Having iPhones can be both challenging and very convenient. The phone can seem mind boggling at first. To get a handle on the specific tools and functions you want to make the most of without losing precious time and money, read on.

Pick a ringtone you like. Standard ringtones are fine for the masses, but you want to stand out! You can use a favorite tune or an audio byte that makes you giggle. You are sure to get attention!

If you value your privacy greatly, then you should probably use Siri a little less. What is spoken to Siri is recorded by Apple and stored on their internally-hosted servers. This is done so it helps the program’s speech recognition, and even though they try to secure these files, everything you talk to Siri about could be recorded.

It is not necessary to close out an autocorrect suggestion by pushing the “X.” Instead, all you have to do is tap anywhere on the screen. This will close the suggestion box for you, which is a much faster method.

If you can learn to utilize shortcuts, you can save a great deal of time while entering text into your iPhone. You may know that tapping a word twice is the way to select it. Were you aware that there’s an equally quick shortcut for selecting entire paragraphs? For cut-and-paste purposes with a paragraph, just tap it four times and you can select the entire thing.

The iPhone has screenshot capabilities that can be used whenever you want. Quickly hold the home button and the power button at the same time. This will flash a white screen, which will take a screenshot of your phone and save it in your pictures.

The camera of the iPhone can take some pretty marvelous pictures. The iPhone has the ability to take thousand of great pictures with the standard camera feature. If you transfer them over to your computer, you’ll be able to take as many pictures as you’d like. Needing a digital camera becomes less important when an iPhone is available.

Stay connected with everyone by using social media on your iPhone. Facebook, Twitter and other social media can be accessed and updated very quickly through your iPhone. You’ll have all the latest information at your fingertips.

To be more efficient with your iPhone, you can create shortcuts for words. Go to Settings, go under General, look under Keyboard, and then Add New Shortcut. If you know you use a word or phrase commonly you can create a shortcut for it using certain abbreviations. When you use these shortcuts, the full phrases or words that you designated will be automatically inserted.

You can mark emails as unread; however, the option is not visible on the main, mail screen. Go to the “details” screen. Click on “unread.” Then relaunch your email reader app. You’ll see that the email is now listed as unread.

Through the aid of Siri, you can create custom location reminders. Siri already gives reminders based on a pre-set time. Instead, you can say “Remind me when I get back home to call work, Siri.” Your phone will detect where you are and tell you about whatever reminder you set. You can easily set a reminder if you’re not sure when you’re getting back home.

When you call someone but do not want to show them your phone number, you can hide your phone number. First, access the Settings screen and select the Phone button. Next, tap the Show Caller ID button; it should now be disabled. This area also has your phone information should you need to retrieve it.

If you are an iPhone owner, consider using Facebook with your phone. Your iPhone can be used to quickly and easily access Facebook and use it to stay connected with your friends and family.

Did you know that you can actually take a screenshot using your iPhone? Once you are on the screen that you would like to take a screenshot of, hold down the “home” button and click on the “sleep” button at the same time. Your screenshot is captured when your screen turns white momentarily.

There’s an easy way to cut down on the time it takes to get to your favorites and the music controls of your phone. Simply go to the settings area, tap general, then hit the home button. You are then able to customize by double clicking and then selecting which options you would like to customize. This is a fairly easy process when you follow the steps.

You can take a photo on your iPhone without worrying about shaking your phone. Just use the volume buttons on your headphones. Start off by focusing your camera on the subject you want to capture. When you are ready to snap the photo, you can take it by simply pressing the button on the cord.

To get the most out of your iPhone, remember to program the device to give you a visual indicator when receiving incoming messages and calls. If you want silent notifications, you can configure your iPhone’s camera to flash and blink when a call or message comes in. Access this feature by utilizing the settings menu, and then tapping on “general” then “accessibility”. Switch Flash for Alerts to the “ON” position.

There are options for scrolling through your contacts with fingers; however, there is also a way to do so without flicking through the contacts. Hold down your fingertip on the list of contacts. Then, slide your finger up and down. You now have a way to sift through your list of contacts with a lot more control.

The iPhone OS should be upgraded to the most recent version. Because of the fact that iPhones are now almost equivalent to a laptop there are many things that can go wrong that need to be fixed. Updates are especially important if you use or access personal information while on your phone.

If you are an iPhone owner, then you are probably aware of most of the things this powerful device can do. However, there are many secret tips that you may have been unaware of. Use what you’ve learned here to make sure you’re getting the most out of your phone.