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The depths ?f your iPhone are almost endless.
N? matter ho? long ?o?'v? ?ad it, t?ere's always ?omething to learn that improves ?our life
? ?ittle ?it.
Want to declutter ?our hom? screen?
Us?
you? battery ? little l?ss throug??ut the day?
A?though som? of the settings ?n iOS are straightforward,
?thers ?re hidden deep with your iPhone, ?o ?ou
nee? to know wh?re t? l?o?.
Tweaking t?ese 22 iOS settings can optimize ??ur iPhone performance,
m?ke it more accessible ?r customize it to your lifestyle, ?mong ?ther possibilities ??u may never h??? expected.
That secret button? ?t's num?er 2.
And ?f you want t? tak? a sneak peek ?nto t?e future,
check out what Apple has planned fo? iOS 16 ?n t?e f?ll, including al? the new major feat...ll be ?vailable ?n iOS 16
and which
devices will be com?atible ?ith iOS 16. Yo? can als?
??t ?our hands on a b?...rsion of iOS 16 ?ight now.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
2. ?urn th? back of y?ur iPhone ?nto a button
??e back of your iPhone c?n be ?sed as a secret button t? activate
?ertain actions, li?e take a screenshot ?r enable low power mode, ?nd r?n shortcuts that c?n automatically play music
?hen ?ou arrive ?t t?e gym ?r turn on yo?r smart lights when you g?t home.
However, t?e option is hidden deep ?n ??ur settings -- ?ere's how to find it.
?n th? Settings app, ?? to Accessibility > Touch > ?ack Tap ?nd choose
?ne of the two tapping options (double ?r triple tap).
Yo? should see a list of actions you can run ?y tapping
t?e ?ack ?f your iPhone, l?ke o?ening your camera, turning
on the flashlight, scrolling u? and down and more.
Tap ?n ?n action o? shortcut to set ?t for double or triple tap.
![]() ![]()
Tap on t?e back ?f ?our phone t? do all kinds of fancy
tricks.
Screenshots ?y Jason Cipriani/CNET
3. B?ing ?ack ful?-screen incoming ?al? alerts
?f your iPhone is unlocked and ?ou receive a
phone ??ll, a banner-style notification ?ill ap?ear
at the top of your screen, w?th a photo ?nd nam? of t??
person calling, and the options to pick ?p or deny the
call. But this banner ?asn't ?lways t?ere.
Before iOS 14, t?? incoming call screen ?ould t?ke over yo?r ?ntire display ?hen y?ur iPhone ?a? unlocked ?nd in use.
?t ?as disruptive, ?ure, b?t it also got the job done.
W?en the banner appeared, it wa? a ?elcome ?hange f?r many, because it'? m?re discreet and a?lows you to still ?se your phone while
receiving a call. ?owever, ?f for any reason y?u'?e not a b?? fan of the banner and want to revert to the m??e attention-grabbing f?ll-screen alert,
go to Settings > Phone > Incoming Calls ?nd tap Fu?l Screen.
![]() ![]()
This incoming call alert isn't ideal f?r ?veryone.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
4. ?urn ?ff 5G coverage yo? d?n't want or h?ve
Apple touts a Smart Data feature that'? specific
t? its 5G phones (iPhone 12 ?nd iPhone 13) that will automatically switch between 4G LTE ?nd 5G networks
based on how you're using your device.
Howe?er, you may find th?t ?our iPhone's battery drains faster than it did b?fore.
?f you ?on't ?ant to sacrifice battery life for faster 5G
speeds, shut ?t ??wn. You can always t?rn 5G back ?n wh?n ?ou want it, or when service in ?o?r area
improves.
?o turn off 5?
on y?ur iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, forcing ?t to always use 4G LTE even if you have 5G coverage,
open the Settings app, then go to Cellular > Cellular Data Options
> Voice & Data ?nd tap LTE.
Alternatively, ?f you want you? iPhone to exclusively ?s? a 5? connection ?hen avai?able,
you can select 5G On[/?].
![]() ![]()
5? is nice, if you hav? access, ?ut it can a?so be a battery hog.
Patrick Holland/CNET
[b]?ead mor?: AirPods 3 v?.
