10 ways to explore your new iPhone

It’s robust to high the sensation of unboxing and organising a brand-new telephone. Even for those who restore all your information and apps, it feels such as you’re getting a contemporary begin. That contemporary begin often comes with an entire bunch of thrilling new options, too, however they’re not at all times straightforward to seek out. Now that Apple has added some new buttons and methods to customise the appear and feel of iOS 18, organising an iPhone 16 can really feel extra difficult than ever.

Fortunately, we’ve already had a couple of days with all the collection, and we’ve picked out a couple of issues that may make your iPhone 16 really feel extra private proper out of the field. Listed below are a couple of ideas and methods to get probably the most out of your iPhone 16.

After all, there’s no higher place to begin exploring the iPhone 16 collection than with the Digital camera Management. In spite of everything, it’s the one new button (that’s not only a button) that makes its approach to all 4 iPhone 16 gadgets. The Digital camera Management isn’t arduous to seek out as you are feeling your approach round your new iPhone — it sits low on the correct aspect, proper round the place the 5G window was — and is fairly straightforward to achieve in both panorama or portrait orientation.

Whenever you begin to play with the Digital camera Management, you’ll rapidly notice why Apple didn’t wish to name it a button. Though it technically is one and may simply be used to set off the digital camera shutter, it does a lot greater than that. Fairly than poorly explaining how you can open and use the Digital camera Management, I’ll run via what every kind of press does.

• Agency press: Opens the digital camera and in addition triggers the shutter.
• Single half-press: Opens the earlier menu to scroll via.
• Double half-press: Opens the general digital camera menu to vary settings.

Utilizing the Digital camera Management works like this: Press the button as soon as to open your digital camera, then frivolously faucet it twice to swap between zoom, depth, publicity, and Photographic Types. When you’ve chosen a setting, you may reaccess it with a single mild faucet. You need to know, nevertheless, that you just don’t must swipe on the Digital camera Management itself to regulate your setting — as a substitute, it’s a lot simpler to swipe up and down on the sting of your show.

One of many key items of iOS 18 is that it now feels extra like Android than ever. And by that, you may lastly rearrange apps and widgets so that they don’t all float to the highest of your display. As somebody who loves a clear, easy setup, iOS 18 has been music to my ears. Fortunately, rearranging your own home display is not any totally different than in earlier variations of iOS; you simply have extra management over it. So, whenever you’re prepared to combine issues up, merely long-press in your wallpaper and begin dragging issues round.

Proper now, I’m working with a lean, imply format harking back to my regular Android desire. Which means I solely have a social folder and a piece folder inside attain, in addition to my 4 important apps (Messages, Mail, Safari, and the dialer). I saved Climate and Spotify widgets on the high, too, however I’ve relegated the whole lot else to the App Library on the aspect. It’s not fairly as second nature as swiping via an app drawer, however I want it to the muddle Apple beforehand compelled on me.

Whilst you’re rearranging, you could as nicely take a look at Apple’s colourful new app icons. You may change them through the identical long-press in your wallpaper after which faucet the Edit and Customise buttons — in that order — to open up app settings. From there, you may fine-tune your icons: Gentle, Darkish, Automated, or Tinted. The primary three are fairly easy, whereas the final one enables you to match your app icons (and components of some widgets) to a shade in your wallpaper.

Whereas we’re on the subject of rearranging, Apple has utterly redone its Management Heart for iOS 18. Like shifting round apps and widgets, you may drag and drop totally different Management Heart buttons to make them simpler to achieve. Even for those who don’t wish to transfer your controls round, there are nonetheless loads of new ones to dig into. As an alternative of the earlier Management Heart, which supplied only a single menu of fast toggles, you now have entry to 4 totally different screens — one in your iPhone’s media, one for Residence controls, one for connectivity, and, after all, the customizable favorites menu.

For those who’re prepared to combine up your Management Heart, right here’s what to do:

1. Swipe right down to open the Management Heart.
2. Faucet the plus-shaped icon within the high left nook.
3. Drag and drop your controls.
4. Press Add a Management to decide on further buttons from the menu.

And sure, the most effective information of all is that the Management Heart works like the house display — you now not have to achieve the highest of your display.

Apple additionally lastly determined to indicate the Photographs app some like to match its digital camera updates, however the brand new format takes a little bit of getting used to. It’s each extra cramped than earlier than but simpler to navigate. The default format now exhibits 5 images per row, beginning your gallery about two-thirds of the way in which down the display. Under that, you’ll get a tab marked Current Days, which covers days whenever you took a number of images, and a tab marked Folks for faces that seem typically. Sadly, Apple doesn’t take into account pets folks, so that you’ll must work somewhat more durable to seek out your furry associates.

Outdoors of the shuffled format, there’s not a lot to discover with Photographs in iOS 18, no less than not but. Earlier than lengthy, it ought to be one of many stars of Apple Intelligence, no less than as soon as it may possibly take away objects like Google’s Magic Editor does.

Whereas there’s no denying that Apple’s mixture of glass and aluminum or titanium is formidable, it’s definitely not invincible. The one time you’re taking your iPhone 16 for a careless journey might be the one time one thing occurs to it. The excellent news, nevertheless, is that you must not often really feel like it’s a must to take your iPhone and not using a case, as there are by much more choices for Apple merchandise than for every other system — no less than until you had been one of many 4 individuals who purchased a FineWoven case for the iPhone 15 collection.

Simply remember that shopping for an iPhone 16 case comes with a couple of new wrinkles. For starters, all 4 gadgets are totally different sizes, with the vanilla iPhone 16 sitting at 6.1 inches. From there, you’ll want a unique case for the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Professional, one other for the 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus, and the largest case for the 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Professional Max. Combine within the Digital camera Management and Motion Button on the edges, and you’ll’t even use a case from the earlier technology.

