21 Best iPhone Tips and Tricks You Must Use!

Introduction

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Smarter Tech Talk, where we dive into the latest tech tips and tricks to make your digital life easier. Today, we’re exploring 21 iPhone Tips and Tricks that will transform how you use your device. Whether you’re a new iPhone user or a seasoned pro, these gestures will enhance your iPhone experience. So Let’s get started!

One Handed Zoom in Maps

Gesture number one, one-handed zoom in the Maps app on your iPhone. Ever needed to zoom in on a map but only had one hand free? One-handed zoom let’s you quickly and easily view a location. Here’s how:

1. Open the Apple Maps app.
2. Double-tap on the map but keep your finger on the screen after the second tap.
3. Slide your finger up to zoom in or down to zoom out. It’s that simple!

Swipe to Go Back in Settings

Next up, did you know you can swipe to go back a page in Settings? The swipe to go back feature in Settings allows iPhone users to return to the previous menu by simply swiping across the screen. To access it:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to any submenu.
3. To go back, simply swipe left to right. Make sure to go from the very edge of the screen or it might not work. No need to reach for the back button!

Multi-Tap to Select Text

iPhone Tips and Tricks #3: Multi-Tap to Select Text. Multi-tap text selection on an iPhone streamlines the process of highlighting and editing.

If you are typing in an app such as notes, you can place your cursor where you want it on the screen. Then:

1. Double Tap to select a word.
2. Or triple tap to select whole block of text. Editing made easy!

Swipe to Undo and Redo Typing

Next, let’s review Swipe to Undo and Redo. To undo what you have just typed, you can shake your phone to undo any edits you have just made. But there is another way to handle this as well.

The Swipe to Undo and Redo feature on an iPhone allows you to easily correct mistakes by swiping across the screen with three fingers. If you made a mistake typing:

1. Swipe right to left with 3 fingers to undo.
2. To redo, swipe from left to right using 3 fingers.

Swipe to Move Between Different Apps on iPhone

Gesture five, quickly swipe between open apps on iPhone. Swiping to move between different apps on an iPhone improves multitasking and navigating through open applications.

This gesture makes it effortless to switch from one app to another without having to go back to the home screen.

• Simply swipe across the bottom of the screen to move between open apps. This is useful if you need to refer to another app when taking notes, composing messages or email.

Drag and Drop Photos and Files

iPhone Tip #6, let’s learn how to Drag and Drop photos and files. As an example, if you want to share a photo through text or email you can write your email and then use the share icon at the bottom of the screen to attach a photo and send.

But there is another way to do this:

1. Tap and hold on a photo in your photo library until it lifts.
2. Without lifting your finger, use another finger to navigate to where you want to drop it. (For instance the Notes app)
3. Release to drop the item there.

Tap and Hold the Back Button in Safari

If you have browsed through a large number of pages in Safari and want a quick way to easily move to a previous page without continually tapping the back button we have you covered. Tap and Hold the back button to select the page you want.

1. Instead of tapping the back arrow repeatedly to find the page you want, tap and hold it.
2. This reveals your browsing history, making navigation a breeze. Simply select the page you want.

Swiping to Move Between Pages in Safari

Let’s stay in safari for gesture number eight, swiping to move between different pages in Safari. Swiping to move between pages in Safari on an iPhone provides a simple navigation experience for most people.

This mimics the natural motion of flipping through pages in a book. This simplifies browsing, making it easier and more efficient to switch between web pages without tapping the on screen buttons.

1. In apps like Safari or your eBook reader, swipe left or right in the middle of the screen to move through pages or chapters.
2. Remember, this moves you through pages on the same safari tab. We will discuss moving through different tabs in safari shortly.

Introducing Reachability

Next up, introducing Reachability. If you only have one hand available this feature allows you to easily reach all the options on the screen with your thumb.

Reachability on an iPhone is a thoughtful feature designed to improve one-handed use. This makes it easier to access items at the top of the screen without uncomfortably stretching your hand.

By lowering the top half of the display, it brings everything within easy reach, enhancing the user experience for those with smaller hands or using larger devices. All you need to do is:

• Swipe down at the bottom edge of the screen to lower the top content for easy thumb reach.

To enable this feature, open Settings > Accessibility > Touch and turn on Reachability.

Using Swipe to Control Volume

Our Apple iPhone’s tenth tip, swipe for Volume Control on your iPhone.

• Press the up or down volume buttons on the side of your iPhone then swipe up or down on the volume slider to adjust volume.

You will need to be quick when you do this since the volume slider will disappear from the screen quickly!

Swipe to Change Indents in Notes

We are halfway through our best Apple iPhone Tips and Tricks! Next, let’s discuss swiping to change how the text is indented in the Notes app.

The swipe to change indents feature in the Notes app on an iPhone introduces a quick and simple way to organize while you are typing. By simply swiping right or left on the keyboard, users can adjust the indentation level of their notes and improve their efficiency.

• Swipe right or left on a list item to increase or decrease its indent level.

How to View Past Notifications

Gesture number 11, viewing past notifications. Viewing past notifications on an iPhone allows users to review alerts and messages they might have missed or need to reference again.