AirPo...ng Apple'? Latest Earbuds
5. ?ine-tune ho? mu?? data i? u?ed
b? a 5G connection
?f y?u're ha?py with yo?r 5G performance, ?ere's a
network-related setting ?ou should check o?t. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data
Options > Data Mode, ?h?r? you'll find thr?e d?fferent options:
?llow more data ?n 5G, Standard and Low Data Mode.
?ven tho?gh there are ?rief descriptions ?elow t?e t?ree different settings, th?? ?on't
paint a ?omplete picture f?r t?e fir?t option. ?ccording to ?n Apple
support document, allowing m?r? data on 5G w?ll g?ve you hi?h-quality video ?nd
FaceTime calls. ?t also enables you? phone t? download software updates ?nd stream ?igh-definition Apple TV ?nd Apple
Music ?ontent, and ?t ?llows thi??-party developers to ?lso improve t?eir respective apps.
Th? default setting ?n thi? page ?ill depend ?n y?ur carrier ?nd your data plan, so it's a g?od idea t?
check your
iPhone and mak? sure it's correctly set t? y?ur preference.
6. St?p apps from cluttering ?p your ?ome screen
T?e App Library ?s ? plac? where y?u can quick?y
f?nd and access all of ?our applications.
?nd w?ile apps ?re housed he?e, all newly downloaded apps ?lso appear on ??ur home screen. ?his may not be a problem if yo? download apps
sparingly, ?ut if you'r? installing new apps ?n ? consistent basis, the?
can quick?y clutter up your home screen.
To stop downloaded apps f?om appearing
on ?our ?ome screen, g? to Settings > Hom? Screen and select App
Library ?nly. ?f you want t? find the app,
you'll h?ve to swipe left on y?ur home screen until you reach t?e App Library.
![]() ![]()
T?is setting wil? prevent ?our home screen from getting too messy.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
7. Unlock ?our phone w?ile wearing ? face
mask
?ne of th? frustrating aspects ?f wearing ? f?ce covering h?? been the inability to unlock ?n iPhone
wit? Apple's Face ID technology. B?caus? half of your face is covered, Fa?e ID j?st ?oesn't w?rk.
?nd ?hile entering ?our passcode t? unlock y?ur phone w?rks, it's not as convenient.
Wit? iOS
15.4, yo? now h?ve the option to turn on a face unlock feature t?at makes it easy t? unlock y?ur
iPhone when you're wearing ? fa?e mask. Before th?
update, ?ou ?ould ?nly unlock yo?r iPhone
if yo? owned an Apple Watch.
?o unlock your iPhone w?t? your Apple Watch, open the Settings app ?n your iPhone and
th?n open th? ?ace ID & Passcode option.
Scroll ?own until you find the Unlock with Apple Watch sect?on (yo?
mu?t be connected t? an Apple Watch for the setting t? ?ppear), whe?? you can tu?n on th? feature for any watches linked t? your iPhone.
?f you have an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 that runs iOS
15.4 or later, ?ou can unlock yo?r iPhone w?ile wearing
a mask without an Apple Watch. G? t? t?e Settings app
and ?pen Face I? & Passcode. ?rom there, ??u can toggle Face ID With a
Mask and choose th? Fac? ?D With a Mask option.
?t'? pretty awesome.
![]() ![]()
?o? c?n unlock y?ur iPhone ?ith ?o?r Apple Watch if Fac? ID isn't ?orking.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
8. ?ut the address bar ?n Safari ?ack on top
?he address in Safari migrated to t?e ?ottom of th? screen ?ith the introduction of iOS 15 -- a welcome ?ddition for t?ose with
smal?e? hands wh? had difficulty reaching it wit? ?ne hand ?t the top.
While this mo?e might feel mo?e natural, ?ince it'? closer to the keyboard and ?here you typically
place yo?r thumbs, ?t c?n be ?ff-putting since m?ny people
?re ?sed to s?eing the URL bar near t??
top of the screen.
If y?u want t? put t?e address bar ?ack at the
t?p of the screen, go to Settings, tap Safari and choose the Single Tab option ?nder the
Tabs subheading.
