If You Have An iPhone, You Need To Know These Brilliant Tricks

The ongoing debate between Android and Apple users just got a little more complicated. While both surely have qualities that appeal to all kinds of smartphone users, Apple’s staple characteristic of being more “user-friendly” may or may not be a load of false advertising. With its almost too-simple interface, iPhones have essentially remained the same since their origination. However, with every new edition of this popular device, there also comes a few major and minor updates – many of which we may not even realize exist.

Apple engineers may be patting themselves on the back for their progressive shifts in this user-friendly phone, but perhaps they should have a word with the advertising department first. While Apple is constantly advertising the sleek, new designs of their latest iPhones, they oftentimes overlook some notable customized updates. What’s the advantage of having the newest user-friendly iPhone if the user doesn’t even know all of the things their products can do? That’s right, below is a list of 15 iPhone tricks that users everywhere are completely unaware of. Perhaps if Apple started advertising these new, customized editions to the iPhone, we wouldn’t have a debate with Android users in the first place. Either way, the following tips will completely upgrade and reinvigorate your iPhone experience, so test them out, see what you think, and tell your friends – even if they are sworn Android users.

1. Create a timer for your music.

Ever wish you could listen to your favorite sleepy-time playlist before bed without having to worry about turning off your music in the middle of the night? Well, there’s actually a setting for that in the Clock app. Just go to your timer and set the ringtone to “Stop Playing.” This allows you to set a time limit for your music!

2. Customize a vibration pattern for texts, alerts, and phone calls.

Instead of sticking to the standard vibration pattern for your text messages, create your own! If you head to your phone's settings and navigate through Sounds > Ringtones > Vibration, press the section labeled “New Vibration.” This update allows you to create your own vibration pattern with the touch of your finger.

3. Flashing alerts.

If you’ve ever had a hard time recognizing that your phone received a phone call or message, you’re certainly not alone. For those of us who need a little extra reminder, this update allows you to use your camera’s LED light for flashing alerts. Just go to Settings > General > Accessibility and enable this great feature.

4. Made a mistake while typing? Just shake it off.

Instead of waiting for your phone to slowly delete the contents of a misworded text message, shake your phone to start fresh. Doing so will completely erase the contents of your message, kind of like an Etch-A-Sketch!

5. Speed up your phone by clearing up your RAM.

In order to do this, just press and hold your power button as if you were about to turn off your phone. However, when the “slide to power off” screen appears, press and hold your home button to clear up your RAM.

6. Clearing your cache without the hassle.

If clearing up the RAM didn’t help, try opening any one of the App Store, Podcasts, Music, or Game Center apps to clear up your phone’s cache. Just open one of these apps and tap any icon near the bottom 10 times.

7. When did I send that text message?

Instead of checking the clock every time you respond to someone’s message, just drag your thumb to the left to reveal the time stamps. These time stamps mark every single message you and your receiver have had.

8. View your recently closed tabs in Safari.

Every time you exit out of Safari, the app remembers where you were last. To see the last tabs you had open, just press the “+” icon.

9. Your iPhone doubles as a level.

So you have a calculator, a compass, and a flashlight. Pretty cool, right? Well, if you open up the compass app and swipe left, your iPhone transitions into a level as well! iPhones: the toolbox of the future.

10. In case of an emergency, your iPhone may be a lifesaver.

For those of us who have a lock on our screens, it’s easy to worry about the prospect of someone calling 9-1-1 in an emergency. However, by filling out important health information in your health app prior to an emergency, anyone will be able to provide doctors with the information you need to survive.

11. Only show unread emails in your inbox.

Mailbox clutter is a real and annoying aspect of any phone. However, for iPhone users, limiting your inbox to only unread emails is as simple as pressing the “edit” icon.

12. What flight just passed by overhead?

Siri knows. Just ask her what plane just passed by above you and she’ll provide you with in-depth information.

13. Wi-Fi too slow? Don’t settle.

Switching your phone from Wi-Fi to LTE access is as simple as scrolling through your settings.

14. Night Shift and Low Power Mode can now be used at the same time.

Once again, this can be done by simply asking Siri. No more late-night, power-sucking Facebook scrolling. This update will help you stay up without draining your iPhone’s power.