Old, but gold: I constantly use these five iPhone helpers
Every year, new, spectacular features are added to the iPhone. This can lead to certain older features being somewhat forgotten. However, there are some smaller helpers that are really useful. Here are my underrated all-time favorites.
Every June, WWDC – the Worldwide Developer Conference – takes place. Apple usually presents its new operating systems for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and so on. Each year, spectacular new features are added.
It can happen that certain older evergreens are forgotten. The following five features have been around for years, but have been somewhat forgotten in the age of AI and co. Time to dig them out again.
Scan documents
It's no news that the era of flatbed scanners is over. But did you know that the iPhone has a great scanning function built-in? I actually struggled for a relatively long time with ad-infested, sometimes paid, nonsense software until someone explained this to me a few years ago.
And the scanner is not bad at all. Open the Notes app, tap the paperclip icon, and select "Scan Documents". Point it at the document. Done. It will be automatically recognized, scanned, and left to you for any corrections and saving.
Scan text
They still exist: the digital refusers. I love people who consistently write on paper, but then I'm supposed to digitize it. Great, especially when you have to manually "type it all out". But: there is the "Scan Text" function in iOS.
Open the Notes app, tap the paperclip icon, and select "Scan Text". Then hold the desired text in front of the camera. This text will immediately appear in the Notes app and can be edited or inserted into the desired app.
Search image directly on the web
If someone has sent you an image, you can immediately share it for reverse image search on the web via the Share menu. For example, I recently received a screenshot of a fan article from an acquaintance. I opened the image, tapped the Share button, and selected the "Search on Web" option. And promptly: the shop was found.
This also works if you take a screenshot. Take a screenshot and it will appear as a small thumbnail in the bottom left. Tap the mini-display, then tap "Search" in the bottom right.
Select files with two-finger swipe
Sometimes I want to share multiple documents in the Files app at once. Unlike photos in the Photos app, however, you can't simply select them by tapping and holding. Instead of having to select everything individually for sharing, you can simply swipe across the individual documents with two fingers simultaneously. You can also skip individual documents and then continue further down – the documents will remain selected. Afterwards, you can send, print, copy, etc. them together.
Automatic message in Focus mode
With iOS 15, Apple introduced the Focus feature. If you are busy, you can activate Focus and make certain arrangements. Which apps should still function during this time, which should pause, etc. The cool thing: In the "Driving" Focus mode, you can also set it so that messages are automatically sent when someone calls. This way, slow thinkers will realize that there's no point in calling five times.
Go to Settings, select "Focus", then "Driving". Under "Auto-Reply", you can choose which contacts should receive an automatic message if they call. Below that, you can set your message. Of course, you can also select the "Driving" Focus even if you are not behind the wheel.
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
Practical solutions for everyday problems with technology, household hacks and much more.
Show all
