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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 set up call forwarding on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

You can set up call forwarding on iPhone if you have cellular service through a GSM network, though on a CDMA network, you’ll contact your carrier for information. When call forwarding is on, its icon appears in the status bar, and you need to be in range of the cellular network for calls to be forwarded.

If your carrier supports conditional call forwarding for when the line is busy or not in service, they have the setup information.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
  3. Tap Call Forwarding and then turn on Call Forwarding. The Call Forwarding icon appears in the status bar when call forwarding is on.
  4. if your iPhone has Dual SIM, choose a line (below SIMs).
  5. Tap Forward To, enter the number you want to redirect to, and tap Back.

Calls won’t be forwarded unless you’re in range of the cellular network as you set iPhone to forward calls. Does your carrier support conditional call forwarding when the line is busy or out of service? If so, ask them for setup information.

Tag: Phone
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How to scan text and documents in Preview on iPhone

by Dave Johnson

You can scan text or a document to create a PDF in the Preview app on your iPhone. iPhone automatically captures the page, though you’ll be able to capture the scan yourself instead, and you can crop, rotate, or adjust the coloring of each scan.

  1. Start the Preview app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Scan Documents.
  3. Position the iPhone camera so the text or document appears on the screen.

    iPhone automatically captures the page. To capture the scan yourself instead of automatically, tap Auto (the label changes to Manual), then tap the Shutter button.

  4. Repeat the step above to scan additional pages.
  5. Tap the thumbnails to crop, rotate, or adjust the coloring of the scan.
  6. Tap the Done button when you’re finished scanning.
Tag: Preview
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How to notify a friend when your location changes in Find My on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

Use the Find My app to let a friend know when your location changes. You can also get a notification when your friend’s location changes.

You choose when your friend hears from you, for example when you arrive at or leave a location. You can also see all notifications about you, and turn them off whenever you want.

Here’s how to notify a friend when your location changes in Find My on iPhone.

Notify a friend when your location changes

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap People, tap the name of the person you want to notify, and then tap the More button.
  3. Below Notify [your friend’s name], tap Add Location Alert.
  4. Choose whether you want to notify your friend when you arrive at or leave a location.
  5. Choose a location, or tap New Location to create a new location and set a location radius.

    With a larger radius, your friend is notified when you’re near the location instead of right at the location.

  6. Choose whether you want your friend to be notified only once or every time.
  7. Tap the Done button.

At any time, you can stop notifying friends when your location changes.

See all notifications about you

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Me.

    A list of people who are notified when your location changes appears below Alerts on My Location.

    Note: If you don’t see the Alerts on My Location section, you aren’t notifying any friends when your location changes.

  3. Tap a name to see more details.

Turn off notifications about you

You can turn off any location notification about you, including notifications you set and notifications your friends create.

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Me.

    Below Notifications About You, you see a list of people who are notified when your location changes.

    If you don’t see the Notifications About You section, you aren’t notifying any friends when your location changes.

  3. Select a name and tap a notification.
  4. Tap Delete Notification and tap Delete Notification again.
Tag: Find My
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How to dictate text on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

With Dictation on iPhone, you can dictate text anywhere you can type it. You can also use typing and Dictation together: the keyboard stays open during Dictation, so you can easily switch between touch and voice to enter text.

Dictation is processed on your iPhone in many languages, and no internet connection is required. When you dictate in a search field, though, your dictated text may be sent to the search engine to process the search.

Here’s how to dictate text on iPhone.

Note: Dictation may not be available in all languages or in all countries or regions, and features may vary. With Apple Intelligence in iOS 27, dictation uses an on-device model to improve spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Available in English on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, or later.

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.*

When using Dictation, cellular data charges may apply.

Make dictation possible

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General, then tap Keyboard.
  3. Turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation.

To learn more about how Apple protects your information and lets you choose what you share, tap About Dictation & Privacy below the dictation settings.

Dictate text

Dictate text and use voice commands to edit and format content.

The onscreen keyboard is open in the Mail app. The Dictation button in the bottom-right corner of the screen is selected and the Dictation button appears below the insertion point in the text field.

  1. In a text field, tap to place the insertion point where you want to begin dictating text.
  2. Tap the Dictate button on the onscreen keyboard (or in any text field where it appears).

    If you don’t see the Dictate button, go to the Settings app, tap General, tap Keyboard, then turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation.

