iPhones have turned into mini computers in the palm of your hand. As new versions of iOS are released, and new features are added, it can be hard to keep up with all of the new shortcuts and tricks that can take your iPhone game to the next level.

Before we get to the tips, a little background…

A couple of years ago, when I gave an old iPhone to my Dad as a gift, he took one look at it, thanked me for such a high tech gadget, and asked if I still had the instruction manual so he could learn how to use it.  Instruction manual?!  I was caught off guard; it took me a second to remember who I was talking to – for my dad, reading the instructions prior to use showed that he took the device seriously and wanted to respect what I given him by learning to operate it correctly.

I had to tell him there are no instructions, you just have to use it and discover.

That was scary for him, but today he loves his iPhone. As I reflect on that encounter, it prompted this post to review some of our favorite tips and tricks for iPhone.  The things you may not discover without an instruction manual. ????

1. Add an Extension to a Call:

Most of you have already figured out a way to add an extension to a particular number on your contact list, but in case you haven’t, you can easily add an extension by dialing the particular number and holding * for a second. You will see a comma appear on the screen. Now dial the extension you want to assign and tap the call button or save it to a contact so you never have to worry about it again.

2. Take Better Selfies:

Aside from making calls, listen to music, and swiping on Facebook, the most *important* feature to most people is the ability to capture your unique expression on the fly, from wherever you are. Yes, we’re talking about the all-important Selfie.  You probably share these images with your friends online, and it’s great when people comment on them.  We know you want to up your Selfie game, so here’s a good tip; use your earphone button, to take the photo, instead of having to reach out and click the phone at the same time. This is one we did a video where we mansplain how to do this.

3. Getting Rid of Ads in Game Apps:

Many of us use our smartphones for more than simply making calls, we like to play games on out phones too. The thing we hate is waiting for ads to be done so we can get back to crushing candy or shooting zombies. Waiting for long and irritating ads to be over is all the more frustrating when you’re in the thick of it. Some people pay to get rid of these ads. Well, now you can do it for free. All you need to do is to swipe on the control center. Go into airplane mode and then play your games. On airplane mode, ads don’t show up! – This one doesn’t work on every game, but it can be well worth the extra taps to see.

4. Amplification of Speakers:

Almost every iPhone user has a diverse music playlist and loves to listen on his/her earphones. But there are times when your earphones are not around and when played without it, the sound is simply not loud enough. Well, worry no more! If you want to amplify the sound of your device, just put your iPhone in a cup and it will echo within the cup and make the sound louder. Now you can share your awesome tunes with your friends and everyone can rock out at the same time.

5. Custom Vibration Options:

Imagine how cool it would be if you are able to recognize a caller just by a unique sensation of vibration against your body. This option is already available on your phone thanks to those eggheads at Apple. Go to Contacts, select the number you want to assign a vibration to and hit Edit. Here, you will come across the Vibration option. Select this and Create New Vibration tool. Create your own or select from plenty of already available options.

6. Limit your App Access and Save Your Mobile Data:

In our digital age, the amount of data our phone use increases every year. As higher quality video content can be streamed directly to our device, and background apps are constantly checking in with the internet, it can be hard to manage the amount of data we consume. Most of the time, it becomes hard to survive through the month. What most people do not know is that most of their data is wasted on various background applications. You can select which apps can be demoted to your mobile data by going to Settings, and then select Mobile Data. Here you can select the apps that you want to be demoted and now they will no longer use your data, but wait until they are on a Wi-Fi network.

7. Create your own shortcuts:

We are used to using the standard acronyms for common phrases, and more are becoming popular all the time.  Phrases like LOL, TY, LMAO, etc are fun to use and make communicating via text faster.  But what if you could have a short hand way to get across a phrase or idea quickly?  Wouldn’t it be cool to text “What do you need from the store?” by typing just a few characters?  Hell yes!  Apple as that built in, and you may not have ever known about it.

To get there, click the following: Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement

Paste in the phrase you want to pop up, then type the shortcut.  Simple. Awesome.

(If you want to see that visually, check out our video.)

That’s it for this week!  Check back next week for another exciting article about the world of Phone Love.  If you missed last week’s article, you still have reading to do.  Why You Should NOT Go Into Debt For The “New” iPhone