Apple iOS 11: Twenty Hidden Tips and Tricks

Apple iOS 11 is the eleventh major release of the iOS mobile operating system. iOS 11 has been rolling out to devices since September 19, 2017. Minor release updates are still rolling out. This mobile OS works on iPhone 5s and higher. iPod Touch (6th generation), iPad Air to iPad Pro. Mostly on devices from 2013 upwards.

Check available updates by going to Settings > General > Software Update on your device. You will see available updates which can take half an hour to download. Update and enjoy a handful lists of tricks and tweaks listed below.

1. Auto-Delete Apps You Don't Use

Having so many apps you don't use? This will save you a handsome space after all. Many times, we tend to download so many applications we seldom use. Navigate to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Offload Unused Apps and see the magic. Also, you can use the disable option from Settings > iTunes & App, and scroll down to use it.

2. Delete Unsupported Apps

iOS 11 only supports 64-bit apps. Navigate to Settings > General > About > Applications to see the list of apps that are incompatible with iOS 11. If you can't tap into the Applications setting, that means all your apps are compatible with iOS 11. It makes sense to update your apps regularly for compatibility issues.

3. Edit Screenshots Right-Away

Take a screenshot and click on the thumbnail on the screen to edit it immediately. The editing mode offers a wide range of tools to blend it to your taste. Hold the Power button and Home button at the same time to take screenshots. On iPhone X, hold down the power button and press Volume Up on the other side.

4. Save and Share Web pages In PDF Formats

Browsing with Safari, click the share button and swipe left from rows of icons that pop out. Click on Create PDF (You can click the More button to re-order the icons later). You'll see a little marker icon at the top—tap it to use the annotation tools to save the page as a PDF. Then, save your file to the desired location.

5. Insert Drawings To mails

Using the default Mail app, hold down your finger in a message until you get the usual pop-up menu for pasting content. Select Insert Drawing and you will get tools for artwork. Use it for annotations. The + icon has some other options for inserting shapes and text in a drawing, even your signature.

6. Space Saver Media Formats

Compress your photos with HEIF (High-Efficiency Image Format). And Videos with HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding). This saves device space and still delivers good quality in lossless condition. To set up the new formats, go to Settings > Camera > Formats > High Efficiency. To stick with a JPG file for images and H.264 for videos, tap Most Compatible.

7. Phone Answers Calls Automatically

Go into Settings > General > Accessibility > Call Audio Routing > Auto-Answer Calls. This tells your phone to answer every call received. Set the time in seconds before the phone answers. Always turn this off when you wish to receive your calls. This is useful when you have unimportant calls to receive.

8. Customize The Control Center - iOS 11

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen on an iPhone to use Control Center. There is now a lot to customize there. The customization is much more about the cool controls you can add when you go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls.

This customization includes Low Power, Text Size, Wallet, Do Not Disturb While Driving, Notes, and many more. Tap the green plus button to add something to Control Center; select the red minus button to delete. To organize the order of the buttons, drag them using the menu on the right.

9. Screen Recording At Go

No need for a third-party app to get this awesome feature. Add the screen recording button to the control center. This is done by going to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls.

From the Control Center, you can tap the icon to record your screen at a go. Screen recording is useful to teach or show off what is happening on your device. The video saves to your photos when you finish the recording.

Using 3D Touch gives an extra option to turn Microphone Audio On. This lets you do a narration as you record.

10. Hide the Messages App Drawer

Speaking of the App Drawer toolbar, you don't have to see that every time you open Messages. Just tap the App Store icon next to the text box (the stylized letter "A") and it'll be gone until you tap it again.

11. New Special Effects

This has been available since iOS 10. Sending messages with special effects between two iPhones was born. iOS 11 comes with two new special effects - Echo and Spotlight. Type your message, hold down the send key (), and tap Screen at the top. Echo, which shows multiple echoes of your message (very effective with emoji), will be the first option. Swipe left to see Spotlight, which puts a literal spotlight on your message. Continue swiping left for other options.

12. Effects for Live Photos

The effects are Long Exposure (for getting streaks of light or motion blur from something moving); Bounce (where the motion goes back and forth, back and forth, like Instagram's Boomerang); and Loop (a constant replay over and over, like Vine).

From the Photos app, launch a live photo and swipe up on the photo. From the Effects menu, tap to add an effect of your choice. Live photos are editable. Use the edit option to make suitable changes.

13. One Handed Keyboard

Is the keypad too large for your thumb? You can use one of its options in the built-in Quick-Type keyboard. Hold down the Emoji keyboard. Choose one from the two little mini-keyboard icons on the left or right. Pick the one closest to your typing thumb. Make the one-thumb keyboard permanent from the settings. Settings > General > Keyboards > One-Handed Keyboard and mark the one you want.

14. Drag and Drop, The Dock

Exclusively for iPad users. You can now add many icons to the dock. The icons shrink a little every time you add another. The Dock now has a "most used" set of icons to the far right, for your most used applications. Turn off the app suggestions in Settings > General > Multitasking & Dock > Show Suggested and Recent Apps.

When you're in an app, swipe up from the bottom a short distance to get the Dock (swipe all the way up to get Control Center). From a keyboard, hold Option + Command + D to get the Dock. Press and hold one of the icons on the Dock, then drag it up to the right, and you'll get a Slide Over Panel showing that now-multi-tasking app—perfect for the new drag-and-drop functions. Now we just have to wait for more apps to support drag and drop, which does work on iPhone for some apps like Files and for text.

15. New Map Support

The built-in Maps app now supports lane directions, interior building directions in some cases (great for airports), and single-finger zoom. Double tap to zoom, or double tap but on the second one, hold your finger on the screen, then move it around to get the same effect you have with pinching.

16. Power Off Without Power Button

Go to Settings > General > Shut Down. You'll get the usual prompt to slide the on-screen slider to the right to shut down. (How do you power back on with a broken power button? Plug into a charging Lightning cable.)

17. Scan QR Codes

Scan QR codes by taking a picture of them in the camera app. Turn the ability off in Settings > Camera.

18. Siri Now Takes Your Writing

Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Siri > Type to Siri. Holding down the Home button, you will see a type box rather than the audio waveform at the bottom to show Siri is listening. You'll get the same audio and screen feedback as usual. You have an option to turn on "Control with Ring Switch," so Siri does not speak up if you have the phone ring. Or switch set to mute. Talk to Siri by saying: "Hey Siri," which you set up in Settings > Siri & Search.

19. Scan Documents

Use the built-in Notes app to do a focused "scan" when you take a picture of a document. Tap the + button within a Note, select Scan Documents, line up the doc in the viewfinder, and let it rip. The image is added to your Note.

Pin your favourite note so it's always at the top, and easily accessible. Swipe right on the note name to see the pin icon. Use the Control Center to quickly go to Notes.

20. Move Multiple Icons for Reorganization

You can drag multiple icons in the edit mode. Start dragging a wiggle icon with one finger, then with a second finger tap (sometimes multiple times to get it to work) another icon, or more. They'll create a stack under the first icon, which you then drag to a new screen. This doesn't work for dragging folders.