Launching alongside the new iPhone 11 (guide), iPhone 11 Pro (guide) and iPhone 11 Pro Max (guide) is Apple iOS 13. Unfortunately, the release suffers from serious problems so do not upgrade right now. This is a shame because iOS 13 hides many great secret features.
Here are 25 of the best hiding beneath the surface.
3D Touch / Haptics
3D Touch Commands For All – With Apple ditching 3D Touch, iOS 13 makes virtually all its functions available for haptic touch. iPhone SE, iPhone XR and iPhone 11 series owners should try holding down on links to preview them, app icons to see shortcuts and much more.
Battery
Optimized Charging – turn this on under Settings > Battery in iOS 13 and your phone will charge to 80% then only top up the rest when you need it, such as just before your morning alarm. This preserves battery health for longer.
Control Center
Bluetooth and WiFi toggles – press and hold the Bluetooth and WiFi icons in Control Center to switch directly between networks and devices without the need to open Settings.
App Downloads
Unlimited Downloads – the 200MB limit for apps and iOS updates has gone in iOS 13 giving those on unlimited data plans the freedom to update away from a WiFi network. This was long overdue.
Files
Unzip – a new Uncompressed feature allows you to zip and unzip files in the Files app.
Folders – iOS 13 finally lets users create nested folders and move files around without needing iCloud Drive.
Keyboard
Swipe Typing – a feature available in third-party apps for years, Apple has finally brought swipe typing to its keyboard in iOS 13.
Data Saving
Low Data – this new mode is buried in Settings and off by default but, if your cellular data allowance is running low, this will stop you bursting through your limit and racking up a large bill.
Extended Reply Menu – alongside Reply, Reply All, Forward and Print you will now find options to Move to Junk, Mark as Unread and trigger specific notifications and flagging.
Mute and Block – part of the new extended reply menu but worth calling out on their own. The ability to mute a specific email thread is a dream to anyone who has been caught in up the endless back and forth of emails with a large number of recipients. Likewise, the option to block all emails from a specific sender and send them directly to trash will be loved by some users.
Messages
Improved search – recent messages, photos and links appear before you strike a key saving valuable time. You can also now search within individual conversations.
News
News In Stocks – News+ subscribers can now read relevant business news directly in the Stocks app. Currently only available in the US, UK and Australia only but a wider rollout is expected.
Notes
Collaboration – share folders of notes rather than just individual notes with friends and colleagues.
Phone
Silence Callers – jump into Settings and the Phone app will allow you to automatically silence any calls from callers who are not listed in your Contacts, Mail or Messages. Unknown callers are sent straight to voicemail.
Photos
Live Photos – Live Photos and videos now automatically play (without sound) as you scroll through the Photos app. It’s a simple change but it brings your memories to life.
Duplicates – the Photos app now intelligently removes duplicate photos and screenshots from view.
Safari
Passwords – Safari will now warn you if you choose a weak password when registering with a new site. Say goodbye to ‘password’ and ‘123456’.
Auto Dark Mode – websites using a new Dark Mode CSS code can automatically switch Safari to dark mode to enhance the look of their site.
Auto save and Auto close – options have been added to save all open tabs as bookmarks and, in Settings, set up a long press of the tabs icon to automatically close all tabs which haven’t been recently viewed.
Download location – Safari settings now lets you switch the default download location for files away from iCloud Drive if you just want to store them locally on your device.
Screenshots – when you take a screenshot in Safari and open the preview box, you’ll find a new ‘Full Page’ option allowing you to capture and markup the full page.
Siri / Apple Maps
Improved spoken direction – natural language replaces confusing distance locations so “turn right in 800 feet” becomes “turn right at the next traffic light”.
Smart reminders – Siri can recognize calendar events and lists and prompt you to set reminders if you haven’t done so already.
Undo
Quick access – when typing tap and hold on the screen with three fingers to bring up Undo, Redo, Copy, Cut and Paste shortcuts.
Undo typing – if you want to quickly undo what you just typed, swipe right with three fingers as if you were striking it out.
