Hidden iOS 15 options that’ll change how you utilize your iPhone

For those who’ve up to date your iPhone not too long ago, you have in all probability bought a very good grasp on the entire big-ticket iOS 15 options like SharePlay, which lets you watch motion pictures, take heed to music and browse the net with family and friends over FaceTime. There’s additionally Focus, which silences notifications and hides distractions that can assist you higher listen.

Nevertheless, not the entire greatest new options on iOS 15 are obvious — many are hidden.

We’ll stroll you thru a number of lesser-known options on iOS 15, together with the best way to use your digicam to live-scan textual content, transfer the handle bar in Safari again to the place it was and drag-and-drop images and different information between apps.

Use your iPhone’s digicam to scan textual content

Have you ever ever wished you may level your iPhone’s digicam at an indication or piece of paper and have it robotically establish after which copy the textual content into an e-mail or a doc? With iOS 15, it is potential and extremely cool. 

To make use of the iPhone’s new “scan textual content” device, long-press inside a textual content discipline as if you are going to use the copy-and-paste immediate. Solely, you will now see a Scan Textual content button. You might also see a button that makes use of simply the scan icon, which seems like a chunk of paper with brackets round it. 

Faucet the button, which can substitute your keyboard along with your iPhone digicam’s viewfinder. Level your digicam at no matter you wish to scan, after which observe the prompts on the display. For example, for those who’re transferring the digicam too quick, you will see a “Sluggish Down” message flash on the display. 

As you are lining up the digicam and textual content good, you will see a dwell preview of the textual content your iPhone is figuring out and able to place in your doc. Faucet the Insert button while you’re prepared. 

This can be a neat and straightforward approach to shortly scan an e-mail handle on a enterprise card, a telephone quantity on an indication or, as you’ll be able to see within the screenshots above, scan the again of a e book and insert it as one large block of textual content. 

Transfer Safari’s handle bar again to the highest of your display

Apple has made a number of modifications to Safari for the iPhone and iPad. One of many main modifications you will discover after putting in the replace in your iPhone is that the handle bar with all of its included performance has been moved to the underside of the display. 

The thought is that by transferring the handle bar to the underside it is simpler to get round Safari and browse the net as a result of the entire buttons are nearer to your thumb, however the change will not be preferrred for everybody. And Apple is supplying you with a alternative within the matter by permitting you to maneuver the handle bar again to the highest of the display. 

When utilizing Safari in your iPhone, faucet the Aa button on the handle bar (do not long-press, a faucet is okay). On the prime of the menu that exhibits up, you will see a brand new choice labeled Present Prime Tackle Bar. Faucet it to maneuver the handle bar up prime.

Translate textual content from anyplace in your iPhone

Apple launched the Translate app again with iOS 14, and whereas it might solely translate to and from 11 languages (very restricted, in my view), the characteristic has improved with the introduction of iOS 15.

For those who do not wish to use the standalone Translate app, you’ll be able to as an alternative spotlight any textual content in your iPhone and translate it that means. For those who press down on the textual content to focus on it, you will see the enhancing instruments you are accustomed to seeing. Nevertheless, for those who faucet the arrow on the suitable, it is best to see a Translate choice.

A window will seem on the backside of the display, which you’ll swipe up, displaying the phrase or phrases you have highlighted and the interpretation. You may select which language to translate to together with Chinese language, French, German, Korean and Spanish. You can too take heed to the interpretation, substitute the highlighted phrase with the interpretation and duplicate the interpretation to your clipboard.

Ship your iCloud information to another person for those who die

Your images, messages, notes, passwords and different vital info do not must be locked away eternally for those who die and nobody has entry to your iPhone. A brand new characteristic on iOS 15 — Legacy Contact — permits you to select any contact saved in your telephone and provides them entry to your iCloud information upon your loss of life.

