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The Complete Guide to Every iOS 27 Feature

How to use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

iPhone displays the SOS via satellite icon when you’re outside cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, and Emergency SOS via satellite may still be available.

You can connect to Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone, and try the demo before going to a remote location.

Here’s how to use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone.

Important: If an Emergency SOS via satellite session has been made and you don’t need emergency services, don’t end the session. Wait until a responder answers, then explain that you don’t need help.

Note: iPhone satellite features are available on supported models. Emergency SOS via satellite isn’t available in all countries or regions.

Connect to Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone

  1. Try calling 911 or emergency services even if your normal cellular carrier network isn’t available.

    If your carrier’s cellular network is unavailable, iPhone displays the SOS only icon and attempts to route any emergency calls through other networks, if available.

  2. If the call doesn’t go through, tap Emergency Text via Satellite to text emergency services.

    You can also go to the Messages app and text 911 or SOS, then tap Emergency Services.

  3. Tap Report Emergency and follow the onscreen instructions.

Important: To help you connect to a satellite, make sure to hold your phone naturally in your hand—you don’t need to raise your arm or hold your phone up, but make sure your phone has a clear line of sight to the sky. If you’re under heavy foliage or surrounded by other obstructions, you might not be able to connect to a satellite.

Once you’re connected, your iPhone starts a text conversation and shares important information, including your Medical ID and, if you set them up, emergency contact details. It also sends your location (including elevation), your answers to the emergency questionnaire, and your iPhone’s battery level. You can also share what you send to emergency services with your emergency contacts.

The Emergency SOS screen, showing that the phone is connected and instructing the user to keep pointing at the satellite. The Report Emergency button is at the bottom of the screen.

Try the demo before going to a remote location

Planning a trip to a remote location? Before you go, you can try the Emergency SOS demo, create your Medical ID, and add emergency contacts.

  1. Open Settings and then tap Emergency SOS on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Try Demo.

Note: The Emergency SOS demo doesn’t start a call to emergency services.

Tag: Emergency SOS
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How to take portraits with your iPhone camera

by Dave Johnson

You can apply a depth-of-field effect that keeps your subject, whether people, pets, or objects, sharp while creating a beautifully blurred foreground and background. You can also apply and adjust different lighting effects to your portraits.

Background blur can be adjusted, too, along with where the Portrait Lighting sits and how intense it is, to sharpen eyes or brighten and smooth facial features.

Here’s how to take portraits with your iPhone camera.

Take a portrait

The Camera screen in Portrait mode; in the viewfinder, the subject is sharp and the background is blurred. The dial to select Portrait Lighting is open in the bottom of the frame and Studio Light is selected.

  1. Open Camera on your iPhone.
  2. Do any of the following:
    • Swipe left to select Portrait mode.
    • Tap the Depth button (if a face is detected in the camera frame; on supported models).
    • Use the Camera Control to select Portrait mode.
  3. Drag the Portrait Lighting control to choose a lighting effect:
    • Natural Light: Sharp focus with a blurred background
    • Studio Light: Bright, clean lighting
    • Contour Light: Dramatic shadows with highlights and lowlights
    • Stage Light: Spotlight effect against a black background
    • Stage Light Mono: Stage Light effect in black and white
    • High-Key Light Mono: Grayscale subject on a white background
  4. Tap the Shutter button or click the Camera Control on (supported models) to take the portrait.

After you take the portrait, you can remove the effect if you want to see the image without it. In the Photos app, open the photo, tap the Edit button, then tap Portrait to turn the effect on or off.

When the Depth button appears as you take photos in Photo mode, your iPhone captures depth information. That means you can add the portrait effect later, even if you didn’t use it for the original photo.

Night mode turns on for supported models when you take portraits with the wide (1x) lens in low-light situations.

Adjust the background blur

To adjust the level of background blur in your portraits, use the Depth Control slider.

  1. Open Camera on your iPhone.
  2. Swipe left to select Portrait mode or stay in Photo mode and tap the Depth Off button on (supported models).
  3. Tap the Camera Controls button or swipe up from Portrait mode at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Tap Depth and drag the Depth Control slider below the frame right or left to adjust the effect.
  5. Tap the Camera Control Status button to close the Depth Control slider.

