iphone tips

Regardless of finding the perfect non-annoying ringtone, it can be tough to hear when phone calls and texts come through when you're on a noisy street or your phone is just stuck at the bottom of a bag. To never miss a call again, let some light shine in on the iPhone in the form of LED light alerts.

Activating this setting takes — no exaggeration — about 30 seconds. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility, and then scroll down to "LED Flash For Alerts." Slide the OFF switch to ON, and the iPhone light notifications are ready to go. Note that the light is bright, and since you're a model of proper tech etiquette, it may be wise to power your phone all the way done at places like the movies or a restaurant, where the flash will disrupt others.

This amazingly handy geek tip comes from GeekSugar community member Lauren:

I am one of those people that can't fall asleep if there is dead silence; I need a little noise. At home I use my dock with my iPhone and set the sleep timer, but for the holidays, I don't want to make room in my suitcase for my dock. Don't worry, Apple has thought of everything with a sleep timer built into the phone.

Find out how to turn on your iPhone's sleep timer after the break!

While the not-yet-released iPhone is rumored to have a front-facing camera, previous models (obviously) do not. So, if you're faced with the challenge of taking your own photo with your iPhone (come on, we've all done it), there's an easier way than just standing in front of a mirror.

I mentioned this before as an iPhone tip, but in honor of National Photography Month, here's today's tip:

The iPhone camera doesn't take the photo when you press the camera button, it snaps the image when you release it. So, in order to take a self-portrait, open the camera app and place your finger on the camera button, but don't release. Then, you can turn the phone around, extend your arm, and take the shot. For an extra-helpful touch, make sure your phone is out of silent mode, so you'll hear the "click" of the shutter's release.

I'll be posting a new photography tip every day in the month of May, so be sure to check back for more helpful tips, techniques, and apps to take fantastic photos.

I figured out this iPhone tip after my laptop battery died while on a WiFi-equipped cross-country flight. Unlike Virgin America (my favorite high-tech airline!), there weren't individual seat outlets, so once the battery was gone, it was gone. Just as I was starting to feel anxiety about being disconnected for the remainder of the flight, I remembered my iPhone's WiFi capabilities and wondered if I'd be able to switch the WiFi on while keeping the cellular signal in the FAA-mandated "off" position.

Turns out, you can! To enable WiFi without using a cell signal, switch to (or keep your phone in) airplane mode and just turn on the WiFi. You won't be able to send text messages or make phone calls, but every other function and application that works with WiFi will work on your phone (including Words With Friends! Goodbye, in-flight boredom). While this is obviously useful in flight, it's also useful if you're in an area with poor phone reception and don't want to drain the battery, a foreign country where you don't want to pay hefty out-of-network charges while visiting, or if you don't want to be distracted by phone calls or text messages but want to send email or use other functions on the phone.

Do you have a helpful iPhone tip you'd love to share? Create a PopSugar account or log in to your account. Then join the iPhone Tips group where you can share your tip and tell us why they make your life easier. And your handy tip or trick could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

One of the downsides to being an active iPhone user is the toll it takes on the battery life. I'm generally pleased with how long my battery lasts, but I like to conserve while I can. This iPhone feature is perfect because it allows you to view your phone's battery life as a percentage next to the battery icon.

To turn it on, tap "Settings," "General," then "Usage" and set the battery percentage option to "On." This shows how much juice you have left in an easy-to-read percentage form, so you can keep searching for the latest updates on the Apple tablet, or holster that baby until you can find a charger.

Do you have a helpful iPhone tip you'd love to share? Create a PopSugar account or log in to your account. Then join the iPhone Tips group where you can share your tip and tell us why they make your life easier. And your handy tip or trick could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

While I've been sporting an iPhone for nearly two years, I'm willing to bet your chosen gadget of the decade could be found wrapped under many Christmas trees this year! Is there anything this phone can't do? Every time I turn around it seems I'm bringing you another iPhone tip, but I can't get enough of the awesome shortcuts and general life improvement it offers. Today's tip: double-clicking the "home" button to access the iPhone function of your choice.

When your phone is locked, the double-click controls your phone's iPod. I use this new tip to control my iPhone when it's unlocked. Under the "settings" menu, select "general" and then "home." The screen displayed allows you to control which function displays when you double-click the home button: home, search, favorites, camera, or iPod. I like to keep my phone set to bring up the camera when I double-click. That way, I'm sure to never miss a shot!

Do you have a helpful iPhone tip you'd love to share? Then head over to our community and post it to our iPhone Tips group where you can share your tips and tell us why they make your life easier. Your handy trick could be featured on GeekSugar!

Here's an iPhone feature that could have completely slipped your radar: zooming in and out of your screen. I've used the double-tap feature to zoom in on text on a webpage in Safari, but I've noticed it doesn't work in other applications. Turns out there's a setting for that!

The zoom feature, which can be turned on in the Settings menu, uses a three-finger tapping system to zoom in on any screen. Just double tap with three fingers to zoom. To move around when zoomed in, drag three fingers around the screen. And to change the zoom farther or closer, double-tap and drag three fingers up or down. This feature only works with the iPhone 3GS and new iPod Touch, not older models. To activate the zoom feature, tap Settings, General, and then Accessibility.

Do you have a helpful iPhone tip you'd love to share? Create a PopSugar Account or log in to your account. Then join our iPhone Tips group where you can share your tip and tell us why you love it so much. Your handy tip or trick could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

I'm never more than an arm's reach away from my beloved iPhone, and I love figuring out new tips and tricks to help me use it more efficiently. I've been discovering quite a few tips lately, from keyboard tricks to iPod shortcuts, but am always on the hunt for more shortcuts or helpful apps to make my life a little simpler.

Do you have an interesting iPhone tip, trick, or favorite app to share? Create a PopSugar account or log in to your account. Then join the iPhone Tips group and post your tip — it could end up featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

One of my favorite iPhone features is its camera. It's of impressive quality for a cell phone camera, and has gotten successively better with each generation of iPhone released. Add the plethora of accessories meant to enhance the iPhone's camera and applications to enhance your photos, and my iPhone can produce better photos than my camera. But even with all of the additional bells and whistles, there was one thing I thought my iPhone camera couldn't do: take self-portraits. In fact, I thought the only real way to take a self-portrait was with a mirror, with the back of the iPhone in full view.

Sure, we joke about the famous self-portrait photos that show up all too often as Facebook profile pictures, the telltale extended arm in the photo holding the camera above eye level. But taking a self-portrait with an iPhone seemed nearly impossible; holding the phone in one hand, trying to tap the right place on the screen where the camera button is located, nearly dropping the phone on the ground. (Not that I've, um, tried this or anything).

But the iPhone self-portrait is possible! To find out how, read more