With the recent release of iOS 9, we’ve already covered an incredible number of new iOS OS features that both iPhone and iPad users alike can take advantage of. Lost in the shuffle though, are some pretty awesome and helpful iOS tips and tricks that, while perhaps not new to iOS 9, are still incredibly useful and not all that well-known.
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Listed below are a collection of 5 awesome iOS tips that will work swimmingly with any iPhone model you’re likely using. So even if you haven’t managed to get your hands on the iPhone 6s just yet, not to fear, you can still make use of these cool features.
1. Autofill Credit Card information
Entering in your credit card information online can be a laborious process. iOS, however, simplifies everything by allowing users to store their credit card information by either a) entering it in manually or b) taking a photo of it. To do so, go to Settings > Safari > AutoFill > Saved Credit Cards > Add Credit Card.
Once you have a card stored, you can easily autofill online credit card forms (along with name and address information if you so choose) by simply tapping the “AutoFill Credit Card” option when a website issues a prompt for your credit card number.
2. Search for a word on a webpage
This is a trick that you’ll probably make frequent use of once you commit it to memory. Though it’s not readily apparent, mobile Safari makes searching for a particular word or phrase on a webpage extremely easy. To initiate a search, simply tap on the URL bar of whatever current page you’re on and begin typing the phrase you’re looking for.
Following that, a list of suggested Google Search phrases will appear. But if you move to the bottom of the screen, you’ll notice a section called “On This Page.”
Tap the entry directly below ‘On This Page’ and you’ll be now able to quickly cycle through all instances of that phrase on the webpage in question. Again, this isn’t a widely known feature, but it’s tremendously helpful.
3. Set up automatic alerts for important email replies
If you’re anxiously awaiting for a reply to an important email you sent out, or even if you simply want to be notified anytime an important multi-person email thread is updated, iOS makes it easy to set up and receive an alert every time a response comes in.
To set up an automatic alert, simply open up the Mail app and perform a left swipe on any specific message from within your inbox. From there, tap on the ellipses icon.
Next, select ‘Notify Me’ whereupon you’ll be asked to confirm the selection one more time.
4. Save storage by automatically deleting messages after 30 days
The Messages app can be a sneaky storage hog, especially for users who like sending or receiving a lot of photos and videos. To keep the storage footprint of your Messages app to a minimum, you can have iOS automatically delete messages either after 30 days or after a year. Now don’t worry, iOS by default won’t delete any of your texts on its own, but if you’re interested in adding a bit of Snapchat-like mojo to your iOS Messages experience, you can do so by going to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages.
5. Easily use a timer with the Camera app
Apple over the years has added a number of features to its Camera app that were previously available exclusively via third-party apps. One such feature is the ability to take a timed photo.
To get started, open up the Camera app and you’ll notice some semblance of a clock icon located at the top. If you tap it once, you’ll be presented with the option to set either a 3 second or 10 second timer. Once you have a time increment selected, the timer will begin counting down once you press the shutter button.
Note that when you have the timer enabled, the camera will automatically enable burst mode, meaning that it will take 10 photos in quick succession to ensure that you get the shot you’re looking for.
