how to get the most out of your new iPhone

You may have received a new iPhone during the holidays. Or maybe you bought one for yourself. If you have already done so, there are a few tips and tricks you should know that will help you get the most out of it.

A lot of these tricks are part of Apple’s latest software, iOS 14, which means they don’t only applies to new iPhone 12 models. In addition to some iPhone 12-specific tips, they will also work on other iPhone models, meaning you can still try these tips even if you have an iPhone SE or an older model, such as an iPhone 11 .

The new App Gallery feature in iOS 14 eliminates all the apps that clutter your home screen. Instead of seeing them all, you can hide a bunch in a side panel that you can search when needed. That means you’ll have more room for items. (A little more about widgets.)

Here’s how to set up the App Gallery:

Make sure App Gallery is enabled. To do that:

• Open settings.
• Tap Home screen.
• Select “App gallery only”.

Next, you can turn off the pages that all your apps appear on.

To do that:

• Press and hold on the home screen.
• Tap the gray bar at the bottom of the screen.
• Uncheck circles for all your home screens with apps on them.

The App Gallery will now automatically store all your apps on the right side of your home screen.

Widgets are small boxes that appear on your home screen and show you more information about an app. For example, you can view some of your most recent playlists or podcasts on Spotify and jump right into it. Or you can see distances along your Apple Watch Fitness hoop, see highlights from Apple photos, and more.

Most Apple apps have widgets, as do many large third-party apps like Google. More apps are adding support all the time, so check your widgets menu regularly to see if your favorite apps have added support.

You can add widgets to your home screen by long-pressing anywhere until the app icons start to jiggle, then tapping the + button at the top left. Tap an app and choose a widget size and it will appear right on your home screen.

Apple’s new iPhone 12 models will automatically switch between 5G and older 4G LTE networks to save battery life. However, sometimes the iPhone 12 will connect to a 5G network even if your current 4G LTE network is faster. You may also want to keep using 4G LTE just to save battery. You can switch between 4G and 5G by doing this:

• Open settings.
• Tap Cellular.
• Select “Cellular Data Options”.
• Select “Voice and Data”
• Choose from “Auto 5G” (automatically switches between 4G and 5G, depending on what you’re doing on your phone), “5G On” (5G always on) or “LTE” (4G always on). space).

Pro tip: Use the SpeedTest app to see which network is fastest where you live.

The new iPhone 12 models don’t come with a charger that you plug into the wall. And your iPhone won’t charge as fast as it could if you’re using that small, old 5-watt Apple charger that you probably still carry around in your home from older Apple devices. You need to buy an 18 watt (or faster) charger if you want to be able to charge your iPhone 12 up to 50% in 30 minutes. I recommend Apple’s $19 20-watt iPhone plug or Anker’s similarly priced charger.

This feature is very interesting. If you want to watch movies or TV shows from Netflix, Apple TV+, or other services, you can use a new feature called picture-in-picture. This feature has been around on iPads and Macs for a long time, but it’s finally coming to iPhones.

It allows you to watch programs in a small box while you use other applications. It works with a wide range of apps including Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and Apple TV.

Here’s what you do:

• Open the app you want to use, such as Netflix.
• Start playing a movie or TV show.
• Swipe up from the bottom screen after starting to play, as if you were closing the app.
• The video will start playing in a small window on your screen.
• You can resize the window by pinching or dragging it.
• Tap the video again and select the resize button at the top right to return the video to full screen.

If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of group chats with friends and family in iMessage. With iOS 14, you can pin those important group chats to the top of your message list. It makes it easy to find those chats whenever you want to come back. Just do the following:

• Open Messages on your iPhone.
• Tap and hold a chat that you want to pin to the top of the screen.
• Select “Pin”.

This also works with individual text message threads, not just groups. You can unpin a chat by long-pressing on one of them and selecting “Unpin”.

Group chat also supports threading, allowing you to reply to a specific comment in a chat. To do this, open a group chat, long-press a message and select “Reply”.