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iOS Tips and Tricks to Become a Power User

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iOS Tips and Tricks to Become a Power User

Last Updated: April 11, 2025

iOS Tips and Tricks

Over 130 iOS Tips and Tricks to transform you into a power user of your iPhone or iPad

Want to master your iPhone? This comprehensive guide contains essential shortcuts, gestures, and hidden features that will dramatically improve your iOS experience. We’ve updated our original guide with the latest tips for iOS 17 and iOS 18 features. Android User? Never fear we have you covered as well with our Android Tip and Tricks to Become a Power User.

Jump to a section:

  1. Quick Scroll to Top: Tap the clock/top bar on any page to instantly scroll back to the top.
  2. Wake Without Home Button: Single tap on screen when phone is locked to wake it up.
  3. Spotlight Search: Swipe down from home screen to access spotlight search for finding apps, contacts, and more.
  4. One-Handed Mode: Drag your finger down from the white stripe at the bottom to use your iPhone with one hand (Reachability feature).
  5. Fast App Switching: Swipe left or right on the white bar at bottom of the screen to quickly switch between recently used apps.
  6. Faster Multitasking: Some users find that swiping up and then right (in an arc) invokes multitasking faster than the standard gesture.
  7. Universal Back Navigation: Swipe inwards from the left side of the screen to go back in most apps.
  8. App Library Search: Swipe down from App Library to get an alphabetical app list view.
  9. Back Tap Actions: Enable double or triple tap on the back of your iPhone in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. You can assign various actions like screenshots, control center, or accessibility features.
  10. Hide Home Screen Pages: Click and hold on the page indicator dots on home screen to open an overview of all pages at once. Uncheck pages you want to hide.
  11. Move Multiple Apps: On home screen, press and hold to enter edit mode, then keep holding one app while tapping others to select multiple apps to move simultaneously.
  12. Quick Lock Screen Access: Without unlocking the phone, swipe right to access widgets and swipe left to quickly open camera.
  13. Call Management: When your phone is unlocked and there’s an incoming call, swipe up to dismiss the full-screen notification (call will still be accessible from the top banner).
  14. LED Flash Notifications: Under Accessibility settings, turn on LED flash for notifications to see visual alerts.
  15. Custom Control Center: Customize your Control Center in Settings to add useful tools like screen recording, magnifier, or dark mode toggle.
  16. Force Dark Mode: iOS 18 introduces a new “Force Dark Mode” feature that can apply dark mode to all apps, even those without native dark mode support.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Text Input

  1. Cursor Control: While typing, hold down the spacebar to turn the keyboard into a trackpad for precise cursor positioning.
  2. Text Selection: While using the spacebar trackpad, tap elsewhere on the keyboard with another finger to start selecting text.
  3. Three-Finger Gestures:
    • Three-finger pinch in = Copy selected text
    • Three-finger pinch in twice = Cut selected text
    • Three-finger spread = Paste text
    • Double tap with three fingers = Undo
    • Double tap with three fingers again = Redo
  4. Quick Commands Menu: 3-finger tap anywhere on the screen brings up Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste menu.
  5. Quick Number Entry: Hold the ABC key and slide your finger to a number, then release to insert it without switching keyboard modes.
  6. Select Text:
    • Double tap in Apple apps to select a word
    • Triple tap to select a whole paragraph
    • Long press in Safari or other browsers to select text
  7. Text Replacement: Set up text shortcuts in Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. For example, set up @@ to automatically expand to your email address.
  8. Caps Lock: Double click the shift (arrow up) key to enable caps lock.
  9. Undoing Typos: If you make a mistake while typing, shake your device to undo.
  10. One-Handed Keyboard: Long press the emoji or globe icon and select one-handed keyboard layout.
  11. Quick Period: Double tap the spacebar to automatically add a period and space.
  12. Auto-Correction Toggle: iOS 18 now allows you to enable or disable auto-correction for specific apps, giving you more control over where it’s active.

Safari Tips

  1. Recently Closed Tabs: In Safari, long press the “+” button to display recently closed tabs.
  2. Quick Tab Search: In Safari tab view, swipe down to reveal a mini search tab bar at top.
  3. Close Similar Tabs: When in tab search, type text and press and hold the cancel button to close all tabs matching your text.
  4. Background Link Opening: In Safari, tap with 2 fingers on a link to open it in background.
  5. Tab Organization: In landscape mode, long press on a tab to arrange tabs by website.
  6. Find on Page: Enter search text in the address bar, then scroll down past suggestions to “On This Page” results.
  7. Link Preview: Long press a link to show a preview without navigating away from your current page.
  8. Full Page Screenshots: When taking a screenshot in Safari, tap “Full Page” at the top to capture the entire webpage as a PDF.
  9. Escape Stuck Pages: If a website doesn’t allow you to go back, long press the back arrow button to see your browsing history and escape.
  10. Website Settings: Tap “AA” in the address bar to access per-site settings like Reader View, page zoom, and content blockers.
  11. Tab Groups: Organize your tabs into groups by tapping the tabs button and selecting “New Tab Group” – great for separating work and personal browsing.
  12. Safari Extensions: iOS 18 expands Safari extension capabilities, allowing more powerful content blocking and page customization options.

