The most useful iPhone features often aren't the ones Apple highlights. After years of using iPhones, I'm still discovering clever built-in capabilities that solve everyday annoyances. I stumbled across five incredibly useful iPhone features recently that have solved problems I've been dealing with for years.
From eliminating distracting notification badges to improving how you edit text, these hidden capabilities address common frustrations without requiring additional apps. Most of them are tucked away in Settings and take just seconds to access.
1. Banish the annoying red notification badges
Those persistent red circles with numbers that appear on app icons can quickly overwhelm your home screen and create unnecessary visual stress.
Open the Settings app and scroll down to Notifications. From here, select any app whose badge notifications you want to disable. Within each app's notification settings, simply toggle off the Badges option.
You'll need to repeat this process for each app individually, but the result is a cleaner, less distracting home screen that doesn't constantly demand your attention with arbitrary numbers.
2. Improve text editing with the space bar trick
Positioning the cursor precisely when editing text is one of the most frustrating aspects of typing on a touchscreen, but there's a hidden gesture that makes it dramatically easier.
Instead of tapping and holding on text to bring up the magnifying glass and then struggling to place the cursor exactly where you want it, simply press and hold the space bar. This instantly turns your keyboard into a trackpad.
While continuing to hold the space bar, slide your finger in any direction to move the cursor smoothly and precisely through your text. This method provides much more control than the traditional tap-and-drag approach.
3. Silence keyboard clicks without muting
The constant tapping sounds from your keyboard can be annoying in quiet settings, but you don't need to put your entire phone on silent mode to address this.
Open Settings and scroll down to Sound & Haptics. Then scroll until you find Keyboard Feedback and tap it. Here you can toggle off Sound while leaving Haptic on if you still want tactile feedback without the noise.
This targeted adjustment silences just your keyboard while allowing other important sounds like ringtones and alerts to continue functioning normally.
4. Turn the Apple logo into a shortcut button with back tap
Your iPhone has a hidden button that isn't even visible — it's the Apple logo on the back of your device, which can be programmed to perform various actions when tapped.
Open Settings, then navigate to Accessibility and select Touch. Scroll down and tap Back Tap. From here, choose either Double Tap or Triple Tap and select an action from the list of options.
You can set this invisible button to take screenshots, open the Control Center, mute your phone, or open camera — all by simply tapping the back of your device.
5. Control your flashlight brightness
Many people don't realize the iPhone flashlight isn't just off or on — you can adjust its intensity, so it better matches your preferences in any given situation.
Pull down from the top-right corner of your screen to open the Control Center. Then long-press the flashlight icon until a brightness slider appears. Slide your finger up or down on this meter to adjust the intensity from a soft glow to maximum brightness.
This gives you perfect lighting for any situation, whether you're reading a menu in a dim restaurant or searching for something under your couch.
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