6 amazing things you didn’t know your phone could do
Nobody ever bought a shiny brand new smartphone and then studiously read the manual! Maybe it’s just us but unfortunately it means we’ve missed out on the secret but amazing things your smartphone can do. You don't even need to download any apps to do these nifty tricks. Here are some of our favourite ones that we’re sure will impress next time you need them.
Taking a screenshot
A great trick if you want to share a hilarious text, picture or Facebook post with friends or family.
iPhones – SImultaneously press (but not hold) the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button (top right of phone). You should hear a shutter click as well as see a white flash. The screenshot will be located on your Camera Roll in photos.
Androids - Hold down the Power button and Volume -down button at the same time for a couple of seconds. Or hold down power button and home icon at the same time. If this doesn’t work, you can hold down the power button until the option to take a screen shot appears.
Taking multiple photos at once
A life-saver if you are taking pictures of wriggling kids or people who blink exactly when you take the picture (there’s always someone in the group isn’t there?). This little trick lets you take multiple pictures with a single click.
iPhones – In the camera app, rather than tapping capture button to take photos, hold it down. Your camera will automatically take multiple picture (around 10 pictures a second) until you release the button.
Androids - In the camera app, tap the gear icon and turn on “Burst Shot” settings. Return to your camera app and hold onto the capture button. Or go to camera, select mode, auto and click on burst shots.
Change text size
If the tiny text on the smartphone is giving you a headache, there’s an easily solution. You can change the settings so all text on your phone is large.
iPhones - Go to Settings > General > Accessibility and turn on “Larger Text.”
Androids - Go to Settings > Accessibility > Vision and tap font size and set it to Large.
Read to you
It really seems like technology can do anything, including programming your smartphone to read to you.
iPhones - Go to Settings > General > Accessibility and turn on “Speak Selection.” You can even customise the voice that speaks to you choosing from a wide range of accent including Australian. To get your phone to speak to you, highlight text (double-tapping or tapping and holding on to it) and then tap Speak button in the pop-up menu.
Turn off music automatically
If you are one to listen to music or audiobooks as you drift off to sleep, you can use a timer to turn it off so it doesn’t drain your battery life.
iPhones - Go to the Clock app and tap on "Timer," then "When Timer Ends." From here, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the screen and select "Stop Playing."
Androids - Open the music player and go to Settings. Look for "Music auto off" and set it to however long you want the music to play.
Search text messages
Searching for messages is handy if you are looking for a specific text containing details like addresses, emails or dates.
iPhones – When you open your Message app, scroll up and a search bar should pop up at the top of all your messages. Type in the phrase you are looking for.
Androids – Open the Message app and then tap on the Menu. A few options will appear and click search.
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