9. A?? features t??t can be ?sed ?hen you? iPhone
is locked
??ere a?e time? when you mi?ht ?ant t? h?ve cert?in info handy even w?en ?our
phone ?s locked. That's why Apple allows ??u to
enable ?ome features ?ithout having to unlock yo?r device, ?uch ?s the notification center, Control Center, t?e ability t? reply t? messages ?nd t?e Wallet app.
To customize the features ?o?'d li?e to access on the lock screen, launch t?e Settings menu,
tap Face ?D & Passcode ?nd enter ?our passcode when prompted.
Scroll down until you se? t?e A?low Access Wh?n Locked ?ection, and toggle t?e sliders based on you? preferences.
![]() ![]()
You can decide ?hich features you want t? access ?hen yo?r phone i? locked.
Screenshot ?y Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
10. ?ake your favorite email app ?r web browser your default
It ?a? a long time coming, but 2020's iOS 14
update final?y brought t?e ability to choose yo?r own default apps -- ?t
?east for email ?nd web browsing. That me?ns that when you tap a link ?r ?n email send
button, ?our iPhone will automatically launch the web
browser ?r email provider ?f your choosing r?ther than Safari or Mail.
To g?t started, open the Settings menu and select th?
app y?u'd like to set ?s a default (such as Google Chrome o?
Outlook). ?o? shoul? then se? ? button that s?ys Default Mail App or Default Browser App.
Tap t??t option and select the app ?f ?our choosing
inst?ad of Safari o? Mail.
![]() ![]()
Y?u no long?r h?ve to use Safari or Mail as default apps.
Screenshot ?? Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Read mor?: ?f
Y?u Care About Yo... Th?s?
Browser Settings
11. G?t fu?l notifications on your lock screen
?he fi?st tim? ?ou experience Apple'? ?ace ?D
tech, you'll notice t??t y?u can't se? the ?ontent of ne? alerts ?nd notifications on t?e lock screen. ?or example,
instead ?f ?eeing w?o ?ent yo? a text message and what is a shih tzu papillon mix? ?t says, ?ou'll onl? see a generic
Messages alert.
By default, ?ll iPhones ?ith Apple's ?ace ?D tech will hide the cont?nt of an alert until
you pick up your phone ?nd unlock it. ?t's a
privacy feature t?at ? rat?er enjoy, but
I ?lso understand ?ow it co?ld be annoying (I've heard a few complaints f?om readers and family member? alike).
You c?n ch?nge how notifications appe?r on your lock screen ?y go?ng to Settings > Notifications > ?how Previews and selecting ?lways.
Conversely, y?u can select Never if ?ou want to
?eep the content of ?our notifications ?lways hidden f?om the
lock screen.
12. ?urn off (?r ?n) HDR video fo? sharing videos
Phones ?n the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups can record ?igh dynamic
range (HDR) video w?th Dolby Vision. ?hat me?ns yo?r videos wil?
be brighter with m?r? accurate colors ?nd improved contrast.
Sounds awesome, ?ight? It ?s. But there's a problem -- not every app or service will work ?ith HDR
video.
Developers ?ill need t? update their apps ?n order to accept HDR video, b?t ev?n then,
th? person viewing the video wi?l need a capable device t? se? t?e difference ?n quality.
F?r Apple devices, t?ose ?nclude the iPhone 8 ?r ne?er, the 2020 iPad Air,
t?e se?ond-generation iPad Pr? and some Macs.
So, ?h?t can you ?o to share videos universally? Wel?, you ?ave ? few options:
Y?u can turn ?ff HDR video ?y going t? Settings > Camera > Record video ?nd turning th? switch ne?t to HDR
Video to the Off position. G?ing forward, ?ll videos ?ill be captured in standard dynamic range, ?nd you s?ouldn't
have any issues sharing or editing it.
Leave HDR Video t?rned on, b?t when ?ou ?ant t? share the video,
with Facebook for example, us? the Photos app instea? of going
into th? Facebook app ?nd up loading it. ?hen yo? use the Photos app, your iPhone
wi?l automatically convert t?e video to SDR ?nd upload it.
W?en ?ou s?nd t?e video t? another iPhone use?, Apple ?ill detect if their iPhone, iPad ?r Mac i? comp?tible with
HDR Dolby Vision. If ?t's not, Apple will convert the video automatically.
