20 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 waiting in the wings. But Apple did make some pretty significant changes to this year's 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.

Image Credit: Tom's Guide

Before migrating to the iPhone 8, update your previous phone to 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.

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 for release in 2018.

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.

To save space, iOS 11 uses more efficient video and photo formats than previous versions. By default the iPhone 8 shoots photos in HEIF and videos in HEVC, and will transcode those formats into JPEGs and H.264 videos when you share the files with others. But you can force your phone to shoot natively in the JPEG and H.264 formats if you prefer. From the Camera sections of the Settings app, tap on Formats and choose More Compatible.

In iOS 11, Apple's Live Photos feature, which captures video before and after a still image is more flexible: You can set a Live Photo to play in a loop, bounce back and forth, or compile all the images together in a simulation of a long photographic exposure. To apply these effects to a live photo, swipe the photo up to reveal the Effects list, then tap on a different effect. The Long Exposure feature is especially great for scenes involving running water, such as waterfalls.