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The single most important trick every iPhone 6 and 6 Plus user needs to know

Updated Sep 22nd, 2014 12:52PM EDT
iPhone 6 Apple Features

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Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch is now behind us, and the company confirmed on Monday morning that it was indeed a record-smashing launch. Through the new iPhones’ first weekend of availability, Apple managed to sell more than 10 million combined iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets. That figure might seem like it is fairly close to last year’s combined total of 9 million iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c handsets, but that number included between 2.5 million and 3 million iPhones sold in China, where the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus aren’t yet available. As Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst noted in a post on Twitter, Apple enjoyed about 60% growth on-year through the new iPhones’ first weekend of availability when taking China into account.

So now that millions upon millions of people own all these new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets, it’s time to make sure they get the most out of their new phones. We’ve been sharing tips and tricks for quite a while now, but there’s one trick in particular that every single iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owner needs to know.

DON’T MISS: The most comprehensive collection you’ll find of iOS 8 tips and tricks

Apple’s new iPhones are bigger. Much bigger. Even the iPhone 6 is too big to use comfortably in some instances. As for the iPhone 6 Plus phablet, it’s massive. In fact, it’s even bigger than the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 that will launch next month.

Of course, Apple knows that many iPhone users want the option to perform many functions with one hand, so it created a nifty little feature called “Reachability.”

Unless you’re in the NBA, there is simply no way you’re reaching the top of the iPhone 6 Plus display with one hand. Even the iPhone 6 is going to be a stretch for many users. When your second hand is busy and you need to tap something near the top of the display, however, simply double-touch on the home button. This will shift the entire screen downward as seen in the image at the top of this post, allowing you to reach whatever you need.

Note that we said “double-touch” rather than double tap. On the iPhone, a double tap on the home button will open the app switcher interface. To use Reachability, you want to double-touch the home button without actually depressing it.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.