with ushering in the age of "connected devices," and has held a huge market share of around 70% for years. At the height of its popularity, the iPod made up almost 50% of Apple's revenue. Now that the smartphones and tablets we use every day have the ability to store and play music, the iPod's glory days are over. Nevertheless, there are millions of people who still use them, an...
How To: You're Taking Screenshots Wrong — Here Are Better Ways to Capture Your iPhone's Screen and Why You Should Be Using Them
You may know the traditional way to take a screenshot on your iPhone, but it may not be the best action for your needs. There are faster ways to capture an image of your iPhone's screen, methods for capturing overlays and other elements that won't show in regular screenshots, and even options for blocking screenshot thumbnail previews from appearing.
How To: Scroll Through TikTok Hands-Free on Your iPhone or iPad Using Simple Voice Commands
If you can't curb your TikTok obsession, at least make it more efficient by taking your hands out of the equation. So when you're eating breakfast, working on your computer, or using your hands for another non-TikTok task, you don't even have to touch your iPhone or iPad to scroll through all of those videos in your feed. Instead, you can just tell it what to do, and it'll listen.
How To: How & Why You Should Change Your iPhone's Name
You might be giving out your name to every stranger you see, and you don't even know it. That iPhone of yours has a name — generally a combination of your first name and device model — and it broadcasts it to others via AirDrop, Personal Hotspot, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other connections. Sure, it's useful to keep your device name simple and to the point, but there are upsides to changing it.
How To: Siri Settings, Shortcuts & Hacks Every iPhone User Should Know
Out of the box, Apple's digital assistant could be a godsend or a nuisance, depending on your daily interactions it. No matter which camp you fall into, Siri can always be better suited to your personal needs with a little customization. You can make Siri a powerhouse not to be reckoned with, or you can minimize its presence if you only need Siri help sometimes — all without any jailbreaking.
How To: This Hidden Feature Makes Your iPhone Read Books & Articles Aloud
I often read ebooks on my iPhone while I walk, but being glued to my screen is a good way to get run over or cursed at. To save my physical and social hide, I use this trick to get my iPhone to read ebooks and articles out loud, turning my whole text library into de facto audiobooks.
How To: Customize “Do Not Disturb” on Your iPhone So Important Calls Always Get Through
At certain times of the day, like when I finally get home after sitting through aggravating traffic, the last thing I need is the sound of my phone irritating me any further. So, I toggle on the "Do Not Disturb" feature (introduced in iOS 6) on my iPhone and get to enjoy a little peace of mind.
How To: Download & Play SNES Games on Your iPad or iPhone—No Jailbreak Required
Tired of playing old-school Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Nintendo, and Nintendo DS games on your iPhone? We've got another retro video game system for you to add to your arsenal of emulators—Super Nintendo.
How To: Program Your iPhone's Physical Buttons to Open Apps, Perform Actions, or Do Almost Anything Else
Your iPhone only has a few physical buttons, buttons with a set number of default actions assigned to them, like sleeping your display, controlling volume levels, and even taking pictures. But as much as these buttons can do for you, they can do more. You're not stuck with the out-of-the-box defaults. Every push button on your iPhone can be customized in one way or another.