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10 iPhone tips that everyone should know [Video]

There are certain iOS tips that I feel everyone should be aware of and use on a regular basis. In this hands-on video, we take a brief look at 10 iPhone tips and tricks.

Quick Toggle AirDrop and Personal Hotspot

Hidden behind a long-press or 3D Touch on the toggles section of Control Center, you’ll find a toggle for AirDrop and Personal Hotspot. Instead of venturing into the Settings app to adjust settings specific to these areas, use these Control Center shortcuts to save time.

iPhone Tips walkthrough

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Security Code Autofill

Security codes are a regular part of logging into your favorite websites, apps, and services. Security Code Autofill makes dealing with these codes even easier by leveraging the iOS QuickType keyboard to submit codes with a single tap.

Trackpad Mode

Trackpad Mode allows users to precisely move the text cursor to an exact position when editing text. It’s been a staple of 3D Touch-enabled iPhones for some time now, but iOS 12 made it so that any iOS device could use Trackpad Mode by long-pressing on the space bar.

Quick switch between two apps

It’s easy to switch between two apps using the Home indicator swipe gesture on iOS devices lacking a Home button. If you interact with an app before swiping right on the Home indicator, you can quickly alternate between the last two apps.

Move multiple apps

Although more people are aware of the ability to move multiple apps than ever before, I still feel like there’s a large population of iPhone users that don’t know such a feature exists. It’s one of the more useful iPhone tips on this list.

Select/deselect multiple photos

When in select mode in the Photos app, you can drag your finger across multiple photos to quickly select or deselect your images.

Reachability

If you have a difficult time reaching upper areas of larger phones like the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR, then the Reachability accessibility setting may come in handy. Reachability allows you to pull screen content down so that it’s within easy reach of your thumbs.

Spotlight

Although most iPhone users are aware that Spotlight exists, I don’t think everyone is aware of how much power it actually possesses. It can do a near limitless amount of things, including real-time currency conversion, arithmetic, weight conversions, web searches, and so much more.

Print to PDF

Even if you don’t own an AirPrint-enabled printer, the print functionality in iOS allows you to easily print to PDF using a simple pinch or 3D Touch gesture. This is one of the iPhone tips that I use the most.

AirDrop Passwords

Need to share a password with a friend or family member? Simply long-press on the password field in Settings → Passwords & Accounts, and choose the AirDrop option to send it over wirelessly.

Conclusion

What’s your favorite item in this list of iPhone tips? Do you have any outstanding tips or tricks to share? Tune in next week for another round of Apple-related tips that everyone should know, and feel free to sound off in the comments below with your thoughts.

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Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Jeff Benjamin

Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He initially joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.