Your iPhone is more capable than you think

Nine hidden tricks Apple buried in Settings.

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May 30, 2026 8:30pm EDT

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Your iPhone can do way more than you think

Hey friend,

Your iPhone is more capable than you think. Apple hides half its best features three menus deep, so most people never find them.

Here are nine hidden features already on your phone right now.

Turn the back of your iPhone into a button.

Double or triple tap the back of your phone to take a screenshot, open the flashlight, launch the camera, or run any shortcut you set up. Works on iPhone 8 and newer.

Try it: Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Back Tap

Stop your photos from leaking your location.

Every photo you take stores your exact GPS coordinates inside the file. Anyone you send that photo to can see where it was taken. Turn it off once and you're done.

Try it: Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Camera › Never

Copy text straight out of photos.

Point your camera at a restaurant menu, business card, handwritten note, or WiFi password. The text becomes selectable instantly. Copy it, translate it, look it up. Works on photos already in your camera roll too.

Try it: Open Camera, point at text, tap the icon bottom-right. Or open a photo and long-press the text.

Your keyboard has a hidden trackpad.

Trying to fix a typo by jabbing the screen is a nightmare. Press and hold the spacebar instead. The keyboard turns into a trackpad and you can slide your finger to move the cursor with precision. You will use this every day.

Try it: Open any app where you can type. Long press the spacebar.

Rotate your calculator.

Open the Calculator app and turn your phone sideways. You now have a full scientific calculator with sin, cos, logarithms, and exponents. Swipe left or right across the number at the top to delete one digit at a time.

Try it: Open Calculator. Rotate your phone. (Make sure rotation lock is off in Control Centre.)

Know who's calling without looking.

Create a custom vibration pattern by tapping a rhythm on your screen, then assign it to a specific contact. When your partner, your boss, or your mum calls, you'll know just by the buzz in your pocket.

Try it: Open a contact › Edit › Ringtone › Haptics › Create New Vibration

iOS 18 OR NEWER

Stop motion sickness in the car.

Vehicle Motion Cues puts subtle animated dots on the edges of your screen that move with the car. Your brain stops fighting the mismatch between your eyes and your inner ear. Works on iPhone 11 or newer with iOS 18 or later.

Try it: Settings › Accessibility › Motion › Show Vehicle Motion Cues › Automatic

GOT AN iPHONE 15 PRO OR NEWER?

These last two run on Apple Intelligence, which needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Not there yet? Solid reason to upgrade. (You know where to find us.)

APPLE INTELLIGENCE ONLY

Ask ChatGPT about anything on your screen.

Take a screenshot of literally anything. Tap the thumbnail in the corner. You'll see "Ask" and "Image Search" buttons. Ask ChatGPT what that plant is, what those symbols mean, what that error code says. Needs iPhone 15 Pro or newer.

Try it: Take a screenshot › tap the preview thumbnail › tap "Ask"

APPLE INTELLIGENCE ONLY

Text someone in any language, instantly.

Live Translation in Messages translates conversations in real time. Type in English, they read it in their language. They reply in theirs, you read English. Works in FaceTime and phone calls too. Needs iPhone 15 Pro or newer.

Try it: Open a chat › tap the contact name at the top › turn on Automatically Translate

Most people don't know these exist. Which one will you try first?

If your iPhone is older and can't run iOS 18, or the battery is giving up, it might be time to think about an upgrade. Refurbished iPhones from OzMobiles run the latest iOS, come Phonecheck certified, and ship with a 12 month warranty. Same performance, smarter price.