?f you leave HDR Video ?n and need to edit ??ur
video, ?ou can use Apple's iMovie app ?r th? Photos
app that's built into your iPhone. You can ?ven ??e iMovie t? export
the video ?s SDR ?f neede?.
![]() ![]()
HDR video lo?ks great, but it ?oesn't wo?k everywhere yet.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
13. Customize ??ur home screen ?ith fancy wallpaper
Anothe? home screen tweak ?ou sho?ld m?ke involves y?ur wallpaper ?r background.
Apple has ?dded some new wallpapers of it? own, with
a pretty cool twist.
Open th? Settings app on yo?r iPhone and select Wallpaper f?om t?e list.
?ake ?ure the switch labeled "Dark Appearance Dims Wallpaper," ?hich you'll see belo?
the two thumbnail previews ?f your wallpaper, ?? turned on. ?ow,
tap Choose ? new wallpaper and select ?ither Stills o?
Live. S?e the circle ne?r th? ?ottom of each wallpaper?
It'? half black, half ?hite.
T?at circle m?ans that t?e wallpaper has ?oth light
and dark mode versions ?nd will change automatically
based on the sy?t?m status of your phone.
You can a?so set live
wallpapers ?s your background if you're not sold ?n dark ?nd light
mode.
On an iPhone with 3? Touch, yo? can u?e a third-party app t? play long?r-duration "Live" photos
?n your lock screen.
Patrick Holland/CNET
14. ?urn on dark mode to save your battery
Speaking of dark mode, ?f yo? don't ?ant to have t? repeatedly adjust ?our screen's brightness, yo? can ?se your
phone's dedicated dark mode. Dark mode converts a?l of the whit?
backgrounds in apps t?, m?re often th?n not, a black background.
In turn, your phone is a?le to save battery power t?anks to the darker colors.
T?rn it on by g?ing t? Settings > Display & Brightness ?nd selecting the Dark option at the top of the screen.
Apple'? apps will automatically switch t? a dark color scheme, ?nd m?st thir?-party
apps ha?e also adopted the feature.
![]() ![]()
Dark Mode on the iPhone ?ure lo?ks go?d.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
15. Manage ??ur notifications ?ith Focus Mode
?e ??t a lot of notifications ev?ry day,
but not all of them ar? relevant all t?e time.
With iOS 15, Apple introduced ? feature c?lled Focus Mode.
T?ink ?f ?t as a custom D? Not Disturb feature t?at's tailored to specific circumstances.
Focus Mode blocks ?ess relevant alerts, wh?le allowing notifications fr?m important people and
apps t? come through so that you d?n't mi?s anyth?ng. Yo? can set u?
different types of Focus Modes fo? specific circumstances.
Apple ?urrently offers options for ?? Not Disturb,
personal, sleep, ?ork, driving, fitness, gaming, mindfulness ?nd reading, but you can al?o ?reate yo?r o?n custom
mode. You c?n schedule Focus Modes ?? t?at they turn on automatically
when ne?ded, and display ?o?r status in apps so that ot?ers ?now you have notifications silenced.
To get started, o?en the Settings menu, tap Focus ?nd
choose one of th? avai?a?le options t? set ?p yo?r notification preferences.
Tap t?e pl?s (+) symbol in t?e t?p ?ight corner to
add a new Focus.
16. ?ake y?ur screen text bigger o? small?r
Wit? a couple ?f taps ?n you? iPhone'? screen, ?ou c?n adjust
the font size to make ?t easier to ?ead. O??n Settings ?nd ?? to Display & Brightness > Text Size wh?re y?u c?n use t?e slider until y?u'r? h?ppy with th? font size.
For ? little added oomph, ?ou can turn on Bold Text (it's j??t b?low t?e Text Size button).
17. ?dd an alternate appearance t? ?ace I?
Apple'? facial recognition feature -- ?ace ID -- const?ntly learns ?ifferent aspects of y?ur
fa?e wit? ea?h scan. If you'?e struggling t? get ?ace ?D to consistently recognize ?o?, tr? the Alternate Appearance option.
Go t? Settings > ?ace ID & Passcode
> enter your PIN > ?et U? An Alternate Appearance
?nd ?o thro?gh the process of enrolling yo?r face a?a?n.
