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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 add or edit your contact info and photo on iPhone

by Emily Long

iPhone uses your Apple Account to create your contact card, called My Card, in the Contacts app. You can also add or edit details, including your name, address, phone number, and birthday, as well as the Contact Poster, which you can share with people when you call or send a message to them.

Keeping My Card current pays off elsewhere, too. When you edit it, your AutoFill information in Safari updates automatically.

Complete or edit My Card

  1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Card at the top, then tap Edit.

    If you don’t see My Card, tap the Add button and enter your information, then return to the contact list, touch and hold your contact, and tap Make this My Card.

  3. Enter your contact information.

To help you, Contacts suggests addresses and phone numbers as you go.

Add or edit your home address

  1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Card at the top, then tap Edit.
  3. Tap Add Address and then add your address.
  4. Tap the label that appears to the left of the address and select Home.

AutoFill in Safari can fill in your address automatically for things like online shopping or online forms. Any edits to your My Card update your AutoFill information automatically, too.

Add or edit your avatar and poster

An avatar and poster you set can appear automatically when you call or send a message to others.

  1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Card at the top, then tap Edit.
  3. Tap your contact photo and choose a style.
  4. Tap Customize to edit your avatar and poster.

Share your name and contact image

People in your contacts can automatically get your updated name, photo, and poster, if you choose.

  1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Card at the top, tap Edit, and then tap your contact photo.
  3. Turn on Name & Photo Sharing to start sharing your contact photo and poster with others. (You may need to scroll down.)

Select Always Ask if you want a prompt before your name, photo, and poster are shared with anyone. Otherwise, you can share automatically with Contacts Only.

Add or edit contact pronouns

A contact named Olivia Rico with She, Her, and Hers pronouns below the contact photo. Below her name are buttons to send a message, call, mail, and use Apple Pay. At the bottom of the screen are the contact’s mobile number and email address.

In the Contacts app, you can add or edit your own pronouns or another contact’s.

  1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Card at the top to add your pronouns, or select another contact to add theirs.
  3. Tap Edit and tap add pronouns.
  4. Select your language, then add the correct pronouns.

    You can also add pronouns in other languages by tapping Add Pronouns again.

  5. Tap Add.

Note: Sharing your contact information through Contacts or NameDrop doesn’t share your pronouns by default. And when you share another contact’s information, their pronouns are never included.

Create or edit your Medical ID

In an emergency, a Medical ID provides information about you that may be important, like allergies, medical conditions, and your emergency contacts.

  1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Card at the top of your contacts list. Then tap Edit.
  3. Scroll down. Then tap Create Medical ID or Edit Medical ID.
Tag: Photos
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How to use App Clips on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

You can do a task quickly with an app clip, a small part of an app, like rent a bike, pay for parking, or order food. Discover App Clips in Safari, Maps, and Messages, or in the real world through NFC tags, QR codes, and App Clip Codes, unique markers that take you to specific App Clips.

You can also find App Clips you used on iPhone, and remove them.

On the left, an NFC-integrated App Clip Code with an iPhone icon in the center. On the right, a scan-only App Clip Code with a camera icon in the center.

Get and use App Clips

  1. Get App Clips from any of the following:
    • App Clip Code or QR code: Scan the code using the iPhone camera or Code Scanner in Control Center.
    • NFC-integrated App Clip Code or NFC tag: Hold your iPhone near the NFC tag.
    • Maps: Tap the app clip link on the information card (for supported locations).
    • Safari or Messages: Tap the app clip link.
  2. When the app clip appears on the screen, tap Open or Play.

Some App Clips support Sign in with Apple, and you can then use Apple Pay for purchases online and in apps.

With some App Clips, you can tap the banner at the top of the screen to see the full app.

Find App Clips you used on iPhone

Go to App Library, tap the search field at the top of the screen, then scroll down to the end of the alphabetical list.

Remove App Clips

  1. Go to App Library and tap the search field at the top of the screen.
  2. Enter the name of the app clip, or scroll down to the App Clips at the bottom.
  3. Touch and hold the app clip you want to delete, then tap Remove App Clip.
Tag: App Store
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How to create shared albums in Photos on iPhone

by Emily Long

With Shared Albums, you can create albums to share with just the people you choose, and they can add their own photos, videos, and comments for everyone to see. If you set up a shared album, you can also rename or delete it.

Before you start, Shared Albums needs to be turned on in your iCloud settings for Photos, and you need to be signed in to your Apple Account on every device you want to use with it.

