Hidden iPhone Tricks That Will Make Your Life Easier

Starting in iOS 16, when it’s released later in 2022, the Hidden and Recently Deleted photo albums will prompt for your passcode to view the contents.

Delete Old Screenshots

While tapping on the Albums section in the Photos app and scrolling down to get to Hidden, you may have noticed other types of media that the app automatically separates out for you. Cleaning out old screenshots or screen recordings by tapping on those sections may be a simple way to free up some more storage. It’s also a quick way to remove random junk from cluttering up a library of memories.

Remove Apps From the Home Screen (Without Deleting Them)

I’m a minimalist with an app problem. I love trying new apps, especially writing and to-do ones, but I quickly find myself with dozens of home screens or needing to manage dozens of folders full of apps. Instead, I’ve taken to deleting them from sight.

If you long-press on an app and then select Remove App, a dialog box will give you the option to Delete App or Remove From Home Screen. If you remove the icon from your home screen it will still appear in the App Library (swipe left until you reach your App Library). You can always add it back to a home screen later by doing the reverse. Find the app in the App Library, press and hold on it, and then select Add to Home Screen.

Rearrange the Home Screen in Seconds, not Hours

Similarly, if you want to organize your home screen layouts, you can move whole screens of apps without moving individual icons. On the Home Screen, tap and hold the dots along the bottom that represent the number of screens you have. The icons will jiggle for a moment and then you will see all your home screens. You can uncheck ones you no longer want to see or you can move each rectangle around to reorder them.

Pin Messages From Friends So They Don’t Get Lost

Within Messages, if you tap and hold on a group or individual message a few choices will pop up, including Pin. Select that and that message thread will get stuck on the top, above all the other messages, including new, incoming ones. You can do this with several people or groups, and it makes it much easier to find the people you talk to the most.

Quickly Lock Your Phone for More Security

If you’re worried about being compelled by authorities to unlock your phone with biometrics, there is a way to disable Face ID and Touch ID quickly. For iPhone 8 and later, press and hold the button on the right and either of the volume buttons at the same time for about two seconds.

Doing this will bring up a screen to power off the phone, see Medical ID or get to Emergency SOS. Bringing up this screen will also disable biometrics so that your passcode needs to be reentered to get into the phone.

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