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iOS 9: six iPhone tips and hidden tricks for powerusers

posted by Paul K. / Feb 04, 2016, 9:44 AM

iOS 9: six iPhone tips and hidden tricks for powerusers

iPhones are rarely put in the same sentence with poweruser options for the simple reason that iOS is a closed operating system. Powerusers are usually the tinkerers and the experimenters – people who would feel much more at home on Android, with its open file system, customizable interface, 3rd party launchers, unlocked bootloaders, custom ROMs, et cetera.

Still, that doesn't mean that iOS doesn't have its fair share of heavy users – people that spend a lot of time on the device, communicating with friends and business associates, shopping online, taking notes and getting organized through their phone. The iPhone has its fair share of hidden features, which the average smartphone holder could care less about, but will be used by the heavy user often. Said features are either out of the way, require some inventive thinking, or are the product of a 3rd party app from the App Store. Check out our six not-so-obvious iOS 9 tips below!

iOS 9: six tips and hidden tricks for powerusers

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36 Comments

1. another1

Posts: 157; Member since: Dec 25, 2015

Getting rid of Facebook is the easiest way to improve your phone's performance, and especially battery life. Not to mention, it's the number 1 way to improve your life. FB is a true addition for many people.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 9:51 AM 3

9. sgodsell

Posts: 7456; Member since: Mar 16, 2013

Power user and Apple should never be used in a sentence. How can you have a controlled wall garden and then say you are a power user. What kind of joke is that.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 12:02 PM 5

10. VVayne

Posts: 103; Member since: Oct 01, 2015

You know nothing, John Snow.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 12:05 PM 1

21. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

He know everything in thats matter at least. Power user want FULL control on the device they use and be able to modify it anyway they want. I am personally a power user ( 5-6 hours screen time a day minimum ) I have 4 email account on my device 3 different calender ( linked to 3 of the emails ) I dont use facebook but i use twitter. I play load of game on my device and also use it to stream content to my chromcast at home and at work. I also tend to modify my interface every months using various launcher and such. Iphone 6S die after 3-4 hours screen time and the 6S plus is way too big. So just thats alone make it a no go for power user. but when we talk about interface modification... game over apple. So Wayne learn to understand ppl need before speaking.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:08 PM 0

18. htcisthebest

Posts: 437; Member since: Nov 15, 2011

iSheeps think they are power users.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 2:02 PM 0

19. Ninetysix

Posts: 2965; Member since: Oct 08, 2012

Coming from someone who thinks that sucktc is the best. Sure we believe you :)

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 2:15 PM 0

20. darkkjedii

Posts: 31328; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

LMAO.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:05 PM 0

22. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

At least we can modify the interface and make it look what we want on an htc device cant say thats much on ios.. Can you make your interface tottaly different?

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:09 PM 0

34. nodes

Posts: 1160; Member since: Mar 06, 2014

you can change launcher, wow what a poweruser you are!

posted on Feb 05, 2016, 12:39 AM 0

2. 47AlphaTango

Posts: 734; Member since: Sep 27, 2015

I'm a pure ios poweruser. Having a powerbank solves most of my problems. Whether on the go or at home. Also, having a powercase extends the battery life of the ios devices. But sometimes, I just have to turn off the wifi, and disable 3g or 4g, whenever I watch movies, read comics or manga, or play mobile games.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 9:53 AM 0

24. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

I never turn anything off and leave brightness on auto on all my android device and i dont need powerbank ( beside with my htcs phone i admit ) I can also do anything i want on my phone like make it look like any other OS, change theme , put my calender as a full screen page on my phone ect. Power user dont only use the phone a lots they do lots of thing with it. a very small % of ppl are power user.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:11 PM 0

3. natypes

Posts: 1110; Member since: Feb 02, 2015

iOS and powerusers in the same sentence bwaaaahahahahhhahahahahah

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 10:20 AM 4

4. kkmkk

Posts: 699; Member since: May 06, 2013

a true power user use android not ios ( simple fact )

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 10:21 AM 2

6. RebelwithoutaClue unregistered

That is not a fact but an opinion.. nothing more. I don't believe that a true power user is bound to one platform.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 10:49 AM 14

7. SamsungPhanboy

Posts: 765; Member since: Mar 31, 2015

Owned. +1

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 11:00 AM 4

12. sgodsell

Posts: 7456; Member since: Mar 16, 2013

Wrong, a true poweruser has full control over his device. When a device and OS restricts a user from this task. Then you are fooling yourself into thinking you are a poweruser.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 12:10 PM 3

13. RebelwithoutaClue unregistered

You can always jailbreak your iPhone and even on Android there is no full control. And there is more to being a power user than to customize the s**t out of your phone.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 12:28 PM 5

