7 magical features on iPhone

Your iPhone is packed with powerful tools that can make your everyday interactions easier. Some are so useful you'll wonder why it took you so long to start using them.

Table of Contents

• 1. Perform action by tapping the back
• 2. Interact with text from images and camera
• 3. Open custom controls with AssistiveTouch
• 4. Focus and relax with background sound
• 5. Control iPhone with your voice
• 6. Prevent accidental call disconnection with the Lock to End Call Prevention feature
• 7. Catch errors faster with Zoom in while typing

1. Perform action by tapping the back

The back of the iPhone is actually a hidden button. It can detect double or triple taps, and you can assign actions to these buttons to help you navigate your iPhone faster . Many people like to set up double tapping on the back to open the iPhone's Control Center when their thumb is too far from the screen to swipe down from the top right corner.

To enable the Tap on Back feature and assign an action to it, follow the steps below:

• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Touch .
• Tap Double Tap .
• Select an action from the list.
• Tap Back in the upper left corner of the screen to go back.
• Repeat steps 2 and 4 for the Triple Tap option .

Now, when you double or triple tap the back of your iPhone, the specified action will take place.

2. Interact with text from images and camera

You can interact with text in photos, screenshots, and the camera app using Live Text. This is useful when you need to copy a URL or phone number from an image and saves you from having to memorize it and type it again.

To use Live Text, open a photo in the Photos app and tap and hold on the text to select it. Once selected, you can use the controls to select more or less text. A menu will appear above the selection with options like Copy, Select All, Look Up, Translate , and Find on Web .

This feature is great for getting text from photos or screenshots.

3. Open custom controls with AssistiveTouch

AssistiveTouch adds a virtual button to your iPhone's screen. When you tap the button, a menu of icons provides quick access to a variety of functions and gestures. For example, you can use the icons to take a screenshot, adjust the volume, or open Control Center.

While its main purpose is to make the iPhone more accessible to users with physical limitations, you can also use it if you prefer custom controls.

To add AssistiveTouch to your iPhone screen, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch and turn it on. You'll see it appear in the lower left.

If you want to change the action of a specific icon, follow the steps below:

• Tap Customize controls menu in AssistiveTouch settings .
• Click one of the icons in the menu.
• Select an action from the list of actions, such as Pinch, Take Screenshot , or Restart .
• Tap Done in the upper right corner of the screen to set the action.

From there, you can change the action for any of those icons. The default number of icons is 6, but you can add or remove them by tapping the plus or minus buttons below the icons. You can have as few as one icon and as many as 8.

4. Focus and relax with background sound

iPhone has a built-in noise generator that plays ambient sounds like rain, ocean, or white noise to help you focus or relax. Instead of downloading an app from the App Store, you can use your iPhone's Background Sounds feature to play these sounds.

To enable these background sounds, go to Settings > Accessibility > Sounds & Visuals > Background Sounds and turn on Background Sounds . The default sound is Rain . But you can change it by tapping Sounds , selecting one of the sounds from the list, and tapping Back in the top left corner.

If you have AssistiveTouch turned on, you can set one of the icons to make it easier to turn Background Sound on and off.

5. Control iPhone with your voice

Voice Control has a number of advantages, including hands-free convenience and faster navigation. Before you turn it on, you'll need to make sure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi. This will allow your iPhone to download the data needed for voice commands to work.

To turn on voice control, go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > Set up voice commands and tap Continue . Review what you can say, then tap Done .

You can now use Voice Control to complete small tasks on your iPhone, like opening apps, navigating menus, and performing gestures.

6. Prevent accidental call disconnection with the Lock to End Call Prevention feature

If you're on a call while using your headset, you may want to lock your phone and put it in your pocket. However, by default, pressing the side button will end any call you're on.

This is a real pain in the ass for many iPhone users, so it's nice to be able to easily turn it off in the settings. To do so, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and turn off Prevent Key to End Call .

7. Catch errors faster with Zoom in while typing

Zoom in as you type gives you a larger preview of the text you're typing on your keyboard. This can help you catch typos or autocorrect errors as you type, improving accuracy. This is especially useful when typing long messages or emails.

To enable Hover Typing, go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard & Input > Magnify Typing and turn it on. Now, as you type, you'll see a preview above the keyboard, which can help you type faster on your iPhone.

While many of these features are accessibility-based, they can benefit almost anyone who uses an iPhone. Try them out and experiment with other hidden accessibility features to find more ways to use your iPhone more efficiently!