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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 fill in personal information in Safari on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

With your personal information saved on iPhone, you can automatically fill in contact information, user names, and passwords. You can also automatically fill in payment information.

Saving your details on your iPhone speeds up filling in online forms, and you can even use AutoFill to enter another person’s information from your contact list, like a friend’s address when you ship a gift. You set up AutoFill first, and you can fill in your passwords the same way.

Here’s how to fill in personal information in Safari on iPhone.

Set up AutoFill

To speed up filling in online forms, you can save your personal information on your iPhone.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Safari.
  3. Tap AutoFill, then turn on Use Contact Info.
  4. Tap My Info, then choose your contact card.

The contact information from that card is entered when you tap AutoFill on webpages in Safari.

Fill in your contact information automatically

AutoFill can quickly add your personal information to online forms.

  1. Open the Safari app on your iPhone.
  2. In a form on a website that supports AutoFill, tap a blank field.
  3. Tap AutoFill Contact above the keyboard, then select a contact.
  4. Tap any field to make changes.

Note: AutoFill also works with another person’s information from your contact list. Say you’re buying a gift and shipping it to a friend: AutoFill can enter their address for you. Tap AutoFill Contact, tap Other Contact, and then choose their contact card.

Fill in your passwords automatically

For many of your accounts, iPhone can create and save strong passwords when you sign up for services on websites and in apps. Important: Never enter a password on a site with a “Not Secure” warning.

Turn off AutoFill

Turning off AutoFill for your contact information and for passwords is helpful when you don’t want your contact information to be readily available, such as if you share a device with others.

  • Turn off AutoFill for your contact information: Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > AutoFill, then turn off Use Contact Info.
  • Turn off AutoFill for passwords: Go to Settings > General > AutoFill & Passwords, then turn off AutoFill Passwords.
Tag: Safari
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How to change Fitness settings on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

You can set notifications to help you reach your daily activity goals. You can also update your health details, change goals, set unit of measurement preferences, and change settings for your workouts.

In your workout settings, you can have Siri read your workout alerts, automatically pause workouts when you stop moving, and receive a confirmation when you’re ready to end your workout. All of these settings start from your picture or initials in the Fitness app’s Summary tab.

Change Fitness notifications

  1. Open the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Summary, then tap your picture or initials.
  3. Tap Notifications, then turn off the notifications you no longer want to see.

Update your health details

Update your height, weight, or wheelchair status, or add a pregnancy in Health.

  1. Open the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Summary, then tap your picture or initials.
  3. Tap Health Details and then make any changes.

Set unit of measurement preferences

  1. Open the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Summary, then tap your picture or initials.
  3. Tap Units of Measure, then make any changes.

Change settings for your workouts

  1. Open the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Summary, then tap your picture or initials.
  3. Tap Workout, then do any of the following:
    • Have Siri read your workout alerts: Turn Voice Feedback on or off.
    • Get a reminder to send a Workout Check In: Turn Check In Reminders on or off.
    • Automatically pause workouts when you stop moving: Tap Auto-Pause, then turn Auto-Pause on or off.
    • Receive a confirmation when you’re ready to end your workout: Turn End Workout Confirmation on or off.
    • Choose units of measurement: Tap Units of Measure, then make any changes.
Tag: Fitness
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How to manage Crash Detection on iPhone 14 or later

by Moses Johnson

Crash Detection works on iPhone 14 or later. If your iPhone detects a severe car crash, it can help you reach emergency services, and it can notify your emergency contacts. Your iPhone then displays an alert, and unless you cancel, it’ll automatically initiate an emergency phone call after 20 seconds.

What is Crash Detection?

If your iPhone 14 or later (any model) detects a severe car crash, it can help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.

The Crash Detection screen showing a notification you’ve been in a crash, below it is an Emergency Call SOS slider with a cancel button.

How Crash Detection works

When your iPhone detects a severe car crash, it will display an alert and will automatically initiate an emergency phone call after 20 seconds unless you cancel. If you are unresponsive, your iPhone will play an audio message for emergency services, which informs them that you’ve been in a severe crash and gives them your latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates with an approximate search radius.

When a crash is detected, Crash Detection won’t override any existing emergency calls placed by other means.

If you’re in a severe car crash and unresponsive in a location without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, iPhone will attempt to contact emergency services using Emergency SOS via satellite, where available.