  3. When the Dictate button appears near the insertion point in the text field, begin to dictate your text.
  4. Do any of the following:

    • Add emoji: Say the name of an emoji, such as “heart emoji” or “smiley face emoji.”
    • Add punctuation: Say the name of the punctuation mark, such as “exclamation point.”

    Note: In supported languages, Dictation automatically inserts commas, periods, and question marks as you dictate. To turn off automatic punctuation, go to Settings > General > Keyboard, then turn off Auto-Punctuation.

    • Add a line break: Say “new line” or “new paragraph.”
    • Spell a word: Say something like “Let’s invite Steven S-T-E-P-H-E-N.”
    • Correct spelling: Say something like “Change tea to T-E-E.”
    • Edit text: Say “select” or “delete” followed by the phrase you want to change.
    • Undo or repeat a command: Say “undo” or “redo” if you change your mind or want to repeat a command.
  5. To stop dictating, do one of the following:

    • Tap the Dictate button.
    • Say “Stop dictation.”
    • Remain silent for 30 seconds. Dictation stops automatically.

Using a keyboard for another language? Dictation works in that language, too.

Turn off Dictation

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General, then tap Keyboard.
  3. Turn off Enable Dictation.

*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. Learn more at apple.com/apple-intelligence.

Tag: Keyboard
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How to remove or delete apps from iPhone

by Chris Smith

You can remove apps from your Home Screen or delete them from your iPhone entirely. If you remove an app from your Home Screen, it moves to App Library, and it isn’t deleted.

That’s the key difference. A removed app can still be used from App Library, while a deleted app is gone from your iPhone, though you can recover a deleted app later.

Here’s how to remove or delete apps from iPhone.

To block an app to prevent its use, you can use Screen Time settings.

Remove an app from the Home Screen

  1. Go to the Home Screen.
  2. Touch and hold an app and tap Remove App. Then tap Remove from Home Screen.

The app moves to App Library, where it can still be used.

Delete an app from iPhone

Deleting an app removes both it and its data from your iPhone.

  1. Touch and hold the app on the Home Screen or in App Library.
  2. Tap Remove App, then tap Delete App.
  3. Tap Delete to confirm.

Data stored in iCloud, like photos or documents you saved through the app, isn’t deleted when you delete the app. And after you delete an app, it may take a moment for the available storage on your iPhone to update.

Note: Some Apple apps can be removed from the Home Screen but can’t be deleted from iPhone. In the European Union, there may be other built-in apps you can delete.

Recover a deleted app

If it’s still available in the App Store, you can reinstall any app you previously downloaded.

  1. Open the App Store app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the My Account button or your picture and tap Apps & Purchase History. Tap Your Apps.
  3. If you’re part of a Family Sharing group, tap My Apps or choose a family member.
  4. Find the app you want to download (if it’s still available in the App Store) and tap the Redownload button.
Tag: App Store
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How to allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhone

by Emily Long

When you set up a Focus, you can select people and apps you want to receive notifications from. For example, set up a Work Focus and allow only notifications from your coworkers and the apps you use for work.

You can also silence specific people or apps, and allow repeated calls, which are two or more calls from the same person within 3 minutes.

Here’s how to allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhone.

Allow or silence notifications from specific people during a Focus

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Focus. Then choose a Focus—for example, Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep, or Work.
  3. Tap People (or tap Choose People). Do one of the following:

    • Allow specific people: Tap Allow Notifications From, tap the Add People button, and then select from your contacts.

      You can also turn on options to allow calls from certain groups of people and allow repeated calls (two or more calls from the same person within 3 minutes).

    • Silence specific people: Tap Silence Notifications From, tap the Add People button, and then select people from your contacts.

      You can also turn on Allow Calls From Silenced People.

Note: Regardless of your Focus settings, you can allow calls from your emergency contacts to come through. See Allow calls from emergency contacts when notifications are silenced, below.

With Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing on, Apple Intelligence lets important notifications interrupt you, while it silences notifications determined not to be important.

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.*

Allow or silence notifications from specific apps during a Focus

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Focus. Then choose a Focus—for example, Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep, or Work.
  3. Tap Apps (or tap Choose Apps) and then do one of the following:
    • Allow specific apps: Tap Allow Notifications From and tap the Add Apps button. Select apps.
    • Silence specific apps: Tap Silence Notifications From, tap the Add Apps button, and select apps.

Note: Web apps you’ve added to your Home Screen count, too. You can allow or silence notifications from specific ones.

Turning on Time Sensitive Notifications lets all apps send time-sensitive notifications immediately.

