Your iPhone has dozens of built-in features that never appear on the Home Screen. The fourteen below are free, official and already on your phone if you keep iOS up to date. Most take less than a minute to try, and a few, like Stolen Device Protection, are worth switching on today.
Table of Contents6 sections
Menu names come from Apple’s own iPhone User Guide. Apple sometimes moves settings between versions, so if a path looks different on your phone, use the search bar at the top of Settings.
Typing and Text Shortcuts
The keyboard trackpad, Text Replacement and Back Tap make typing and editing on a small screen far less fiddly.
1. Turn the keyboard into a trackpad
Touch and hold the Space bar with one finger until the letters disappear and the keyboard turns light grey. It’s now a trackpad. Slide your finger to move the cursor exactly where you want it, which is much easier than tapping between two letters.
To select text while in trackpad mode, touch the keyboard with a second finger, then move the first finger to extend the selection.
2. Create your own text shortcuts
Text Replacement turns a short code into a longer phrase. Your iPhone already turns “omw” into “On my way!” You can add your own, such as “@@” for your email address or “addr” for your home address.
Go to Settings, then General, then Keyboard, then Text Replacement. Tap the plus button, type the full phrase and the shortcut, and save. With iCloud turned on, your shortcuts can sync to your other Apple devices.
3. Tap the back of your iPhone
Back Tap lets you double-tap or triple-tap the back of the phone to run an action, such as taking a screenshot, opening Control Center or turning on the torch through a shortcut.
Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Touch, then Back Tap. Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap and pick an action. To switch it off later, choose None in the same menu.
Camera and Photo Tricks
Your camera and Photos app can read text, recognise objects and cut people out of pictures.
4. Copy text from the real world with Live Text
Point the Camera app at a sign, menu, receipt or page of a book. When a yellow frame appears around the text, tap the text button, then touch and hold to select words. You can copy, translate, look up or share them. Live Text also works on photos you’ve already taken.
Phone numbers, websites and email addresses become tappable, so you can call a number on a poster without typing it. Apple notes Live Text isn’t available in every region or language.
5. Identify plants, pets and landmarks
Visual Look Up identifies things in your photos, such as plants, pets, landmarks, art and books. Open a photo in full screen. If the Info button shows small stars, Visual Look Up has found something. Tap it, then tap Look Up to see the results.
It can even recognise some dishes and suggest related recipes.
6. Lift the subject out of a photo
Open a photo, then touch and hold the main subject, such as a person or pet. An outline appears around it. You can then copy it, share it, or tap Add Sticker to turn it into a sticker for Messages.
The same trick works in Safari images and on paused video frames.
7. Scan documents into Notes
The Notes app scans documents, so you don’t need a separate scanner app. Open Notes, start a note, tap the attachment or camera button and choose Scan Documents. Hold the phone over the page and it captures it automatically when it finds the edges. The scan is saved as a PDF inside the note, ready to share.
8. Screenshot a whole web page
Take a screenshot as usual by pressing the side button and volume up together. Tap the thumbnail that appears, then tap Full Page. You can capture an entire article or web page in Safari, not just the part on screen, and crop it before saving.
Messages Features
Unsend, Edit, Send Later and Check In work in the Messages app with iMessage, the blue-bubble messages between Apple devices.
9. Unsend or edit a message
To unsend or edit a message you sent to the wrong person or with a typo, touch and hold the message bubble.
- Undo Send pulls back a message for up to 2 minutes after sending.
- Edit lets you change a message up to five times within 15 minutes.
Apple says both need iMessage on iOS 16 or later and don’t work for SMS, MMS or RCS texts. If the other person uses an older system, they may still see the original.
10. Schedule a message for later
To schedule a message, such as a birthday message at midnight or a reminder first thing in the morning, tap the plus button in a conversation, then Send Later, and choose a time up to 14 days ahead. The message is delivered at that time even if your devices are offline, and the recipient won’t know it was scheduled.
11. Let a friend know you got home with Check In
Check In tells a friend automatically when you arrive somewhere. In a conversation, tap the plus button, then More, then Check In. You can set it to finish when you reach a destination or after a timer.
If your iPhone doesn’t arrive as expected and you don’t respond to prompts, your friend gets details you chose to share, such as your location and battery level. Both of you need iOS 17 or later.
Security and Privacy Features
Stolen Device Protection and app locking protect you if your phone is stolen or borrowed.
12. Turn on Stolen Device Protection
Stolen Device Protection guards against a thief who has your iPhone and has also seen your passcode. With it on, actions such as using saved passwords and cards need Face ID or Touch ID, with no passcode fallback. Changing your Apple Account password also needs an hour’s wait and a second Face ID or Touch ID check.
Go to Settings, then Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode), enter your passcode and turn on Stolen Device Protection. You can apply it only away from familiar places, or always.
13. Lock or hide a single app
You can lock any app so it needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open. That’s handy when you hand someone your phone to show them a photo.
Touch and hold the app on the Home Screen and choose Require Face ID (or the Touch ID or passcode version). You can also hide apps you downloaded yourself, which moves them into a locked Hidden folder in App Library. Apple notes that content from a locked app also stays out of search and notification previews.
Accessibility Features Anyone Can Use
Sound Recognition is one of several accessibility settings that are useful for anyone, whether or not they have a disability.
14. Get alerts for doorbells and alarms with Sound Recognition
Your iPhone can listen for certain sounds, such as a doorbell, an alarm, a siren or a crying baby, and show a notification when it hears them. It’s useful when you’re wearing headphones.
Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Sound & Name Recognition, then Sound Recognition. On older versions of iOS, Sound Recognition sits directly under Accessibility. Turn it on and pick the sounds you want. You can even teach it your own doorbell or appliance beep. Apple warns not to rely on it in emergencies or situations where you could be harmed.
Turn on one new feature a week. Using it for a few days is the best way to make it a habit instead of a trick you forget.
Where to Find Each Feature
Most of these features live in Settings, Messages, Camera or Photos, and this quick reference shows where to find each one:
| Feature | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| — | — |
| Keyboard trackpad | Touch and hold the Space bar |
| Text Replacement | Settings, General, Keyboard, Text Replacement |
| Back Tap | Settings, Accessibility, Touch, Back Tap |
| Live Text | Camera app, then the text button |
| Visual Look Up | Photos, then the Info button with stars |
| Lift a subject | Touch and hold the subject in a photo |
| Scan Documents | Notes, then the attachment button |
| Full-page screenshot | Screenshot thumbnail, then Full Page |
| Undo Send and Edit | Touch and hold a sent iMessage |
| Send Later | Messages, plus button, Send Later |
| Check In | Messages, plus button, More, Check In |
| Stolen Device Protection | Settings, Face ID & Passcode |
| Lock or hide an app | Touch and hold the app icon |
| Sound Recognition | Settings, Accessibility, Sound & Name Recognition (or Sound Recognition on older iOS) |