Turn Crash Detection on or off

Crash Detection is on by default. You can turn off alerts and automatic emergency calls from Apple after a severe car crash in Settings > Emergency SOS, then turn off Call After Severe Crash. If you have third-party apps registered to detect crashes on your device, they will still be notified.

If you have CarPlay or Apple Watch

If your iPhone has Crash Detection turned on and is connected to your vehicle through CarPlay, the Crash Detection features (dialing emergency services) will go through your iPhone.

If you’re wearing your Apple Watch at the time of the event, dialing emergency services will be placed by iPhone but Crash Detection features will be routed through Apple Watch.

Tag: Emergency SOS
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How to unsend or edit messages on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

You can unsend and edit recent text messages, giving you the opportunity to fix a typo or pull back a message that you accidentally sent to the wrong person. You can undo a message for up to 2 minutes after sending it, and edit it up to five times within 15 minutes.

A conversation in Messages showing the last message being edited. The rest of the conversation is lighter, except for the specific text message that’s being edited. The conversation shows that a previous message was unsent, and this message was edited before this current edit.

Note: You need iMessage on iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, macOS 13, visionOS 1, or later to unsend or edit text messages, and also to see when others unsend or edit messages you receive. If the person you unsend a message to is using an earlier operating system, the original message stays in the conversation, and you get a notice that the recipient may still see it.

Edit a message to someone using an earlier operating system, and they get follow-up messages showing your new message in quotation marks, prefaced with “Edited to”. Editing and unsending don’t work for SMS, MMS, or RCS text messages. And in a group conversation, only iMessage users see your edits to a text message.

Unsend a message

You can undo a recently sent message for up to 2 minutes after sending it.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Touch and hold the message bubble and tap Undo Send.

Both conversation transcripts, yours and your recipient’s, show a note confirming that you unsent the message.

Unsending removes the message from your recipient’s device.

Edit a sent message

You can edit a recently sent message up to five times within 15 minutes of sending it.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Select a conversation with the message you want to edit.
  3. Touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Edit.
  4. Make any changes. Tap the Send Edit button to resend with edits or the Cancel Edit button to revert.

Note: The message is marked as Edited in the conversation transcript.

The message bubble updates to reflect your edits on both your iPhone and your recipient’s device, and both of you can tap Edited to see previous versions of your message.

Tag: Messages
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How to send a text message via satellite on iPhone

by Chris Smith

On supported models, you can text friends and family via satellite when you’re outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. It’s available in the U.S., Canada, and Japan with iOS 18 or later, and in Mexico with iOS 18.4 or later.

There’s some setup to do before you leave coverage, and you can use either iMessage or SMS via satellite.

Here’s how to send a text message via satellite on iPhone.

Important: To connect with emergency services, use Emergency SOS via satellite.

The satellite connection demo, available in the Settings app, provides a preview of what you see when you open the Messages app on an iPhone 14 or later and don’t have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.

Before you begin

Before you head outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, do the following so your iPhone can use either iMessage or SMS via satellite:

  • Turn on iMessage.
  • Check that your SIM is active.
  • If you want someone to be able to initiate an SMS conversation via satellite, add them to your Family Sharing group or emergency contacts. Anyone else must first get an SMS message from you (via satellite) before they can reply.

Send and receive messages via satellite

If you try to send a text message while you’re outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, an alert prompts you to connect to your nearest satellite. From there, texts, Tapbacks, and emoji can go back and forth over iMessage and SMS.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. If you see an alert that you’re outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, tap Use Messages via Satellite.
  3. Follow the instructions to connect to a satellite, while remaining aware of your surroundings. You don’t need to raise your phone—just hold it as you normally would, and make sure that you’re outside with a clear view of the sky and the horizon. Heavy foliage or other obstructions may block your connection to a satellite.

    Other satellite-enabled services also become available, including Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside Assistance, and Find My.

  4. Enter your message and then tap the Send button. (The Send button is green instead of blue when sending with SMS.)

    Sending your message via satellite may take longer than other methods.

    When you connect, a green dot and a satellite icon appear on your screen. If your connection weakens, the green dot turns orange, and a left arrow and a right arrow tell you where to find the signal.

    If you have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage and use iMessage via satellite to communicate with someone who doesn’t have either, an alert tells you if your contact is accepting messages via satellite. Tap the Send button, then tap Send via Satellite (below the message bubble) to send your message.

