Let’s be honest: most of us use our iPhones for the same five things every day. We text, we scroll through social media, we take photos, we check the weather, and maybe we send an email or two. But beneath that sleek glass screen lies a powerhouse of productivity and convenience features that Apple doesn’t always advertise on billboards.
You might think you know your device inside and out, but the iOS operating system is packed with hidden gems designed to save you time and make your digital life significantly smoother. Whether you are rocking the latest iPhone or holding onto a model from a few years ago, there are likely several tricks you are missing out on. We aren't talking about complex developer settings or jailbreaking; these are native, built-in tools waiting to be discovered.
Today, we are going to dive into five "secret" features that will instantly upgrade your user experience. Get your phone ready—you are going to want to try these immediately.
1. Turn the Back of Your Phone into a "Magic Button"
Did you know the Apple logo on the back of your phone isn't just for branding? Well, not technically the logo itself, but the entire back of your iPhone can act as a touch-sensitive button. This feature is called Back Tap, and it is arguably one of the coolest hidden features in iOS. It allows you to trigger specific actions just by double-tapping or triple-tapping the back of your case.
Imagine you are carrying groceries and need to turn on your flashlight, or you want to take a screenshot without fumbling for the volume and power buttons simultaneously. With Back Tap, you can map these actions to a simple tap.
How to set it up:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
- Select Touch.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom and select Back Tap.
- You will see options for Double Tap and Triple Tap. Choose one, and assign an action from the list (like Screenshot, Flashlight, Camera, or even launching a specific Shortcut).
Pro Tip: If you use the "Shazam" control center toggle often to identify songs playing in coffee shops, map it to a Triple Tap. Next time you hear a catchy tune, just tap the back of your phone three times, and your iPhone will start listening immediately.
2. Master the Hidden Trackpad for Precision Editing
We have all been there. You type out a long text message or an important email, and you spot a typo in the middle of a sentence. You try to tap your finger exactly where the error is, but your finger is too big, and the cursor lands three words away. You tap again. You miss again. It is incredibly frustrating.
Stop pecking at your screen! Your iPhone keyboard has a built-in trackpad mode that turns your entire keyboard area into a mouse pad, allowing you to slide the cursor with pixel-perfect precision. Once you start using this, you will never go back to the "tap and pray" method.
How to use it:
- Open any app where the keyboard is visible (Messages, Notes, Mail).
- Press and hold down the Spacebar.
- Wait a split second until the letters on the keys disappear and the keyboard turns blank gray.
- Without lifting your finger, slide it around the keyboard area. You will see the cursor moving in sync with your finger.
- Drop the cursor exactly where you need to make an edit and let go.
This feature transforms text editing from a clumsy chore into a precise operation. It works on almost every iPhone model and is a total game-changer for anyone who writes emails on the go.
3. Type Faster with Custom Text Replacements
If you find yourself typing the same things over and over again—your email address, your home address, or specific hashtags—you are wasting precious seconds. Apple’s Text Replacement feature allows you to create short codes (abbreviations) that automatically expand into longer phrases.
Think of it as your own personal autocorrect dictionary. You can set it up so that typing "eml" automatically expands to "firstname.lastname@example.com," or "omy" expands to "On my way! See you soon."
How to create your own shortcuts:
- Go to Settings > General.
- Tap on Keyboard.
- Select Text Replacement.
- Tap the + (plus) sign in the top right corner.
- In the Phrase field, type the long version (e.g., your full address).
- In the Shortcut field, type the short code you want to use (e.g., "myadd").
- Hit Save.
Now, whenever you type that shortcut in any app, the suggested phrase will appear in the center of your predictive text bar (or automatically swap out when you hit the spacebar). It is a simple setup that pays dividends in time saved every single day.
4. Instant Photo Magic: Lift Subjects and Visual Look Up
Apple has been integrating heavy-duty Artificial Intelligence into your Photos app, but they don't always put a big button on the screen to tell you about it. Two of the most impressive features involve interacting with the subjects in your pictures.
First is the ability to "lift" a subject. Have a picture of your dog, a car, or a person? You can instantly separate them from the background and turn them into a sticker or a transparent PNG file to share in messages.
How to lift a subject:
- Open a photo in your Photos app.
- Press and hold your finger directly on the subject (the person, pet, or object).
- You will see a glowing shimmer outline appear around the subject.
- Tap Copy to paste it elsewhere, or drag it directly into another app like iMessage to send it as a sticker.
The second feature is Visual Look Up. Your iPhone can identify plants, dog breeds, landmarks, and even laundry symbols on clothing tags.
How to use Visual Look Up:
- Take a photo of a flower, pet, or landmark.
- Open the photo and look for the "i" (Info) button at the bottom.
- If there are stars next to the "i" (like a sparkle icon), your iPhone has identified something.
- Tap the icon, and then tap Look Up [Plant/Dog/Landmark] to get detailed information instantly.
Note: Visual Look Up is incredibly handy for gardening. Snap a picture of a mystery plant in your backyard, and your iPhone will tell you exactly what it is and how to care for it!
5. Ditch the Third-Party Scanner Apps
How many times have you needed to sign a document and email it back, or save a digital copy of a receipt? In the past, we downloaded sketchy third-party apps filled with ads or watermarks to scan documents. Many users don't realize that Apple built a professional-grade document scanner directly into the Notes app.
This isn't just taking a photo of a paper; the software automatically detects the edges of the page, corrects the perspective (so it looks flat even if you took the photo at an angle), removes shadows, and enhances the text for readability. It saves the file as a clean PDF, not a messy JPEG.
How to scan a document:
- Open the Notes app and create a new note.
- Tap the Camera icon in the toolbar above the keyboard.
- Select Scan Documents.
- Point your camera at the paper. If you are in "Auto" mode (top right corner), it will automatically snap the picture once it finds the edges.
- You can scan multiple pages in a row. When finished, tap Save.
Once saved, you can tap the share button to email the PDF or save it to your Files app. It is cleaner, faster, and more secure than using ad-supported scanner apps from the App Store.
Your iPhone is capable of so much more than just the basics. By integrating these five features into your daily routine, you aren't just using your phone; you are mastering it. Technology serves us best when it saves us time and reduces friction, and these hidden utilities do exactly that. So, go ahead—customize that Back Tap and start scanning your receipts like a pro!