Camera and Photos

  1. Burst Photos: Press and hold Volume up for burst photos in the Camera app.
  2. Quick Video Recording: In camera app, press and hold the red button and slide it right to lock recording without holding.
  3. Volume Button Shutter: Use volume down key to take a photo or start/stop video recording.
  4. Background Audio Recording: Open any music app, start playing audio, then open Camera app and record video to capture both the scene and background music.
  5. Perfect Shapes in Markup: When annotating, draw an approximate shape and hold your finger at the end to have iOS perfect the shape automatically.
  6. Mirror Selfie Camera: In camera settings, enable “Mirror Front Camera” to save selfies exactly as they appear in the preview.
  7. Live Photo Effects: Swipe up on a Live Photo to apply Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure effects.
  8. Portrait Lighting: In Portrait mode photos, use the lighting effects to add studio-quality lighting adjustments.
  9. Quick Edit: In Photos app, press edit and use the auto-enhance button (magic wand icon) for one-tap improvements.
  10. Lock Hidden Album: In iOS 18, the Hidden and Recently Deleted photo albums are automatically locked behind Face ID/Touch ID for improved privacy.
  11. Cinematic Video Mode: When recording in Cinematic mode, tap on subjects to shift focus, creating professional-looking depth effects.
  12. Camera Control Expansion: iOS 18 adds more manual controls in the Camera app, including ISO and shutter speed adjustments for Pro models.

Files and Documents

  1. Document Scanner: Open your Notes app > tap the camera button > select “Scan Documents” to quickly digitize physical documents.
  2. Files App Scanner: Use the three dot menu in Files app to scan documents directly into your file system.
  3. Convert Photos to PDF: Long press on any photo in Files app and select “Save as PDF” to convert it instantly.
  4. Quick Rename: In Files app, tap on a filename to edit it directly without needing to use the context menu.
  5. PDF Page Management: When viewing a PDF, swipe from left to see thumbnail view where you can rearrange, add, or delete pages.
  6. PDF Annotation Tools: When viewing a PDF, tap the markup icon to access powerful annotation tools including text boxes, signatures, and magnifier.
  7. Multiple Signatures: While annotating PDFs, tap + in the lower right corner to add and manage multiple saved signatures.
  8. iCloud Upload Status: While files are being uploaded to iCloud, Files app shows real-time upload progress.
  9. Download Manager: In Safari, tap the download icon to see and manage your downloads, which are saved to the Files app.
  10. ZIP File Support: Files app can natively compress and decompress ZIP archives – long press on files to compress, tap on ZIP files to extract.
  11. Files App Favorites: Long press a folder in Files and select “Favorite” for quick access from the sidebar.
  12. Enhanced File Sharing: iOS 18 improves AirDrop with the ability to share larger files and maintain better connections over longer distances.

Notes and Productivity

  1. Quick Notes: Swipe up from the bottom-right corner to create a Quick Note that can be accessed from any app.
  2. Smart Folders: Create Smart Folders in Notes app that automatically collect notes based on tags, dates, or other criteria.
  3. Tagging System: Use # tags in your notes to organize content and make it searchable by category.
  4. Note Timestamps: Open a note and tap on the date information to toggle between creation and modification dates.
  5. Scan Text: In Notes, long press and select “Scan Text” to use the camera for OCR (optical character recognition).
  6. Lock Notes: Protect sensitive notes with Face ID by tapping the share button and selecting “Lock Note.”
  7. Search Attachments: In Notes search, you can filter by “notes with attachments” or “notes with pictures.”
  8. Handwritten Search: iOS can search through your handwritten notes just like typed text.
  9. Checklist Creation: When creating a list in Notes, tap the check mark icon to create interactive to-do lists.
  10. Pinned Notes: Swipe right on a note in the list view to pin it to the top for easy access.
  11. Collaboration: Share notes with others and work on them simultaneously via the share button.
  12. Table Support: In Notes, tap the table icon to create and edit formatted tables.
  13. Document Capture: iOS 18 adds the ability to detect and automatically “lift” documents from photos in the Notes app for quick digitization.

Battery and Performance

  1. Fast Charging: Turn on Low Power Mode and Airplane Mode simultaneously to charge your device faster.
  2. Battery Usage: Check Settings > Battery to see which apps are consuming the most power.
  3. Screen Time Limits: Use Screen Time settings to set app limits and preserve battery life by restricting usage of power-hungry apps.
  4. Background App Refresh: Turn off Background App Refresh for non-essential apps in Settings to save battery.
  5. Auto-Lock Settings: Reduce your Auto-Lock time in Display & Brightness settings to conserve power.
  6. Location Services Control: Review and adjust which apps can use your location and when in Privacy settings.
  7. Low Data Mode: Enable Low Data Mode in Cellular or Wi-Fi settings to reduce data usage and associated battery drain.
  8. Dark Mode for OLED: Using Dark Mode on OLED iPhone models (X and later) can significantly save battery life.
  9. Force Close Apps: In the app switcher, swipe up on multiple apps simultaneously to close several at once.
  10. Offload Unused Apps: In iPhone Storage settings, enable “Offload Unused Apps” to automatically remove rarely used apps while preserving their data.
  11. Focus Modes: Use Focus modes to reduce notifications and background activity during certain times.
  12. Enhanced Performance Settings: iOS 18 introduces more granular Battery Health settings that allow you to choose between performance and battery longevity.