How messages via satellite works

To people in your contact list, iPhone sends and receives texts via satellite using iMessage when possible.

If iMessage isn’t available, iPhone falls back on SMS messaging via satellite to reach any mobile phone number. That can happen when any of the following is true of the person you’re texting:

  • They don’t have iMessage.
  • They’re not in your contacts.
  • They haven’t updated their device to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, or later.
  • You haven’t been in contact with them over iMessage recently (in the last month or so).

When you use iMessage outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, contacts with a cellular or Wi-Fi connection see a status saying you’re receiving messages via satellite, if they’ve recently updated their iOS.

Messages via satellite is free for 2 years after activation, Apple says.

To preview how the feature works, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, then tap Satellite Connection Demo.

Note: Not all carriers support SMS messaging via satellite, and some features may vary. Third parties and affiliates provide the network for satellite connection features.

Tag: Messages
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How to change the password for a website or app on iPhone

by Emily Long

You can change the password you use to sign in to a website or app on your iPhone. In the Passwords app, you can even upgrade to Sign in with Apple. That only works if the website or app allows it, though, and if you aren’t given the upgrade option, many accounts let iPhone automatically create a strong password.

The Passwords app showing details for an account, including User Name, Password, and Website.

  1. Start the Passwords app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap All. Then locate the account for the website or app.
  3. Tap the account.
  4. Tap Edit, tap Change Password, and change your password on the website or in the app.

If the website or app allows you to upgrade to Sign in with Apple, you can take advantage of the security and convenience of that feature. If you aren’t given the upgrade option when you change your password, many accounts allow iPhone to automatically create a strong password that you don’t have to remember. Note: If you get a warning on your iPhone about a password for a website or app that’s no longer available, you can remove its account from your iPhone and iCloud Keychain. Go to the Passwords app on your iPhone, tap All, swipe left on the account, then tap Delete.

Tag: Safari
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How to position items on a Freeform board on iPhone

by Moses Johnson

You can move, rotate, or resize items on your Freeform board. You can align, distribute, or group them, and move them to the background or foreground. You can also lock items when you want to prevent any further changes.

And it’s not one item at a time. You can select, align, and group multiple items on a board at once, and lock them in place when you want to prevent any further changes.

Here’s how to position items on a Freeform board on iPhone.

Move, rotate, or resize an item

  1. Open the Freeform app on your iPhone.
  2. Open a board, select an item you want to position by tapping it, and then do any of the following:

    • Reposition it: Drag from the center of the item.
    • Move it in a straight line: To constrain an item’s movement horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, drag the item with one finger while you use another finger to touch and hold anywhere on the board.

    Two fingers of a hand moving an item in a straight line in Freeform.

    • Rotate it: Place two fingers on the item and turn your hand in the direction you want to rotate it.

    Two fingers of a hand selecting and rotating an item in Freeform.

    • Put it in the background or foreground: Tap the More button in the formatting tools and tap Back or Front.
    • Resize it: Drag a blue dot.

      In text boxes, drag a green dot to resize both the box and the text within it.

    • Match its size to another item: Start resizing and then use a second finger to touch and hold the item whose size you want to match. When the words Match Size appear, lift both your fingers at the same time.

    Two fingers on two hands selecting and matching the sizes of two items in Freeform.

Select, align, and group multiple items on a board

Once you’ve added items to a Freeform board, you can select multiple items and align them relative to one another. Grouping several items also makes it easier to move, rotate, or resize them as a single unit.

A Freeform board filled with a grid of photos. Several photos are selected, and the alignment and grouping tools appear above them.

  1. Open the Freeform app on your iPhone.
  2. Open a board and then select multiple items by doing one of the following:

    • Touch and hold an item on your board, then, with another finger, tap other items.

    Two fingers selecting items in Freeform.

    • Touch and hold the canvas, then drag the box that appears around the items you want to select.

    A finger dragging to select items in Freeform.

    • Tap an empty space on the canvas, then tap Select Objects. Tap each item you want to select. To deselect an item, tap it again.
  3. Move, rotate, or resize the selected items, or tap the Arrange button. Tap an alignment option or Group.

Some items—such as 3D objects—can’t be grouped.

To align items more easily, you can also use a dot grid background and guides.

