25 Essential iPhone 8 Tips and Tricks

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus may not seem all that different from 2016's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, especially with the radically new iPhone X grabbing all the attention. But Apple did make some pretty significant changes to its other phones, from improved cameras to the ability to charge your new phones wireless. Throw in iOS 11 and all of its new features, and your phone boasts a lot of newfound capabilities. Here's a guide to all the features you should explore to find out just what the iPhone 8 can do.

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Before migrating to the iPhone 8, make sure your previous phone is running iOS 11. This lets you take advantage of Apple's new Quick Setup feature. To kick it off, point your old iPhone's camera at the new model. The two devices will connect with each other, and after you enter your old phone's passcode on your new phone, there's a quick data transfer. The result: less time inputting old passwords and setting up Apple IDs.

iPhone 8 Plus users can take advantage of four new camera effects in Portrait mode. The depth effect introduced with iOS 10 is still there, but it's been joined by two lighting effects (which add drama to the face of your subject), and two dramatic spotlight effects that drop out the background behind the subject.

MORE: 30 Great Photos Taken With the iPhone 8

If you take a portrait shot with the iPhone 8 Plus and then decide later that you'd have preferred to use one of the new lighting effects, don't worry: all portrait shots are saved with all the depth data required to re-process the shots. Open an iOS 11 portrait shot in the Photos app, tap Edit, and you can apply any of the depth effects to your picture.

You can use Apple Pay to send money to your friends directly with the new Apple Pay Cash feature. To send cash, be sure you've got Apple Pay set up on your phone. (To avoid credit fees for Apple Pay Cash, link a debit card to your phone.) Then open Messages and start a conversation with the friend you want to send money to. At the bottom of the screen, tap the Applications icon (right to the left of the text-entry box), then tap the Apple Pay logo. You can either pay or request to be paid, and it all happens right within Messages.

MORE: Step-by-Step: Send Friends Money Through Apple Pay in iOS 11

A recent update to iOS 11 adds podcast integration to Siri for the first time. Ask Siri to play the recent episode of a specific podcast, it will try very hard to oblige. Siri searches the Apple Podcasts directory and uses the Podcasts app to play the episode in question, but doesn't subscribe you to that podcast. Say "Hey Siri, give me the news," and Apple's assistant will start playing an audio report from NPR; you can switch to Fox News, CNN or The Washington Post if you prefer a different source.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus both support the Qi charging standard, a first for Apple products. This means you can buy a Qi charging pad, like Belkin's Qi Wireless Charging Pad and charge your phone simply by placing it on the surface of the pad. (Charging's a bit slower than via a Lightning cable, though.) Apple's working on its own charging pad (amplified with proprietary technology) that will also charge Apple Watches and AirPods, due out this year.

Image Credit: Tom's Guide

MORE: Best Qi Wireless Chargers for Your iPhone 8 or iPhone X

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus can shoot higher-quality video than previous phones. By default, video is captured at 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, but that's not the maximum quality level: you can go all the way up to 4K at 60 frames per second if you want. (Just be aware tht it'll take up a lot of space on your device.) You can also go down to a film-like 24 frames per second, or drop back to 1080p or 720p shooting to save storage space. To adjust this setting, go to the Camera section of the Settings app and tap on Record Video.