It goes without saying that in 2019, we pretty much live on our phones. Fact. We use them to check our social media feeds (probably more than we care to admit), keep in touch with everyone via WhatsApp and of course we’re ‘pulling to refresh’ our emails all day long. And then, maybe – maaaybe – we’ll use them for the occasional phone call. Of course, behind it all is Apple, who have single-handedly changed our relationship with technology and the handset. With each new iPhone model, life is getting easier and easier with innovative apps and ways of using the phone.
The iPhone XS/XS Max features some of the most incredible hacks that makes us all super savvy users.
Check out these five features…
Sharing with all the fam
Ok, so Apple Music’s Family plan is now jumping on Apple’s Family Sharing infrastructure. All it takes is going to your iCloud settings and tap to set up family sharing, add your members of family and then you’re good to go. No need to take your headphones off to listen to your sister’s music – it will be right there on your phone too. And it’s not just music: you can share your photos, movies, apps and more. So, no need to laboriously email stuff anymore. It’s all available in your inner circle.
Control that screen time
We already know we live on our phones but new to iOS 12 is Screen Time, which lets you get a better grip on how much time you spend with your phone. The new tool lets you see where you spend most of your time and even provides ways to help you curb your addiction. It’s a sobering and incredibly helpful way to enjoy your new iPhone, without going overboard. So, if you’re spending too much time on Instagram (guilty as charged) you can limit your time on it. If you have family sharing set up, you can even use Screen Time to take more control of your kids’ device during meals or bedtime. That’s next-level discipline…
Your photos are organised like a vault
Let’s be real, here. Our phones are unofficially a vault of photos that have migrated from one phone update to another. Read: they are very, precious. And with every new iPhone update, the question is always: “How’s the camera?” Well, this one is incredible. An innovative dual-camera system integrates the 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras, ISP, Neural Engine, and advanced algorithms so you can take amazing photos. And those photos are organised in the most intuitive of ways. There is a For You tab that gives you a personalised feed of recent moments in your library. In general, the search improvements are super intelligent. Went to a historical landmark in Armenia back in 2015? The photo will find it super quick.
Look at me, look at me
Since our entire lives are stored on our iPhone, the need for maximum security is real. Now, in the same way Touch ID revolutionised authentication using only your fingerprint, Face ID provides a state of the art, secure, technology to unlock you phone with a simple stare – that’s after the phone registers your face, that is. And also, you can use your face to make purchases in the App store and authenticate Apple Pay payments – OMG – but, if you don’t want to get too carried away you can toggle each Face ID feature on or off via the phone’s settings. But, how cool is that?
Create your Memoji, yes really
So, thanks to the TrueDepth Camera system that enables Face ID, you can create animated faces based on your, erm, face and make a Memoji. Essentially they work just like an Animoji With a deep set of customisation options, you can build an incredibly diverse set of Memoji that literally is a digi-version of you, which can be sent as texts or used as stickers in iMessage or FaceTime. Who needs selfies when you’ve got Memoji?
There you have it. If you’re just as Apple-obsessed as we are, we bet you’ll be cosying up to your phone right about now, getting involved with all these must-know hacks. Thank us later…
So, we might be getting an Amazon Middle East. Exciting stuff, just saying.
