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The iPhone is all about personalisation.

You can swap out its case, fiddle with the home screen, and sort out your apps, not to mention all the other options hidden away in iOS. But I reckon you’ve only scratched the surface of what’s available to make it your own, hey.

There are probably more than a few lekker tweaks and tricks you have no clue about yet.

Maybe you’re already sorted, but you find your battery life is disappearing faster than a koeksister at a braai. Or maybe you want to save some time and set up a shortcut to turn on your favourite workout playlist as soon as you walk into Virgin Active. Don’t stress, we’ve got your back (thanks to CNET).

1. Stop apps from tracking your exact location

Apps like Mr D and Uber Eats need your exact location to bring chow right to your door. But that doesn’t mean every app on your iPhone needs to know exactly where you are all the time, hey. That’s why you can stop an app from tracking your precise location.

In the Settings app, choose an application (like Instagram, for example), tap Location and then toggle off Precise Location. Any app with Precise Location off will only know your approximate location, within a few miles.

2. Turn the back of your iPhone into a button

Did you know the back of your iPhone can be used as a sneaky button to do things like snap a screenshot, switch on low power mode, or even run a shortcut that starts playing your gym playlist as soon as you rock up to the gym? The Action Button on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models do the same, but if you have an older model, the back of your iPhone works.

In the Settings app, go to Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and choose one of two options: double tap or triple tap. You should see a list of actions you can run by tapping the back of your iPhone, like opening your camera, turning on the flashlight and scrolling up and down. Tap an action or shortcut to enable it with Back Tap.

3. Enable Live Voicemail to get real-time voicemail transcriptions

You get a call and you’re not keen to pick up unless it’s important, right? Normally, you’d have to wait and listen to the voicemail to figure that out. But with iOS 17, you can see a real-time transcription of any voicemail being left. Ja, that’s right! If someone’s leaving you a message, you can read it on your phone and decide if you want to answer the call, putting you straight in touch with the person leaving the voicemail.

The Live Voicemail feature isn’t on by default, so go to Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail and turn it on. That’s it.

4. Turn off 5G coverage you don’t want or have

Apple boasts about a Smart Data feature for its 5G phones that automatically switches between 4G LTE and 5G networks depending on how you’re using your phone. If you notice your iPhone’s battery is draining faster than it used to, and you’re not keen to sacrifice battery life for those speedy 5G vibes, just switch it off. You can always flick 5G back on when you need it or when the signal in your area gets better.

To turn off 5G on your iPhone, forcing it to always use 4G LTE (even if you have 5G coverage), open the Settings app, then go to Cellular > Primary > Voice & Data and tap LTE. Alternatively, if you want your iPhone to exclusively use a 5G connection when available, you can select 5G On.

5. Stop apps from cluttering up your home screen

The App Library is where you can easily find and access all your apps. Even though apps are stored here, any new ones you download still pop up on your home screen. It’s not a big deal if you don’t download apps too often, but if you’re adding new ones all the time, your home screen can get cluttered quickly.

To stop downloaded apps from appearing on your home screen, go to Settings > Home Screen & App Library and select App Library Only. If you want to find the app, you’ll have to swipe left on your home screen until you reach the App Library.

6. Add features that can be used when your iPhone is locked

Sometimes you might need certain info handy even when your phone’s locked, right? That’s why Apple lets you access some features without having to unlock your device, like the notification centre, Control Centre, replying to messages, and the Wallet app.

To customize the features you’d like to access on the lock screen, launch the Settings menu, tap Face ID & Passcode and enter your passcode when prompted. Scroll down until you see the Allow Access When Locked section, and toggle the sliders based on your preferences.

7. Turn on dark mode to save your battery

Speaking of dark mode, if you’re tired of constantly adjusting your screen’s brightness, you can use your phone’s built-in dark mode. Dark mode switches all those bright white backgrounds in apps to a more chilled black background. Plus, it helps save battery life with those darker colours.

Turn it on by going to Settings > Display & Brightness and selecting the Dark option at the top of the screen. You can also just swipe down from the top-right of your iPhone and tap the Dark mode icon in the Control Center.

8. Manage your notifications with Focus Mode

We get bombarded with notifications every day, but not all of them are important all the time. That’s why Apple rolled out a feature called Focus Mode. Think of it as a custom Do Not Disturb that’s made for specific situations.

Focus Mode blocks the less relevant alerts while letting through notifications from the people and apps that really matter, so you don’t miss anything crucial. You can set up different Focus Modes for different scenarios. Apple’s got options for Do Not Disturb, personal, sleep, work, driving, fitness, gaming, mindfulness, and reading, but you can also create your own custom mode. You can schedule these Focus Modes to switch on automatically when needed and even show your status in apps so others know your notifications are on silent.

To get started, open the Settings menu, tap Focus and choose one of the available options to set up your notification preferences. Tap the plus (+) symbol in the top right corner to add a new Focus.

9. Organise alerts with Notification Summary

Apple is keen to help you manage your notifications in iOS, starting with the Notification Summary feature. Instead of letting notifications stack up on your home screen, you can schedule non-urgent alerts to arrive in a bundle at a set time of day. Important notifications, like calls, direct messages, and other time-sensitive updates (like your Uber ride status), will still come through immediately.

To try this out, open Settings, press Notifications and tap Scheduled Summary.

10. Change Siri’s voice

If you’ve just set up a new iPhone, you might’ve noticed that Siri doesn’t default to a female voice anymore. Now, you’ll be asked to choose which Siri voice you want, with a bunch of new options to pick from. Once you’ve made your choice, Apple will update Siri’s voice across all your devices linked to your Apple ID.

You can check out the voice options by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Voice. To learn more, check out our complete guide to changing Siri’s sound. Apple also added a gender-neutral Siri voice option for English speakers.

Don’t forget, too, that as South Africa’s largest independent Apple retailer, Digicape is on almost every corner to assist you with any of your iPhone needs and wants. Pop into one of the stores nationwide and ask a shop assistant to help you get the most out of your device as possible – they’re hella knowledgeable and passionate at Digicape, so you’re bound to walk away with more than you came in with.

[source:cnet]