Before you begin

Check that you’re signed in to your Apple Account on your iPhone and on any other devices you want to use with Shared Albums.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your name and tap iCloud. Tap Photos.
  3. Turn on Shared Albums.

Create a shared album

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections, then tap Shared Albums.
  3. Tap the Add button, then do the following:

    • Add photos and videos to the album: Tap Add Photos, select the items you want to add, and then tap the Done button.
    • Name the album: Type a name in the Shared Album Name text field.
    • Set sharing permissions: Tap Sharing Options. Then select People You Choose or Anyone with the Link.

      Note: If you select People You Choose and the link is shared with someone you didn’t invite, they can request access to the album. You can grant or deny the request.

    • Allow the album to expire: Turn on Make Album Temporary to set the album to expire after 30 days.
  4. Tap the Done button to create the album.

Note: Whoever organizes a shared album provides the iCloud storage space for its content, but albums set to expire don’t use any iCloud storage.

Join a shared album

After selecting the link you received, select Join. You might need to sign in to your Apple Account, ask for access, or provide your email.

To save the album to your account after joining by email, select Join, then sign in to your Apple Account.

To view pending invitations, tap Collections, then tap your Apple Account profile.

View shared albums

There’s one place where you can view all of your shared albums.

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections.
  3. Tap Shared Albums to see all of your shared albums and tap an album to view it.

Quick tip: Tap Activity to view what’s new in your shared albums, such as photos, reactions, and comments.

Rename a shared album

Whoever creates a shared album can change its name.

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections.
  3. Tap Shared Albums and tap an album.
  4. Tap the More button. Tap the current album name.
  5. Enter a new name in the text field and then tap the Done button.

Delete or remove yourself from a shared album

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections.
  3. Tap Shared Albums and tap an album.
  4. Tap the More button. Tap Delete Shared Album if you created the album, or tap Leave Shared Album if you’re a participant.

Even if a shared album is deleted, or the person who created it stops sharing it, photos you saved or downloaded from it to your photo library stay in your library.

Tag: Photos
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How to clear your cache and cookies on iPhone

by Moses Johnson

You can erase your browsing history and data to clear the cache on your iPhone. This action removes the history of websites you visited and recent searches from your iPhone. This process also removes the cookies and permissions you granted to websites to use your location or send you notifications.

You don’t have to clear everything, either. Below Clear Timeframe, you choose how much of your browsing history to clear.

Note: Clearing your browsing history in Safari doesn’t clear any browsing histories kept independently by websites you visited, or your browsing history in other apps.

The Clear History menu. Below Clear Timeframe, Last hour is selected. All Profiles is selected below Clear For Profile. The Clear History button is at the bottom of the screen.

  1. Open the Safari app on your iPhone.
  2. Do either of the following:

    • Go to your start page (or tap the Tabs button, then tap the Add button to open one), then tap the Show Bookmarks button.
    • If your Tabs layout is Bottom or Top, tap the Show Bookmarks button.
  3. Tap the History button.
  4. Tap the More button, then tap Clear History.
  5. Below Clear Timeframe, choose how much of your browsing history to clear.

    Note: If you have Safari profiles set up, select a profile to clear only the history of that profile, or select All Profiles.

  6. Tap Clear History.
Tag: Safari
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How to add or remove accounts in Notes on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

In the Notes app, you can use multiple accounts, such as iCloud, enterprise-managed iCloud, Microsoft Exchange, Google, and Yahoo, and keep all your notes in one place. Your notes stay up to date on all your devices that use the same accounts.

You can also have an On My iPhone account for notes you keep only on this device. And removing an account doesn’t delete its notes. They stay in your internet account and on any other devices you already set up.

Note: Every Notes feature described in this guide is available with iCloud and the On My iPhone account. If you use other accounts, some features aren’t.

Keep your notes up to date on all your devices with iCloud

Your iCloud notes appear on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac wherever you’re signed in to your Apple Account, and so do any changes you make to them.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your name, then tap iCloud.
  3. Tap See All (next to Saved to iCloud). Then turn on Notes.

Add other accounts

Have notes in other accounts, such as Google, Microsoft Exchange, or Yahoo? You can manage them in the Notes app.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Notes.
  3. Tap Notes Accounts and tap Add Account.
  4. Do one of the following:
    • Choose an account provider, then enter your account information.
    • If your account provider isn’t listed, tap Add Other Account, enter your email account information, then turn on Notes for that account.

Set up an On My iPhone account

This account keeps its notes on your iPhone only, though they’re still included in your iPhone backups to iCloud.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Notes.
  3. Turn on On My iPhone Account.

