Did you know you could turn your iPhone’s camera flash into a blinking alert light, or that you can shake your iPhone to “undo” a typo? No? You’re not the only one.
Read on for seven clever iPhone features that you might not have known about, from how to take a screenshot to an easy way to baby-proof an iPhone app.
1. Turn the camera flash into a blinking alert light
Want to see rather than just hear that your iPhone is ringing? You can, with a little help from the iPhone’s camera flash.
In just a few taps, you can set the LED flash for the iPhone’s rear-facing camera to blink anytime a calls comes in, whenever a text pops into your message inbox, or for any other iPhone event that would normally set off an alert tone or vibration.
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Typo in your text message? Just give your iPhone a shake.
2. Shake to “undo”
So, say you just typed a lengthy text message on your iPhone (or iPad, or iPod Touch), but you’ve had a change of heart and want to start over.
You could delete what you typed by tapping the backspace key a few dozen times, or you could select the text with your fingertip and tap “Cut.”
Or, you could try a third, well-hidden option: just give your iPhone a shake.
Read more…3. Create custom keyboard shortcuts
Tired of repeatedly tapping your street address, your job title, or common phrases like “on my way” or “you there?” on your iPhone’s virtual keypad?
If so, good news. iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches (not to mention Android phones) will let you create your own, custom keyboard shortcuts for … well, just about anything.
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You can turn your baby loose on your iPhone once you activate Guided Access mode.
4. Baby-proof an iPhone app
Worried that your iPhone-addicted little one might wipe your work email with an ill-timed swipe?
Never fear. You can temporarily “lock down” just about any iPhone app, freezing all the hardware buttons (including the “Home” button) and letting you draw zones on the screen that won’t react to taps or swipes.
Read more…5. Take a screenshot
Ever wanted to take a quick snapshot of your iPhone’s display? Or have you taken a screenshot by accident, without quite knowing how you did it?
Well, taking a screenshot on the iPhone (or iPad, or iPod Touch) is a nifty, easy trick—so easy, in fact, that more than a few puzzled readers have written in, wondering how snapshots of their iPhone’s home page wound up in their mobile photo albums.
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You can zoom the entire iPhone display with a tap and a swipe.
6. Zoom in on the display
Having a hard time reading the tiny type on your iPhone’s screen? Believe me, you’re not the only one.
Springing for a new pair of reading glasses is one solution, or you could always “pinch” to zoom, say, a web page in Safari.
But here’s another idea: by tweaking a key setting, you can zoom the entire display on your iPhone, no matter what app you’re using.
Read more…7. Zip to the top of a web page
Dreading having to flick your way all the way back to the beginning of a web page on your iPhone? Here’s a quick and easy shortcut.
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