You can also use the Camera Control to adjust the background blur on supported models.

To fine-tune the background blur effect after you capture a portrait, use the Depth Control slider in the Photos app.

Adjust the Portrait Lighting

You can virtually adjust the Portrait Lighting’s position and intensity to sharpen eyes or brighten and smooth facial features.

  1. Open Camera on your iPhone.
  2. Swipe left to select Portrait mode or stay in Photo mode and tap the Depth Off button on (supported models).
  3. Drag the Portrait Lighting control to choose a lighting effect.
  4. Tap the Camera Controls button or swipe up from Portrait mode at the bottom of the screen.
  5. Tap Intensity and drag the slider below the frame right or left to adjust the effect.
  6. Tap the Dismiss Portrait Effect Intensity Control button to close the Portrait Lighting slider.

Once you’ve captured a portrait, you can edit the Portrait Lighting levels in the Photos app.

Tag: camera
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How to share screens during a phone call on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

While using the Phone app on an iPhone, you can share your screen or ask to see someone else’s screen. In supported apps, you can also use SharePlay to watch the latest episode of a show or listen to a new song with friends in real time.

Sharing your screen brings apps, webpages, and more into a call. You can even ask to remotely control someone else’s screen.

Here’s how to share screens during a phone call on iPhone.

Note: Both you and the other participant need iOS 26 or later. SharePlay may not support the sharing of some movies, TV shows, or live sports events across different countries or regions.

Share your screen or see another person’s screen

During a phone call, you can share your screen to bring apps, webpages, and more into the call. Or ask to see someone else’s screen, and even remotely control it.

  1. Open the Phone app on your iPhone.
  2. During a call with just one other person, tap the More button. Then tap Screen Sharing.
  3. Do one of the following:
    • Share your screen: Tap Share My Screen.
    • See the other person’s screen: Tap Ask to Share Screen.

Before screen sharing begins, a countdown from 3 to 1 appears on the screen.

Quick tip: In a one-to-one phone call, a participant on an iPhone can tap, draw, or write on your screen to point out a specific area, and the circle, drawing, or writing fades after a few seconds. If you want to stop sharing your screen, tap the More button and tap Stop next to Screen Sharing, or end the call, which also ends screen sharing.

Use SharePlay to enjoy content together

SharePlay in the Phone app lets you stream music, movies, and TV shows in sync with friends and family during a call, and shared playback controls keep everyone in sync.

  1. Open the Phone app on your iPhone.
  2. During a call, tap the More button and tap SharePlay.
  3. Tap the supported app (like Apple Music or Apple TV) and then find the show, movie, song, or other content you want to share.
  4. Tap Start or Play to begin using SharePlay. For everyone who has access to the content, the content starts playing at the same time. Note: If the shared content requires a subscription, the service may ask those who don’t have access to subscribe, make a transaction, or sign up for a free trial, if available.
  5. To stop sharing the content, go to the call screen, tap the More button, and then tap Stop next to SharePlay.

Ending the call also stops the music or video. Anyone in the conversation can play, pause, rewind, or fast-forward for everyone with the playback controls, but each person controls their own settings, like closed-captioning and volume.

Quick tip: You can stream the video to Apple TV 4K after it starts playing.

Tag: Phone
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How to have a group conversation in Messages on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

You can send a group text message, name it, and assign it an icon to find it more easily. In a group conversation, you can call people’s attention to specific messages and even collaborate on projects.

When you mention someone by name in a group conversation, they’ll get a notification. To start one, you send a message to multiple people, entering each recipient’s phone number, contact name, or Apple Account.

Here’s how to have a group conversation in Messages on iPhone.

A group conversation including shared files.

Start a group conversation

To start a group conversation, send a message to multiple people.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In the conversation list, tap the Compose button at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Tap the To field. Enter the phone number, contact name, or Apple Account of each recipient.

    To choose group members from your contacts, tap the Add Contact button in the To field.

    Note: If one or more of your recipients isn’t using iMessage, messages appear in green bubbles instead of blue ones.

