iPhone 6s Tips and Tricks

iPhone 6s Tips and Tricks

by Jeremy Cleland

When Apple released the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, it sold more than 13 million units within three days, breaking records. The phone is set to spread to 130 countries by the end of the year.

Whether you go for the basic black, classic white or dazzling rose gold, the Apple iPhone 6s has way more to offer than its good looks. At the heart of iPhone 6s is the iOS 9 operating system, which promises to boost privacy and improve built-in apps, as well as offer Siri in multiple languages. But what users will notice most is that the iPhone 6s introduces 3D touch, which is all about “pressing” to navigate content and speed up actions versus double tapping or using the home button.

Here are top three tips for making the most of your iPhone 6s:

iPhone Peek and Pop

Tapping, swiping and “pinching” have become second nature when it comes to using touchscreens, but the 6s introduces 3D touch, which is all about pressing versus double tapping. You press down firmly on icons, links or images, feeling a little pulse, and can:

Send your coordinates

For example, if your friend texts you an address, you can press it to “peek” at the location in your map app. When you release you go back to the text. Or you can keep pressing and “pop” into the map for a full view. You can press down on the blue dot in your map to send your location to a friend.

Manage contacts

3D touch also allows you to press on a phone number to add it to your contacts, or peek at an entire album in Apple music when you’re playing a song.

Preview content

Whether it be a website, video you just shot or email, you can use 3D touch, pressing down on a link or image, to peek at the content vs. linking out or switching apps.

iPhone Quick Actions

Back in the day you’d use a combination of keys on your computer’s keyboard to take convenient short cuts. But with iPhone 6s Quick Action, this old idea is refreshed:

Snap selfies faster

Pressing the camera button now lets you take a selfie, record a video or snap a photo on one click.

Send email faster

Pressing your email icon let’s you shoot off a new email or quickly search your inbox. You can also press and swipe — turning your trash can red — to delete emails in one touch.

Connect faster

Pressing on a contacts profile photo in Mail, Messages, or anywhere you see it in iOS 9 will bring up their contact info instantly.

iPhone Live Photos

Forbes says many folks are not even waiting for the iPhone 7, and its reviewer Ian Morris first and foremost loves the camera (which now allows you to capture the moments of your life in higher resolution), writing: “The iPhone 6S is the best S update to an iPhone ever. Its camera is just absurdly good.” Plus, using the camera’s live photo option (an icon with a three circles), you can capture a photo that has a few seconds of moment and sound too — so it doubles as a mini video, but is still a high resolution (12‑megapixel) photo.

Jeremy Cleland has been a spokesperson for several Silicon Valley startups, like Tesla Motors, and spearheaded global stories about technology featured in media like Vice, Time magazine, Forbes and Wired.com. He’s also the dad to a 5-year-old who is already more tech-savvy than him.

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Mobile Technology & Smartphones: "iPhone 6s Tips and Tricks"