Apple released the new iOS 7, and it looks completely different from any other iOS we have seen before. The new software is more colourful, flows differently, and is packed full of new feature that are not obvious from the get go – so we put together a list of tips and tricks to help you understand and use these new features, as well as getting the most from your device.

The first major change is the Control Center. You can access it by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, at any time – whether it is locked, or in an app (which can be disabled in settings if it starts to get in the way of your gaming, or general app usage). In the Control Center, you will find quick access to the screen brightness (finally), airplane mode, Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth, orientation lock, and some new features like a handy flashlight that uses the camera flash to light up the darkness. You can also directly access your camera, the calculator, clock, and control your music.

Spotlight search has changed a bit. In the previous iOS systems, to search the entire phone you had to swipe to the right from your “main” or “home” screen. This could be a pain, especially if you had multiple pages of apps, which is precisely when you’d need spotlight search handy at all times. Well now Apple fixed that, and you can access spotlight search at any time by swiping down from the middle of your screen. Spotlight can be used to locate an app, email, text message, contact, or anything in your device. You can customise the search results through Settings > General > Spotlight.

If you don’t depend on Spotlight search to find things on your phone, changing some of the settings on it, like indexing less search results, may give you more battery life. In fact there are a number of settings that can be set to increase device’s battery life. Location services like Frequent Locations can be a huge battery hog. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services, and disable any settings you don’t need. Do the same for Frequent Locations.

Another new feature (that may also drain your battery life) is the automatic app updates. This is pretty self-explanatory; the apps update themselves – which is an awesome timesaving feature. However, it can be a problem if you’re struggling to keep your phone or tablet working until you reach the next power plug, so you can turn those settings of through Settings > iTunes > Apple Store, and disable the Updates option.

Another battery draining new feature is Background app refreshing. This new feature allows for apps to stay active while you multitask, however all apps are set to auto refresh, draining some precious battery life. Go into Settings > General > Background App Refresh, and only select the apps you want to use this feature, and turn off the ones you don’t need.

A handy new feature is the ability to put as many apps as you like inside folders now, as they have internal pages you can swipe through. It is also possible to create folders within folders, to help keep your device as organized as it can be.

Quitting background apps has always been a problem in iOS devices. I still don’t understand how hard it would be to make a single button with the option CLOSE ALL APPS. While still not making use of my ingenious idea, the new software allows you to close multiple apps at the same time. To access all open apps, simply double click the home button twice, just like in the old iOS – but now instead of holding your finger on top of the icon, just swipe the app you want to close upwards. The handy new feature allows you to use three fingers for the swipe motion, to close three apps at a time.

You will also notice the new motion features. It kind of feels like you’re jumping inside each app or folder when you open them, and your background will move as you tilt your phone. I personally like the new motion features, but a lot of people have been complaining about the motion making them feel sick. If that is the case, you can minimise the motion features through Settings > General > Accessibility, and select the Reduce Motion feature. This does not completely remove all motion effects (again don’t know why Apple doesn’t just give us the option to do that if we please), but will certainly help.

Another new positive feature is the ability to completely silence the Do Not Disturb function. In older iOS versions, the DND function would only work while the phone was locked, which was handy, but could be better. If you were using the feature in a meeting, and unlocked your device to check for an email, the function would not work. In the new iOS, you can customise the DND function through Settings > Do Not Disturb, scroll down to the bottom and select Always.

 

If you have any questions about the new iOS, feel free to ask them in the comments below – and if you are interested in another post about more tips and tricks, or have some of your own we missed, let us know!