10 iPhone 6 Tips and Tricks

Arguably the best phone of 2014, the iPhone 6 is jam-packed with features across the board, giving users access to fingerprint technology, flashy cameras and even a mobile payment system. But what features does the Apple handset have hidden behind the scenes?

Here we are to take a look at 10 iPhone 6 tips and tricks that might have slipped under your radar. So if you’ve recently picked up or are planning on getting your hands on a new iPhone, take note of some of these extra features!

1. iOS Widgets

No longer an Android-only feature, widgets have since been made available in the iOS 8 ‘Today’ area of the notification menu, which can be accessed by swiping down from the top of your iPhone 6 display.

To activate a widget, simply go into the ‘Today’ panel and scroll down to the bottom and select edit. From here you can activate a widget from any compatible app you’ve downloaded- LinkedIn for example allows you to see who’s viewed your profile. Not all apps have a widget function however, so they may be scarce until you build up a large collection of apps.

2. iOS 8 Notifications

Notifications are one of the key reasons we own a smartphone. But replying to them until now has been a tedious task, making us switch between apps simply to send a text message, but no longer is this the case!

When you receive a text message on the iPhone 6, instead of tapping the notification to switch to the messaging app, simply swipe down on the banner message and a quick reply box will open. From here you can send a reply quickly and easily, without forcing the app you were using previously to close.

3. iPhone Reachability

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus offer touch screens bigger than we’d ever seen before on any Apple smartphone. But whilst we love the bigger display, we hate trying to reach into all four corners with just one hand.

Thankfully, using the Apple Reachability feature you can ensure that even the smallest thumbs will be able to reach the top of your screen. By lightly touching the home button twice (don’t press it, simply tap it otherwise you will to get your fingerprint read), the top area of the display will drop down into a more finger friendly area.

4. Quick Access to your Contacts App

Contacts were tucked away in the depths of our iPhones in previous instalments of iOS, making you either access your phone app or launch the notoriously unused Contacts app, which is more often than not stashed in your Apple bloatware folder on the second or third home screen.

The tables have turned now however; by a simple double press of the home button you can now find your recent and favourite contacts above the app tray. Whilst only a select group of contacts are listed here, it should be more than enough for the average mobile user.

5. ‘Hey Siri’

**Struggling to update an older iPhone? **Find out how to update your software safely here!

The Siri app is one of Apple’s headline features and has been since its inception back with iOS 6. But now it looks like we’ve got a new way to trigger the voice assistant, by simply saying ‘Hey Siri’.

To activate this feature you first have to ensure that Siri is actively listening for your trigger command by going into Settings > Siri > Allow ‘Hey Siri’. Now you can get Siri started by simply saying ‘Hey Siri’, as long as you have your iPhone plugged into a power source, so as not to drain too much battery.

6. New Emojis

iPhone emojis themselves aren’t strictly a new feature, but they are ones which are still underused by Apple fans. For those who don’t know, emoji icons are visual faces or pictures that can be inserted into messages to add humour or other expressions into your conversations.

To activate the iPhone 6 emoji keyboard, simply go to *Settings > General > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Emoji. *Now you will have access to hundreds of little emoticons when you go to your keyboard!

7. Send Audio Messages

If a standard text message doesn’t quite cut it, but you don’t have any minutes spare to make a call, sending an audio message is your best option. Doing this on the iPhone 6 is super-easy, meaning you won’t have to struggle to get your point across.

Whenever you’re in a message simply tap the microphone symbol in the bottom right of the display- here you will be able to record a voice message and send it as a message. Similarly, the picture icon on the bottom left can be used to send images in the same way.

8. Slow Motion Video

Recording videos have become more and more important on our smartphones with the development of Vine and Snapchat. The iPhone 6 has taken this to the next level by including 240fps slow motion video recording.

To get the slow mo video on the go, simply go to the camera and then swipe across to slow motion video and select 240fps mode. Shoots can then be filmed and watched back, with the user having the control over when the slow motion kicks in, making it an ideal feature for action shots or sports video.

9. Screen Magnifyer: Display Zoom

**Still trying to decide whether to get an iPhone? **Take a look at our iOS 8 vs Android Lollipop battle!

Sometimes we need to be a little bit closer to the action on our smartphones, and with the iPhone 6 Display Zoom mode is the feature that helps us do that. Offering an enlarged home screen display, this iPhone 6 feature is simple and easy to use.

To activate Display Zoom, all you have to do is go to Settings > Display > Display Zoom. Here you can turn the mode on or off to give yourself a better view of your home screen.

10. Lock Screen Shortcut

Apple’s always looking to push the boundaries of our smartphones, and lock screen shortcuts are one of these fancy new features. Based on your location, if you’re near a shop or business which has an app, it will appear as a small logo in the bottom left of your lock screen, from here you can open the app up so you have access to it right away.

To activate it you need to go to Settings > iTunes and App Store > Scroll down to Suggested Apps. As a default these are turned on, but if you don’t fancy getting these little notifications, you can disable them here.

iPhone 6 tips and tricks- any more?

So there you have it, ten handy iPhone tips and tricks you can use with your brand new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus). Hopefully they’ll be able to help you out if you get into a sticky situation with your handset. Know of any more that we haven’t already mentioned? Drop us a comment and we’ll get it added to the list!