To arrange your Legacy Contact, go to Settings > faucet your title > choose Password & Safety > Legacy Contact. Subsequent, faucet Add Legacy Contact (twice), enter your credentials and select somebody out of your contacts. Apple will generate an entry key, which your contact will want with a purpose to entry your information.

Be aware: This characteristic is on iOS 15.2, which is presently solely out there to builders.

Get real-time precipitation alerts from the Climate app

When Apple purchased the favored climate app Darkish Sky, I instantly hoped that the official iPhone climate app would acquire the real-time rain and snow alerts I had come to depend on to maintain me dry. These alerts are making their debut in iOS 15, typically arriving a couple of minutes earlier than Darkish Sky’s — which is a-OK with me. 

When you’re operating iOS 15, you’ll be able to activate the brand new precipitation alerts by opening the Climate app, then tapping the three-line icon within the backside proper nook of the display. Subsequent, faucet the circle icon with the three dots within the prime proper nook of the display adopted by Notifications. 

Slide the swap subsequent to My Location to the On place after which faucet Performed. When you’ve got extra cities added to the Climate app, you’ll be able to activate alerts for each. 

The subsequent time rain or snow is getting near you, your iPhone will provide you with a warning a couple of minutes earlier than it should begin. You may additionally obtain one other alert when the rain is nearly completed.

Drag and drop between apps on the iPhone

The iPad has lengthy allow you to drag-and-drop paperwork, textual content or footage between apps. And now, it is the iPhone’s flip. For those who’re going forwards and backwards between Messages and Pictures to share footage from a latest night time out with buddies, for instance, now you can drag them from the Pictures app to the Messages app. 

To check out the brand new characteristic, open the Pictures app and think about your latest images. Do not faucet on an image to open it full-screen; as an alternative, place a finger on the picture and begin to drag your finger throughout the display. With out lifting your finger when the thumbnail begins to drift over the remainder of the images, swap again to the Messages app. 

You may see a inexperienced circle with a plus register it present up on the thumbnail indicating that you could elevate your finger and the picture shall be positioned within the textual content discipline, prepared so that you can ship. 

Fairly straightforward, proper? You should utilize this similar approach to connect a doc from the Recordsdata app to an e-mail. 

Extra info is offered about your images 

I’ve all the time had to make use of a third-party app if I needed to view any of the finer particulars saved within the EXIF information a couple of picture I used to be despatched or took myself. Now everytime you’re viewing a photograph within the Pictures app, you’ll be able to swipe up on it to open an info view that may element the place you saved the picture from, in addition to the entire EXIF info reminiscent of shutter velocity, location and the digicam used. 

The added info is a welcome addition even for those who do not care about the entire finer particulars. On the very least, having the ability to see the place you saved the image from (together with who despatched it to you) is sufficient. 

Change the dimensions of textual content utilized in particular apps

At the moment, you’ll be able to change the systemwide font dimension to suit your choice. However with iOS 15, there is a new device that permits you to change the dimensions of the font on an app-by-app foundation. Which means for instance that you could have the Mail app and Twitter be in numerous font sizes.

To make use of the brand new characteristic, open the Settings app, then go to Management Middle and scroll down till you discover the choice labeled Textual content Dimension by tapping on the inexperienced plus signal. 

The subsequent time you are in an app and also you wish to alter the dimensions of the textual content, open Management Middle (swipe down from the highest proper nook of the display on an iPhone that has Face ID, or up from the underside of the display on an iPhone with Contact ID) and faucet the Textual content Dimension button. Slide the button on the backside of the display to the left facet of the toggle to point that you just solely need your modifications utilized to the app you are presently utilizing, after which alter the font dimension up or down. 

If you have not but gotten your palms on iOS 15, here is a easy information you’ll be able to observe to obtain the most recent cell working system in your iPhone. You can too take a look at our evaluate on iOS 15, which covers most of the main new options. And for those who’re seeking to improve to iOS 15 however have a a lot older telephone, learn our evaluate on the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Professional and iPhone 13 Max.