Apple’s iOS is known to many as a user-friendly operating system, which is why is a favourite of many smartphone users. However, even the most avid Apple user might not know that there are plenty of hidden features available on the iPhone, and with the recent announcement of the iOS 15, there will be more features coming up. Here are a few tips and tricks on the iPhone that you can discover now and use for your convenience.
See how much data an app collects from your phone
You may have encountered a prompt when you download an app that will ask if you allow the app to collect data from your phone. Generally, the data collected will be used to curate more personal ads for you, but some apps collect more data than others. If you are wondering about which app will collect what data from your phone, you can look at the app privacy section on the app on the App Store. Since Apple requires all developers to list out all the data they track, you can now see how much information an app developer can collect about you and other users of that app.
Tap on the back of your phone to trigger functions
Creating shortcuts on the iPhone is a quick and easy way to have access to certain apps on your phone. You can also customize your phone’s Control Centre and get quick access to functions like flashlight and screen recording. However, there is another way to create a shortcut for functions and it is with the back of your phone. The accessibility feature is called Back Tap and it allows you to trigger systems features like the Control Centre, by tapping the back of your iPhone two or three times. You can also use Back Tap to launch a shortcut that you have created like an app.
To find this feature, go to Settings and look for Accessibility. There, click on the Touch tab and look for Back Tap. You can pick the number of taps you want to use and then, choose which action the motion will initiate from a list of actions. Unfortunately, this feature is only available on certain iPhone models like the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 12, but it will surely be helpful to most users. One tip for Back Tap that was shared by an iPhone 11 user from Malaysia is to use the feature to launch commonly used functions like a QR code scanner so you can access it within seconds.
Delete Apple’s default apps for good
Apple has finally allowed users to delete their default apps so if you have an Apple app on your phone that is left unused, you can delete it to make space for other apps. This is especially useful for the default apps that most users will not access regularly like the Tips app or the Measure app. You can always recover the deleted built-in apps through the App Store. If you are not 100% sure about deleting apps because you fear that you might need them in the future, you can just offload the app through the Storage tab in Settings and this will create space on your iPhone.
Listen to spatial audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music
If you have an Apple Music account with your iPhone, you can now listen to a selected number of songs in spatial audio with Dolby Atmos for a multidimensional listening experience. Before you can listen to songs with spatial audio, you need to make sure that your iPhone is updated to iOS 14.6. If your iPhone is already updated, you can go to Settings and then Music. Under Audio, there is the Dolby Atmos tab which will allow you to listen to spatial audio all the time or when you are using certain audio devices.
If you choose Always On for the Dolby Atmos feature, you can listen to the songs with spatial audio with any headphones that don’t support automatic playback. If you have any Apple audio devices like the AirPods or any Beats headphones, you can choose Automatic. This feature is available for all Apple Music subscribers all over the world, therefore, it does not matter where you are, in Nigeria, the US or in the Philippines, you can listen to songs with spatial audio, with or without the Apple AirPods.
Shift your keyboard left or right
Most phone users navigate through their phones with only one hand, but some actions may be limited due to the size of the screen or the size of your hand. One of those actions is typing on the keyboard because the keyboard is generally spread out to the entire width of the screen so you might not reach the opposite end of the keyboard. If you want to type on your iPhone with one hand, you can now get left-leaning and right-leaning options for the default iOS keyboard.
All you need to do is hold your finger on the emoji icon at the bottom of the keyboard. The icon may also be a globe if you have three or more keyboards installed. After you hold down the icon, a pop-up will appear with the option of a left and a right keyboard so you can choose your preference. Once you are done, you can tap the arrow that pointing to the opposite of your preference to go back to a full-screen keyboard. This feature will only work in Portrait Mode so the options will not appear if your phone is in Landscape Mode.
