50 iPhone Tips and Tricks for Power users

Every new iPhone that comes out brings out numerous changes and features that did not exist before. Sometimes the changes are obvious, sometimes you have to dig a bit deeper to uncover them.

In this very detailed guide we have covered 50 of the most awesome iPhone 11 tips and tricks some of which you might have never even seen before. Even then, it’s not impossible that we may have missed something epic so don’t forget to add your own tips to the comments below.

This infographic will talk about tips and tricks related to Photos, Battery, Safari, iCloud, iMessage, Appstore, Camera, Notes, Accessibility, and General.

That is one of the pleasures of using new technology. If every neat little secret is told right from the beginning, there is no thrill of going in the settings and investigating.

Welcome to the most awesome list of iPhone 11 tips and tricks for 2020.

Use voice search in Photos
Anywhere you find a search bar in Apple’s own apps, you’ll notice there’s now a microphone on the far-right side. Tap on the new icon to enter your search query by voice, instead of having to type it out e.g. use voice search in Photos App to find places, photos or people without having to type them in.

Remove location from photo
If you share a photo from the Photos app on iOS, location data is included by default. To remove location from your shared photo, select the photo in Photos app and click on “Options” and disable the location toggle.

Edit screenshots and photos
Markup allows you to edit screenshots and photos, select different opacity and font thickness, and even add a signature to a PDF document. To access Markup, select a photo, tap Edit, tap the ••• button and select Markup.

Hide photos from Photo Library
Did you know you could hide a photo from the Photo Library without deleting it? Inside Photos, select one or more images, then tap the Share button and choose Hide. As the confirmation message says, your chosen pictures will disappear from every location in your library, but you’ll still be able to see them in the Hidden album within your Albums.

View all your screenshots quickly
Open the Photos app > Select the Albums tab > Scroll down to Media Types > Select Screenshots. You’ll then be taken to all your screenshots. If you want to share, delete or add a screenshot to an album, tap ‘Select’ in the top right corner and select your screenshots followed by the respective icon at the bottom of the screen.

Enable Low Power Mode
It’s surprising how many people still don’t know that the iPhone has a built-in battery saving mode called the Low Power Mode. To enable, go to Settings > Battery.  Low Power Mode reduces display brightness, optimizes device performance, and minimizes system animations. It also alerts you when your battery level goes below 20% and 10%. Here are some more battery tips we recommend.

Optimized Battery Charging
One way to save your iPhone battery health is to enable Optimized Battery Charging in Settings > Battery > Battery Health. It will automatically learn your charging habits and will save your battery from damaging over time.

Use Wi-Fi as often and turn off data
Did you know that when you use your device to access data, a Wi‑Fi connection uses less power than a cellular network — so keep Wi‑Fi on at all times and turn off data at home to use Wi-Fi only. To turn on Wi‑Fi, go to Settings > Wi‑Fi.

Turn off background activity for apps
To improve battery life, you can turn off the feature that allows apps to refresh in the background. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and select Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi & Cellular Data or turn Off entirely to save battery.

Check app-by-app battery usage
Your iPhone keeps a list of battery-hogging apps. Head to Settings > Battery and you’ll see a list of the apps that have used the most power in the last 24 hours and the last seven days. This would help you get rid of or limit usage of power hungry apps.

Scroll bar in Safari
When you’re scrolling a webpage in Safari, a new Scroll Bar shows up on the right side of the screen and you know you can now use it to scroll faster. Try it out by starting to scroll on a page, then long-press on the scroll bar and drag it up or down. The faster you drag, the faster Safari will scroll.

Download Manager in Safari
You can now download files when using Safari on an iPhone. The Download manager icon won’t show up unless you have an active (or recently active) download. Your download is automatically saved to a Downloads folder in your iCloud Drive account, which you can access in the Files app.

Take Full Page screenshots
Did you know Safari has a new trick through which you can take a full scrollable screenshot of a web page. Open Safari and take one screenshot of any website and immediately tap on the thumbnail preview. Above the screenshot will be two options: Screen and Full Page. Only works in Safari

Favicons in Safari
Did you know those small website icons you see in the desktop browser are called Favicons? Now with the new Safari, you can have Favicons for tabs in Safari on iPhone. Go to Settings -> Safari -> Show Icons in Tabs to enable.

Automatically close tabs in Safari
Safari has an option to have tabs in it closed automatically after one day, one week, or one month. You can control this feature by going to the Settings app > Safari > Close Tabs under the “Tabs” section.

