So you just got a new iPhone 15. Maybe it’s your first iPhone, maybe you just haven’t upgraded in a while. You’ve done the setup, updated iOS to the latest version (currently iOS 17.2), added your apps, set up your accounts and two-factor authentication… now what?
You’re probably already having a great time with your new iPhone, but there are a handful of hidden, lesser-known features and settings you’ll want to know about. Here’s a list of some of our favorite little tweaks and tricks. You can do all this in just a few minutes, and it might make your iPhone experience more enjoyable.
Change direction After you take a photo
With iPhone 15, the camera app will automatically recognize the presence of a person or pet (dog or cat) in the frame. You will see a small ƒ icon in the bottom corner of the viewfinder. When this is there, your iPhone will automatically save the depth information with the photo. When you open this photo in the Photos app and tap Edit, you’ll see a “portrait” option at the bottom left. Select this option to adjust the amount of background/foreground blur. You can also tap various objects in the photo to make them the focal point, blurring everything else.
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In other words, instead of having to shoot in Portrait mode, you can apply and adjust Portrait later.
Although this feature has been widely marketed by Apple, most are unaware that it works on regular objects also, it’s just not automatic. When taking a photo, tap an object in the viewfinder. You will see this little ƒ symbol appear and your photo will have all the depth information and portrait adjustment capabilities.
Enable battery percentage
iPhone users were frustrated for years that Apple removed the battery percentage on iPhones with Face ID (which is most of them), but iOS 16 brought it back. It’s just not enabled by default.
We have a guide for enabling battery percentage, but basically all you do is open Settings, tap Batterythen press the button to Battery percentage. You will then know exactly when you need to plug in your iPhone to fill it.
Consider a billing limit
While you’re in the battery settings, you may want to consider setting a charging limit.
Tap Battery Health & Charging and you’ll see information about your battery health and performance, but also a charging optimization menu. Tap on it and you will see three options: Optimized battery charging, 80% limitAnd None. (Older iPhones do not have the 80% limit option.)
Optimized battery charging is the default: your iPhone will learn how you use your phone over time and sometimes only charge to 80%. Rechargeable batteries age faster when fully charged, which will allow your battery to maintain its full capacity longer.
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You may want to consider trying the 80% limit option for a week or two. If you notice that you’re running out of charge every day with this setting enabled, you can always change it, but you may notice that it doesn’t change your phone usage or charging habits at all, and This will significantly extend the life of your phone. your iPhone’s battery.
Set an audio limit for headphones
Have you ever accidentally blown your ears with the headphone volume too high? We’ve all been there.
Open Settings > Sounds and haptics > Headphone safety (it’s at the bottom). There is a toggle in this menu to Reduce loud sound This lets you set a specific decibel level and your iPhone will reduce any sound that might exceed it.
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Turn on the haptic keyboard
While we’re in the Sounds & Haptics menu, there’s another setting that Apple really should make default. Select Keyboard Feedback and you’ll see toggles for sound and haptics. You can turn off sounds to eliminate “tik tik tik” sounds that bother everyone around you, and enable the Haptic setting to get a nice clicky feeling when you press keys on the on-screen keyboard. It feels good, provides better feedback than sounds, and doesn’t bother those around you.
Set custom ringtones and alert tones
We’re not done with this Sound & Haptics menu yet!
You can change many sounds here, including your default ringtone (in the People app, you can set a custom ringtone for specific people), text sound, calendar alerts, and more.
What’s new in iOS 17.2 is that Default alerts selection at the end. This is the sound of almost every app notification you receive, aside from the few listed above. Can you believe Apple is only now allowing you to change this?
Add your dog or cat to your Photo albums
You may have noticed that the Photos app, in the Albums tab, and a section for People, animals and places. (Before iOS 17, it was only People and placesbecause iOS could not automatically identify pets.)
The People & Animals section uses AI to recognize people in your images and show you all photos of that specific person. It does this entirely on-device, processing your photos when your iPhone is charging and not in use.
With iOS 17 you can add cats and dogs, you just need to identify them first. Select a photo of your four-legged friend and press the button Information (i) button at the bottom. There may be “sparkles” around the circle and change from a cat/dog icon to Information. That means it works.
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When you tap it, you’ll see a lot more information about the photo, as well as a small circle at the bottom left of the image showing your pet’s face. (There can be several animals in the same photo and you will see circles for each).
Tap this circle, then tap Name this animal. Do this for a few photos, then wait a day or two for your iPhone to process your entire photo collection in the background. You will then see your pet added to the People and Pets folder, along with any new images of your blurry buddy will be automatically added.
Use Visual Look Up on your photos
Remember the Information (i) previous tip button? It’s your ticket to one of the coolest features in iOS that few people use. It’s called Visual Look Up and uses AI to identify elements in your photo and provide contextual insights and searches.
You will know that Visual Look Up has identified something in your image if you see the little sparkles around the Information button. Tap it, then tap “Search [object]” Or [object] is the thing that Apple identified with your image. If it’s about food, you’ll see things like recipes for that specific food. If it’s a bug, you’ll see links to information about it and similar images from around the web. You can identify plants, animals, insects, food, monuments, books, albums and much more.
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Use your iPhone as a webcam on a Mac
If you have a Mac, you will love using your iPhone as a webcam. A modern iPhone produces a much higher quality video stream than any built-in Mac or Studio Display webcam and makes even strangers wonder what your DSLR setup is.
Our guide here will walk you through the process, but basically just open Settings > General > AirPlay and transfer and make sure Continuity camera is authorized.
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Then, just place your iPhone near your Mac (you need to use the same Apple ID on both systems, which you probably already do), and you’ll see your iPhone listed as a selectable camera and microphone in almost any streaming app Mac video. Choose it, look at your iPhone screen to make sure it’s unlocked and you have permission to use it as a camera, and presto! Instant wireless Very high quality webcam.
You can even create cool effects like Portrait Mode, Center Stage, Studio Lighting, and Desk View. It’s way better than any Mac camera and will instantly upgrade your Zoom meetings and FaceTime calls.
Set up forwarding text messages to your Mac
Speaking of making your iPhone and Mac work together: Messages on Mac is extremely convenient. Full access to SMS directly from your computer, synchronized with your iPhone? Invaluable!
But you may notice that it doesn’t sync or that it only syncs iMessages. Here’s how to make sure you get All on your Mac and keep it up to date with your iPhone.
On your iPhone, open Settings > posts > Text message forwarding. Then switch the Macs (if you have more than one) to which you want to transfer SMS/MMS messages from your iPhone.
On your Mac, open Messages, then open its Settings (under the Messages menu in the menu bar). In the iMessage tab, make sure “Enable Messages in iCloud” is checked and you’re signed in. If it hasn’t already been set, it may take a few minutes for all your messages to sync and appear on your Mac.
This setting is usually enabled by default on your iPhone, but if it’s been changed or you need to check it, you’ll find it in Settings > Your Apple ID (the big banner at the top) > iCloud > Apps using iCloud (you may need to tap Show All).
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