Gail Eddy,  Nederland.   The other day I was watching a friend use her iPhone and I was surprised that she didn’t know a few iPhone shortcuts and tips that I take for granted! I showed her some of these tips, and thought, well maybe she’s not the only one who doesn’t know about them.

iPhone Shortcuts Scenario 1:
You’re texting with a friend and decide it might be easier to have a verbal conversation. You might switch from the texting app to the phone app, look up the contact, and then press the call button. Instead, you can just tap the little round button with their photo or initials and then tap “Audio” or “Facetime.”

iPhone Shortcuts Scenario 2:
You’re reviewing your email and you’ve received an email with a link. You tap the link and it opens in Safari. When you’re done reviewing the page, you close Safari and reopen your mail app to continue reviewing emails. Instead, you can look at the top left corner where it says “Mail, “and you tap that to quickly return.

iPhone Shortcuts Scenario 3:
You want to take a photo, so you turn on your phone, find the camera app and open it up. Instead, from the lock screen, you can quickly swipe from right to left which automatically opens the camera app.

iPhone Shortcuts Scenario 4:
Your coffee is brewing, and you want to quickly set a timer. You open the clock app, select “Timer,” and then set the timer for your perfect brew. Instead, you can swipe up from the bottom and select the little timer icon and very quickly set it for the proper amount of time.

iPhone Shortcuts Scenario #5
You’ve been in a meeting and want to see what notifications you’ve missed while you were out of touch. You open each app separately to see what emails, phone calls, texts and other messages you’ve received. Instead, you can swipe down from the top of your screen to see all your notifications at once.

iPhone Shortcuts from the Swipe Up (Control Center) screen:

1. Turn Bluetooth, WiFi, Airplane mode, and Cellular Data on and off.
2. Restart or pause your music.
3. Adjust the volume.
4. Adjust screen brightness.
5. Lock the screen so that it won’t turn sideways unexpectedly.
6. Turn on your flashlight.
7. Open your calculator.
8. Take a photo.
9. Click the little moon so that your phone is in “Do Not Disturb” mode.

By the way, you can customize what appears here in your settings. Click on “Settings,” then “Control Center,” then “Customize Controls.”

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call at (303) 618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

(Originally published in the December 6, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)