The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are fantastic devices, but they are not faultless gadget. Here are our handy tips and tricks for smoothing your experience with either device in terms of security, privacy, accessibility and customization.
Tips 1: Setup Touch ID and a strong password
When you’re setting up the iPhone 6 it will ask you if you want to enable Touch ID - we recommend doing this - as it’s simple and effective. You’ll also be prompted to set up a 4-digit passcode as default but you should take steps to beef this up. And you can go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and then switch off ‘Simple Passcode’. You’ll be prompted to enter a longer password with the ability to use alphanumeric characters. Besides, you can set the device to wipe all data if the passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times. This is a nice failsafe and can be activated via Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Erase Data.
Tips2: Step 2: Enable backup
The ability to backup your device is useful if you ever lose it as you can sync the new device and pick up where you left off. Go to Settings > iCloud > Backup to enable it. When your phone is plugged into a power supply and connected to Wi-Fi, all documents, accounts, photos and settings will be backed up.
Tips3: Minimize email message
It’s possible to minimize an email you’re composing by swiping down from the top of the message. This allows you to check other emails for any important information or to copy an address. Once you’re ready to continue with your message just tap on the “New Message” tab at the bottom of the screen.
Tips 4: Use Siri-hands free
Up to now Siri has always had to be activated by pressing and holding the Home button. To make it easier to use iPhone in a car, Apple now lets you interact with Siri hands-free when the device is plugged into a power source.
Go to Settings > General > Siri > Allow ‘Hey Siri’ to activate this.
Tips5: Tips 5: Speak Screen
This is a useful option to have when you’re hands are tied. It’s possible to get Siri to read back things on the screen. To activate this mode go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech and turn on Speak Screen. Then tell Siri to “Speak screen.”
Tips 6: Get out of a group iMessage thread
iPhone 6 users can now opt out of iMessage threads in group chat. To do this, launch the iMessage app, select the group you want to opt out of. Then tap on Details in the top right-hand corner and choose “Leave this conversation”. The only drawback is this only works when all people on the thread are iMessage users.
Tips 7: Switch off Location settings
iOS 8 makes it easier to keep track of your privacy/location settings. When you open an app like weather or maps for the first time, it will ask permission to “use your location” in the background. It's best to click 'not allow' as you don't want apps sucking up battery life unnecessarily.
To check which apps are able to access your whereabouts - go to Settings > Privacy. From here it's possible to see which apps have access to information such as Contacts, Calendar info, photos etc. The best thing about the Location settings is the ability to switch it off - and that’s what I'd recommend. This will save battery and you can always turn on GPS for the times when you need turn-by-turn directions.