Remove an account

Removing or deleting an account means its notes no longer appear on your iPhone. They’re still in your internet account (for example, iCloud.com or Google) and on any other devices you had already set up.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Notes.
  3. Tap Notes Accounts and tap the account you want to remove.
  4. Do one of the following:

    • Stop using Notes on the account: Turn off Notes. For an iCloud account, tap iCloud. Tap See All (next to Saved to iCloud). Turn off Notes. Note: You can continue to use the account for other services, such as Mail.
    • Stop using all services on the account: Tap Sign Out (for an iCloud account) or Delete Account (for other accounts).

    If you don’t see Sign Out or Delete Account, your account may be managed by your organization. See an administrator for removal instructions.

Tags: iCloud, Notes
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How to find your downloaded files on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

In the Files app, you can find and view your documents, images, and other files that you downloaded from the internet or your mail app. They’re in the Downloads folder on the Browse screen. If you don’t see the folder there, it may be in iCloud Drive, or you can check your downloads in Safari.

  1. Open the Files app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Browse.
  3. Tap the Downloads folder to see your downloaded files.

Quick tip: Tap iCloud Drive if the Downloads folder isn’t on the Browse screen.

Note: When your downloaded files are nowhere to be found, go to the Safari app on your iPhone and tap the Download button, where you can check the status of a downloading file or get to downloaded files quickly.

Tag: Files
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How to subscribe to Apple Creator Studio in Freeform on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

You can sign up for a monthly or annual subscription to Apple Creator Studio using your Apple Account. You can cancel your subscription at any time, and you can share your subscription with up to five other family members.

In Freeform, you can subscribe when you use an Apple Creator Studio feature, such as Auto Crop, or when you remove the watermarks from a premium image. And if you cancel, you still have full access to premium content and features until your billing period ends.

Available with subscription: These features require a subscription to Apple Creator Studio.

Subscribe to Apple Creator Studio from Freeform

  1. Open the Freeform app on your iPhone.
  2. Do one of the following:

    • Use an Apple Creator Studio feature, such as Auto Crop.
    • Tap the Content Hub button, tap a premium image to add it to the board, then tap Remove Watermarks.

    Note: If you currently subscribe to Apple Creator Studio but still see an option to subscribe, scroll down, click Already Subscribed? and follow the onscreen instructions.

  3. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Cancel or change your Apple Creator Studio subscription

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your name, tap Subscriptions, and tap Apple Creator Studio.

    Note: If you don’t see your subscriptions, make sure you’re signed in to your Apple Account in the App Store.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Modify your subscription plan: Tap See All Plans and select a new plan. Tap Subscribe.
    • Cancel your subscription: Tap Cancel Subscription and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Even if you cancel, you keep full access to premium content and features through the end of your billing period.

It’s best to subscribe to Apple Creator Studio with the same Apple Account you use for iCloud, because some Apple Creator Studio apps rely on iCloud to sync projects, documents, and content between devices.

Tag: Freeform
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How to add a member to a Family Sharing group on iPhone

by Emily Long

With Family Sharing, each family member joins the family group with their own Apple Account. That way you can share access to subscriptions and other features without sharing personal information like photos or documents.

The family organizer can invite family members who have an Apple Account, or create an Apple Account for a child who doesn’t have one yet. A Child Account is required for children under 13 and available for children up to 18. Here’s how to add a member to a Family Sharing group on iPhone.

Add a family member

If someone has their own Apple Account, the organizer of the Family Sharing group can add them as a family member.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Family.
  3. Tap the Add Member button, tap Invite Others, and follow the onscreen instructions.

You can send the invitation using AirDrop, Messages, or Mail. If you’re near the family member, you can also tap Invite in Person and ask the family member to enter their Apple Account email address (or phone number) and password on your device.

Your invitation appears at the top of Settings in the Family row for people you invite. If they haven’t accepted it yet, you can follow up with reminders.

To join an existing Family Sharing group, you’ll need the organizer to add you. You can only belong to one Family Sharing group at a time, though, so leave your current group first if you’d like to join a different one.

Tag: Family sharing
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How to set reading goals in the Books app on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

The Books app helps you keep track of how many minutes you read each day, and how many books and audiobooks you finish each year. You can customize your goals to spend more time reading, set new reading streaks, and receive encouragement to reach your goals.

You can change your daily and yearly reading goals, turn coaching notifications on or off, or clear reading data. You can even turn off reading goals entirely.

The Reading Goals screen showing stats for the user—such as today’s reading, their reading record for the week, and their books read this year. Across the bottom are the tabs Home (which is selected), Library, Book Store, Audiobooks, and Search.

