You carry it everywhere, you sleep next to it, and you probably check it a hundred times a day. But despite how intimate we are with our iPhones, most of us are barely scratching the surface of what these devices can actually do. Apple packs iOS with hundreds of incredible features, but they don't always advertise them on billboards. Instead, they bury them deep in settings menus or hide them behind specific gestures.
Whether you have the latest iPhone or are holding onto a model from a few years ago, there are hidden utilities right under your fingertips that can save you time, protect your privacy, and make you look like a tech wizard in front of your friends. We’ve dug through the menus to bring you 10 secret features that will change how you use your phone.
Mastering Your Daily Productivity
We spend a massive amount of time typing messages, emails, and notes. These first few secrets are designed to speed up your workflow and remove those tiny frustrations that add up throughout the day.
1. Turn Your Keyboard into a Trackpad
Trying to move the blinking cursor to the exact middle of a word to fix a typo can be an exercise in frustration. You tap, you miss, you tap again. Stop the madness! Your keyboard has a hidden trackpad mode.
- Open any app where the keyboard is visible (Messages, Notes, etc.).
- Press and hold the Spacebar.
- Wait a split second until the keys go blank and you feel a haptic click.
- Without lifting your finger, slide it around the keyboard area to move the cursor precisely where you want it.
Pro Tip: If you use a second finger to tap while in trackpad mode, you can easily select text to copy or cut.
2. The Built-in Document Scanner
You do not need a third-party app (that probably requires a subscription) to scan documents. Apple built a professional-grade scanner right into the Notes app, and it even creates PDFs automatically.
- Open the Notes app and create a new note.
- Tap the Camera icon above the keyboard.
- Select Scan Documents.
- Point your camera at the paper; the iPhone will automatically detect the edges, snap the picture, and correct the perspective so it looks flat.
3. Text Replacement for Speed Typing
If you find yourself typing the same things over and over—like your email address, your home address, or a specific hashtag block—you need Text Replacement. This feature allows you to type a short code, which automatically expands into a full phrase.
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
- Tap the + sign in the top right.
- In "Phrase," type the long version (e.g., your full email address).
- In "Shortcut," type a short code (e.g., "@@"). Now, whenever you type "@@", your email will appear instantly.
Hidden Gestures and Accessibility Hacks
Some of the best features are actually found in the Accessibility settings. While designed for users with different needs, they offer incredible shortcuts for everyone.
4. Back Tap: The Secret Button
Did you know the Apple logo on the back of your phone can function as a button? Using the accelerometer, your iPhone can detect when you tap the back of the case.
- Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Touch.
- Scroll to the very bottom and select Back Tap.
- You can assign actions to a "Double Tap" or "Triple Tap."
Common uses include taking a screenshot, turning on the flashlight, or launching the Camera. Imagine taking a screenshot just by double-tapping the back of your phone while holding it in one hand!
5. Background Sounds for Focus
If you struggle to concentrate in a noisy coffee shop or can't fall asleep without white noise, you might be using Spotify or a dedicated sleep app. However, your iPhone has a high-quality white noise machine built right into the system.
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Background Sounds.
- Toggle it on and choose from sounds like Rain, Ocean, Stream, or Balanced Noise.
Did you know? You can add a "Hearing" toggle to your Control Center so you can turn these sounds on and off without digging through the settings menu every time.
Visual Magic: Camera and Photos
The iPhone camera is legendary, but the software analyzing your photos is where the real magic happens. These features utilize "machine learning" to understand what is in your pictures.
6. Visual Look Up (The Laundry Decoder)
Have you ever looked at the tag on a new shirt and been baffled by the laundry symbols? Is that a triangle with an X through it? Your iPhone knows. When you take a photo of a plant, a pet, a landmark, or even a laundry tag, your phone can identify it.
- Take a clear photo of the object (like the laundry tag).
- Open the photo in your gallery.
- Look for "stars" sparkling around the "i" (Info) button at the bottom.
- Tap the button, then tap "Look Up Laundry Care" (or Plant, or Dog Breed) to get instant details.
7. Instant Sticker Creation
This feature was introduced recently and it is incredibly fun. You can lift the subject out of almost any photo to create a transparent PNG, which you can then paste into Messages as a sticker.
- Open a photo with a clear subject (a person, dog, or object).
- Press and hold directly on the subject.
- You will see a glowing line trace the object.
- Tap "Add Sticker" to save it to your stickers drawer, or "Copy" to paste it immediately into a text or email.
8. Live Text in Video
You might know you can copy text from a photo, but did you know you can do it from a video too? This is a lifesaver if you are watching a tutorial and want to copy a code snippet or a recipe.
- Pause any video in your Photos app (or Safari) where text is visible.
- Press and hold on the text inside the video frame.
- The selection bars will appear, allowing you to copy, look up, or translate the text just like a Word document.
The "I Wish I Knew This Sooner" Utilities
Finally, we have two utilities that solve very specific, very annoying modern problems. One helps you discover music, and the other ensures your media doesn't play all night long.
9. Music Recognition in Control Center
Apple bought Shazam years ago, and now it is deeply integrated into the OS. You don't need to unlock your phone, find the Shazam app, and tap the button before the song ends.
- Go to Settings > Control Center.
- Scroll down and tap the green + next to Music Recognition (it looks like the Shazam logo).
- Now, when you hear a song, just swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen and tap the button. It will identify the song and save it to a list for later.
10. The "Stop Playing" Timer
If you like falling asleep to podcasts or music but hate waking up at 3:00 AM to realize your playlist is still running and your battery is drained, this trick is for you. It's a hidden feature inside the Clock app.
- Open the Clock app and tap Timer.
- Tap on "When Timer Ends" (usually it plays a ringtone like "Radar").
- Scroll to the very bottom and select Stop Playing.
- Set the timer for 30 minutes (or however long you need to fall asleep).
When the timer hits zero, your iPhone will systematically stop whatever media is playing—whether it's Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or Netflix—and lock your screen. It is the ultimate sleep timer.
So, how many of these did you know? The beauty of the iPhone operating system is that it rewards curiosity. Take a few minutes today to set up your Back Tap or configure your Text Replacements; your future self will thank you for the time saved!