iOS11 has lots of useful hidden features that are you may not have noticed initially, but these are quite useful nonetheless. iOS 11 is full of new features, but not all of them made the headlines. We used iOS 11 on an iPad and an iPhone and made a long list of hidden features first, before narrowing it down to features that are actually very useful or worth highlighting.
Here some of our favourite hidden features from iOS11 :
1. Dark mode :
Open Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations > and switch on Smart Invert.
2. Shut down via Settings :
Go to Settings > General and scroll to the bottom. Here you will see a Shut Down button that lets you power down your iOS device.
3. Toggle AirDrop via Settings :
Go to Settings > General > AirDrop. Previously this was possible only via the Control Centre.
4. Create PDF via Safari :
Open any webpage on Safari and hit the Share button. Now tap Create PDF.
https://twitter.com/MarkAWoodland/status/910251670843539456
5. New iMessage effects :
There are two new effects for iMessage — Spotlight and Echo. Spotlight puts your message in the spotlight, while echo just repeats the text on screen repeatedly. Just follow the steps in this guide if you’re not sure how to send messages with effects.
Also Read : Apple’s iOS 11 to restrict logging into apps using social media platforms
6. Quickly share Wi-Fi passwords :
If you have friends coming over to your home and everyone wants to use the home Wi-Fi network, sharing the password is quite easy with iOS 11. As long as your iOS device is connected to the network and your friend is in the Contacts app, they can get the password simply by bringing their iOS device close to yours. It shows a prompt asking if you want to share the password with the other person’s iOS device. Tap a button and it’s done. This feature works if you have the password stored on a Mac too.
7. Safari experimental features :
For the first time, Apple is allowing you to access certain experimental Safari features on iOS. Head to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Experimental Features.
Do you have an up-to-date #iPhone backup?
Here's how to check before you update to #iOS11 tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/m0zqxY34pT
— Apple Support (@AppleSupport) September 18, 2017
8. Safari prevents ads from following you :
Safari has a new feature called Prevent cross-site tracking which stops advertisers from tracking you across the Web. It deletes certain cookies to prevent this and naturally, ad companies hate it.
9. Disable App Store rating prompts, autoplaying videos :
Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store. Here you can disable In-App Ratings & Reviews and Video Autoplay.
10. Brighter flashlight :
The flashlight now has four levels of brightness instead of three. Just open the Control Centre and long-press the flashlight icon to reveal this.
Also Read : Apple introduces power-packed iOS 11, wireless home speaker
11. Hide alerts in iMessage :
On the main screen, where you see all of your messages, swipe left on the message you want to snooze, and tap Hide Alerts.
Get the latest features on your iPhone and iPad with #iOS11.
Here's a look at what's new.https://t.co/TatEanwPyW
— Apple Support (@AppleSupport) September 19, 2017
12. Don’t auto-join Wi-Fi networks :
Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the i icon next to the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to. Now switch off Auto join.
13. Camera scans QR codes :
The stock camera app on iOS 11 can now scan QR codes. Just point it at any QR code and it’ll execute the action. We used this to scan a PhonePe QR code to send money and the app showed a notification that asked us to open PhonePe to complete the payment.
14. Type to Siri :
Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Type to Siri.
15. Persistent notifications:
Go to Settings > Notifications and select the app you want to enable persistent notifications for. Now tap Persistent, which is under the blue icon representing your iOS device.
Also Read : iOS 11’s release leads to removal of nearly 200,000 apps
16. Auto-answer calls:
Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Call Audio Routing > Auto-Answer Calls.
17. iCloud Keychain sign up inside apps:
If you use iCloud Keychain to store your passwords, you can now use that to sign in inside apps as well. Previously, you had to copy and paste your credentials, but in iOS 11 you see the keychain icon above the keyboard for quick sign in.
18. Notes is your document scanner too:
To scan documents, simply open a new note, hit the plus button > Scan documents. If you have an iPad Pro (Review), you can tap the lock screen twice with an Apple Pencil to quickly open the Notes app and start taking notes.
19. Customise the Control Centre:
Go to Settings > Control Centre > Customise Controls. This is where you can add or remove apps from the Control Centre.
20. Passcode to trust computers:
If you’re connecting your iOS device to a computer and plugging it into iTunes, you’ll now need to enter its passcode separately to access the data on the device. Previously you just had to unlock the device and tap Trust.