Access iCloud on the web
Did you know that you can access iCloud on the web by visiting icloud.com? This includes apps and all app data like Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, Notes, iCloud Drive, etc. This comes in handy if you don’t have access to your phone but want to access all the synced data from your device.

Delete backups on iCloud
You can save a lot of space by deleting your backups in iCloud. Go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage Storage and from there you can delete data for backups or for individual apps stored on iCloud to save some space.

Quick share photos via iCloud
You can share multiple photos and videos from your Photo Library using a quick iCloud link. First, make sure iCloud Photos is enabled in the Settings app. Then select any photos or videos and click on the Share button. Afterward, tap on “Get iCloud Link” and you can share this link of high-res photos/videos with friends.

Share folders with iCloud Drive
With folder sharing in iCloud Drive, you can share entire folders of files with anyone. To do so, open the Files app, in the Browse tab, go to Locations, then tap iCloud Drive. Tap Select, then tap the folder you wish to share. Tap Share, then tap Add People or Copy Link to share directly.

Save money with iCloud Family sharing
It’s surprising how many still don’t know about this but Apple offers iCloud family storage for just $2.99/month (200GB) that can be shared with up to five other members. This means you will save money if you buy a family plan instead of buying an individual storage plan.

Set your profile picture and name
Now you can set your profile picture and name in iMessages. To choose your name and photo, open the Messages app. Tap the ••• button in the navigation bar and select Edit Name and Photo. Type your first name and last name in the text fields. Tap on the profile icon to change your image.

Share your profile picture with contacts
Go to Messages app, tap the ••• button and select Edit Name and Photo. Make sure the Share Name and Photo Sharing option is enabled. You can then choose how your profile should be shared automatically.

Hide your phone number and use email
Your iMessage account can be associated with email addresses, not just your phone number. Go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive to change your default sending address to any email instead of your phone number.

Filter messages from unknown senders
Did you know you could filter messages sent from unknown senders by going to Settings > Messages > Filter Unknown Senders and Enable it. This can be a good setting to enable if you’re one of those people who get a lot of messages and you can filter out spam.

Automatically delete messages to save storage
From the “Messages” section of the Settings app, go to “Keep Messages”. From there, you can choose to have threads auto-delete after 30 days or one year to conserve storage on your iPhone.

Automatically offload unused apps
Offloading apps is a feature of the iPhone that lets you remove unused apps while keeping their settings. Go to Settings > iTunes and App Store > Offload Unused Apps and Enable it. This control lets the OS monitor and determine which apps have not been used for a long time and automatically offload them.

Delete apps right from Updates list
On the AppStore, now you can delete apps right from Updates if you realize you don’t want them anymore. Go to AppStore > Tap on your Apple ID icon on the top right and there in the Updates list, swipe to the left across the listing. Then you can tap Delete on any app.

Remove App Store download limits
If you want to download a big app or game over data, it is now possible by removing the App Store download limit. Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store > App Downloads to get rid of the limit or have the App Store ask you if you want to download any apps over 200MB.

Magnify what the camera sees
The ability to zoom in on real-world images might prove helpful in all kinds of situations, especially for older people. To use it, go to Settings > Accessibility, and then tap Magnifier to toggle the feature on. You can launch the Magnifier now by triple-clicking the side Power button (the Home button on older phones).

Edit videos just like photos
Did you know you can edit videos just like photos? Almost anything you can do with photos, you can also do with videos in the new app. Things such as adjustments, filters, crop support video editing, rotation, and increasing exposure. Go to any video in the Photo Library and tap on Edit to get all options.

Take better photos with grids
You can take better photos with the ‘rule of thirds’ (Google it!). The iPhone lets you imagine the rule of thirds by a friendly feature in the camera called the Grid. In order to turn the grid on, you need to go to your iPhone’s Settings, then scroll down to find the camera icon and make sure the Grid option is activated.

Use selfie timer for sharper photos
You love taking selfies but it’s hard to get the perfect shot, right? Well, we suggest you use the selfie timer; so the next time you need to get a perfectly steady shot, set your iPhone up somewhere sturdy, compose the shot, then hit the self-timer and stand back so as not to disturb the phone with your movements.

Use 3D Touch to access faster
This is a simple tip for power users who love using the camera. By pressing down harder on the icon for the Camera app on your iPhone screen, you’ll get the option of jumping straight to slo-mo, video, selfie, or regular photo mode.