Note: Apple Books isn’t available in all countries or regions.

Change your daily reading goal

If you don’t customize your daily reading goal, it’s 5 minutes per day. Adjust it depending on how many minutes you want to read each day.

  1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Home, then tap the reading goals button.
  3. Tap the reading goal timer, then tap Adjust Goal.

    Note: To count PDFs toward your reading goal, go to Settings > Apps > Books, then turn on Include PDFs below Reading Goals.

  4. Slide the counter up or down to set the minutes per day that you want to read and tap Adjust Goal.

Change your yearly reading goal

Once you finish a book, its cover appears below Books Read This Year. Your yearly reading goal is three books per year by default, though you can raise or lower it depending on how many books you want to finish.

  1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Home, then tap the reading goals button.
  3. Tap a book cover or a cover placeholder. Tap Adjust Goal.
  4. Slide the counter up or down to set the books per year that you want to read. Then tap Adjust Goal.

Quick tip: You can mark a book in your library as finished. Tap the More Info button below its cover, then tap Mark as Finished.

Turn on coaching notifications

To help you reach your reading goals, Books can send you encouragement and nudges, which you can turn on or off.

  1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Home and tap your account button.
  3. Tap Notifications, then turn on Coaching.
  4. Tap the Close button.

Turn off reading goals notifications

When you achieve a reading goal or set a reading streak, Books notifies you, and these notifications can also be turned off.

  1. Start the Books app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Home and tap your account button.
  3. Tap Notifications, then turn off Goal Completion.
  4. Tap the Close button.

Turn off reading goals

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, tap Books, and then turn off Reading Goals.

With Reading Goals turned off, the Home tab’s reading indicators are hidden, and reading notifications stop.

Clear reading data

You can clear reading data such as reading streaks, reading goals, and time spent reading.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Books. Then tap Clear Reading Goals Data.
Tag: Apple Books
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How to use Check In on iPhone to let your friends know you’ve arrived

by Tyler Stephen

Check In can automatically notify a friend that your iPhone has arrived. If you don’t complete your Check In, you choose what details they can see. It’s flexible, too: you can add time to your Check In, or cancel a Check In.

A Check In showing a map and estimated travel times for Driving, Transit, and Walking. At the bottom is a button to Add Extra Time.

Note: Both the sender and recipient need iOS 17 or later to use Check In.

How Check In works

Use Check In on iPhone, and it can automatically let a friend know your iPhone has arrived. If you don’t successfully complete your Check In, you decide what details they can see.

In the same way, if a friend sends you a Check In and their iPhone hasn’t arrived as expected, you can see their battery percentage, location, cellular signal, and more.

Send a Check In

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Compose button and add a recipient, or select an existing conversation.
  3. Tap the Apps button, tap More, tap Check In, and then tap Edit.
  4. Choose one of the following:
    • When I Arrive: Specify your destination, how you’re traveling (driving, transit, or walking), and add extra time if needed. Check In monitors your journey and notifies your friend if your iPhone isn’t progressing for an extended period of time or if it doesn’t reach your destination as expected. When you arrive at your destination successfully, the Check In automatically completes and notifies your friend that your iPhone has arrived.
    • After a timer: Specify a period of time—for example, if you’re meeting someone new. If you don’t end the Check In before the time you set, Check In notifies your friend.
  5. Tap the Send button.

Say your iPhone never reaches your destination, or you don’t cancel the Check In. If you also don’t respond to the Check In prompts, your friend receives the details of your iPhone’s journey.

Note: If you start a Check In and then lose service or your iPhone powers off, your Check In recipient may get a delayed or early notification and have the option to view the iPhone details you shared with them.

Add time to your Check In

If you need extra time, you can add time to your Check In.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Open the conversation with the friend you sent a Check In to.
  3. On the Check In message, tap Details and tap Add Time. Select one of the options.

Cancel a Check In

Once you’ve completed your journey, or if you want to end your session for any reason, cancel your Check In to let your friend know.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Open the conversation with the friend you sent a Check In to.
  3. On the Check In message, tap Details and tap Cancel Check In and confirm.

Choose what details you share

You can change the details you share with your friend during a Check In.

  1. Open Settings, tap Apps, and then tap Messages on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Check In Data.
  3. Choose what details you want to share if you don’t complete your Check In as expected:
    • Limited: Share your current location, in addition to the network signal and battery details of your iPhone and Apple Watch.
    • Full: Share the data above (current location, network signal, and battery details), in addition to the route you’ve traveled and the last time you unlocked your iPhone or removed your Apple Watch.
Tag: Messages
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