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iPhone

The iPhone is a smartphone from Apple that runs the iOS mobile operating system. Between its apps, communication features, the camera, mobile internet access, and other functionalities, the iPhone has quickly become an integral part of many peoples tech lives.

How to show the iPhone battery percentage

by Moses Johnson

You can view how much charge remains in your iPhone battery in the status bar. You can also add a widget to the Home Screen to monitor the battery levels of your iPhone and connected accessories, including AirPods and other devices.

On an iPhone with Face ID, you’ll see the percentage inside the battery symbol, and Control Center can quickly show it, too.

See the iPhone battery percentage in the status bar

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Battery and then turn on Battery Percentage.

On an iPhone with Face ID, you’ll see the battery percentage inside the battery symbol in the status bar.

Quick tip: On iPhone models with Face ID, the battery percentage also shows in Control Center, so you can swipe down from the top-right corner for a quick look.

Tag: Battery
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How to make onscreen elements easier to see on iPhone

by Emily Long

You can make onscreen elements, like controls, buttons, and the Control Center, easier to see by adding a border around them. It’s a single setting called Show Borders, and you’ll find it in Display & Text Size, in your Accessibility settings.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Accessibility, then tap Display & Text Size.
  3. Turn on Show Borders.
Tag: accessibility
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How to change your download settings for Podcasts on iPhone

by Dave Johnson

Podcasts you follow are automatically downloaded to your Apple device. Episodes you’ve played are automatically deleted from your device. You can change these settings, and adjust other download options.

You can also change them for a single podcast, limiting automatic downloads to a certain number of episodes or a timeframe, or choosing whether to download video, and turn on Remove Played Downloads just for that show. Here’s how to change your download settings for Podcasts on iPhone.

Turn automatic downloads on or off

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Podcasts.
  3. Tap Automatically Download and then tap an option.

Quick tip: You can set automatic downloads for a particular podcast. Go to the Podcasts app , tap Library , and then tap Shows. Touch and hold the show, and tap Settings. From there, tap Automatically Download to cap automatic downloads at a certain number of episodes or a timeframe, or tap Download Video to choose whether video downloads too.

Remove downloaded podcasts after you watch or listen to them

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Podcasts.
  3. Turn on Remove Played Downloads.

To adjust this setting for a particular podcast you follow, tap Library , tap Shows, then touch and hold the show. Tap Settings, then turn on Remove Played Downloads.

Resume automatic downloads

New episodes of a show you follow stop downloading automatically when you haven’t watched or listened to it in a while, but you can resume automatic downloads at any time.

  1. Start the Podcasts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Library, tap Shows, and then tap a show.
  3. Tap the Resume Automatic Downloads button. Then tap Turn On Automatic Downloads.

Turn off automatic syncing across Apple devices

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Podcasts.
  3. Turn off Sync Library.
Tag: Podcasts
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How to choose a default travel mode and Maps units on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

You can review and change your settings for the Maps app, including travel mode and units. Maps defaults to your preferred travel mode when providing directions, whether that’s driving, walking, transit, or cycling, and you can change the units used for the scale on a 2D map.

Choose a default travel mode and preferences

When Maps provides directions, it defaults to your preferred travel mode.

You can choose cycling, transit, walking, or driving.

  1. Start the Maps app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your picture or initials next to the search field, tap Preferences, and then tap options.

    (If neither your picture nor initials appear next to the search field, tap Cancel next to the field, or tap the search field, then tap Cancel.)

  3. To find more options, tap Maps Settings at the bottom of the screen.

Other route options may be available depending on the mode of travel, like choosing an arrival time when driving, choosing which transit method you prefer, or avoiding heavy traffic or hills when cycling or walking.

Change the units used in Maps

As you zoom out on a 2D map, a scale appears at the top.

You can switch the units used for the scale, too.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General and tap Language & Region.
  3. Tap Measurement System and select an option.
Tag: Maps
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iPhone cognitive accessibility features: Assistive Access, Guided Access, and more

by Moses Johnson

iPhone comes with built-in options to suit your cognitive needs, or those of someone you care for.

If someone you care for has a cognitive disability, you can set up an iPhone with a simplified interface, or lock iPhone to one app. You can also reduce sensory stimulus from the screen, like flashing lights or animated GIFs, and use tools such as Focus, Dictation, and Live Captions to help you focus or follow along.

To explore accessibility features on iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility.

