10 methods to discover your new iPhone

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

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

In fact, there’s no higher place to begin exploring the iPhone 16 sequence than with the Digicam Management. In any case, it’s the one new button (that’s not only a button) that makes its option to all 4 iPhone 16 units. The Digicam Management isn’t onerous to seek out as you’re feeling your approach round your new iPhone — it sits low on the best facet, proper round the place the 5G window was — and is fairly simple to succeed in in both panorama or portrait orientation.

While you begin to play with the Digicam Management, you’ll shortly understand why Apple didn’t wish to name it a button. Though it technically is one and might simply be used to set off the digital camera shutter, it does a lot greater than that. Reasonably than poorly explaining methods to open and use the Digicam Management, I’ll run via what every sort of press does.

• Agency press: Opens the digital camera and likewise 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 Digicam Management works like this: Press the button as soon as to open your digital camera, then flippantly 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 gentle faucet. You must know, nonetheless, that you simply don’t should swipe on the Digicam 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 in order that they don’t all float to the highest of your display screen. As somebody who loves a clear, easy setup, iOS 18 has been music to my ears. Fortunately, rearranging your own home display screen 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 paying homage to my traditional Android choice. Meaning 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 facet. It’s not fairly as second nature as swiping via an app drawer, however I favor it to the litter Apple beforehand pressured on me.

When you’re rearranging, you could as properly take a look at Apple’s colourful new app icons. You possibly can change them by way of 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: Mild, Darkish, Automated, or Tinted. The primary three are fairly simple, whereas the final one helps you to match your app icons (and components of some widgets) to a colour in your wallpaper.

Whereas we’re on the subject of rearranging, Apple has fully redone its Management Heart for iOS 18. Like transferring round apps and widgets, you may drag and drop totally different Management Heart buttons to make them simpler to succeed in. Even in case you don’t wish to transfer your controls round, there are nonetheless loads of new ones to dig into. As a substitute of the earlier Management Heart, which provided 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.

When you’re prepared to combine up your Management Heart, right here’s what to do:

1. Swipe all the way 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 perfect information of all is that the Management Heart works like the house display screen — you now not have to succeed in the highest of your display screen.

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 photographs per row, beginning your gallery about two-thirds of the best way down the display screen. Beneath that, you’ll get a tab marked Current Days, which covers days whenever you took a number of photographs, and a tab marked Folks for faces that seem usually. Sadly, Apple doesn’t contemplate pets individuals, so that you’ll should work a little bit more durable to seek out your furry pals.

Outdoors of the shuffled format, there’s not a lot to discover with Photographs in iOS 18, not less than not but. Earlier than lengthy, it must be one of many stars of Apple Intelligence, not less than as soon as it could actually 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, nonetheless, is that you need to hardly ever really feel like it’s a must to take your iPhone with no case, as there are by way more choices for Apple merchandise than for some other machine — not less than until you had been one of many 4 individuals who purchased a FineWoven case for the iPhone 15 sequence.

Simply remember the fact that shopping for an iPhone 16 case comes with just a few new wrinkles. For starters, all 4 units are totally different sizes, with the vanilla iPhone 16 sitting at 6.1 inches. From there, you’ll want a special case for the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Professional, one other for the 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus, and the most important case for the 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Professional Max. Combine within the Digicam Management and Motion Button on the edges, and you’ll’t even use a case from the earlier era.

RCS assist will in all probability get — and deserves — many of the consideration in Messages, nevertheless it’s not the one trick Apple saved up its sleeve. In any case, it’s not at all times simple 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 facet. What may be extra thrilling, nonetheless, 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 results are someplace on the extent of Microsoft PowerPoint, however they’re nonetheless enjoyable.

As soon as once more, many of the new Messages options are energetic by default, nevertheless it’s nonetheless price 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 underneath the Apps subheading.

Whereas I often favor Apple Maps for driving instructions and saving my mountain climbing routes to be used on my Garmin watch, I’m open to making an attempt new issues. A type of new issues is that Apple Maps now helps downloadable trails. Do you have to determine to let Apple Maps be your information, you will have two choices — both select from a pre-existing trailhead or create considered one of your individual. Proper now, the chances aren’t fairly as fleshed out as they might be in an app like AllTrails, nevertheless it’s onerous 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 may as well select to reverse your hike, make it an Out & Again, or let Apple Maps shut your loop by filling in trails it deems acceptable. 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 simple than counting on a Strava-created map.

The Digicam Management could have grabbed many of the consideration relating to Apple’s iPhone 16 cameras, nevertheless it’s not the one improve. After introducing Photographic Types — which perform like Instagram filters — way back to the iPhone 13 sequence, they’ve been upgraded for Apple’s newest units. Beforehand, you may swipe between 4 types: Wealthy Distinction, Vibrant, Heat, or Cool, and each solely modified the tone and heat of your shot.

Now, you continue to have entry to these fundamental profiles, however you may also faucet into just a few 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 Colour and Palette fairly than heat. I’ve largely relied on Vibrant and Stark B&W throughout my testing, as each appear to offer the iPhone 16’s often-natural digital camera a bit extra punch.

Right here’s methods to swap your Photographic Fashion:

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 may as well use the Digicam 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 Digicam Management or the show itself to decide on your type.

I already take pleasure in establishing 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 option to make password administration simpler. It launched a Passwords app as a part of iOS 18, and it’s price a glance in case you’re not already a LastPass or 1Password consumer. When you already use one other password supervisor, you may discover it redundant, however you may additionally discover that Apple already has most of your passwords in case you saved them in Safari.

Actually, the truth that I already use a MacBook Air day-after-day for work has made Apple’s Passwords a direct hit. It already has entry to my essential accounts, which means I can snag e-mail logins, banking info, and an ever-growing checklist of Wi-Fi passwords with out having to look too onerous. Passwords robotically locks itself utilizing your Face ID info, making it as safe as your iPhone.

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

Lastly, we should always focus on the opposite button that Apple added to the iPhone 16 sequence: the Motion Button. It’s not as new or thrilling because the Digicam Management because it was already accessible on the iPhone 15 Professional sequence, however now it’s customary subject for all Apple flagships. Primarily, the Motion Button replaces the mute change, sitting above the quantity buttons on the left facet of the iPhone 16, and it provides a bunch of, properly, actions to the combo.

Certain, you may hold it as a mute change, with an extended press to leap between sound and silence, however that’s solely the beginning. The Motion Button will also be used to toggle Focus, open the digital camera, activate the flashlight, or soar into a favourite app or management. I’ve saved mine locked in on silent mode, nevertheless it’s price making an attempt just a few different choices to see if one clicks for you (pun meant).

Right here’s methods to remap your Motion Button:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Choose the Motion Button.
3. Swipe left or proper to undergo the accessible 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 added capabilities.

Anyway, these are among the first issues I did whereas establishing and exploring my iPhone 16. When you actually wish to discover the whole lot that the iPhone 16 sequence can do, you may take a look at the present costs beneath.