16. illusionmist

Posts: 157; Member since: Jan 29, 2013

Dude stop. You’re smothering them with reason.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 1:36 PM 3

26. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

you can also root an android. But you dont need to root to have customization and full control on your device but i admit rooting make it completely open. Jailbroken iphone on the other hand are still somehow limited on some stuff.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:13 PM 0

35. nodes

Posts: 1160; Member since: Mar 06, 2014

if you are a poweruser, you could make iOS whatever you want, like that kid that got hired by Apple, he could flash any iOS version and even multi-boot it. then there are these people that only follow some guide on the internet. Step 1 to 8. and voila! your device flashed with 3rd party ROM, and call themselves poweruser. compile your own kernel and rom, then we are talking about poweruser.

posted on Feb 05, 2016, 12:43 AM 1

8. Wiencon

Posts: 2278; Member since: Aug 06, 2014

True, powerusers choose whatever they feel most comfortable with

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 11:49 AM 4

11. VVayne

Posts: 103; Member since: Oct 01, 2015

Indeed. Most internet people are convinced that their opinion is a fact. Which certainly is not. I like someone else sees the difference too.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 12:07 PM 4

25. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

a true power user like to have full control on is device something you dont with an ios device.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:11 PM 0

36. AlikMalix unregistered

Dude, I've been over this before: you have no control of getting an available update unless your favorite manufaturer finally gets their lazy ass on it and then good luck with your carrier. You also have no control over what apps are allowed and not allowed to do (marshmallow will add that but given less then 2% on it - chases are you sing got it). You have no control of bloat that's on your phone, you uave no control what your phone decides to run while in standby. You can't track your family, you can't in a decent game without blaming the high resolution for low frame rate. Besides installing new winter theme - you pretty much got a walled garden of your own there. File managers, automation, notifications - are all available in all kinds and forms on iOS. You can't even run a decent content blocker without rooting something.

posted on Feb 05, 2016, 3:24 AM 0

14. AlikMalix unregistered

Because in your simple world a power user is someone who likes to change icons and fonts, right? Customizing the look of your home screen is the least of any user needs. You see iPhones used everywhere in the industry from doctors and medical offices to ship loading docks. Just because you like to tinkle with your settings because a decent game doesn't run well on your device does not make you a power user. (Just tried running RR3 on a buddy's G4 - it lagged so much - I might as well run it on my old 3GS, I'm the last person that will point at a recent android flagship and say it lags - but I was really surprised by the lack of performance of LG G4 for a game that my 5s runs smooth).

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 12:45 PM 2

27. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

Nope in my world a power user is someone who can do ANYTHING he want on is phone. Customisation is one thing out of countless others. In fact Doctors and medical office often use Intrinsic safety made phone wich iphone are NOT those phone eliminate all electrical current output outside the phone and produce no heat so no danger to make explosion if by example your oxygen tank is leaking. Ship loading docks usualy use rugged phone and sometime iphone but most of my client switched to Sonim phone for such work as its come with 3 year warranty at no cost even if you break your phone and much better battery with the possibility to use a real laser based scanner attachment on the back of the device. A power user also know how hardware and OS interact in any devices by example : RR3 you mean real racing 3 right? its run flawlessly on my moto x play with a SD615... Could it be the 2k resolution on the G4 is too much for the SD808? Your iphone 5S is only 750p resolution so to run a game smoothly its take a lots less horse power than on 1080p or 2k. i am also a PC user and a laptop can run a game at 720p everything maxed with no lag but same game might lag on my gamer desktop if i run it in 4k. So yeah your 250 horse power car can go as fast as my 1000 horse power heavy truck but thats because i have much more weight to push ( ence more pixel to push egual to higher load on hardwar) So dont say a phone is crap because its run everything at higher resolution ( wich is something thats should be possible to change in all mobile game thats way i am pretty sure the G4 would run it at 750p like your iphone whitout lag at all ) I challenge you to say i am wrong on this just try it!

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:27 PM 0

30. Bernoulli

Posts: 4361; Member since: Sep 01, 2012

You see iPhones used everywhere in the industry from doctors and medical offices to ship loading docks. What does that have to do with anything? Android is on the exact same boat.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 4:44 PM 0

23. darkkjedii

Posts: 31328; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

Damn kkmkk! Your ass got owned by everybody lol. You should go to mommy, and breastfeed.

posted on Feb 04, 2016, 3:09 PM 0

28. marorun

Posts: 5029; Member since: Mar 30, 2015

Some ppl can defend themself other cannot. This iphone 5S running a game more smoothly than a device thats need to push many time more pixel was a joke on Alik as this is simply dumb. Your 5S would die if we would put android OS on it. iOS would fly if its would run on the hardware of the G4. Benchmark only show the end result and i always said android is much more heavy than iOS.