Lock an item on a board

To avoid inadvertently moving, modifying, or deleting an item on a Freeform board, you can lock it after you add it. Locking one or more text boxes to serve as headings, for example, could set off areas on a board where participants can share items.

  1. Open the Freeform app on your iPhone.
  2. Open a board. Then tap a drawing, shape, text box, or other item on your board to select it.
  3. Tap the More button in the formatting tools and tap Lock.

Quick tip: A large rectangle shape makes a handy workspace for your participants, so they aren’t facing a wide open canvas. Select the shape, tap the More button in the formatting tools, and tap Back, then lock it.

Tag: Freeform
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How to use Precision Finding on iPhone to meet up with a friend

by Abigail Shilets

Use the Find My app on iPhone models that support Precision Finding to meet up with a friend. When you get close enough, an arrow points toward your friend, along with an estimate of the distance, and the screen turns green when you’re walking in the right direction.

Note: Precision Finding isn’t available in all countries or regions, and both you and the friend you’re looking for must have a supported iPhone model.

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap People and tap the name of the friend you want to meet.

    If you aren’t following each other, you may have to share your location or ask for their location.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • See your friend in Maps: If you aren’t nearby, tap Directions to get closer to their location.
    • Find your friend nearby: If you’re near one another, tap Find to notify your friend that you’re trying to locate them and then follow the onscreen instructions to get directions to them.

    When you get close enough to each other, an arrow points in their direction with an estimate of how far away they are.

  4. When you locate the person you’re looking for, tap the Close button.

If you receive a notification that a friend is trying to find you, you can tap Share so they can find their way to you more easily. If you’ve already shared your location with them, they see where you are relative to their location. You can stop sharing your location at any time.

Tag: Find My
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How to translate in-person conversations with iPhone

by Dave Johnson

In the Translate app, you can type or simply speak to see translated text in chat bubbles while talking to someone in a different language. In the face-to-face view, each person can see the conversation from their own side.

Conversations work for downloaded languages even without an internet connection, and words are translated as you type or speak. You can also play the audio translation, and with Auto Translate, iPhone can tell when you start and stop speaking.

Translate an in-person conversation

Translated text bubbles from both sides of the conversation appear on iPhone. If you don’t have an internet connection, or you’re using on-device translation, conversations still work for downloaded languages.

  1. Open the Translate app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Conversation.
  3. Do one of the following:

    • Type: Tap “Enter text,” type a phrase (or paste text), then tap the Done button.
    • Speak: Tap the Listen button and then say a phrase.

    Note: Words are translated as you type or speak.

  4. To play the audio translation, tap the Play button. To adjust the playback speed, touch and hold the Play button, then choose a speed.

Quick tip: Tap the More Options button for extra convenience, then choose any of the following:

  • Play translations: Automatically play the audio translations.
  • Auto Translate: Translate the conversation without tapping the microphone button. iPhone automatically detects when you start speaking and when you stop.
  • Detect Language: The languages spoken are automatically detected.

Switch to the face-to-face conversation view

When chatting face-to-face, each person can see the conversation from their own side.

  1. Open the Translate app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap View, then tap Face to Face.

Hear translations for in-person conversations using AirPods

Live Translation with AirPods, enabled by Apple Intelligence, can help when someone nearby speaks to you in a different language. You hear their words translated into your preferred language in real time, and the translated dialogue shows up on your iPhone, too.

Note: Live Translation with AirPods is supported on AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3 paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. AirPods must have the latest firmware. Live Translation isn’t available in all languages or regions; this feature isn’t available in the EU.*

*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: Translate
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How to edit contacts on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

Assign a photo to a contact, add a pronunciation and pronouns, change a label, add a birthday, and more. On models with Dual SIM, iPhone uses the same line you used for your previous conversation when you call or text a contact. But you can choose a preferred line instead.

  1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap a contact, then tap Edit.
  3. Enter or update the contact’s information.
  4. When you’re finished, tap the Done button.

On models with Dual SIM, when you call or text a contact, iPhone uses the same line you used for your previous communication with this contact by default. To choose a preferred line for phone calls and SMS/MMS message conversations, select the contact, tap default (below the contact’s name), then choose a line.

To change how your contacts are sorted and displayed, go to Settings > Apps > Contacts.

Tag: Contacts
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