10 iPhone Tips and Tricks for Everyday Tasks

Checked November 3, 2026 against Apple’s current iPhone documentation. Menu labels can differ with your iOS version; model, software and language requirements are noted below.

These ten iPhone tips use built-in tools to edit text, scan paperwork, save webpages and reach frequently used controls. Each section includes instructions and a link to Apple’s documentation. Start with the task you do most often.

Scroll horizontally to view all columns.

1. Move the cursor with the Space bar

When a correction belongs in the middle of a sentence, the keyboard can position the cursor without repeated taps on the text.

1. Open a text field in an app such as Notes.
2. Touch and hold the Space bar until the letters disappear and the keyboard becomes a trackpad.
3. Keep your finger on the screen and slide it to move the cursor. Lift your finger when it reaches the right place, then type your correction.

To select text in trackpad mode, touch and hold the keyboard with a second finger, then move the first finger to adjust the selection. These steps use Apple’s onscreen keyboard; another keyboard may behave differently. See Apple’s text editing instructions.

2. Give a repeated phrase a short code

Text replacement is useful for a sentence you type repeatedly, such as a meeting reply or delivery instruction.

1. Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
2. Tap the + button. Put the complete wording in Phrase and your abbreviation in Shortcut, then save the entry.
3. Try the shortcut in a note before using it in a message.

For example, you could assign mtg10 to I will join the meeting in ten minutes. Choose a code that is unlikely to occur in ordinary writing. Apple also documents adding a word to Phrase while leaving Shortcut blank when you want the keyboard to stop correcting that word. See Apple’s text replacement guide.

3. Copy text from a photo

Live Text can turn words in a photo into text you can paste into Notes or a message. It is useful for a notice, a product label or another printed detail that the phone recognizes.

1. Open the picture in Photos.
2. Touch and hold a word, then move the selection handles to include the text you need.
3. Tap Copy, open your destination app and paste.

If necessary, enable Settings > General > Language & Region > Live Text. Apple specifies iPhone XS, iPhone XR or later with iOS 15 or later; copying from a paused video requires iOS 16 or later. Supported languages and regions vary. Check the copied words and numbers against the original before relying on them. See Apple’s Live Text requirements and instructions.

4. Scan several paper pages into one PDF

Use Notes when you need a document scan rather than an ordinary photo of a page.

1. Open or create a note in Notes.
2. Tap the Attachment button, then Scan Documents.
3. Position the page inside the camera view. Hold the phone steady for automatic capture, or use manual capture and adjust the corners.
4. Scan the remaining pages, then tap Done.

Notes saves the scanned document as a PDF inside the note. Check the page edges, small print and page order before sharing it. This differs from Scan Text, which inserts recognized words into the note instead. Older iOS versions can use different button labels. Apple describes both tools in its Notes scanning guide.

5. Take a screenshot by tapping the back

Back Tap lets you assign an action to a double or triple tap on the back of the iPhone.

1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.
2. Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.
3. Select Screenshot, then try the gesture while viewing a non-sensitive screen.

Apple lists iPhone 8 or later with iOS 14 or later as the requirement. You can choose another available action, such as opening Control Center. If the gesture is inconvenient or triggers when you do not intend it to, return to the same menu and choose None for that assignment. See Apple’s Back Tap setup instructions and its guide to changing or removing actions.

6. Save a whole Safari webpage

A full-page screenshot can capture content beyond the portion currently visible on the screen.

1. Open a webpage in Safari and take a screenshot using your usual button shortcut or Back Tap.
2. Open the screenshot preview if it appears as a thumbnail, then select Full Page.
3. Use the preview on the right to inspect the page, and crop it if needed.
4. Open the save controls, choose Save PDF to Files and select a location.

Full Page is available for supported content, including Safari webpages; it is not a scrolling-capture tool for every app. Check the saved PDF before sending it, especially on pages that load more content as you scroll. Apple’s current guide also offers Save to Photos for an image. See Apple’s screenshot instructions.

7. Increase reading size in supported apps

You can increase text size across supported apps instead of zooming in on individual items.

1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Larger Text.
2. Move the slider to a comfortable size.
3. Turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes if you need additional choices.

Bold Text is available one screen back in Display & Text Size. Check the result in the apps you use most: Apple lists Calendar, Mail, Messages, Notes and Settings among supported apps, but this setting does not guarantee that every app or webpage will resize its text. You can change the slider again at any time. See Apple’s text readability guide.

8. Keep frequent conversations at the top

Pin a conversation when you regularly need to find the same person or group in Messages.

1. Open the conversation list in Messages.
2. Touch and hold a conversation, then choose Pin.
3. To remove the pin later, touch and hold the pinned conversation and choose Unpin.

Apple supports up to nine pinned conversations in iOS 14 and later. Pinning keeps the conversation near the top; it does not require deleting or reorganizing the messages inside it. Try a small set of frequently used conversations so the pinned area stays easy to scan. See Apple’s Messages instructions.

9. Put your usual tools in Control Center

The following customization steps use the Control Center design in iOS 18 and later.

1. On an iPhone with Face ID or iPhone Duo, swipe down from the top-right corner. On an iPhone SE with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge.
2. Tap the + button, then Add a Control.
3. Choose a tool you use, such as Timer or Magnifier.
4. Drag controls to arrange them. Use a control’s resize handle where available to change its size.

Start with one or two additions and arrange them where they are easy to reach. Available controls depend on your software and installed apps. See Apple’s Control Center guide; the redesigned controls are documented in its iOS 18 release notes.

10. Turn on Camera’s grid and level

Camera’s composition guides help you arrange a subject and see whether the phone is level.

1. Open Settings > Camera.
2. Turn on Grid and Level.
3. Return to Camera and use the onscreen guides while framing the picture.

The grid can help align objects or place a subject away from the center. Use the level indicator when you want a straight horizon. Apple introduced the horizon level in iOS 17; older software may not show that switch. These guides help with framing, while focus, light and motion still affect the finished photo. See Apple’s Camera tools guide and its iOS 17 feature list.

Related guide: For unwanted calls, see AppShifted’s built-in iPhone call controls. The instructions here are based on Apple’s documentation; they do not represent a hands-on test of every iPhone model or iOS version.