Six iPhone Features You Never Knew Existed
Written by Ruqing Pan and the Fueled team in NYC, a design agency that builds amazing apps.
1. Jump to your Camera
Have you ever wanted to capture a funny moment of your child, but missed it because you had to unlock your iPhone? By using the camera shortcut, you don’t need to unlock your phone before reaching your camera. Simply hit the home button on your iPhone and you’ll find a camera icon right next to the unlock bar. Swipe upward and your camera is ready to snap. If you want to share or view pictures, you’ll need to unlock your phone.
2. Insert Photos into E-Mail
I’m sure you all know how to email a photo by using the Photo application or the Camera Roll feature within the Camera application. What you might not know is that iOS 6 now allows you to tap to insert a photo or video while you’re writing an email. When you start composing a new email, simply double tap the screen to bring up the pop up menu, and you will see an arrow to the right of “Select All”; tap the arrow, and you’ll find an option that says “Insert Photo or Video.”
3. Reply to Calls with Messages
Another great feature of iOS 6 is that you can now reply to an incoming call with a text message. When someone is calling, swipe upward from the bottom of the screen and you’ll see a “Reply With Message” option. You can even customize “automatic responses” and create preset text messages such as, “I’m on my way to pick up the kids” or “I’m getting a manicure. Call you later.”
4. Set Custom Alerts
Good news for those of you who have varied schedules: you can create custom alarms for certain days of the week. Select any song from your music library and set it as your alarm tone. By consulting Edit Alarm or Add Alarm settings you can set alarms for a specific day of the week. Whether you are setting an alarm for your daughter’s piano lessons on Monday or for your spa appointment on Sunday, iOS 6 will keep you on time.
5. Set Parental Controls on Apps
Are you worried that your children might see inappropriate content on your iPhone? The new Guided Access feature will sweep all your worries away. Simply go to Settings > General > Accessibility, and turn the Guided Access on. After setting a passcode, the function can be accessed whenever needed. Open your application of choice, triple click the home button, and tap the start button at the top right to initiate the Guided Access. This is lock any application you dont want your kids getting into, just like the parental controls on your television!
6. Control Your Music With Your Headphone Set
Lastly, there are also some new tricks for your headphones. While listening to music, the center button can be used to play or pause. Double click the center button to skip, triple click to skip back, or double click and hold to fast forward a song. In addition to controlling music, the center button can also be used to pick up an incoming call. Aside from the center button, the “+” button can be used to shoot photos while listening to music.
