Do more with iOS

19th February 2015Tech NewsBy Alyson Longley

Smart phones are designed to make our lives easier and simpler but they can only do that if we know how to use them properly! There are hundred of helpful tips and tricks about iOS on the internet but we’ve put together 6 top tips:

1. Do More with CalendarLet your iOS calendar neatly and discreetly accommodate for your travelling time by toggling the “Travel Time” switch in Calendar settings and selecting a location for your future events and appointments. Your phone uses GPS and maps to make sure you have enough time to travel between appointments and can even be set up to send a notification ensuring you leave on time. There are a lot of independent apps that do this but for a simple, no-frills option that is preloaded on your iPhone it’s not bad at all.
2. Do More with RemindersIf your friends, family or partner also use the reminders feature on iOS then you can make this a truly useful and dynamic feature by taking advantage of shared reminders. Simply tap the “Edit” button and then choose “Sharing” and select your loved ones. This is great for creating shopping lists, or divvying up the housework. Everyone can add to the list, tick things off and stay in the loop about what has and hasn’t been done in real time – as long as you have an internet connection of course.
3. Do More with Safari DataThis is more of a “Do Less, but Save More” with Safari Data as when you do a search on the Safari browser, the automatic setting is for iOS to preload your first result, to speed up loading should you click it, however this may not be the result you need and therefore is wasting your precious data allowance. To turn this feature off go to Settings > Safari > Preload Top Hit and toggle off.
4. Do More with Last LocationA lot of people already know about this feature but a surprisingly few number actually use it. iOS can automatically send the last known location of your device to Apple when your battery is low. It’s intended to help you locate your missing iPhone even if it’s run out of power. However it’s not all that easy to find in Settings, which may account for its low numbers of adoption. This is not automatically set as on, to protect your privacy, however it can be found in Settings > iCloud > Advanced then scroll all the way to the bottom – also note that “Find My iPhone” must also be enabled for this to work.
5. Do More with Identified SongsEvery time Siri finds a song you ask to identify it’s saved in a list on iTunes, so you can buy it later. To find the list, simply launch iTunes, tap the three line graphic on the top right (under the power gauge) and select Siri in the menu. There you’ll have all the songs Siri has identified and you can select and buy with a single tap.
6. Do More with NotificationsThis is a pretty useful one but only when you’re in private. You can have Siri read your incoming notifications for you as they come in: to tell you who is calling, what your latest text was, who has just retweeted you or that you have received an important email. To do this go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Voice Over, leave “Voice Over” off but toggle “Always Speak Notifications” on. I find this particularly useful when I’m washing the dishes and I don’t want to keep flicking the screen on to see if I’ve received a text or message that I’m waiting on, just remember to turn it off again before you leave the house!