How to make the most of your iPhone: 10 little-known features of Apple's smartphone

How effectively do you use your iPhone and what do you know about its hidden features? In fact, there are many tricks that are little known to the general public that you can use right now.

This, SSPDaily writes, will make you an advanced user who knows how to get the most out of your iPhone. Here are 10 phone options you didn't even know you had.

Merge duplicate images and videos

Photos on your phone are often duplicated and take up extra space. The good news is that the Photos app automatically detects such duplicates and merges them into a single copy to save storage space.

Here's how it works:

• Open the Photos app
• Click the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen
• Scroll down the page and select Duplicates
• Click the "Select" button in the upper right corner of the screen
• Select photos and videos manually or click the "Select All" button in the upper left corner of the screen
• Click the "Merge" button at the bottom of the screen
• If necessary, select "Merge Exact Copies Only" or "Merge Items"

To confirm your decision, click the Merge Exact Copies Only or Merge Items button again.

Instantly return to the top of the page

Don't you hate it when you have to go back to the beginning of a web page? You can either keep turning the page until you get to the top, or you can let your iPhone do it for you.

It turns out that to instantly return to the top of any page, you just need to tap the top of your iPhone right below the notch or dynamic island. The device will do the rest.

This tip works in almost any application. It's especially useful if you want to see your oldest photos in the Photos app.

Send a signal to your Apple Watch with your iPhone

If you have an Apple Watch, you probably know about the iPhone's Ping button, which helps you locate your iPhone using sounds.

But now, thanks to iOS 17, the Control Center has a new Ping My Watch option that lets you make your Apple Watch make sounds that make it easy to find.

How do I set it up?

First, go to Settings > Control Center and tap the plus sign next to the Ping My Watch control to add it to Control Center.

Then open the Control Center and tap the Ping My Watch control.

Pause playback of lists or shows with a timer

For many people, falling asleep while listening to music or watching a show is the perfect way to unwind before bed.

However, if you don't like this option of relaxation and don't like to look for a place to continue watching again, the timer in the Clock app will fix the situation. This app has a built-in feature that pauses playback of any type of media as soon as the timer reaches zero.

Here's how to use it:

• Open the Clock app
• Click the Timer tab in the lower right corner of the screen
• Set the timer to the desired time
• Click on "When Timer Ends"
• Scroll down and select Stop Playing
• Click the "Set" button in the upper right corner

And that's it. This can be used when watching YouTube, Netflix, Twitch, and when listening to Spotify or Apple Music.

Use Siri to flip a coin

You can use Siri to launch apps, set reminders, and even search the web. But that's not all the app can do.

You can also ask Siri to flip a coin. Whether you want to leave an important decision to fate or just play with Siri, all you have to do is say, "Hey Siri, flip a coin," and Siri will tell you what's up and what's down.

But that's not all: Siri can also roll a dice. Just say: "Siri, roll a die," and the virtual assistant will do it.

All in all, you can ask Siri to do a lot of things, so use it to simplify your life or just have fun.

Screen recording with the microphone turned on

Apple allows you to record the screen on your iPhone. To do this, just use the Screen Recording control and the process will start.

However, the developer decided to take this feature to the next level. Now you can also record your voice while recording the screen.

To start the feature, make sure that the Screen Recording control is added to the Control Center. To do this, go to Control Center settings.

Then open the Control Center and long-press the Screen Recording control (it's the icon with a dot inside a circle), then activate the microphone at the bottom of the screen until it turns red.

Now you can start recording with your voice. By default, this feature is enabled, so to turn off the microphone, repeat the steps described above.

Change the default browser and email programs

For a very long time, Apple had a rule that only its own apps could be used as default programs.

Luckily, times have changed, and if you prefer Google Chrome or Gmail to Safari and the Mail app, Apple lets you choose your default apps in Settings.

Here's how to do it:

• Open Settings
• Scroll to the bottom and go to your preferred email program or browser
• Click Default Browser App or Default Mail App
• Select the browser or mail program you want to use

And that's it. The next time you need to open a link or create a new email, your iPhone will open the new default browser or email app you choose.

Find your photos

With the iPhone's search function, you can find almost anything you want - information on the web or in individual apps, and even perform some math. And one of the best features is the ability to find pictures. This is especially handy if you don't want to dig through your own photo library.

To use it, swipe down from the home screen. Then search for something that is part of the photo. For example, you can search for specific text, a place, or a specific person added to the Photos app.

Add favorite website shortcuts to your Home screen

The Home screen isn't just a place for apps and widgets. You can also add shortcuts to all your favorite websites in seconds.

Here's how to do it:

• Open Safari
• Go to any website
• Click the Share button at the bottom of the screen
• Scroll down and select "Add to Home Screen"
• Select the name you want to add to the new shortcut
• When you're ready, click the "Add" button

You will be automatically redirected to the Home screen where you will see the new shortcut. By default, the shortcut icon will be the site icon, and unfortunately, you can't change it.

Create your own vibrations

On iPhone, you can add and set not only specific ringtones, but also create your own vibration patterns. This is handy if you don't like the sound of your iPhone or just want your own. iPhone allows you to create as many of them as you want.

To make one of your own:

• Open the Settings app
• Scroll to the bottom and go to the Sound & Haptics section
• Go to the Ringtone section
• Select "Haptics"
• Scroll down and tap "Create New Vibration"
• Tap on the screen to create a template

The time to create a new vibration is limited, but if you don't know what to add, click the "Stop" button.

When you are done, click the "Save" button in the upper right corner.

Enter a name for the vibration and select "Save".

By default, iPhone will select the new user vibration to play everywhere, but you can go even further and assign this vibration to a specific contact.

To do this, open the Contacts or Phone app and go to the Contacts tab. Select the desired contact and click the Edit button in the upper left corner of the screen.

Next, select the Ringtone or Text ringtone option, then select Tactile and the name of the vibration.