This feature provides a comprehensive history of notifications. There are 2 ways to view notifications

1. Option 1 is to simply swipe down on the home screens upper left hand corner
2. Option 2 is to swipe up from the lock screen

With both options you can refer to your past notifications.

Multi Select with Two Finger Drag

Next we will talk about how to use to fingers to select multiple items. This functionality is available in a large number of the standard iPhones applications. This includes the default Mail, Notes, Messages, Contacts, Reminders, Files and Shortcuts apps, but if you’re lucky, some third-party apps may have implemented it too.

1. Open an app that has drag to select enabled.
2. Tap and hold the screen with two fingers to enable the selection mode. Then drag your fingers across the screen to select other nearby items.
3. If you select too many, just swipe back over the items you didn’t want, and they’ll automatically be deselected.

Swipe for Selecting Multiple Photos

Gesture 13, swipe for selecting multiple items in Photos. The swipe for selecting multiple photos feature on an iPhone helps you organize and share your pictures. It’s incredibly efficient and user-friendly!

By simply dragging your finger across the screen, you can quickly select numerous images. This helps with bulk actions like deleting, moving, or sharing your pictures, without having to work with each photo individually.

First, open your photos app or access the photo library from inside the Camera app. Then:

1. Tap select at the top of the screen.
2. Tap and drag your finger to select multiple photos. You can drag your fingers across a row to select individual photos in that row or drag diagonally down or up to select all the photos in multiple rows.

How to Use Stacks with Files and Photos

Staying in the world of photos let’s discuss creating and using stacks for files and photos. Stacks allow you to easily group multiple photos for use in another app. For instance sending multiple photos in an email or text. First open your photo library, then:

1. Tap and hold a photo
2. With your free hand tap other photos you want to add to the stack
3. The counter shows how many photos are part of your stack
4. Do not release your finger from the stack on the screen
5. Then you can move to another app like email and drop the stack directly in the email and send it

Use the Keyboard as a Trackpad

iPhone Trick #15 is one of my favorite iPhone Tips and Tricks! Use the spacebar on the keyboard as a trackpad.

All of us have experienced problems trying to place the cursor exactly where we want it in a message or email. Well you can use your keyboard as a trackpad on your iPhone.

1. Long press the spacebar. 
2. Slide your finger around to move the cursor precisely in text.

Use Swipe to Change Tabs in Safari

iPhone Tip #16, swipe through tabs in Safari. Swipe to change tabs in Safari on an iPhone introduces a simple way to navigate between all your open tabs.

This gesture simplifies browsing, making it more efficient iPhone users – especially when managing multiple tabs on the go. To use this feature:

• Swipe left or right on the address bar at the bottom of the screen to switch between open tabs.

How to Setup and Use Back Tap

Setting up and using Back Tap. The iPhone lets you customize what happens when you double or triple tap the back of your phone.

When you setup and use Back Tap on an iPhone you can perform quick actions by simply tapping the back of their device. To enable this feature:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.
2. Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap, then select an action. For instance you can configure your camera to open when you double tap the back of your phone. Simply double tap the back to perform that action.

Contextual Menus on Your iPhone

Gesture 19, tap and hold to open a contextual menu. These are all over the iPhone and there are too many to go into deep detail. But it’s definitely worth exploring these on your phone.

Contextual menus on an iPhone provide a deep level of interaction within apps by offering options relevant to that specific type of item. These menus enhance the user experience by making navigation and functionality more intuitive. To activate these menus: 

• Tap and hold on an app, message, photo, email or a link to open a menu.

Each of these actions will open a different menu specific to that type. For instance, you can do things like reply or delete messages, select apps, customize your home screen, and delete unused applications.

Moving the Keyboard for One Handed Typing

Our next gesture is another keyboard hack. If you want to type with one hand and would like the keys closer to your thumb, you can move the keyboard to the left or right hand side of the screen.

The iPhone’s keyboard includes a thoughtful design feature that allows it to be moved for one-handed typing. This improves the convenience for users who are multitasking or prefer using their device with one hand. This adjustable keyboard setup ensures that all keys remain easily reachable and enhances user experience.

1. All you have to do is hold down the emoji key on the keyboard and select which side of the screen you’d like the keyboard to be placed
2. To return to normal, tap the left or right edge of the screen and the keyboard goes back to it’s original location.

Pulling the Scrollbar for Accurate scrolling on the Screen

We have reached the last of our iPhone Tips and Tricks. Pull down the scrollbar for fast and accurate scrolling in apps like email and Safari.

Typically we scroll through the screen by swiping haphazardly. But sometimes we want to quickly but accurately move through a page to find exactly what we are looking for. We can easily do this by pulling up or down on the scrollbar.

1. In apps like safari or messages, press and hold the scrollbar on the right hand side of the screen.
2. Then drag the scrollbar for quick AND accurate navigation through long pages.

Wrapping Up iPhone Tips and Tricks

And there you have it, 21 iPhone Tips and Tricks to boost your productivity and ease of use. Practice these gestures to become an iPhone power user in no time. If you found this article helpful, leave us a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe for more tech tips. See you in the next article!