Use iPhone keyboard as a trackpad
Did you know that the virtual trackpad is now available on every iPhone? Just tap and hold on the Spacebar to turn the keyboard into a trackpad. Move your finger to move the cursor. If you tap on the trackpad with another finger, you’ll enter the text selection mode. It works in Notes and every other app.

Lock notes for privacy
The Notes app lets you lock any note that you want to keep private from anyone else that might use your device. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Notes > Password to set your password. Then from inside any note, tap on the Share button on the top right to lock a note.

Folders can be moved
Folders in Notes can now be moved. Either long-press a folder or sub-folder from the main Folders page and drag it where you want it. Tap “Edit” and drag each folder from the three lines on the side, or choose “Move This Folder” from the ellipses (•••) menu inside a folder.

Sub-Folders are now available
You can now add sub-folders to your folders in Notes for added organization. To do this, just drag a folder on top of another to turn the first into a sub-folder.

Keep iPhone locked in a single app
There is a little known feature—Guided Access, that lets you keep your iPhone locked in an app (especially useful if you want to hand it over to your kids or if someone needs to borrow your phone for an extended time). To do this, open Settings app → Accessibility → Guided Access → turn it on.

Type to Siri
What if you could use Siri without talking to it? Yes there is a way. You can enable the “Type to Siri” feature to write down the command instead of speaking it. To bring it into action, go to the Settings app → General → Accessibility → tap on Siri → turn ON the toggle for Type to Siri.

Enable Subtitle and Captioning for Media
While watching videos, subtitles and captioning can be super helpful and you can turn them on system-wide on iPhone. To get it done, open Settings app → General → Accessibility → Under Media section, tap on Subtitles & Captioning → Now, turn on the toggle for Closed Captions + SDH.

Make the most of Reachability
If you have a big iPhone i.e. iPhone XS Max but don’t have big hands, don’t worry because we have a tip for you. You can use the Reachability feature to bring the top of the screen to your reach. To turn it on, launch Settings app on your device → General → Accessibility → Now, make sure the switch for Reachability is on. Now you can swipe down from the bottom of the display to pull the top of the screen down so you can reach it.

Check surface level
You might not have realized that the built-in iOS measurement app has leveling capabilities. To find it, open Measure app and tap Level on the right. You can use the level with your iPhone laid flat or perched on its side in either portrait or landscape mode to measure the level of any surface.

Go to bed on time
Did you know your iPhone can help you build better sleeping habits? Open up the Clock app, and select Bedtime and here you can set your bedtime and wake up routine. Your iPhone will ping you at bedtime, automatically turn on Do Not Disturb, and track how well you’re doing at reaching your sleep targets.

Get your lost iPhone back
Even if you don’t use the Apple Health app, it’s worth filling out the Medical ID section so if you lose your iPhone, someone can access your emergency info via lock screen to return it. To create your Medical ID, enter the Settings app, tap Health, add any info and toggle the Show When Locked switch to “on.”

Receive notifications via Flash
Those of you who prefer a visual phone alert to an audible one, you can use the iPhone’s flash to blink several times whenever you receive a notification. To get the feature working, go into Settings and tap Accessibility. Then, enter Audio/Visual and switch the LED Flash for Alerts toggle switch to “on.”

Put limits on apps or contacts
If you feel like you are getting addicted to apps, put an App Limit in Settings > Screen Time. For instance, you can put up an App limit for 30 minutes a day for Instagram and when those 30 minutes are up, you’ll be locked out. You can extend the period by 15 minutes or disable the limit for the day.

Measure real objects
With the new Measure app, you can find measurements of objects like picture frames, posters, signs, and more. Simply open the app, point your camera at the object, and follow the instructions to make sure everything is aligned correctly

Scan Documents in Files
The revamped Files app now lets you scan documents and save them directly to your device or cloud. Open the Files app, select the Browse tab, tap on (•••) in the top-right corner, then Scan Documents. Hold your device over the document you want to scan, and it should automatically capture the page.

Unzip a File
The Files app can also unzip files. If you open a zip file via the Files app, you can tap “Preview Content” to see the contents of the zip file. To extract a file from the zip archive, tap the Share button and select “Save to Files” to save it to your Files app, or tap an app to immediately send it to that app.

Face ID
It’s a bit of a hack but you can now add a new person to Face ID authentication. Go to the Face ID section and tap on Set Up an Alternative Appearance to get started. This is useful if you want to share your iPhone with your kids.

We hope you enjoyed this very detailed post with iPhone 11 tips and tricks. A very special thanks to folks at GuidingTech, Popsci and PocketLint for sharing some of these amazing tips.