  4. Tap the text field, enter a message or tap the Add button (to the left of the text field) to send a photo, video, poll, or another item with iMessage apps.
  5. Tap the Send button.

Add someone to an existing group conversation

Once a group conversation has at least two other people in it, you can add additional contacts.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the group conversation you want to add someone to.
  3. Tap the group icon at the top of the conversation. Then tap Add.

    The conversation details for a group.

  4. Enter the phone number, contact name, or Apple Account of each recipient.

    To add group members from your contacts, tap the Add Contact button in the To field.

  5. Tap the Done button to save your changes.

Note: If someone in the group hasn’t turned on iMessage, you’ll need to follow the onscreen instructions to start a new group.

With only one other person in the conversation, you’ll need to start a new group conversation to add someone else.

To remove someone from a group conversation in iMessage, touch and hold their icon, then tap Remove from Group.

Leave a group conversation

You can’t leave a group chat unless there are at least three other participants in the conversation.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the group conversation you want to leave.
  3. Tap the contact or group icon at the top of the conversation.
  4. Scroll down and tap Leave This Conversation or Delete and Block This Conversation. Blocked conversations are moved to the Recently Deleted folder, where you can recover them.

To stay in a group chat without receiving its notifications, you can mute the conversation instead.

Mention people in a group conversation

To call someone’s attention to a specific message in a group conversation, mention them by name. They’ll get a notification. Depending on their settings, they may be notified even if they’ve muted the conversation.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In a conversation, begin typing a contact’s name in the text field.
  3. Tap the contact’s name when it appears.

You can also mention a contact in Messages by typing @ followed by the contact’s name. To change whether you get notifications when your name is mentioned in Messages, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, then turn on or off Notify Me.

Name a group conversation

You can name a group chat and choose an icon* to represent the conversation. Everyone who has turned on iMessage sees the new name and icon.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the group icon at the top of the conversation.
  3. Tap Edit, tap Edit Name & Photo, and then choose an option.

*Availability varies by region.

Tag: Messages
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How to select your favorite Podcasts categories and channels on iPhone

by Chris Smith

You can select your favorite categories and channels in the Podcasts app to get better show recommendations and access shows from your subscriptions. Favorite categories rank higher in search results, and favorite channels are easier to find in your library. You can remove them if you change your mind, too.

Select your favorite categories

Adding categories to your favorites gives you better show recommendations and easier access to category pages. Favorite categories also rank higher in search results and appear first in the Categories list.

  1. Open the Podcasts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Library and tap Categories. Then tap Manage.
  3. Do any of the following:
    • Add a category to your favorites: Select one or more categories.
    • Remove a category from your favorites: Tap the Remove Favorite button.

Select your favorite channels

To make channels easier to find in your library, add them to your favorites. You can remove them later if you change your mind. In the Library, favorite channels show up at the top of the Channels section with a Favorite icon.

Note: You won’t see Channels in the Library tab until you subscribe to a channel, follow a show offered by a channel, or add a channel as a favorite.

  1. Open the Podcasts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Library and then tap Channels. You can also search or browse for a channel.
  3. Do any of the following:
    • Add a channel to your favorites: Tap the channel and tap the Favorite button.
    • Remove a channel from your favorites: Tap the channel, then tap the Remove Favorite button.
Tag: Podcasts
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How to screen and block calls on iPhone

by Emily Long

On iPhone you can block specific callers and you can change your setting to automatically identify, screen, filter, and block unknown and spam calls.

To identify incoming calls, iPhone can use Apple Business Connect, supported carriers, and call identification apps. You can also screen or silence unknown numbers, unblock a blocked contact, and view calls from unknown or spam callers. It all starts in Phone settings, under Call Blocking & Identification.

Here’s how to screen and block calls on iPhone.

Turn on call identification

Using information from supported call identification apps, supported carriers, and Apple Business Connect, iPhone can help identify incoming calls.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Phone. Then tap Call Blocking & Identification.
  3. Turn on one or more of the following:
    • Business Call Identification: Caller information is identified by Apple Business Connect or your carrier.
    • Call Identification apps: Caller information is identified by supported caller ID apps.

