10 Incredibly Useful iPhone and Android Tricks That Make Your Life Easier

Remember back when we only used phones for calls? Today, our smartphones preserve our entire digital life.

This includes, of course, your precious photos and videos. Tap or click for nine photos you should always have at handsuch as medical and dental insurance cards.

Speaking of pictures, how often do you spend so much time searching for a picture of yourself I know Hidden somewhere in your gallery? Stop scrolling and use this clever trick to find a photo quickly.

Your iPhone or Android device has a lot of hidden goodies. Here are 10 tricks you’ll come back to over and over again.

1. Start using the back tap

Instead of searching pages of apps, you can instantly do a specific task with your phone. I take a lot of screenshots with my phone, and I do this by tapping on the back of my phone twice. Three taps, and the entrance gate to my path opens. A friend of mine turns on his backyard lights the same way.

In this illustration, the Android logo is displayed on a smartphone.
(Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

On iPhone 8 or later, you can use your finger to tap the back of your phone two or three times to trigger a custom action. go to the Settings > Accessibility > touch. Contact. Link > Back tap. He chooses double click or triple tap.

From there, choose a specific action. While this is helpful, I warn you that you may accidentally trigger an action from time to time.

More Apple intelligence: 10 iPhone tricks I use every day, and you will too

2. Set up shortcuts for your most used apps

Want to add a shortcut to a specific app to your home screen? Not all apps have shortcuts, but you can find out by holding down the app.

Here’s how to do it on Android:

• Press down on an app, then lift your finger. If the app contains shortcuts, they will appear.
• Touch and hold the shortcut.
• Move the shortcut where you want it and lift your finger.

On your iPhone, this is a very useful shortcut. Press down on the Messages app icon, and you’ll see a few of your conversations. Select and hold one of your most-received contacts. Drag it to your home screen. Now you can click this button to have a conversation.

Trick in a trick: When you’re trying to find an app on your phone, stop jumping from page to page. On your iPhone, swipe left until the search bar appears at the top. Then type the name of the app you want to use. On Android, swipe up from the middle of the screen. In the app drawer, tap Search.

3. Stop missing out on great action shots

If you’ve ever tried to get a good picture of your kids playing, you know how hard it can be to capture motion. Burst mode allows the camera to take pictures faster than a human. You get multiple photos every second, and then you can select your favorite photos to keep.

Touch and hold the shutter button if you have an iPhone X or earlier. Drag the shutter button to the left if you have an iPhone Xs or later.

Either way, lift your finger to stop the lunge position. Then select the photos you want to keep by clicking Explosion > He chooses > accomplishment.

A woman using a smartphone on a wooden desk.
(istock)

On Android phones, press and hold the shutter button to enable burst mode.

Tired of taking bad photos? Take better photos with these genius tips.

4. Get rid of clutter

When was the last time you closed all browser tabs on your phone? Don’t waste time going through them one by one. On Android, open Chrome. Click the number next to the URL bar to see a grid of all your tabs. Click on Three-dot listthen select Close all tabs.

On the iPhone, you can do the same in Safari. Tap the icon with two overlapping boxes in the lower right corner. The menu will pop up. He chooses Close all tabs.

Speaking of your browser, it’s worth clearing cookies. Tap or click here for the steps to get it done on your favorite mobile browser.

5. Use your iPhone as a magnifying glass

The last time I had to read a small serial number, I remembered how useful it was to use the iPhone’s built-in magnifying glass. No more staring or running around for your readers.

go to the Settings > Accessibility > magnifier and run it. Now Magnifier is an easy-to-access shortcut. This works on iPads too.

To access it quickly when you need it, add it to your Control Center. go to the Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. Click on + button next to the magnifier. You’ll see a magnifying glass icon in Control Center when you swipe down from the top of the screen.

A customer trying to use an iPhone.

6. Google Assistant Correction

Is your smart assistant always getting the wrong names? It may seem silly to teach your phone how to pronounce the name. Make a change so that Google understands you the first time when you contact someone in the future.

• Say, “Hey Google, open Assistant settings.”
• Choose You, then tap your people > add a person.
• select call.
• Under Pronunciation of Name, choose Register for yourself > register.
• He chooses game To listen to it, tap Memorizes to finish.

You can do the same with Siri on iPhone. Click or tap here and go to number 7 for steps.

Get more out of your Android device: 5 hidden Google Assistant tricks to try now.

7. Sign documents the fast way

When someone emails you a document that you need to sign, you don’t have to print, sign and scan it. Just use your iPhone. First, download the PDF file, click pen symbol in the upper right and Signal with your touch screen. click accomplishment at the top left of the screen.

You can reply to the email with the newly signed attachment.

If you use AirDrop, you can share the documents you sign with your other Apple devices. Tap or click here to find out why AirDrop is such a useful iPhone feature that you should start using.

8. Tell them to forget about it

Siri and Google Assistant both make distinct sounds, so you know when you accidentally activated them. To prevent the Google Assistant from recording the rest of your conversation, say “That wasn’t right for you.” This deletes everything that started in the recording.

You can say the same for Siri, but know that Apple hasn’t officially said if this phrase erases your previous recording from its memory. Tap or click here to stop all your smart devices from listening to you and recording what you say.

9. Measure or straighten anything

Want to see if something is on the level? Take out your iPhone and open the Measure app. This useful app uses augmented reality to turn your device into a great measuring tool.

It is easy to use. Let’s say you want to measure a frame. Open the app, then tap the screen on one side of the frame. Scan your phone across the frame and tap on the opposite end. The measurement will appear on the screen.

You may have to move your device in order for the camera to capture the dimensions of the object. Save the measurement by clicking Copy, which adds the numbers to your clipboard.

10. Get captions when playing a video or audio

If you’re having trouble understanding something or you’re in a noisy place, try Android Live Caption. Use it for podcasts, YouTube videos, or even phone calls. This feature is available on Pixel 2 and later and select other Android phones.

• Click on volume button.
• Under Volume Controls, tap direct explanation icon.
• Auto Transcript is now turned on for all media on your device.
• To stop “Live Captions”, press the volume button and press direct explanation one more time.

Bonus tip: Moon Wi-Fi, Russian cyberattacks, and advice from Google to save gas money

Did you know that Wi-Fi is coming to the moon? Yes, really. In this episode of Kim Komando, I’ll teach you how to find an airline seat with the most legroom, save gas money and a few other tech tips you’ll use over and over again. I also have a business plan that you can use to protect yourself from Russian cyberattacks.

Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Explains” at an AppleAnd the google podcastAnd the spotifyor your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcast. Just search for my last name, “Commando”.

What are your digital lifestyle questions? Connect to Kim’s national radio program and Tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch a file Kim Commando Show On your phone, tablet, TV, or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcast.

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Learn about the latest technologies on The . Kim Commando Show, the country’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and provides advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data breaches. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Commando.