RCS assist will in all probability get — and deserves — a lot of the consideration in Messages, however it’s not the one trick Apple saved up its sleeve. In spite of everything, it’s not at all times straightforward to promote a die-hard iMessage consumer on higher communication with Android telephones as a result of they’ll nonetheless solely see a inexperienced bubble on the opposite aspect. What may be extra thrilling, nevertheless, is the power to react to a message with any emoji in Apple’s library and to use totally different textual content results to different components of your message. The consequences are someplace on the extent of Microsoft PowerPoint, however they’re nonetheless enjoyable.

As soon as once more, a lot of the new Messages options are lively by default, however it’s nonetheless value a fast journey to the Settings menu if you wish to change one or two of them. Simply do not forget that Apple has rearranged its settings in iOS 18, so entry to Messages now lies alphabetically below the Apps subheading.

Whereas I often want Apple Maps for driving instructions and saving my climbing routes to be used on my Garmin watch, I’m open to attempting new issues. A kind of new issues is that Apple Maps now helps downloadable trails. Do you have to determine to let Apple Maps be your information, you’ve got two choices — both select from a pre-existing trailhead or create one in every of your individual. Proper now, the chances aren’t fairly as fleshed out as they might be in an app like AllTrails, however it’s arduous to argue with utilizing one app to drive and hike.

If you wish to create your individual hike inside Apple Maps, right here’s the way it works:

1. Open Apple Maps.
2. Seek for a close-by (or not close by) park.
3. Faucet on a trailhead (often marked with a inexperienced icon).
4. Press Create a Customized Route.
5. Choose different path markers or campsites so as to add them to your route.
6. Full your route with the Save button.

You too can select to reverse your hike, make it an Out & Again, or let Apple Maps shut your loop by filling in trails it deems applicable. It’s way more difficult to completely customise a route, as Apple Maps appears fairly depending on its path markers, however the general course of is way more easy than counting on a Strava-created map.

The Digital camera Management could have grabbed a lot of the consideration concerning Apple’s iPhone 16 cameras, however it’s not the one improve. After introducing Photographic Types — which perform like Instagram filters — way back to the iPhone 13 collection, they’ve been upgraded for Apple’s newest gadgets. Beforehand, you would swipe between 4 kinds: Wealthy Distinction, Vibrant, Heat, or Cool, and every one solely modified the tone and heat of your shot.

Now, you continue to have entry to these primary profiles, however you can too faucet into a couple of rose-based choices, in addition to Dramatic, Cozy, Ethereal, and some black-and-white Photographic Types. The up to date Photographic Types nonetheless modify the tone of your shot, however they now concentrate on Shade and Palette relatively than heat. I’ve largely relied on Vibrant and Stark B&W throughout my testing, as each appear to provide the iPhone 16’s often-natural digital camera a bit extra punch.

Right here’s how you can swap your Photographic Model:

1. Open your iPhone 16 digital camera.
2. Faucet the small set of dots within the high proper nook.
3. Swipe left or proper to undergo the Photographic Types.

You too can use the Digital camera Management to entry Photographic Types. Faucet it twice whereas the digital camera is open and swipe to the identical dot-based icon. From there, swipe up and down on the Digital camera Management or the show itself to decide on your fashion.

I already get pleasure from organising a brand new iPhone just because I’m nearly at all times logged into my favourite apps straight away, however now Apple has a brand new approach to make password administration simpler. It launched a Passwords app as a part of iOS 18, and it’s value a glance for those who’re not already a LastPass or 1Password consumer. For those who already use one other password supervisor, you would possibly discover it redundant, however you may additionally discover that Apple already has most of your passwords for those who saved them in Safari.

Actually, the truth that I already use a MacBook Air day by day for work has made Apple’s Passwords an instantaneous hit. It already has entry to my fundamental accounts, that means I can snag e mail logins, banking data, and an ever-growing listing of Wi-Fi passwords with out having to go looking too arduous. Passwords robotically locks itself utilizing your Face ID data, making it as safe as your iPhone.

For those who really feel like sharing, you may create Teams throughout the Passwords app to ship a Netflix password (or every other login) backwards and forwards. Simply remember that Passwords gained’t get you round geo-restrictions.

Lastly, we must always focus on the opposite button that Apple added to the iPhone 16 collection: the Motion Button. It’s not as new or thrilling because the Digital camera Management because it was already out there on the iPhone 15 Professional collection, however now it’s commonplace difficulty for all Apple flagships. Primarily, the Motion Button replaces the mute swap, sitting above the amount buttons on the left aspect of the iPhone 16, and it provides a bunch of, nicely, actions to the combination.

Certain, you may preserve it as a mute swap, with an extended press to leap between sound and silence, however that’s solely the beginning. The Motion Button may also be used to toggle Focus, open the digital camera, activate the flashlight, or leap into a favourite app or management. I’ve saved mine locked in on silent mode, however it’s value attempting a couple of different choices to see if one clicks for you (pun supposed).

Right here’s how you can remap your Motion Button:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose the Motion Button.
3. Swipe left or proper to undergo the out there actions
4. Press the again arrow or swipe out of Settings to substantiate.

Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to vary your actions in only a few seconds, although I want the Motion Button did a bit extra. Because it stands, you may solely program a single press of the Motion Button, however I might have preferred an choice to double-press and even triple-press for extra features.

Anyway, these are a number of the first issues I did whereas organising and exploring my iPhone 16. For those who actually wish to discover the whole lot that the iPhone 16 collection can do, you may take a look at the present costs beneath.