![]() ![]()
Fac? ID doesn't always get it ?ight.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
18. Disable auto brightness f?r longe? battery charge
Your iPhone's screen brightness level ?an ?ave a bi? impact on battery life.
?y default, iOS will automatically adjust th? display's brightness based
?n how m?ch light ?ts ambient sensor detects. ?ut if you ?ant to
ta?e c?mplete control, y?u can disable auto-brightness, meaning t?? brightness level wil? stay ?here you set it unt?l ?ou adjust it a??in.
Open Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size ?nd at th? b?ttom ?f the
p?g?, ?ou'll find ? switch t? tu?n ?ff Auto-Brightness.
No?, whenever you w?nt to adjust ?our screen, yo? can do so by opening Control Center wit? a swipe ?p f?om the bott?m of th? screen ?n ? device with ? home button, o? ? swipe down from the
t?p-?ight corner on newer iPhones.
![]() ![]()
Keep y?ur screen dim t? save battery life.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
19. Triage ??ur privacy settings
Th? f?rst tim? you ?et up an iPhone with ?ll of your apps, you're bombarded ?ith prompts as?ing for permissions t? access personal ?nformation ranging f?om tracking y?ur location t? ?o?r Apple
Health information or you? camera roll.
It'? far to? easy to g?t in t?e habit of approving ?verything just ?o you can u?e th? app, ?ut take a few minutes and go
th?ough yo?r privacy settings to tailor ?hat each app can and c?n't s??. We ?alk you
through ...rocess ?n two quick steps.
![]() ![]()
Apple h?s put all of ?ts privacy controls ?n one pl?ce.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
20. Use Control Center to access apps ?ith a swipe ?r tap
T?e iPhone's Control Center ?? a convenient spot to quickly change songs, turn on airplane mode, connect
t? Wi-Fi or start ? timer, ?ut t?ere's so muc? mo?e to it t?an t?at.
Yo? can qu?ckly tu?n ?our flashlight ?n, check
on ? timer or start recording your screen ?ith a quick swipe
and tap.
Customize w??ch apps and features are availab?? in Control Center ?y opening Settings > Control Center.
Remove ?n option with a tap on the red minus button ?r add an option b? selecting the green ?ddition button. Drag features
?p o? do?n ?sing th? three-line icon on th? right ?ide of the screen.
Personally, I li?e having quick access to t?e Wallet app ?nd toggles for low-power mode ?nd dark mode.
?s a reminder, if yo? have an iPhone ?ith a ?ome button,
?ike t?? iPhone S?, you c?n swipe
?p from t?e bottom of th? screen t? open Control Center.
If you have ?n iPhone ?ith Fa?e ID, ??u'll nee? t? swipe down from the
to?-r?ght corner of the screen wher? the
battery icon ?s.
Control Center has ? lot of potential; you just need to customize ?t.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
21. Organize alerts ?ith Notification Summary
Apple ?ants to ?elp you manage ??ur notifications ?n iOS 15, starting with t?? Notification Summary feature.
?ather t?an letting notifications pile up on yo?r home screen, ??u can schedule alerts t?at ?ren't
urgent t? arrive in ? bundle at ? specific time ?f da?.
Imp?rtant notifications ?ike calls, direct messages ?nd other
tim?-sensitive alerts (like the status of ?our Uber or Lyft ride, for example) will sti?l ap?ear
?mmediately.
?o t?? this ?ut, open Settings, press Notifications ?nd tap Scheduled Summary.
22. Change Siri's voice
If you'v? r?cently ?et up a ne? iPhone, y?u m?? have noticed t??t Siri no ?onger defaults to a female
voice. Inst?ad, ?o?'ll be as?e? whi?h Siri voice yo? w?nt to use, including several m??e r?cent
options. Once yo?'?e m?de your selection, Apple ?ill change Siri's voice across al? of th? devices linked to your Apple ID.
Y?u ??n check o?t the voice options by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Voice.
?o learn more, check out o?r complete guide to changing
Siri's sound.
Apple also ?dded
a gender-neutral Siri voice option f?r English speakers in iOS
15.4.
Fo? mo?e, here'? how t? ?et u? your new iPhone and h?w
to transfer y?ur data f?om your ?ld iPhone. ?lus, this iOS 15 trick
gi...? iCloud storage f?r free.
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