How to Get the Most Out of Your New iPhone

If you were lucky enough to receive an iPhone 14 as a holiday gift, you may be wondering how to use all the new features. If you're coming from an older model, there will be a bit of a learning curve. But don't worry, we're here to help. Check out our guide to using your new iPhone.

If you were gifted the iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, you may be wondering what a Dynamic Island is (that little floating graphic at the top of your screen). If you were gifted any of the iPhone 14 models, you’ll want to know what emergency SOS via satellite is and how to use it. There are also little hacks you should know about, such as editing or unsending iMessages, which can really come in handy.

Here are some tips and tricks to get you started with the iPhone 14. With these tips, you'll be able to get the most out of your new phone.

You can now edit and delete iMessages you’ve already sent. This next feature works for anyone who has an iPhone released in 2017 or later. Just make sure your iPhone is running on iOS 16 or newer. (You can check by going to Settings > General > About.)

If you have iOS 16 or newer installed, you can unsend an iMessage within two minutes, or edit an iMessage within 15 minutes. This perk doesn't work with SMS text messages (the kind that appear as green bubbles instead of blue ones), and only works if the person you're texting also has iOS 16 or newer installed.

To edit an iMessage, simply tap and hold the message you wish to edit. A menu will appear with the option to edit your message. Once you're done editing, simply tap the send button and your edited message will be on its way.

To unsend an iMessage, simply follow these steps:

The new "duplicate detection" feature in iOS 16 can help you aggregate all of your repetitive photos and free up wasted storage space. This feature is only available on iOS 16, which you can download on an iPhone 8 or newer.

To remove duplicate photos:

The battery percentage indicator lets you see how much charge your battery has left at a glance. This can be useful if you want to know exactly how much battery life you have left. Knowing you have a 60% charge is much easier to see than trying to gauge it from an icon. So, turn on the battery percentage indicator.

To turn on the battery percentage indicator, simply go to your device's settings and look for the "Battery" option. Once you've found it, simply enable the "Show battery percentage" option and you're all set!

You'll now see a little number indicating your battery life inside the battery icon on the top right-hand corner of your iPhone screen.

Apple has launched a new emergency SOS feature for iPhone 14 users that allows them to text emergency services when they're off the grid. The service is free for the first two years and can be a lifesaver for anyone camping in the mountains or driving in a remote area at night.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need emergency assistance, you can use the SOS feature on your satellite phone. This will send a distress signal to the nearest rescue center, who will then be able to provide assistance.

This next trick is really handy if you want to identify a song that's playing on the radio, without having to open an app. All you need to do is swipe down and tap a single button.

Apple acquired the music recognition service Shazam in 2018. Setting it up on your iPhone is easy.

This adds the music recognition function to Control Center, which you can access by swiping down from the top-right of your screen, or from the bottom of the screen if you have an iPhone with a Home button.

To identify a song using your iPhone, open Control Center and tap the Shazam button. Your phone will listen for a few seconds, then show the artist and title at the top of your screen. It will also save a history of the songs you've identified, which you can access by pressing and holding the Shazam button.

Widgets on your iPhone let you see information from your favorite apps without having to actually open those apps. You can use widgets on your home screen and lock screen, or you can use widgets from Today View by swiping right from the home screen or lock screen.

To add widgets to your home screen, follow these steps:

1. Swipe right from the home screen to open Today View.

2. Scroll to the bottom of Today View and tap Edit.

3. Tap the Add button next to the widget you want to add.

4. Tap Done to save your changes.

You can keep your iPhone's home screen organized by adding and deleting apps. This will help you declutter your screen and make it easier to find the apps you need.

If you want to save space on your iPhone and declutter your home screen, you can delete apps that you don't use. Here's how to do it:

To keep an app downloaded but remove it from your home screen, simply hold down on the app icon until it begins to shake. Then, tap the "x" that appears in the top left corner of the icon.

If you swipe your home screen from right to left, you'll notice that there are multiple pages that house your apps.

To remove a page from your home screen, press and hold on the page, then drag it to the trash can icon at the top of the screen.

To hide a page without deleting it:

To unhide a page, simply follow the steps outlined above. You can then use the App Library to quickly find any apps that you may have hidden on different pages.

5G cell service is compatible with all carriers and iPhone models 12, 13, 14 and SE 3. On the iPhone, Apple has a 5G Auto Setting as a default. This enables Smart Data mode. When 5G speeds don’t provide a better experience, your phone will automatically switch to LTE, saving battery life.

If you have your phone set to 5G On, it could be draining your battery faster than if it were set to 5G Auto. That's because, regardless of which connection is best at any given moment, your iPhone will always try to connect to 5G. To extend your battery life, disable 5G connectivity.

Or let your iPhone optimize battery life for you:

If you're upgrading from an older model iPhone, don't use your old charger. With an iPhone 8 or newer, you can charge your phone by 50% in 30 minutes using a 20-watt power adapter with a USB-C to lightning cable charger. But there are some other battery tricks you should know about.

To conserve battery power, turn on Low Power Mode. This will help to extend the battery life of your device.

Under the "Low Power Mode" option, you'll see an explanation from Apple that says this mode will temporarily reduce background activity like downloads and mail fetching until you can fully charge your iPhone.

To conserve battery power, turn down the brightness on your screen.

If you have your iPhone's screen set to maximum brightness, it's using up more battery power. To conserve battery, turn the brightness down.

You can check your iPhone's battery health by going to Settings > Battery. There you will see a Battery Health section that will give you an estimate of your battery's maximum capacity and peak performance capability.

Apple has a tool that automatically helps prevent your iPhone battery from losing power. This feature also makes your iPhone charge more slowly, based on your routines. Here's how to turn it off:

If you have iOS 15 or newer, you can set up a feature called Focus which allows you to choose the alerts and notifications you receive and let others know you’re busy. This can help you avoid getting distracted by your phone’s notifications while you’re trying to work, sleep or drive.

When you're on Focus mode, your status will automatically be displayed in your Messages app. This lets people know that you've silenced your notifications, but they can still choose to notify you if it's urgent.

If you have an iPad or Apple Watch, or any other Apple device, Focus will automatically be applied across all your devices that are signed in with the same Apple ID.

The iPhone 14 has some new, cool lock screens.

To change your lock screen:

Apple's new Dynamic Island feature is really cool. Instead of the blank notch that used to house the selfie camera and microphone, there's a new interactive pill display that can shape-shift on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. This is a great addition that makes the iPhone even more user-friendly and fun to use.

If you're reading an article, you can also control the music you're listening to by tapping Dynamic Island instead of switching applications. This can be useful if you want to keep listening to music while you read.

The space on the lock screen can be used to show other things, such as directions, AirPod connection status and battery life, or a timer. It can even split into two separate cutouts, so you can see a timer on one side and track the arrival time of your Lyft simultaneously, for example.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max feature an always-on display, which Android phones have had for years. The advantage of this feature is that you can see your widgets, such as the date and the weather, as well as the time, in a low-light mode when your phone is locked. The feature isn’t supposed to be a drain on your battery.

If you're looking for a way to turn off the always-on display on your phone, here's how to do it. This will help you save battery life and enjoy more peace and quiet.