iPhone Hacks: 25 Hidden Features You'll Actually Use

Top iPhone Hacks at a Glance

Most viral iPhone tips still tell you to swipe back on the calculator or turn your phone into a level. Apple added far better tools across recent iOS releases, replacing tired party tricks with interactive widgets and background controls that keep you tethered to your circle without extra taps.

Full disclosure: we make Bobble, which is in this guide. We tell you who each app fits, including when it is not us.

Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Hacks

1. Live photo sharing with Locket Widget

Locket Widget turns your Lock Screen into a direct photo portal for your closest friends. Whenever a friend snaps a picture, it updates on your display right away. It updates instantly. We covered how this setup works in our Locket widget guide, and you can compare other apps like Locket for more options.

Best for: Close friends and couples who want spontaneous visual updates without scrolling through social media feeds.

Watch out: The app focuses purely on photos, so you cannot send quick text replies or status badges from the widget.

Platforms: iOS, Android | Price: Free (optional paid tiers) | Minimum age: 12+

2. Long-press the Dynamic Island for instant background controls

Tapping the pill cutout launches the foreground application immediately. Long-pressing it expands a compact control panel instead. You can pause podcasts, skip music tracks, or check your timer without leaving your current group chat. Check out our guide on how to use the Dynamic Island for more gestures.

3. Build custom aesthetic widgets with Widgetsmith

Widgetsmith lets you build customized date, photo, and battery displays that match your phone aesthetic. You can schedule widgets to change throughout the day, showing your morning schedule before switching to photos at night.

Best for: Anyone who wants total visual control over their Lock Screen fonts, borders, and color themes.

Watch out: Advanced weather radar widgets and automatic icon styling require an ongoing paid subscription.

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, watchOS | Price: Free (optional paid subscription) | Minimum age: 4+

4. Create one-tap friend shortcuts with Apple Shortcuts

The built-in Shortcuts app puts custom buttons on your Home Screen or Lock Screen. Instead of scrolling through your entire Contacts list every time you want to catch up, build an automated shortcut that dials your favorite person or sends a preset message with a single tap on your display.

Best for: Automating repetitive actions and contacting your favorite person without opening Contacts.

Watch out: Multi-step automations take patience.

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS | Price: Free | Minimum age: 4+

5. Swap your Lock Screen bottom corner toggles

Ditch the standard Flashlight and Camera shortcuts. On recent iOS versions, touch and hold your Lock Screen, tap Customize, and remove either icon. Replace them with a timer, a dark mode switch, or a direct link to your preferred messaging app.

Messaging and Secret Interaction Tricks

6. Drag and drop stickers onto any text bubble

Instead of sending stickers as standalone images, tap the plus icon in iMessage and choose Stickers. Touch and hold any sticker, then drag it directly onto any text bubble or photo in the chat. Rotate or scale it with two fingers before dropping it into place.

7. Swipe right on specific texts for inline thread replies

Active group chats get messy fast. Swipe directly to the right on any specific message bubble to start an inline reply. This keeps your answer attached to the original question so everyone in the chat knows what you are responding to.

8. Use Check In to alert your group chat automatically

Whenever you head home late at night or travel across town, open your conversation, tap the plus icon, and trigger Check In so Apple tracks your route progress and alerts your friend the second you arrive safely. If your movement stops unexpectedly, your iPhone prompts you and can share battery status along with cellular connection details.

9. Filter messages by unknown senders

Separate friend texts from delivery codes and spam promotions. Go to Settings, tap Messages, and turn on Filter Unknown Senders. Your app will sort conversations into clear lists for Known Senders and Unknown Senders.

10. Send hidden texts with Invisible Ink

Type your message in iMessage, then press and hold the blue send arrow. Pick Invisible Ink to blur your text or photo until the recipient swipes a finger across it.

Photo, Camera, and Visual Lookup Hacks

11. Lift subjects from photos into instant transparent stickers

Open any picture in Photos, then touch and hold the subject. Your iPhone outlines the subject and lifts it cleanly off the background. Tap Copy or Add Sticker to drop the transparent cutout into your messages or social posts.