Adapt iPhone for someone you care for

  • Keep iPhone simple

    If someone you care for has a cognitive disability, set up an iPhone with a simplified interface. Choose and customize core features that work best for them.

  • Lock iPhone to one app

    When you let a child use your iPhone, limit their access to a single app.

To reduce sensory stimulus from the screen, you can pause the display of rapid animated images such as GIFs and automatically dim content that depicts flashing or strobing lights. Reformatting content for easier reading and summarizing text are options, too.

With features like Focus, Dictation, Read & Speak, and Live Captions, iPhone offers many additional tools that help you follow along with what you’re reading or listening to, make it easier to enter text, or focus.

Quick tip: Control Center and the click of a button both give you control over your go-to accessibility features and settings.

Tag: accessibility
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How to use Live Captions and Live Translation in FaceTime on iPhone

by Chris Smith

During a video call in the FaceTime app, you can turn on Live Captions to see the spoken conversation transcribed and displayed in real time.

On an iPhone with Apple Intelligence*, you can also turn on Live Translation. It shows the other person’s words translated from their language to your preferred language, right on your screen as they speak.

Here’s how to use Live Captions and Live Translation in FaceTime on iPhone.

Note: Live Captions aren’t available in all languages or regions.

Turn on Live Captions

  1. During a video call in the FaceTime app, tap the screen to show the FaceTime controls (if they aren’t visible).
  2. Tap the More button, then tap Live Captions.

    A Live Captions window appears, showing the automatically transcribed dialogue of the call near the top of the screen and who’s speaking.

  3. To stop showing the conversation on the screen, tap the screen, tap the More button, and then tap Stop next to Live Captions.

Important: The accuracy of Live Captions may vary and shouldn’t be relied upon in high-risk or emergency situations. Live Captions uses additional battery.

See translated captions in FaceTime

On a FaceTime call with someone who speaks a different language, Apple Intelligence can show you translated captions in your preferred language.

Note: Live Translation in FaceTime is available for one-on-one calls in English (UK, U.S.), French (France), German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Japanese, and Korean.

Before using Live Translation, you need to download the input and output languages.

  1. Go to the FaceTime app, on your iPhone.
  2. Turn on Live Captions.

If the caller speaks a different language, captions automatically show up translated into your preferred language.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions.

Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts.

Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

Tags: accessibility, Live Captions
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How to tell Apple Music what you enjoy on iPhone

by Emily Long

You can make a song or album a favorite so that you can easily find and play it again later. If you dislike a song or album, you receive fewer suggestions for similar music.

Letting Apple Music know what you like and dislike improves future recommendations, and you can also rate music in your library with one to five stars. Your ratings sync across devices signed in to the same Apple Account.

Tell Apple Music what you enjoy

  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Do any of the following:
    • Touch and hold an album, playlist, or song, then tap Favorite or Suggest Less.
    • On the Now Playing screen, tap the More button, then tap Favorite or Suggest Less.

Telling Apple Music what you like and dislike improves future recommendations.

Rate music in your library

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Music.
  3. Turn on Show Star Ratings.

    Note: This option only appears if you already added a star rating to a song in your music library on your Mac or Windows device, and Sync Library is enabled on your iPhone (go to Settings > Apps > Music, then turn on Sync Library).

  4. Go to the Music app, touch and hold a song in your library, tap Rate Song, and then choose a rating from one to five stars.

Song ratings sync to all devices that are signed in to the same Apple Account.

Tag: Music
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How to view Visited Places in Maps on iPhone

by Moses Johnson

The Visited Places feature helps you keep track of places you’ve been, so you can easily revisit or share them later. Use it to find past locations, like restaurants from a recent trip, and organize them into guides or share them with others.

Visited Places are end-to-end encrypted, can’t be read by Apple, and appear on all your synced devices. You can also remove your visited places automatically, or clear them all.

Note: Visited Places isn’t available in all countries or regions.

The Visited Places screen in the Maps app. Leisure, Shopping, Dining, and Nature appear as categories, each with a number indicating how many visits were made in that category.

View a visited place

Visited Places won’t show up in the Maps app until you turn it on and visit at least one place.

  1. Start the Maps app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Places, tap Visited Places, and then do any of the following:
    • Search: Search for a place by name, category, address, or notes.
    • Filter: Search using a filter for date, category, or city.
    • Show all visits: Tap All Visits.
  3. Next to a place, tap the More button (on the right side of the place card). Do any of the following:

Automatically remove your visited places

  1. Start the Maps app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Places and tap Visited Places.
  3. Scroll to the bottom, tap Keep Visits, and choose how long you keep them, or choose Forever if you don’t want them to be removed.

