EVERY iPhone has some hidden buttons that are so easy to miss – but extremely useful once you start using them.
They’re hiding in plain sight on your iPhone Home Screen.
It’s a feature called Quick Actions, and it’s built into most of the app icons you’ve probably got downloaded.
All you need to do is touch and hold on an app icon and you’ll pull up a list of QUick Actions.
You’ll have the standard ones for moving or removing apps.
But app-makers will often add very useful shortcuts that instantly take you to very specific parts of their apps.
For instance, Apple has Quick Actions for some of its own apps.
Take the Camera app, for instance: you might have Quick Actions like Portrait Selfie, Portrait, Video, and Selfie.
If you’re trying to take a Portrait Selfie, this is probably the fastest way to get there.
Similarly, hold down on the Messages app and you’ll have the option to jump straight into specific conversations – or create a brand new chat.
The Notes app lets you quickly add a new note, checklist, or photo, as well as scan a document.
And Reminders has options for quickly adding entries to any one of your lists.
One of the handiest ones is for the App Store.
Getting to your updates for apps can be a bit of a pain – but holding down on the icon gives you a way to instantly get to that page.
Apple Maps also has a handy option to immediately mark your location, which is great for saving where you’ve parked.
And you can also use it to instantly share your location with someone else.
A third option also allows you to search nearby, which can be handy when you’re on the move.
Importantly, it’s not just Apple apps that have this ability.
Any developer can design their apps to offer special Quick Actions.
For instance, Instagram has an option to let you switch between your accounts, view notifications, create a new post, or enter straight into the camera.
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WhatsApp is also set up for this: it has Quick Actions for sharing your QR code with other people, launching new chats, opening the camera, or searching your conversations.
And the YouTube Quick Actions can take you to Search, Shorts, or Subscriptions in a flash.
Try to pick one or two of your most-used apps and try to get into the habit of using Quick Actions.
You should find that you’re able to use your iPhone much faster once you master the trick.