Security and Privacy

  1. App Lock: In iOS 18, you can lock individual apps behind Face ID/Touch ID for additional privacy.
  2. Secure PDF Storage: To password-protect photos, copy and paste them into Notes, then lock the note with Face ID.
  3. Emergency SOS: Press the side button five times rapidly to trigger Emergency SOS if you’re in danger.
  4. Wi-Fi Security: iOS 18 adds Wi-Fi connection warnings for potentially insecure networks.
  5. Find My Offline: Your devices can be located even when offline through the Find My network of Apple devices.
  6. Security Codes Autofill: iOS automatically recognizes and offers to fill security codes received in Messages or Mail.
  7. Privacy Report: In Safari settings, check the Privacy Report to see which trackers have been blocked.
  8. App Privacy Labels: Check an app’s privacy practices on its App Store page before downloading.
  9. Secure Browsing History: Use Private Browsing in Safari for sessions that won’t be saved to your history.
  10. Password Manager: Use the built-in password manager in Settings > Passwords to securely store and autofill credentials.
  11. Erase Data Option: Enable “Erase Data” in Face ID & Passcode settings to automatically erase your device after 10 failed passcode attempts.
  12. Lock Down Mode: For users facing serious security threats, Lock Down Mode provides extreme protection at the cost of some functionality.
  13. Temporary App Access: iOS 18 allows granting apps temporary access to your location, camera, or microphone for a single session.

Messaging and Communication

  1. Quick Reactions: Double-tap a message to send a reaction without opening the full menu.
  2. Text Formatting: In Messages, press and hold the send button to access text formatting options like bold, italic, and strikethrough.
  3. Message Effects: Press and hold the send button to access bubble and screen effects for your messages.
  4. Schedule Messages: iOS 18 adds the ability to schedule messages to be sent at a later time.
  5. Voice to Text: Tap the microphone icon on the keyboard to dictate instead of type.
  6. Audio Messages: Press and hold the audio icon in Messages to record and send voice messages.
  7. Quick Share Screenshots: Take a screenshot and quickly drag the preview to Messages to share it without saving.
  8. Language Translation: Using Messages, you can translate conversations in real-time.
  9. Shared Content: Access all photos, links, and documents shared with a contact by tapping their name at the top of Messages and selecting “info.”
  10. Pin Conversations: Swipe right on a conversation in Messages and tap the pin icon to keep it at the top of the list.
  11. Group Message Names: Customize group message names and images by tapping the group at the top and selecting “info.”
  12. Quick Emoji Access: Replace words with emoji by typing the word and selecting the emoji suggestion that appears on the keyboard.
  13. Message Recovery: iOS 18 adds a message recovery feature that allows you to restore accidentally deleted conversations within 30 days.

New in iOS 18

  1. StandBy Mode Enhancements: StandBy Mode now features more customizable widgets and information displays for when your device is charging.
  2. Home Screen Customization: iOS 18 allows for more flexible home screen layouts, including the ability to place app icons anywhere rather than in a rigid grid.
  3. Improved Focus Filters: Focus modes can now automatically switch based on location, time of day, or when specific apps are opened.
  4. Weather Animation Controls: Control or disable animated backgrounds in the Weather app to save battery.
  5. Enhanced Security Dashboard: A new comprehensive security dashboard shows potential vulnerabilities and suggests improvements.
  6. Car Key Support Expansion: Digital car key functionality has been expanded to support more vehicle brands.
  7. Interactive Widgets: All widgets are now interactive, allowing for more functionality without opening apps.
  8. App Library Folders: Customize App Library folder categories and create your own organization system.
  9. Calculator Enhancements: The Calculator app now includes a history feature and more scientific functions.
  10. Accessibility Voice Commands: Expanded voice control options for navigating your device hands-free.
  11. Redesigned Control Center: A completely redesigned Control Center with customizable layout and more functionality.
  12. Lock Screen Complications: Add more information to your lock screen with new complication options.
  13. Advanced Display Settings: New display calibration options for more accurate colors.
  14. Health Data Integration: More apps can securely access relevant health data with your permission.
  15. Improved Text Recognition: Enhanced OCR capabilities work across more apps and in more languages.

Pro Tip: Keep checking this article for updates as we discover more hidden features in iOS 18 throughout the year!

Looking for the original version? Click here to view the original 100+ iOS tips article that was first published in August 2021.