Clear all your visited places

  1. Start the Maps app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Places and tap Visited Places.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and then tap Clear History.
Tag: Maps
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How to sing along with Apple Music on iPhone

by Emily Long

Apple Music subscribers can use Apple Music Sing to view real-time, beat-by-beat lyrics for select songs, as well as adjust the volume of a song’s vocals, so you can sing along with the music while viewing the lyrics as they’re highlighted. You can even sing onscreen with Apple TV 4K.

Note: Apple Music Sing needs iPhone 11 or later with iOS 16.2 or later, and it doesn’t work on iPhone SE (2nd generation).

Adjust the volume of a song’s vocals

  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. While a song is playing, tap the MiniPlayer to open the Now Playing screen. Tap the Lyrics button.
  3. Touch and hold the Apple Music Sing button. Then drag the slider up or down to adjust the vocal volume.

    When you need help pronouncing or translating the lyrics, tap the Translation and Pronunciation button then choose Show Pronunciation or Show Translation. The Translation and Pronunciation button only appears when a translation or pronunciation is available that matches your iPhone device’s Preferred Languages list. (You can view this list and add languages directly to it in Settings > General > Language & Region.) Not available in all languages.

    Tip: You can have either the lyrics or the pronunciation appear in larger text. Go to Settings > General > Apps > Music.

  4. To turn off Apple Music Sing for the song, tap the slider.

    If you’re listening to a song playing with Dolby Atmos and you turn on Apple Music Sing, Dolby Atmos turns off and the song plays without surround sound. If you turn off Apple Music Sing, the song plays with Dolby Atmos.

    The Now Playing screen showing the Apple Music Sing slider to the right of the lyrics. The currently playing lyrics are highlighted.

Sing onscreen with Apple TV 4K

Pair your iPhone with your Apple TV 4K, and you can enhance your singing experience with either of these features:

  • See visual effects: Your iPhone becomes a Continuity Camera to see yourself singing onscreen along with the lyrics. Add visual effects to your image and lyrics to enhance the singalong experience.
  • Sing with iPhone Mic: In iOS 26, your iPhone becomes a microphone to amplify your voice right through your Apple TV 4K (3rd generation).

“Cruel World” written by Holly Humberstone, Rob Milton, and Benjamin Francis Leftwich.

Tag: Music
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How to get music on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

Enjoy music stored on iPhone as well as music streamed over the internet. You can build a music library—your collection of songs and albums—in many ways, from subscribing to Apple Music to transferring music from other services or buying music.

With an Apple Music subscription, you can start listening to millions of songs right away, and everyone in your Family Sharing group can share a family subscription. After you subscribe, you can bring your music from other music services, or you can buy and download music from the iTunes Store.

Note: Services and features aren’t available in all countries or regions, and features may vary by region. Additional charges may apply when using a cellular connection.

Subscribe to Apple Music

When you subscribe to Apple Music, you can start listening to millions of songs from the Apple Music catalog right away. To access your music library on all your devices, turn on Sync Library (go to Settings > Apps > Music). Then, add and download songs so that you can play your favorites any time, even when you’re offline.

Quick tip: With an Apple Music family subscription, everyone in your Family Sharing group can share one Apple Music subscription.

Transfer existing music from other music services

After you subscribe, you can easily bring your music from other music services to Apple Music. Tap your profile icon, then tap Transfer Music from Other Services. Follow the onscreen instructions to transfer your existing library or playlists.

Buy music from the iTunes Store

Don’t subscribe to Apple Music but want to add your favorite songs or albums? You can buy and download music from the iTunes Store. Items you previously purchased from the iTunes Store can also be downloaded to your authorized computers and devices, up to 10 total.

Transfer music from your Mac or Windows device

To transfer and update music between your iPhone and your device, connect your Mac or Windows device. Syncing supported content works with Music on macOS 10.15 or later, and with iTunes on macOS 10.14 or earlier and Windows devices.

When you purchase access to movies, TV shows, music, music videos, ebooks, audiobooks, or ringtones from Apple, you also have the option to permanently download these items to a compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC. Apple cannot revoke your downloaded content, and you can always access your downloaded content without an internet connection.

Tag: Music
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