Screen or silence unknown numbers

Call Screening answers calls from unknown numbers automatically, without interrupting you. Once the caller shares their name and reason for calling, your iPhone rings and shares their response, so you can decide whether to pick up. You can also silence calls from unknown callers and send them straight to voicemail.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
  3. Choose one of the following:
    • Never: Call Screening is turned off and your iPhone will ring when you receive a call from an unsaved number.
    • Ask Reason for Calling: Calls from unknown numbers will be asked for more information before iPhone rings.
    • Silence: Calls from unsaved numbers will be silenced, sent to voicemail, and appear in the Recents list.

Note: Siri speaks in your iPhone’s default language when answering calls.

Filter unknown and spam calls

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
  3. Turn on the following:
    • Unknown Callers: Calls from unknown numbers are removed from your Recents list and sent to the Unknown Callers list.
    • Spam: Calls identified by your carrier as potential spam or fraud are silenced, sent to voicemail, and moved to the Spam list.

You can mark an unknown caller as known to prevent future calls from being sent to the Unknown Callers list. Go to the Phone app , tap the Filter button, tap Unknown Callers, tap Mark as Known next to the call, then tap Mark as Known. To remove a number from your known callers, tap the number you want to remove, then tap Mark as Unknown at the bottom of the contact card.

Block calls from specific people or numbers

  1. Open the Phone app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Contacts, tap a contact, and tap Block Contact.

Unblock a blocked contact

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
  3. Tap Blocked Contacts, then tap Edit.
  4. Tap the Remove button, then tap Unblock.

View calls from unknown or spam callers

  1. Open the Phone app on your iPhone.
  2. Do one of the following, depending on which Phone app layout you are using:
    • Unified layout: Tap Calls.
    • Classic layout: Tap Recents.
  3. Tap the Filter button.
  4. Tap Unknown Callers or Spam.
Tag: Phone
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How to connect app subscriptions to Podcasts on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

In the Podcasts app, you can listen to content from Apple Music, Apple News+, and eligible third-party subscription apps.

Your eligible app subscriptions are automatically connected to Podcasts if you subscribed through the App Store and the app offers content in Podcasts. If you subscribed some other way, you can connect the subscription yourself from the channel’s page.

Note: Not all apps offer content that’s available in Podcasts.

If you subscribed using another method, do the following:

  1. Open the Podcasts app on your iPhone.
  2. Browse or search for a channel with an eligible subscription.
  3. On the Channel page, tap the Already a Subscriber link and then follow the instructions to connect your app subscription.

Once an app subscription is connected, you’ll find the channel in your library, and you can play all subscriber-only shows and episodes in Podcasts.

Tag: Podcasts
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How to connect a game controller to iPhone

by Moses Johnson

You can connect a compatible game controller to your iPhone through Bluetooth® or a wired connection. You can customize the buttons, add a second controller to get help from a friend, and use your controller to navigate the Apple Games app on iPhone.

With Buddy Controller, two controllers work together to control the same player character. A wired controller may need an adapter, depending on your iPhone model. You can also customize controls for a specific game in the Apple Games app.

Pair a Bluetooth game controller

  1. Follow the instructions that came with the controller to put it in discovery mode.
  2. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  3. Tap Bluetooth and turn on Bluetooth. Tap the name of the device.

Connect a wired game controller

Along with wireless ones, you can also connect a compatible wired game controller to your iPhone. Depending on the controller and your iPhone model, you might need an adapter, sold separately, so follow the instructions that came with your controller.

Customize the game controller buttons

Once a compatible game controller is paired or connected, you can customize the buttons for supported games in the Apple Games app.

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General and then tap Game Controller.
  3. Select the controller you want to customize. Then do any of the following
    • Customize default controls: Tap Default.
    • Customize controls for a specific game: Tap Add Game and select the game. Tap Default for the selected game.
  4. Select the actions and gestures you want to use with your controller.

Add a second game controller and get help from a friend

Need a friend to help you navigate through a challenging part of a game? With Buddy Controller, iPhone lets you both control the same player character with two controllers. It’s compatible with any game that supports game controllers.

