(CNN) —
We were impressed when Apple launched the iPhone 12 family, and especially loved the spectacular cameras and the modern design.
And there’s so much these smartphones can do that you may have overlooked, be it a preloaded app that you tossed to the side or an easy way to create a PDF. That’s why we’ve been hunting and finding great tips and tricks that are making us more productive with our iPhones. And better yet, there’s no extra charge, as your iPhone can do these out of the box.
Undo or redo typing with a three finger tap
While it’s a known feature, it’s fair to say that “Shake to Undo” is sometimes forgotten. Truthfully, it’s an easy way to go back a step and to undo text. But now you can also tap with three fingers to “undo” or “redo” when in a text field. This is handy for messages, typing in a URL and even with emails.
Send an entire webpage as a PDF
Yes, you can screenshot on an iPhone (just click the power button and volume up at the same time on models with Face ID, and power and home button for older models). But you can also tap “Full Page” to have iOS capture the entirety of the webpage. It’s a great way to share news articles, your favorite listicle or even a recipe. From there, you can save it to your iPhone or share it in an email or message.
Measure nearly anything with this built-in app
Apple first introduced the Measure app with iOS 12, and while it’s a perfect demo of augmented reality, it can actually come in handy. Essentially, through the combination of the cameras on your iPhone and software smarts, it measures distances. You can mark those with different starting and stopping points, while also being able to easily change what standard you’re using to measure.
Easily access nearby Wi-Fi networks
In the Control Center, you can easily turn on or off Wi-Fi, but you can also switch between different networks. Swipe down from the top left-hand corner, press the long-press into the square with connections and then long press again on the Wi-Fi symbol. It will then show the network you’re currently connected to and then show a list of other networks in your range. You can switch on the fly to a known network or join a new one. Plus, this also works for Bluetooth connections.
Hold down the screen to turn your finger into a cursor
There’s nothing worse than writing a long email and having to oh-so-carefully click to change a double space or to fix a sentence structure. But holding down your keyboard will let you turn it into a mouse cursor, allowing you to quickly get to the spot you need to fix. It’s super helpful for those quick changes.
Clear numbers in Calculator with a swipe
While the Calculator is pretty basic, it’s a handy app. But did you know hitting Clear (aka the “C” button) isn’t the only way to start fresh? You can swipe an individual number away to remove it. This is super handy, especially if you add an extra digit. Just swipe left or right on a number to remove it.
Messages got a number of new features in iOS 14 but our favorite trick is pinning conversations. No longer do you need to scroll through endless rows of convos to find your most used, rather you can pin it to the top. Simply swipe from left to right on a conversation and you’ll see a yellow pin icon appear. That contact will jump to the top as a circle and you can rearrange it as you like.
Back Tap might be the best kept secret on the iPhone. Originally designed as an Accessibility feature for easily triggering a task or action, it’s open for everyone and can be super charged. Essentially an iPhone can pickup a two finger or triple tap on its back thanks to the Haptic sensor. In Settings you can set a double tap to open Messages or to go back home. While a triple tap can trigger the opening of a specific app or even locking your phone. It’s super handy. This is found under Settings > Accessibility > Back Tap.
The Bedtime feature in the Clock app lets you set a bedtime and will send a friendly reminder. You can set when it should send (typically 30 or 45 minutes prior) and it can even engage Do Not Disturb to encourage less phone usage before slumber time.
Apple adds a plethora of new emojis to iOS in updates throughout the year and we all have our favorites. For us, it has to be the upside down smiley face and the lightning bolt. But did you know you can search for an emoji right within the keyboard? It’s super handy for finding the right emoji for when words aren’t enough.
Looking to take your photos to the next level? Shooting in ProRaw on the iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max bundles additional information that you can take advantage of in photo editing apps. Think Photoshop or Pixelmator. This ultimately gives you greater control over an image – but know that these files take up a bit more space.
Now more than ever, we’re using FaceTime to stay connected. Ever notice the white circular shutter button? Well, it’s an easy way to snap a photo during the call – and you can even set it to be a live photo. It’s an easy way to capture a memory during a call.