12. Copy and translate real-world text with Live Text

Point your camera at a restaurant menu, WiFi password sign, or handwritten study notes. Tap the Live Text icon in the bottom corner of the viewfinder. Copy the text instantly. You can also dial printed phone numbers or translate foreign phrases without opening a separate translation tool.

13. Decode laundry care tags and car symbols with Visual Look Up

Snap a photo of the care tag inside your shirt, open the picture, and check the info icon at the bottom. Tap the star icon when it appears. Apple analyzes the laundry symbols and displays the exact washing instructions. The feature also identifies dashboard warning lights, dog breeds, and house plants.

14. Lock hidden and deleted photo albums behind Face ID

Protect private photos without downloading third-party vault apps. In Settings under Photos, enable Use Face ID. Your Hidden album and Recently Deleted folder will require biometric authentication every single time someone opens them.

15. Hold volume up for high-speed burst shots

Head to Settings, select Camera, and toggle on Use Volume Up for Burst. When your friend is skating or running, hold down the physical volume up button to capture dozens of high-speed frames in seconds, letting you pick the sharpest shot later.

Where Bobble Fits on Your Screen

Bobble turns you and your close friends into 3D bobbleheads made from a single selfie. Your crew lives at the top of your phone via the Dynamic Island or Lock Screen widgets, showing statuses like gym, asleep, or vibing. You can react with a wave, fire, kiss, or slap.

Best for: a close crew who wants to feel together without a feed.

Watch out: Dynamic Island requires an iPhone 14 Pro or newer, and the iPhone app is currently in public beta on TestFlight.

Try it: make your Bobble →

Battery and Secret Gesture Shortcuts

16. Tap the back of your iPhone for instant actions

Go to Settings, tap Accessibility, choose Touch, and select Back Tap. You can set a double tap or triple tap on the physical back of your phone to perform system tasks. Many people map this gesture to trigger the flashlight, snap a screenshot, or launch a favorite shortcut.

17. Automate Low Power Mode when your battery dips

Rather than waiting for the low battery prompt to appear when your phone reaches twenty percent, open Shortcuts to configure an automated routine that turns on Low Power Mode the instant your battery drops below thirty-five percent.

18. Slide the spacebar to control your typing cursor

Tapping directly into small text bubbles to fix a typo is frustrating. Hold down the spacebar instead. Your entire keyboard turns into a smooth trackpad, letting you glide the cursor right where you need it.

19. Two-finger drag to mass-select messages and photos

You do not need to tap Edit and select items one by one. In Messages, Mail, or Photos, drag two fingers straight down the glass. Your iPhone will select every conversation or image your fingers pass over in a single movement.

20. Monitor connected gear with the Batteries widget

Add the built-in Batteries widget to your Home Screen to see charge levels across your Apple ecosystem. It displays real-time battery percentages for your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch. If you want to keep tabs on friends when planning hangouts, read our guide on how to see your friend’s battery on iPhone.

Focus Modes and Friend Privacy Settings

21. Tie custom Lock Screens to dedicated Focus modes

Match specific Lock Screen layouts to your daily routines. In Settings, open Focus and create a School or Work profile. Link it directly to a minimal wallpaper that hides distracting social media notifications until your study session ends.

22. Allow emergency breakthrough calls for favorite contacts

Critical calls can bypass Do Not Disturb. Open Contacts, select your close friend or family member, tap Edit, and choose Ringtone. Toggle on Emergency Bypass so their calls and texts come through with sound even during active Focus modes.

23. Silence unknown callers automatically

Stop spam and robocalls from ringing your phone during class or hangouts. Go to Settings, tap Phone, and turn on Silence Unknown Callers. Calls from numbers not in your contacts or recent outgoing calls will go straight to voicemail without ringing.

24. Run Safety Check to review who has your info

Apple includes a dedicated privacy tool under Settings, Privacy & Security, called Safety Check. Review who accesses your location. It lets you see exactly which apps and contacts have access to your location, shared photo albums, and calendar events. Revoke access individually or reset permissions immediately.

25. Lock sensitive apps behind Face ID without deleting them

On modern iOS versions, press and hold any app icon on your Home Screen and select Require Face ID. Anyone opening the app will need biometric verification first. You can also hide the app completely, moving it into a locked Hidden folder in your App Library.