Choose whether to share your Focus status

People who try to contact you, in Messages for example, may see that you have “notifications silenced.” That happens when you’re using a Focus with your focus status turned on, which you can turn on or off.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Focus and tap Focus Status.
  3. Turn Share Focus Status on or off.
  4. If you turn it on, choose which Focus profiles can share that you have notifications silenced.

Allow calls from emergency contacts when notifications are silenced

Even when your iPhone or notifications are silenced, sounds and vibrations from emergency contacts can still come through if you’ve allowed them.

  1. Open Contacts.
  2. Select a contact, then tap Edit.
  3. Tap Ringtone or Text Tone. Then turn on Emergency Bypass.

You could also set up your Medical ID and identify an emergency contact.

*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.

Tag: Notifications
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How to play music together in the car using SharePlay and CarPlay on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

Using SharePlay and CarPlay, you and your passengers can all control the music that’s playing in the car.

Passengers can join in two ways: from a notification on their iPhone, or by scanning a QR code on the CarPlay Now Playing screen or on another passenger’s iPhone. The driver needs an iPhone with iOS 17 or later and an Apple Music subscription, but passengers don’t need an Apple Music subscription.

Before you begin

  • The driver must have an iPhone with iOS 17 or later and be an Apple Music subscriber.
  • Passengers must have an iPhone with iOS 17 or later, but don’t need to have an Apple Music subscription.
  • Everyone must allow their contacts to discover them when playing music in the car—go to Settings > Apps > Music, then turn on Discoverable by Nearby Contacts if it isn’t on already.

Start SharePlay with CarPlay on your iPhone

You and your passengers each play a part in using SharePlay in the car.

  1. Begin playing music from your iPhone using CarPlay.

    A notification appears on the Lock Screen of passengers’ iPhone devices. After they tap Connect, you receive a notification in CarPlay.

  2. Tap a passenger’s name. Tap the Checkmark button to allow the passenger to choose and stream music from your iPhone.

    After you approve a passenger, they can join SharePlay in the future without going through the same process unless you end their access.

Use a QR code to join SharePlay

Passengers can also join SharePlay over Bluetooth® by scanning a QR code.

  1. On the Now Playing screen in CarPlay, tap the SharePlay button.

    A QR code appears on the CarPlay screen.

  2. Ask a passenger to open the Camera app on their iPhone and point the camera at the QR code.

    A button appears below the picture of the QR code on their iPhone to request a connection to SharePlay. The passenger taps the button, then taps Connect.

  3. Tap the Checkmark button on the CarPlay screen to allow the passenger to join.

Use a QR code to add other passengers

While the driver focuses on the road, a passenger controlling the car’s music with SharePlay can invite other passengers.

  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Open the Now Playing screen and tap the SharePlay button at the bottom of the screen.

    A SharePlay window appears, listing all the participants as well as a QR code for joining.

  3. Ask a passenger to open the Camera app on their iPhone and point the camera at the QR code, tap the button that appears below the code, and tap Connect.

    The driver taps the Checkmark button on the CarPlay screen to allow the passenger to join.

Leave or end SharePlay in the car

  • If you’re a passenger: Tap the SharePlay button at the bottom of Now Playing, then tap Leave.
  • If you’re the driver: Tap End on the CarPlay screen.
Tag: carplay
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How to save walks or hikes in Maps on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

You can customize a walking path to plan a hike, an exercise route, or a city tour. In U.S. national parks, you can browse hikes and filter them by length, elevation, and route type.

And you don’t need a signal to use them later. You can save the routes, along with any notes you add, to access when you’re offline.

Here’s how to save walks or hikes in Maps on iPhone.

Note: Not all features are available in all countries and regions.

Create your own walking or hiking route

  1. Open the Maps app on your iPhone.
  2. To select a starting point on the map, touch and hold any road, path, trail, or other place accessible by walking to drop a pin and tap the More button. Tap Create a Custom Route.
  3. Tap other points along your route.
  4. To remove a point, tap it and then tap Remove Point, Remove Start Point, or Remove End Point.

    Do any of the following to complete your route: Reverse a route: Tap the Reverse button.

    • Retrace your steps: Tap the Out & Back button.
    • Close a loop: Tap the Close Loop button.
    • Undo a point: Tap the Undo button.
    • Do one of the following: Go to the starting point: Tap Directions (available if you’re not near the route).
    • Start turn-by-turn walking directions: Tap Go (available near the start of the route).
    • Save the route for later: Tap Save Route, name the route and add notes (optional). Tap the Done button.

