5 Things You Don’t Know Your iPhone Can Do

Chris Page June 21, 2013 in iPhone - 2 Minutes

The iPhone is one of the most clever devices out there, but not everyone has the time to read its manual from the first to the last page. Here are some of the lesser-known features explained in the manual.

Lock the Exposure and Focus of the Camera

The iPhone autofocus is rather fickle when there’s a lot of movement in the foreground; the focus fluctuates and so does the exposure, and the result is partially blurry photos. The good thing is that you can lock the autofocus to one spot only. While using the camera, find the spot you want to lock focus on, touch it and then hold your finger on it until the AE/AF Lock appears on the screen. The exposure and focus will stay locked until you tap the screen again.

Add Punctuation to Your Siri Dictations

iPhone’s dictation feature Siri does understand punctuation marks. All you have to do is say them aloud, exactly where you want them placed. For example, if you want Siri to write Hello, what are you up to? simply dictate Hello comma what are you up to question mark.

Customize Vibrations

With the iPhone you can create cool vibration patterns that can follow the drumbeat of a song, or a secret tap code you’ve devised with your friends, or anything else you can think of. To create your own customized vibrations go to Settings > Sounds and select any item from the Sounds and Vibration Patterns list and then tap Vibration > Create New Vibration. Tap out your new vibration, save it, and then assign it.

Use the Zoom In Feature

It’s not just for the visibly impaired: it can make reading a lot easier. The feature works on the Home screen as well as inside many apps. To turn it on, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Zoom. A three-finger double tap will auto-zoom in and out. You’ll easily figure out the other three-finger zooming gestures.

Modify the iTunes Store Shortcut Bar

The iPhone version of the iTunes store has a black shortcut bar at the bottom with four default buttons. You can change these to reflect your preferences. In the iTunes Store, tap on More at the far right of the shortcut bar and then tap Edit and choose from the nine other buttons available.

When you have the time, take a look at your iPhone manual. You’ll discover many interesting things!