The latest iPhone operating system from Apple, iOS 13, offers some fantastic features, despite some gaps that continue to plague iPhone iOS and iPad OS platforms. Many of the kinks have been ironed out, but it can be a challenge to upgrade to a new OS.
If you are upgrading to iOS 13 just now, here are some tips and tricks to make your iPhone more convenient and efficient. Here's how to exploit some of the coolest skills on iOS 13, plus a few older tips as well.
Enable dark mode
Open Settings to find dark mode, then scroll down, and tap Light & Brightness. You can turn between the light and dark themes here by clicking the tick box underneath. Like the idea of having a brighter daytime theme, and a darker one at night? Press the Automatic toggle, and then pick the Options button below if you want to kick in the darker theme. You can either tie it to Sunset or set a Custom Timetable.
Add Siri shortcuts
Siri shortcuts let Apple's assistant, Siri, delegate you fast acts. This feature arrived in iOS 12, but Siri takes on a more prominent role with iOS 13, and you can now find Siri shortcuts in their own app. To get started, tap App Shortcuts. Tap the Create Shortcuts button then to create the simple kind of option. The Automation tab allows your device to react smartly to changing contexts. For example, when you come home, you can play a specific song when you get home or share a location with someone. The Gallery shows you a range of predefined shortcuts to get you going quickly or get inspiration for creating your own.
Look Around in Apple Maps
Look Around is Google Street View's response to Apple, and it allows you to "look around" a location before you visit. Travel to a place on Apple Maps to use it, and pick it by pressing the button for a long time. If Look Around supports your current OS, you will see a Look Around image at the location. Tap it to jump down to level with the street, then drag to move around. You can also drag it up from the bottom of the screen while you're here to see the location facts or add it to your favorites.
Set app limits
Screen Time is a simple tool that helps you to keep track of how much you use your iPhone. To start Screen Time, simply go to Settings > Screen Time and turn the app on. With the Screen Time App Limits functionality, you can monitor how long you can use different devices. Go to Settings > Time Screen > Device Limits, then tap Add Limit. You can specify apps in a category, and group them in the same limit together. Upon hitting the limit, you will receive a splash screen warning and the ability to ignore the limit for either the whole day or just 15 minutes.
Share music over AirPods
One of the coolest add-ons to iOS 13 is to run the same music stream across two AirPod pairs. You'll need to pair the second pair of AirPods to your iPhone to get going. When that's done, you'll be able to pick the second pair of AirPods from your AirPlay settings in the same way as you would choose your own.