  1. Connect two compatible game controllers to iPhone through Bluetooth or a wired connection.
  2. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  3. Tap General and then tap Game Controller.
  4. Tap Buddy Controller.
  5. Choose the primary controller and choose the secondary controller.
Tag: Bluetooth
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How to share your location in Find My on iPhone

by Dave Johnson

Before you can use the Find My app to share your location with friends, you need to set up location sharing.

Once it’s set up, you can share your location with a friend, set a label for your location, and stop or pause sharing whenever you want. You can also respond to a location sharing request, or stop receiving new location sharing requests.

Here’s how to share your location in Find My on iPhone.

Note: When others still can’t see your location after you set up location sharing, check that Location Services is turned on in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Find My.

Set up location sharing

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Me, then turn on Share My Location.

    The device sharing your location appears next to Sharing From.

  3. If your iPhone isn’t currently sharing your location, you can tap Use This iPhone as My Location.

    Note: To share your location from another device, open Find My on the device and change your location to that device. If you share your location from an iPhone that’s paired with Apple Watch (GPS + Cellular models), your location is shared from your Apple Watch when you’re out of range of your iPhone and Apple Watch is on your wrist.

You can also change your location sharing settings in Settings > [your name] > Find My.

Set a label for your location

You can set a label for your current location to make it more meaningful (like Home or Work). When you tap Me, you see the label in addition to your location.

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Me and then tap Location Label.
  3. Select a label.

To add a new label, tap Add Custom Label, enter a name, then tap Done.

Share your location with a friend

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap People, tap the Add button, and choose Share My Location.

    The Find My People list, with the Add button at the top. Tapping a person in the list shows their contact information, directions, and more.

  3. In the With field, enter the name of a friend you want to share your location with (or tap the Add Contact button, then select a contact).
  4. Tap the Done button. Then choose how long you want to share your location.

Quick tip: Choose Custom and adjust the fields to set a duration or an end time for your location sharing.

You can also notify a friend or family member when your location changes.

Stop or pause sharing your location

Hide your location from everyone, or stop or pause sharing it with a specific friend.

  • Stop sharing with a friend: Tap People , then tap the name of the person you don’t want to share your location with. Tap Stop Sharing My Location, then tap Stop Sharing Location.
  • Pause sharing with a friend: Tap People , then tap the name of the person you want to pause sharing your location with. Tap the More button. then tap Hide Location.
  • Hide your location from everyone: Tap Me , then turn off Share My Location.

Respond to a location sharing request

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap People.
  3. Tap Share below the name of the friend who sent the request and choose how long you want to share your location.

If you don’t want to share your location, tap Cancel.

Stop receiving new location sharing requests

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Me, then turn off Allow Friend Requests.
Tag: Find My
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How to use the Tips app on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

View collections of tips in the Tips app that help you get the most from your iPhone. You can also get notifications every once in a while so you can keep learning new things over time.

In the Tips app, you can learn things like how to access your passwords. New tips are added regularly, and if you’d like, you can get notified when they arrive, save tips to your Saved tips collection, or share a tip.

A screen showing a collection of tips with arrows indicating that you can tap a collection to view the tips in it.

Get tips

The Tips app can teach you how to navigate your iPhone, edit your photos, and much more, and new tips are added regularly.

To start learning, go to the Tips app, tap a collection, then tap a tip.

Get notified when new tips arrive

  1. Go to Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Notifications, tap Tips below Notification Style, and turn on Allow Notifications.
  3. Choose options for the style of notifications you want to receive, how they should appear, and more.

Save tips

To quickly find tips later, add them to your personal Saved tips collection.

  1. Open the Tips app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap a tip. Tap the Save button to add it to your collection. To remove the tip from your Saved tips collection, tap the Save button again.

To view all the tips you saved, tap “Saved tips.”

Share a tip

To share a tip, send it to a friend over Messages or Mail, or use AirDrop for someone nearby. Tips can also go into apps like Notes and Freeform.

  1. Open the Tips app on your iPhone.
  2. Open the tip you want to share.
  3. Tap the Share button and then choose how to send the tip.
Tag: Tips
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