    A custom route in the Maps app, with distance, elevation profile, estimated time, and options to save or get directions to the start of the route.

Quick tip: With Download Map turned on, you can access the route and the surrounding map even without an internet connection.

Browse and save hikes

To search for hikes, you need to be online.

The Maps app showing results matching a search for hikes in a national park.

  1. Open the Maps app on your iPhone.

Make sure you’re in the Explore map, indicated by the Map Modes button.

  1. Search for hikes in [national park name] and then tap the search result.

To narrow down your choices, tap the filters, such as All Lengths or All Route Types.

  1. Swipe left to see more options.
  2. Tap to open the hike, then tap the Add button.

    You can also do one of the following instead of saving the hike to your Routes: If you’re near the start of the route: Tap Directions to navigate to the trailhead.

    An overview of a downloadable hike, with distance, elevation profile, estimated time, and options to save or get directions to the start of the hike.

Quick tip: Turn on Download Route to access the route and the surrounding map on your iPhone even without an internet connection.

Tag: Maps
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How to restore all content to iPhone from a backup

by Stacey Butler

You can restore content, settings, and apps from a backup to a new or newly erased iPhone. You can restore from an iCloud backup or a computer backup, and if you’ve already set up your iPhone, you need to erase all of its content first. If your backup is encrypted, you’ll need its password, too.

Important: To restore your iPhone, you must have a backup to restore from.

Restore iPhone from an iCloud backup

  1. Turn on your iPhone.

    The Hello screen should appear. If you already set up your device, you need to erase all of its content before you can use these steps to restore from your backup.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Tap Set Up Manually, tap Restore from iCloud Backup, then follow the onscreen instructions.
    • If you have another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11, iPadOS 13, or later, you can use Quick Start to automatically set up your new device. Bring the two devices close together, then follow the onscreen instructions to securely copy many of your settings, preferences, and iCloud Keychain. You can then restore the rest of your data and content to your new device from your iCloud backup.

    Or, if both devices have iOS 12.4, iPadOS 13, or later, you can transfer all your data wirelessly from your previous device to your new one. Keep your devices near each other and plugged into power until the migration process is complete.

You’re asked for your Apple Account.

Restore iPhone from a computer backup

  1. Using USB, connect a new or newly erased iPhone to the computer containing your backup.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • On a Mac (macOS 10.15 or later): In the Finder sidebar, select your iPhone, click Trust, and click Restore from this backup.
    • On a Mac (macOS 10.14 or earlier) or a Windows device: Open the iTunes app, click the button resembling an iPhone near the top left of the iTunes window, click Summary, and click Restore Backup.
  3. Choose your backup from the list and click Continue.

You must enter the password before restoring your files and settings from an encrypted backup.

Tags: iCloud, iPhone
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How to use reminders in Calendar on iPhone

by Emily Long

You can view, create, complete, and edit reminders from the Reminders app right in Calendar.

Your scheduled reminders appear alongside your events, at their time in the full-day schedule, or at the top of the calendar if they’re all day. You can create reminders, complete reminders, hide reminders, and edit or delete reminders. You can also add images, notes, or a priority level to a reminder, and choose a specific reminders list for new ones.

Show reminders

You can show scheduled reminders you added to the Reminders app in Calendar.

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Calendars button.
  3. Select Scheduled Reminders.

All-day reminders show up in the all-day section at the top of the calendar, while reminders scheduled for a specific time sit at that time in the full-day schedule.

Create reminders

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Add button.
  3. Tap Reminder, then enter a title.
  4. To choose a date for the reminder, tap Date.
  5. Optionally, turn on Time and choose a specific time for the reminder.

A reminder can also hold other information, like images, notes, or a priority level.

Note: You can select a specific reminders list for new scheduled reminders. If you don’t select one, they’re added to the default list you chose for Reminders.

Complete reminders

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the circle next to a reminder’s name.

Complete reminders are dimmed. Deselect the circle next to a reminder to mark it as incomplete.

Note: For a repeating scheduled reminder, future instances stay dimmed, and you can only mark them complete after the most current instance is marked complete.

Hide reminders

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Calendars button.
  3. Deselect Scheduled Reminders.

Removing reminders from Calendar doesn’t delete the reminders from the Reminders app.

Edit or delete reminders

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap a reminder and tap Edit to edit the details or Delete Reminder to delete.

Deleted reminders go to the Recently Deleted list in Reminders for 30 days before being permanently deleted.

Tag: Reminders
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